Cleveland puts up 55 as title defense opens

LAS CRUCES — Take this for whatever it’s worth, but the Cleveland Storm traveled south on Saturday, put up a double-nickel against one of Class 6A’s elite programs, and Cleveland wasn’t even altogether enthralled about its performance.

“Definitely we have a long ways to go,” Storm coach Robert Garza said. “We gave up 42 points. Even though we won the game, we’re not gonna be too happy about it.”

Cleveland, led by senior quarterback Jordan Hatch who spread the wealth among several speedy receivers, scored the first six times it touched the ball — one of them with the offense on the sideline — and the Storm opened defense of their 6A state title with a 55-42 win over Centennial at a toasty Field of Dreams.

The game was 48-20 midway through the fourth quarter.

“We’re happy with the win, but we’re not satisfied,” Hatch said. “There definitely is a lot we can get better at.”

Hatch was extremely efficient, going 17-for-23 for 282 yards, with three touchdowns. He also rushed for a 10-yard touchdown that opened the scoring four-and-a-half minutes into the game.

He connected with Ajay Vigil down the field with a nifty, high-arcing 75-yard scoring pass, and later in the second half added short TD tosses to Carson Weddle for 12 yards and Evan Nanez for 3 yards.

Nanez, a skilled sophomore, had a superb day for the Storm. He ran in a 5-yarder for Cleveland’s second touchdown, and returned a kickoff 81 yards for a TD during one especially frantic and entertaining sequence early in the second quarter.

Cleveland led 7-6 after the opening 12 minutes.

Nanez’s TD run made it 14-6. But Centennial running back Dailen Ramirez scored on a 64-yard run on the very next play from scrimmage, and the game was 14-12.

And then Nanez returned the kickoff for a touchdown, for three scores on three consecutive plays, and all within a span of 33 seconds. It was 20-12 for the Storm after the return.

After a three-and-out, Hatch went vertical, hitting Vigil in stride near midfield for that 75-yarder and a 27-12 edge. Cleveland scored three touchdowns in a span of 2 minutes and 17 seconds.

“We have a bunch of weapons. Wide receivers, running backs … it’s gonna be hard for defenses to cover us,” Nanez said.

What followed next proved to be perhaps the most important few minutes of the game.

The Hawks put together a methodical drive, and they reached the Cleveland 6, but faced a fourth-and-inches.

Centennial’s new quarterback, big Ruiz Laborin (6-3, 215) lined up under center, and with his right leg cocked behind him it looked as though the Hawks were going to have Laborin plow straight ahead to gain a fresh set of downs for first and goal. But instead, he gave it to Ramirez, who was tackled two yards behind the line of scrimmage and the drive ended.

“I outcoached myself,” lamented Centennial coach Aaron Ocampo.

And the Storm went 92 yards down the field and scored with 15 seconds left before halftime to further complicate things for the Hawks.

Hatch completed balls of 48 yards to Weddle and 43 yards to Nanez, and Samuel Bustillos scored from the 2 and the lead swelled to 35-12 at intermission.

Bustillos added a 1-yarder on Cleveland’s first drive of the second half for a 41-12 bulge. That was the Storm’s biggest lead of the day. Centennial scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, and even cut the deficit at one point to 48-35 with 4:56 left, but a 57-yard run by Jacob Maldonado of Cleveland helped set up its final score, a short TD pass to Nanez, his third of the game.

“Offense, I thought we played pretty good,” Garza said. “It’s hot out here, you could tell we got a little gassed as the game went on defensively.”

Garza was asked how he would try to defend Cleveland’s speedy set of receivers, not to mention a veteran arm like Hatch’s.

“I’m glad I don’t have to answer that question,” he said, smiling. “I don’t have to defend him. Those weapons, it causes problems.”

Hatch clearly enjoys this luxury.

“I love it. I love all my receivers. It’s nice to not have just one receiver (that you’re) stuck on,” he said. “They can all go, they can all ball, they’re all very fast.”

Not all 42 points were on the Cleveland defense. Centennial blocked a punt that gave them a super short field and it led to a touchdown.

Cleveland is at Los Lunas on Friday. Centennial is back home Friday, hosting Atrisco Heritage.

Cleveland vs. Centennial football: Photos