6A football semifinals preview: It's Las Cruces vs. the Albuquerque metro

The Class 6A prep football semifinals head south along I-25 this weekend.

The Field of Dreams in Las Cruces is hosting both semis, starting at 7 p.m. Friday with No. 3 Cleveland and No. 2 Centennial. On Saturday afternoon at 1, it is No. 1 La Cueva and No. 5 Las Cruces.

CLEVELAND-CENTENNIAL: Here’s a relatively meaningless and yet completely compelling statistic — since Cleveland opened in 2009, the Storm football team has played 14 games at the Field of Dreams.

They are 14-0.

This assignment against unbeaten Centennial (11-0) will be as difficult any Cleveland (10-1) has faced in this venue. The teams met in the season opener in Rio Rancho, with the Hawks winning 35-28.

This figures to be a bruising, physical battle. Centennial runs it the majority of the time behind a strong offensive line, and led by senior quarterback Zaiden Davis, plus running backs Jordan Lucas and (especially) Rudy Rios.

After La Cueva’s Cam Dyer, Davis is 6A’s — indeed, the state’s — top running QB.

“He’s a D-1 linebacker playing quarterback. He runs like it,” Storm coach Robert Garza said. Davis has committed to New Mexico State. “He’s tough, and he’s a load to handle.”

And that Hawks line, Garza said, is one of the best in the state.

The Cleveland defense, keyed by lineman Psalmon Kegler, linebacker Brendan Cochrane and safety A.J. Manning, will be tasked with keeping Davis, who has rushed for over 1,500 yards and 26 touchdowns, from hurting them with big plays.

Rios has rushed for 939 yards and 16 scores.

“They’re big, they’re strong,” Centennial coach Aaron Ocampo said. “You play a Cleveland team, everybody is the way they’re supposed to look for a high school football team.”

The Cleveland offense is more diverse. Quarterback Jordan Hatch has thrown for 26 TDs versus just two interceptions. Running backs Juan Muñoz and Isaiah Yannis have combined for nearly 1,500 rush yards and 27 touchdowns. Jacob Maldonado, with 10 TD receptions, and Muñoz, with six, both are featured heavily in the pass game for the Storm.

“They’ve just got dudes everywhere,” Ocampo said.

The return last week of Muñoz, in the quarterfinals against Los Lunas, was much needed.

He was injured early in Week 10 of the regular season against Volcano Vista, missed almost the entirety of that game, and also sat out the finale against Rio Rancho.

“We knew what he was capable of. He’s a spark plug for us,” Garza said.

Cleveland has often spoke during the season of the early loss to Centennial being a motivator. How much of one will play out on Friday.

“I think it’ll be a fun battle Friday night,” Garza said.

LA CUEVA-LAS CRUCES: The defending state champion Bears (11-0) hit the road because the last time these two met in the semifinals, last year (a 63-33 win for La Cueva), the game was at Wilson Stadium.

“They know what it’s like to be there. That gives them a little motivation,” La Cueva coach Brandon Back said of Las Cruces.

The Bulldawgs (9-3) have playoff wins this month against West Mesa and Volcano Vista, and while Las Cruces held the Hawks to three points last week, this La Cueva offense is a far more potent group than anyone the Bulldawgs have faced so far.

Las Cruces returns several of the notable offensive playmakers from last season, like running back Danny Amaro — who has six touchdowns already this postseason and has 1,200 yards and 23 touchdowns on the year — and QB Gunnar Guardiola, plus receiver Nate Libby (who averages nearly 20 yards a catch). But the quandary on Saturday is the same one the Bulldawgs faced last November:

Can Las Cruces keep up on the scoreboard with La Cueva?

Amaro will have the ball in his hands more than anyone on Saturday.

“He’s just so hard to bring down,” Back said. “He’s a very patient runner.”

Of course, Amaro hasn’t had to elude a linebacker near as relentless as La Cueva’s Wisconsin-bound Mason Posa, who’ll surely be squarely focused on getting Amaro to the ground.

Dyer, a senior and Arizona State commit, is coming off a six-touchdown effort last week in Hobbs, a game in which he combined for over 400 yards passing and running. His dual-threat capabilities are second to none.

“He’s locked in right now,” Back said. “He knows exactly what’s on the table.”

This Bears offense can hurt a defense with multiple athletes, including running back Cheeto Lumbrera III and receivers Jayden Parsons and Tanner Montano, among others.

“We’re huge underdogs,” Las Cruces coach Mark Lopez said. “We’ve got to go out there and play Bulldawg football and let the chips fall where they may.”

This sentence from Back should put everyone on notice:

“I feel like we’re hitting our stride right now,” he said.