Little did Cooper Henderson know back then that the child born to the couple across the street would grow up to be one of the most intensely recruited high school athletes in state history.

Henderson and his family moved from Ruidoso to Artesia in the spring of 1989, soon after Henderson was named head coach of the Bulldogs' program.

It was a homecoming for Henderson, who grew up in Artesia and played for his dad, L.G. Henderson, the man generally credited with putting Artesia High on the path to becoming the state's most successful high school football program.

When the Hendersons arrived in Artesia that March, they initially rented a house on Centre Street. Among their new neighbors were Kevin and Kellye Jones.

About a month after the Hendersons arrived in Artesia, the Jones' welcomed a baby boy into their family. Landry Jones was born on April 4, 1989.

In Artesia, boys grow up hoping to be a Bulldog, and by the time he was a high school junior, Landry not only had become a household name across New Mexico, he had also become a big time prospect for college coaches from coast to coast.

There are no commercial flights into the southeastern New Mexico community, but one by one coaches from big-time programs found their way there. Colorado's Dan Hawkins, Oregon's Mike Bellotti and Jim Harbaugh from Stanford were among the head coaches that made a personal pitch for Jones. Coordinators from UCLA, Virginia and Wisconsin also came.

Landry eventually decided on the University of Oklahoma and is already attending classes in Norman. In recent days he was named to Parade Magazine's 45th annual All-America High School team. Closer to home, Landry was named to the All-State Class AAAA team selected through the New Mexico High School Coaches Association.

The coaches association All-State teams were selected in voting by coaches throughout the state.

Running backs Ben Gonzales of Moriarty, Mike Hathcock of Aztec and Joe Tanner of Kirtland Central joined Jones in the first team All-State backfield.

Hathcock rushed for 1,411 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. Gonzales rushed for more than 3,500 yards in his high school career, including 1,413 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. Tanner's numbers last season included 1,371 yards, 17 touchdowns and an average of 6 yards a carry.

Jones led the Bulldogs to back-to-back state championships, running the Bulldogs' streak of state titles to 26. Over the past two seasons, Jones threw for 89 touchdowns and 7,013 yards.

One of Jones' primary targets this past season was Artesia senior wide receiver Coly Hokett. Hokett, who caught 63 passes for 1,293 yards and 21 TDs, also was named to the first-team offense with Aztec senior receiver Brian Lee.

Jones was on the Artesia varsity since his sophomore season, when he stood 6-foot-4 and weighed 186 pounds. By his senior year he had grown to 6-5 and 215 pounds.

"He worked hard in the weight room and was a student of the game," Henderson said. "He was willing to go out and work on his own. A lot of young people want to be college athletes but he really worked hard the last two years on his lifting and foot drills. When you get someone that is that self-motivated, they're going to make a difference on your team.''

That work ethic has carried over to Jones' arrival on the OU campus, where he now is working out with the rest of the Sooners and getting acclimated to college life.

"His typical day starts at 5 a.m. and ends at about 9 p.m.,'' said his dad in a telephone interview. "He's always been sort of a fanatic about being early to workouts and meetings.''

Kevin Jones says his son made up his mind about where he would play college football when he walked onto the Oklahoma football stadium for the first time.

"He said, 'this is it,' He feels this is the right place and he's extremely comfortable with his decision,'' the elder Jones said.

It's too early to tell how much of a role Landry will play in the Sooners' 2008 season. Oklahoma, coming off back-to-back losses in the Fiesta Bowl, has an established quarterback in sophomore Sam Bradford.

Henderson is confident, though, Jones belongs in a big time program.

"He's in a good program and he's going to compete,'' Henderson said. "Whatever happens, happens (but) I know in my mind he is a division one player.''

The All-State first team offense also included tight end Greg Rivara of Albuquerque St.Pius X and linemen Reggie Young of Kirtland Central, Peyton Kirkpatrick and Brian McCaleb of Artesia, Lani Kauvaka of Aztec and Jason Watrin of Moriarty. Rivara also was named the top place-kicker.

Rivera and Kauvaka were also named to the first team defensive line along with Marc Moulton of Capital and Aaron Kilburn of Los Alamos.

The first team linebackers were Ruben Martinez of Los Alamos, Taylor Allcorn of Moriarty and Dallas Bollema of Artesia. Martinez also was named the first team punter.

The defensive backfield has Bobby Smith of Kirtland Central, Matt Zocco of Los Alamos, Trevor Hammergren of Aztec, Lewis O'Mary of Del Norte and Derrick Christian of Moriarty.

Editor's note: This is the first of three stories on the New Mexico High School Coaches Association All-State football teams as chosen by coaches. The Class AAAAA story will run Thursday, the AAA story Friday, and the A story Saturday. The New Mexico High School Coaches Association did not release a AA team.