Off and Running: Storm dominate in playoff opener, shutout Hawks 42-0

RIO RANCHO - “Start with the run, open up the pass, everything clicks.” Cleveland running back Samuel Bustillos said.

Simple words, but a stellar plan.

Coming off a first-round bye, Cleveland High School (10-1) defeated Volcano Vista High School (8-4) 42-0 in a dominant quarterfinal victory.

Cleveland’s offense, usually known for their pass game, established the run early and often at Lightning Bolt Stadium for their ninth 40+ point performance of the season.

“We really just went out there with a great mentality,” Cleveland linebacker/running back Troy Logan said. “That we wanted to hold these guys to zero points and play them even better than we did the first time.”

Logan punched in two rushing touchdowns, Bustillos tallied over 100 total yards and Junior back Damian Rodriguez took in a 20+ yard rushing score in an all-star day for the running back group.

“It's a good group of dudes,” Bustillos said. “We all work, not even just the running backs, the whole offense, the whole team. We're all working. We all trust one another.”

Cleveland’s smash-mouth brand of football carried over to the defensive side as well, holding the Hawks to zero points for the first time in Volcano’s season.

Karson Weddle and Collin Joyner were flying around in the Cleveland secondary, with Riley Haussler and the Storm defensive line causing problems all night.

The dominance on the ground freed up the passing game in the second half, with quarterback Jordan Hatch tossing three touchdowns in a clean game from the Senior.

Sophomore Evan Nanez hauled in a 60+ yard deep shot from Hatch for six, followed up by tight ends Noah Escudero and Noah Valler recording receiving touchdowns of their own.

Cleveland now has another final four appearance to add to their program resume, but the Storm are focused on one thing and one thing only:

“Get that blue championship,” Logan said. “That's the mindset. That’s the mindset at the very beginning of the year in January, and that's what it is right now.”