Storm Down South: Cleveland wrestling posts big weekend in Las Cruces Invite

LAS CRUCES — Cleveland Storm wrestling has a big stretch in front of them. Trips to Colorado, California and Washington on top of their own event at the Rio Rancho Events Center, Conflict at Cleveland, all within the next four weeks.

But that doesn’t mean the program was too busy for some local success.

On Dec. 12-13, the boys and girls Storm wrestling teams traveled to Las Cruces High School for the LC Invite in what turned out to be a big weekend for the electric blue.

The girls team took first place, with the boys finishing second in the 58th Harrison Invite. 

Cleveland’s girls put together six top-three finishes, including three champions. Chloe Bradley (105), Heaven Guevara (135) and Eloise Woolsey (155) all took home top spots with a combined record of 14-0, as Woolsey and Guevara earned “Outstanding Wrestler” honors.

Other notable finishes included a second-place finish from Miranda Stewart, who went 3-1 in the 120 division. Lillian Barr (130) and Eva Reeves (170) combined for 9-2, both finishing in third. 

This report card of dominance was good for a girl’s program-best tournament finish, ending with 228 points and the only team across the 200 mark. Their score beats the previous program record by a whopping 61.5 points.

On the boys' side, it was a historic weekend, even with a second-place finish.

Roman Luttrell, after his first win of the tourney, broke the all-time boys varsity record for career wins with 167. Izzy Guevara also joined Luttrell in the record books, crossing the 100-win mark in his career this past weekend as well.

Luttrell won his fifth consecutive LC Invite championship, wrestling in the 120 division, earning him “Outstanding Wrestler” honors. Aside from Roman, his brother Reagan (157) and Marcus Abeyta (144) took home top spots to make up Cleveland’s three first-place finishes. 

Guevara (138), Ricardo Poolaw (113) and Elias Martinez (126) placed second in their respective divisions, with the Storm boys finishing with 290 points, second to only El Paso Eastwood, the 293.5 point first-place finisher who took a podium spot at last week’s “Southwest Shootout” at Rio Rancho High School.

While it was a success of a two-day trip, this is only the beginning of the Storm’s wrestling travels.

Both schools will now prepare for next week’s trek up north, as both the boys and girls will compete in the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament in Greeley, Colorado.