New Mexico
Jax State cruises past New Mexico State for third straight victory
Jacksonville State showed no signs of slowing down in its second game in five days.
The Gamecocks scored their third straight victory and another huge offensive performance with a 54-13 thrashing of Conference USA foe New Mexico State on Wednesday, rebounding from an 0-3 start to the season.
Jacksonville State starting center ‘probably done for the year’
The victory is the third straight Jax State has totaled at least six touchdowns, with the Gamecocks scoring a 44-7 win over Southern Miss on Sept. 21 and a 63-24 victory over Kennesaw State just five days ahead of Wednesday’s win in Jacksonville.
The victory was the first time Jax State has scored back-to-back 50-point wins since 2015 when the team had two huge victories in the FCS playoffs.
“I thought our defense was really outstanding in the first half,” Jax State coach Rich Rodriguez said. “Got some turnovers, and offensively, we had some plays and made some plays, but we had missed a couple too, and some wide-open touchdowns that maybe could have put the game up a little bit more early, but guys played hard.
“They continue to try to get better and better.”
Jax State had piled up a 33-6 lead at halftime after running back Tre Stewart totaled three touchdowns in the first half alone; he ran for two of 10 and 48 yards while taking a pass from Tyler Huff 32 yards for a touchdown.
The Limestone transfer finished with a season-high 150 total yards and three touchdowns in the win, now sitting at 11 total touchdowns.
Rodriguez has been incredibly impressed with how Stewart, who leads CUSA in rushing touchdowns, has improved in each game.
“We thought he had a chance to have the biggest upside than maybe even some of the freshmen,” Rodriguez said. “He’s an extremely hard worker, and he’s getting a great feel for what we do. Even catching a touchdown pass, I mean, that’s a hard catch. You’re wide open and all that kind of stuff.
“He and Tyler Huff are two guys that weren’t here in the spring, that just got here in the summer, and really just had to camp to work. So I’d expect them to keep getting better.”
Huff had another strong game for the Gamecocks at quarterback, finishing his night 11-for-18 with 196 passing yards and two touchdowns, racking up 58 yards and a touchdown on the ground; he didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Jax State also got into the end zone on a 28-yard rushing touchdown from Georgia transfer Andrew Paul, a 5-yard touchdown reception from Brock Rechsteiner and a 72-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Logan Smothers.
The defense saw 25 different players finish with at least one tackle, with Jawaun Campbell totaling 1.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a sack, which forced a safety.
Four different players had a pass breakup, while sophomore Travis Franklin, Jr. capped off the defense’s efforts with an interception as time expired.
“They work really hard and they’re slowly understanding a little bit better,” Rodriguez said. “I think as the season goes along, we’re finding out, at least I am, too, what our guys do best and what we can tell in practice. When you get in a game and a quarterback is live and everything is live, I get better ‘Okay, these are the plays that our guys do the best.’ We’re figuring that out every week as well.”
Jax State (3-3, 2-0 CUSA) will have a bye week before hosting Middle Tennessee State on Oct. 23.
New Mexico
Los Alamos Public Schools Students Compete At 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair
Students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School, and Los Alamos High School at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair at New Mexico Tech. Photo CourtesyLAPS
LAHS junior Tate Plohr and freshman Linus Plohr qualified to attend the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Phoenix, Ariz. Photo Courtesy LAPS
Los Alamos Middle School student Branden Keller was awarded the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 at the 2026 New Mexico State Science & Engineering Fair. Photo Courtesy/LAPS
LAPS NEWS RELEASE
Twenty students from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Mountain Elementary, Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS) and Los Alamos High School (LAHS) competed, with several garnering awards at the 2026 New Mexico State Science and Engineering Fair held at New Mexico Tech in Socorro.
LAHS junior Tate Plohr qualified to attend the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) next month in Phoenix, Ariz. He was awarded the 3rd-place Grand Award. Freshman Linus Plohr qualified as an alternate and will also be attending the Regeneron ISEF.
Students who participated in the state competition include, from Barranca Mesa Elementary, Sydney Chen, Mary Beth Kelsey, Lily Neale, Aurora Roberts Voss and Henry Rodarte; and Glyn Lo and Ernest Maupin, Mountain Elementary.
