Las Cruces vs Mayfield football rivalry stays strong

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KVIA) -- The Las Cruces Bulldogs and the Mayfield Trojans played in their 62nd meeting tonight, continuing a storied rivalry that has lasted generations.

"Mayfield, Cruces. It goes back as far as I can remember, my parents can remember. So it's important. It's important to the city. We're all feeling really excited about it," said Josh Dominguez. He played in the rivalry growing up, and has had two kids go through the program and play in the game as well.

"I'm originally a Trojan. I graduated from Mayfield. But my kids are bulldogs. So here we are. This is a family tradition," said Monique Munoz. There were many fans like Munoz who went to Mayfield as a kid, but now root for Las Cruces.

"I wanted to go to Cruces the whole time, but I went to Mayfield and the rivalry was just as big. In fact, the rivalry has gotten so big, it's been top and one of the top in the nation," said Craig Kienhe.

The rivalry has started to span generations. Parents who played in the game growing up are now watching their kids do the same.

"His dad has been, you know, kind of just asking him questions, you know, Are you ready? And he he's been excited," said Alexandria Joe. Her husband played 3 times in the game, and their son played in his first.

"It's exciting. It's exciting. As a parent, it's great to see that your kids are experiencing what you got to experience, and I'm just glad that the city still embraces that rivalry," said Dominguez.