Eagles Rally, Eliminate Storm 28-26

Visiting and 11th-seeded Eldorado scored 21 points in a 4 1/2-minute span that started late in the third quarter, then held off Cleveland’s 2-point conversion attempt with 2:35 remaining to beat the Storm 28-26 in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs.

Cleveland (6-5) had just scored on an 80-yard bomb from quarterback Kian Homme to Rocque Dominguez. The Storm had running backs Steven Steele and Romell Jordan in the backfield on the try for 2, but the direct shotgun snap to Steele bounced on the ground. Steele tired to escape the Eldorado rush by running right, then threw a desperation pass to the left that fell incomplete.

“That killed (us),” Cleveland coach Heath Ridenour said of the snap. “It’s an option play, where the quarterback or running back can run it into the end zone. But when we get a snap like that, it’s hard to execute the play. But we still had a chance, we could have got the onside kick.”

The Storm did not, and the Eagles (5-5) ran out the clock.

“It hurts,” Homme said. “We feel like we all played really hard. They just played really well. I obviously made a lot of mistakes, and I’ll take (the blame) for that.”

The biggest of those miscues came with 8:36 remaining. Eldorado had just taken its first lead of the night at 21-20 on a 15-yard TD pass from Zach Gentry to Toben Brazier. Three plays after the kickoff, the Eagles’ Jonah Mestas picked off a Homme pass and scored on a 52-yard return.

It was one of two TD returns for the Eagles. With just 49 seconds left in the third quarter, they scored on a blocked punt by Dez Ravenel, who scooped up the ball and ran 35 yards for the TD.

Cleveland dominated much of the game, but had numerous key penalties to negate big plays. The Storm led 20-7 at the half and looked like it would make it 27-7 on the first possession of the second half on a 13-yard TD run by Jordan. But the play was called back by a penalty, and Cleveland ended up missing a field goal.

The Storm held EHS to just six first downs and 229 yards — 69 of those coming on a halfback option that led to the Gentry-to-Brazier TD pass early in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland, which had 16 first downs and 333 yards, also had to settle for field goals twice in the first half.

“(The game) was a difference between scoring field goals and scoring touchdowns,” Ridenour said. “It is what it is. So goes football. Hats off to Eldorado. They made more big plays. That’s what it came down to.”

Jordan, who was injured and didn’t play in a 35-0 loss to Rio Rancho, had 89 yards and two TDs in his final high school game. He is to join UNM next year.

“He definitely was not 100 percent,” Ridenour said. “He’s a warrior. He went out there and gave it everything he had.”

Homme, who is a junior, and said he gained a lot of experience this season. But he wasn’t thinking about next year.

“It’s just so hard right now,” said Homme, who threw for 231 yards. ” But I love this team, and I wouldn’t want to play with anyone else.”