Students from LAMS who competed include Evelyn Fobes, Mason Garcia, Andrew Gilbertson, James Junghans, Sequoya Ke, Brandon Keller, Nejan Liyanage and Daniel Yampolsky.
LAHS students Julia Neale, Linus Plohr, Tate Plohr, Lilia Veteva, Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch competed at the senior level.
2026 Award winners:
Category Awards – Junior Division
- Animal Science, Cellular & Molecular
- Biomedical & Health Science
- Honorable Mention: Sequoya Ke
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, Software & Technology
- 2nd place: Nejan Liyanage
- Physics & Astronomy
- 1st place: Sydney Chen
- 2nd place: Mason Garcia
- Honorable Mention: Marybeth Kelsey
- Plant Science
Category Awards – Senior Division
- Behavioral & Social Science:
- Honorable Mention: Linus Plohr
- Earth & Environmental
- Honorable Mention: Lilia Viteva
- Embedded Systems, Math, Robotics, & System Software
- 3rd Place: Helena Welch and Kalliope Welch
- Physics & Astronomy
Grand Awards
- ISEF finalist 3rd place: Tate Plohr
- Brandon Keller received the CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Scholarship in the amount of $2,000. James Jungans and Marybeth Kelsey garnered Thermo Fisher Awards.
Other special award winners include:
- CO2 & Greenhouse Reduction Awards (Junior Division)
- Daniel Yampolsky, 2nd place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Sequoya Ke, 1st place, Biomedical & Health Science
- Brandon Keller, 1st place, Energy & Materials Science
- Andrew Gilbertson, 1st place, Physics & Astronomy
- CO2 & Greenhouse Gas Reduction Award (Senior Division)
- Lilia Viteva, 1st place, Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Office of Naval Research Award
- David Shortess Award
- New Mexico AVS Award
- Citadel Award
- Naval Research Award
- NM Network for Women in Science & Engineering Award
- Yale Science & Engineering Award
- Rose Baca Rivet Award
Related
Arizona State baseball will host a four-game homestand, beginning with New Mexico State on Wednesday, April 22.
The Sun Devils and Aggies faced each other in late March, with ASU winning 10-4. The two teams will meet for the final time at 6:35 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
ASU will then welcome Baylor on Friday, April 24, for a three-game series. The Sun Devils have yet to face the Bears this season, but ASU has been doing well so far and has been in the top 25 for four weeks.
Sophomore center fielder Landon Hairston earned Big 12 player of the week honors on April 13, after delivering five home runs in five games. His 10 runs in that stretch were tied for the second-most nationally and his 14 runs batted in were tied for third-most nationally. All nine of his hits went for extra bases, three more than any other player.
ASU’s series against Baylor will start at 6:35 p.m. for the first two games, followed by a 1:05 p.m. start on Sunday, April 26.
April 19
Softball at Houston, Cougar Softball Stadium, noon.
April 22
Baseball vs New Mexico State, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
April 23
Women’s golf at Big 12 Championship, Dallas Athletic Club, TBA.
Track and field at Penn Relays, Franklin Field, 1:22 p.m.
Beach volleyball at Big 12 Championship, Bear Down Beach, all day.
April 24
Baseball vs Baylor, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Softball vs Texas Tech, Farrington Stadium, 7 p.m.
April 25
Lacrosse at Colorado, Prentup Field, 11 a.m.
Softball vs Texas Tech, Farrington Stadium, 3 p.m.
Baseball vs Baylor, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 6:35 p.m.
Reach the reporter or send tips for stories at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as @jennarortiz on X.
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Josh’s Saturday Night Forecast
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Calmer weather has moved back into the state this afternoon. Temperatures are slightly warmer across northwestern New Mexico, while southeastern areas are cooler thanks to the backdoor cold fronts that moved in on Friday. Breezier winds will return Sunday and will help kick off a warming trend across the state, along with an elevated fire threat in eastern New Mexico.
Warmer weather will continue building in across the state throughout the upcoming week. A few isolated rain chances will return Monday in parts of New Mexico, but some of that rain may evaporate before reaching the ground.
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