November Madness: Class 6A Championship Game Preview

<strong>Cleveland (1) vs. Rio Rancho (2) </strong> What: 2021 Class 6A Championship Game Where: Lightning Bolt Stadium, Rio Rancho, NM When: Sat., Nov. 27, 1 p.m. TV/Radio: ProView Networks (Sebastian Noel PxP); 101.7 FM Albuquerque (Adam Diehl and David Williams). Team Records: Cleveland (12-0); Rio Rancho (9-1). The only state championship matchup between No. 1 and No. 2 seeds is the climatic showdown we’ve anticipated since July. Sure, it took a wild and sometimes chaotic 35-34 semifinal victory by Rio Rancho over La Cueva to get here, but now we’re here. This has become – over the past several years (translation: short-term) - the state’s best high school football rivalry (historically, Las Cruces-Mayfield is still No. 1). It’s also a rematch of the instant classic 2019 6A championship game won by Cleveland, 48-40 on a cold, windy afternoon. Temperatures are expected to be warmer Saturday. Except for last week’s close call for the Rams, these two teams have dominated Class 6A all season long. Unbeaten Cleveland’s closest victory after the 1-point win over Rio Rancho Oct. 30 was an 11-point come-from-behind win over Volcano Vista, while Rio Rancho’s second closest win was a 24-point victory over Cibola (44-20) in the quarterfinals. Since the NMAA created the 6A classification in 2014, just one big-school title game has featured two teams not named Cleveland or Rio Rancho: 2017 when Manzano and La Cueva squared off for the title. <strong>WHEN CLEVELAND HAS THE BALL</strong>: Eight months ago Cleveland QB <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"]</strong> was a backup wide receiver for Cleveland while older brother and future New Mexico Lobo Luke and the rest of the Storm’s senior-dominated offense decimated five spring rivals. But head coach Heath Ridenour’s plan was always to move Evan to QB in the summer and find ways schematically to take advantage of his speed. There were questions about Evan’s ability to step back in the pocket and throw accurately, but those concerns quickly evaporated. Through 12 games, he has thrown for 1,713 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 902 yards, putting him 98 yards shy of joining the prestigious 1,000-1,000 club for quarterbacks. He has accounted for 33 touchdowns, including 14 rushing. [player_tooltip player_id="138204" first="Josh" last="Perry"] began the season as Cleveland’s top running back but he was injured halfway through the season. In his place stepped senior <strong>Lucious Dickson</strong>, who has been nothing short of sensational since taking over the No. 1 RB spot on the depth chart. He sparked Cleveland’s comeback win over Rio Rancho with 144 yards and 4 TD on the ground and has rushed for 730 yards and 12 TD in 10 games. The majority of those yards (506) have come in the last five games. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="139523" first="Nic" last="Trujillo"]</strong> is Cleveland’s most productive receiver by a healthy margin, amassing 48 receptions for 875 yards and 10 TD in 12 games. Trujillo and Wysong connected for a long TD play in last week’s semifinal win at Las Cruces. Rio Rancho did a nice job limiting Trujillo’s touches in the Oct. 30 matchup, holding him to 5 receptions for 56 yards. As a result, Cleveland’s secondary receivers such as <strong>Ethan Duran</strong> will likely see the ball thrown in their direction to prevent the Rans from keying solely on Trujillo. <strong>WHEN RIO RANCHO HAS THE BALL</strong>: The No. 1 question surrounding the Rio Rancho offense heading into Saturday’s title game is, of course, the status of running back <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26227" first="Zach" last="Vigil"]</strong>, who appeared to suffer a serious rib injury early in last week’s semifinal win over La Cueva. He walked gingerly off the field into the locker room with the help of trainers, and the likelihood of him seeing any action Saturday is extremely doubtful. Thus, his illustrious prep career is likely over after rushing for close to 3,000 yards. The next time we see him in a uniform will be 2022 when he’s playing for the New Mexico Lobos. Next man up? Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="198295" first="Devin" last="Rice"]</strong> saw limited playing time during the season but now the burden of carrying the Rams running game falls on him. He filled in nicely last week against La Cueva, scoring on a 12-yard run. Vigil’s probable absence also means QB <strong>Dominick Priddy</strong> will run the ball more. Priddy, who has chosen to play baseball in college, took a physical pounding with numerous short runs against the talented La Cueva defense, but it got the job done by opening up the passing game. Rio Rancho’s wide receiver corps doesn’t have a superstar but <strong>Michael Wood </strong>has shown to be a steady and capable pass catcher along with <strong>Traiven Williams</strong>. <strong>10 MORE PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong>: <strong>Ethan Duran, Cleveland</strong>: He’ll be counted on to prevent Rio Rancho from double teaming [player_tooltip player_id="139523" first="Nic" last="Trujillo"]. He had 2 receptions for 71 yards in the semifinal win at las Cruces. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26229" first="Cayden" last="Romero"], Rio Rancho</strong>: One of the state’s top offensive linemen will be counted on to open holes for Rice and Priddy, as well as pass protect and keep the aggressive Cleveland defense away from Priddy. Committed to New Mexico. <strong>Stratton Shufelt, Cleveland</strong>: The Storm’s top defensive player is just a sophomore, but he’s already been offered by UNM. If Cleveland stonewalls Rio Rancho’s running game, Shufelt will likely have played a large role in the effort. Sky’s the limit for him. <strong>Chris Montoya, Rio Rancho</strong>: Montoya, a junior, is one of Rio Rancho’s top defensive players from his OLB/DB spot and will be counted on heavily to keep the Cleveland’s powerful offense out of the end zone. <strong>Elijah Brody, Cleveland</strong>: [player_tooltip player_id="139521" first="Evan" last="Wysong"] hasn’t taken all the snaps at QB for the Storm this season. Brody is a promising 6-foot-3 sophomore who will likely take over at QB (while Wysong moves to WR) from time to time. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26231" first="Lucas" last="Lucero"], Rio Rancho</strong>: The Rams posted four shutouts during the regular season and the 6-foot-2 Lucero, one of the state’s top safeties, is a big reason why they were so stingy. He’ll play at the next level. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26237" first="Dominic" last="Vasquez"], Cleveland</strong>: The Storm’s top OLB will be counted on to contain Priddy within the tackles and prevent him from getting outside on the perimeter, where his speed is a factor. <strong>Carlos Archuleta, Rio Rancho</strong>: The Rams defense is filled with exceptional athletes and Archuleta is another good one at OLB. <strong>Kendal Ulmer, Cleveland</strong>: Ulmer is a talented defensive lineman who loves to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. He’s big, fast and strong. Quick first step. Rio Rancho must account for him on every play. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="26235" first="Fabiano" last="Valdez"], Rio Rancho</strong>: Valdez has been contributing to the Rams defense since he was a sophomore in 2019. You know he wants to make his final game in a Rio Rancho uniform special. https://twitter.com/CHSStormFB/status/1464372018208509952 https://twitter.com/CHSStormFB/status/1463613513650384897 https://twitter.com/_NMAA/status/1462853889493929985 https://twitter.com/CHSStormFB/status/1461921814565638154 https://twitter.com/chris_x_jr/status/1462819269780070404 https://twitter.com/WysongEvan/status/1462188471838117888 https://twitter.com/_RRHSathletics/status/1462228199291506688