Hawks weather Storm

RIO RANCHO — Las Cruces’ Centennial Hawks defeated the Cleveland Storm 35-28 at Lightning Bolt Stadium Friday night.

It was a tough night in the rain for the Storm, who came out of the gates swinging with an immediate touchdown from junior quarterback Jordan Hatch to receiver Angel Gallegos, a connection he would maintain all night.

Centennial’s senior QB, Zaiden Davis, responded immediately, and the tone for the night was set.

The teams entered the locker room at halftime tied 14-14.

The second half was more aggressive. Cleveland aired the ball out, letting Hatch’s arm advance the Storm down the field. On the other side, Centennial sophomore running back Dailen Ramirez pounded the Storm frontline.

When heavy rain began in the fourth quarter, Centennial's ground game proved better suited to the weather than Cleveland’s high-flying offense.

"We got to be better up front," said Cleveland head coach Robert Garza after the game. "They came off the ball, and I think they kind of whooped us up front. We got to get better."

A matchup between two preseason behemoths — according to MaxPreps, Cleveland (No. 2) and Centennial (No. 4), as of Aug. 21 — the game came down to a few key plays, a controversial pass interference no-call that got the Cleveland sideline hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and which team had final possession. That team was Centennial.

With four minutes left, Centennial put the final nail in the coffin with a quick pass and PAT to put the game at 35-28, which ended up being the final score.

The Storm got the ball back but were unable to convert on fourth down and turned the ball over. The game ended with Centennial kneeling out the clock in the rain.

The night had a lot of bright spots, however. Hatch hit Gallegos, as well as wide receiver Jacob Maldonado, for several deep balls.

On the defensive side, senior defensive lineman Psalmon Kegler made himself known, hitting Ramirez in the backfield numerous times. Safety Micah Hoffman was also a standout, forcing Davis to adjust to avoid him.

Despite their best efforts, however, it was a tough loss for the Storm. Garza said there might be plenty to work on, but he's been in this spot before and he knows what it takes to turn it around.

“We got to respond,” he said. “We got a lot of football left to play. We can’t let one game define us.”

Next up, Cleveland will take on Los Lunas at home on Aug. 30.