Championship Saturday: Class 6A Title Game Preview

WHAT: Cleveland (10-2) vs. La Cueva (11-1), Class 6A Championship Game   WHERE: Wilson Stadium, Albuquerque, NM   WHEN: Sat., Nov. 26, 1 p.m.   RADIO/LIVE STREAM: NFHS Network New Mexico; 101.7 FM The Team (Sam Hauser and Rod Williams)   In high school football, three months is an eternity. So, how much stock should we put into Cleveland's 33-29 win over La Cueva in Week 2 when trying to forecast the outcome of Saturday afternoon's Class 6A state championship game in Albuquerque?   Except for the fact the two teams are fairly evenly matched, probably not much. The coaches certainly aren't.   “The first time we played them it was so early in the season,” Cleveland coach Robert Garza told Prep Redzone New Mexico. “Both teams were every young. We learned a little about who we are and that La Cueva is a very good football team. What we do know is Saturday's game is going to be a dogfight.”   In that Week 2 encounter, La Cueva marched 93 yards in 13 plays to pull to within 4 points midway through the fourth quarter. The Bears defense then stopped the Storm one yard short of the marker on fourth down. The Bears took over at its own 27 and marched down the field looking for a late game-winning score.   The outcome of the game boiled down to a fourth down pass thrown into the end zone. Cleveland broke up the pass to preserve the hard-fought win for the Storm.   “That game was an entire season ago,” La Cueva coach Brandon Back told Prep Redzone New Mexico. ““We're a different team and they're a different team. Focusing on what happened or didn't happen in that game isn't worth the time.”   WHEN CLEVELAND HAS THE BALL   The Storm's hyper-talented offensive trio of quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='139521' first='Evan' last='Wysong'], running back [player_tooltip player_id='138204' first='Josh' last='Perry'] and wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id='139523' first='Nic' last='Trujillo'] has few, if any, peers in the state of New Mexico. Two of the three – Wysong and Trujillo – are committed to New Mexico and will be wearing the cherry and silver of the Lobos next fall. Perry has been offered by Eastern New Mexico and New Mexico Highlands.   “We're getting better every week, which is what we should be doing this time of the year,” Garza said. “The guys have really bought in and things are really starting to click. We are absolutely playing our best football right now. People say we have a three-headed monster on offense (Wysong, Perry & Trujillo) and when any of those guys has the ball in their hands, you know something good could happen.”         Powering Cleveland's run-dominated offensive attack, Wysong (1,042 rushing yards) and Perry (1,907) have combined for 344 carries and 2,949 yards on the ground. The Storm have run the ball 69 percent of the time this season (427 rushes, 191 passes) as they lean mostly on Perry and a solid offensive line to generate first downs and move the ball down the field.   “They're a north-south run team,” Back said. “As a result, they can control the clock probably better than we can because we're a passing team. They try to get the ball into the hands of Wysong, Perry and Trujillo as fast as they can and get north-south as fast as they can. They have the offensive line to do it. They're powerful up front.”     If there was an award given for MVP of the playoffs through the first three rounds, Perry would likely be the choice. He had 275 rushing yards on 27 carries in last week's semifinal win over Volcano Vista. When Cleveland does throw the ball, Trujillo (53 receptions for 1,132 yards and 20 TD has been Wysong's favorite target by a wide margin.   “Some people don't see what Nic has been doing because our run game is clicking so well and we haven't thrown the ball much,” Garza said. “But we still want to find ways to get Nic the ball. Evan is the guy who keeps our offense going. He gets us in the right play. When he gets out of the pocket, he is as dangerous as anybody.”         Leading the Bears on defense is sophomore DE [player_tooltip player_id='351056' first='Mason' last='Posa'], who has been offered by the Lobos, senior DB [player_tooltip player_id='145396' first='Colt' last='Mangino'], sophomore LB Nick Mertz (team-leading 77 tackles) and junior DB [player_tooltip player_id='274980' first='Jackson' last='Cherry']. Mertz started the season as a backup linebacker but had to step in when the starter was injured in Week 1. Mangino has multiple offers and will play at the next level.   “Defensively, we continue to mature and understand the system better every day,” Back said. “We were young on defense early in the season. We didn't have much experience. But our defensive unit has really stepped up. This game is going to be a battle. Both sides have grown tremendously. We have to bet in the right sports. You can't miss a gap. We have to be gap sound and deal with their motion.”        WHEN LA CUEVA HAS THE BALL   If there's one school that can match Cleveland's aforementioned prolific offensive trio, it's La Cueva. Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='137862' first='Aidan' last='Armenta'] is – like Wysong and Trujillo – committed to the Lobos while RB [player_tooltip player_id='269525' first='Gabriel' last='Buie'] and WR [player_tooltip player_id='270020' first='Ian' last='Sanchez'] both rank among the best players in New Mexico at their respective positions.   “They're more mature now (than the first meeting),” Garza said. “I think they had a lot of new guys on the offensive line and they're playing at a much higher level now. They're playing very good football.”      Armenta, primarily a pocket passer, leads the state in passing yardage with nearly 4,000 and in TD passes. Sanchez had 79 receptions during the regular season to lead the state. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='274790' first='Jackson' last='Hix'] is a reliable No. 2 receiver.   “Our No. 1 expectation for Aidan has always been for him to grow as a leader, and he has done that,” Back said. ”Nobody puts in more work than he does. The chemistry he has with his receivers, especially Ian, was built two years ago on Sundays through the spring and summer. It's paying dividends now. Aidan has the best arm in the state and he has the stats and the arm to back it up.”   Buie missed some action earlier this season due to injuries but is healthy now as he showed in last week's semifinal victory over Centennial at Field of Dreams.   “We're running the ball more efficiently right now,' Back said. “That has opened up some things in the passing game. [player_tooltip player_id='269525' first='Gabriel' last='Buie'] is a very explosive back. He showed his breakaway speed in the Centennial game. He can make people miss. He does a lot of thinga well.”   Cleveland's outstanding junior LB duo of [player_tooltip player_id='274701' first='Stratton' last='Shufelt'] and [player_tooltip player_id='275565' first='Isaac' last='Medrano'] is probably the best in the state. Both are back next season, so the Storm are set on the second level of the defense through 2023. [player_tooltip player_id='274977' first='Andres' last='Aguirre'] has emerged as a major contributor at defense back late in the season. He transferred from Albuquerque High prior to the season.   “This game is probably going to come down to defensive stops,” Back said. “Both teams can score, although we score differently. The team that gives up the fewest explosive plays is going to have a good day.”   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/LaCuevaFootball/status/1594936447160954881 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1594382650751406080 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1593983356634468353 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1595133587325480961 </div></figure>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1595080122197053440 </div></figure>

WHAT: Cleveland (10-2) vs. La Cueva (11-1), Class 6A Championship Game