Season's Beatings: Cleveland boys take home win from Colorado, prep for Conflict

GREELEY, Colo. — Santa brings presents; Cleveland wrestling brings the pain.

On Dec. 20, the Storm brought home their second out-of-state tournament win with a first-place finish in the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament.

Cleveland finished with 237 total points, 35 points more than the runner-up in a pull-away victory.

Three Storm wrestlers took their divisions: Xzavier Gomez (106), Ricardo Poolaw (113) and Roman Luttrell (120).

Luttrell was voted as the most outstanding wrestler of the tournament out of the lower weight divisions. Aside from him, fellow champion Gomez posted a perfect 5-0 record in his matches.

Outside of the winners' circle, Marcus Abeyta (144) and Riley Haussler (285) put together podium performances and earned second in their divisions, giving the Storm five finishes of second and first place.

On the girls' side, the Storm finished fifth out of 54 schools. Heaven Guevara went undefeated for a victory in the 135 division, with Eloise Woolsey coming in with a second-place finish in the 155 class.

On top of their tourney victory, the Storm boys took a dual victory against Adams City High, 80-0, to give the program their 250th dual victory all-time. Cleveland now sits at 250-27 in its 16 seasons.

This win and these awards are no small feat, with this Colorado tournament hosting 87 different schools. This tournament may have been the perfect tune-up for the Storm ahead of the Conflict at Cleveland, when it will be their turn to host a large field.

Whether it was a holiday wish or just a talented program hitting its stride, Storm wrestling appears to be catching fire at the right time. 

But now, all eyes are on 2026 and their next test. More than 1,500 wrestlers are set to take the mat at the Rio Rancho Event Center this weekend, and the Storm are ready for it.

“This is one of the biggest and toughest high school wrestling tournaments in New Mexico and in the Southwest,” Cleveland Head Coach Evan Copeland said about the Conflict at Cleveland.

Doors open for spectators at 8 a.m. Friday, with the first day of wrestling set to get underway at 9:30 a.m.