RIO RANCHO — No. 1 to end last season. No. 1-ranked this week. And No. 1 on Friday night.
Class 6A’s top-ranked Cleveland Storm rode an opportunistic and turnover-hungry defense to a showdown victory over No. 2 La Cueva, 27-7 on a rainy and stormy night in Rio Rancho.
Cleveland (2-0) scored 21 points off three Bear turnovers in the first half, and with several short fields, didn’t have to travel far to earn a sizable lead, with the three drives covering a combined 56 yards.
The Storm’s outstanding senior linebacker, Strat Shufelt, had two interceptions in the third quarter for a stout Cleveland defense which didn’t surrender any points until midway through the fourth quarter. Shufelt also spent a decent bit of time making his presence felt in the La Cueva backfield.
The sad irony for La Cueva was, its defense didn’t play altogether that poorly, but its offense created a giant hole from which there was no escaping as the teams that met in last November’s state final hooked up in a game that didn’t live up to pregame expectations.
On a night in which weather wreaked havoc across New Mexico, this much-anticipated matchup kicked off about 20 minutes late due to lightning, and there was another delay midway through the first quarter.
Cleveland intercepted La Cueva quarterback Cam Dyer twice in the first half. He overthrew one pass, with Marcus la Cuesta waiting. He returned it to the La Cueva 31. Three plays later, running back Harris Mbueha took a handoff and went straight up the middle for the first points.
La Cueva had a lengthy drive come up empty on its ensuing possession, which ended with a missed field goal. Moments later, Cleveland punted, but the punt was muffed and following the Storm recovery and a penalty on La Cueva, the Storm was at the Bear 5.
Mbueha scored on the next snap, and Cleveland owned a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.
A second Dyer pick at midfield, and a nice return, placed Cleveland at the La Cueva 20. Moments later, Storm sophomore quarterback Jordan Hatch, from the 1, received a good push up front and scored on a sneak. It was 21-0 at halftime, as a La Cueva drive inside the Cleveland 10 ended because the Bears ran out of time.
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Mbueha added a 31-yard TD run in the third quarter for a 27-0 lead. He finished with over 130 rushing yards, following a solid opening-week performance at Centennial. The Bears kept Cleveland’s passing game in check all evening.
Dyer threw a 20-yard TD pass to Jackson Hix to break up the shutout for the Bears, who visit Centennial next Saturday. Cleveland is home to Amarillo High on Friday.
High school football photos: Cleveland vs. La Cueva
Cleveland High School's Harris Mbueha, center, gets by La Cueva's Jaxon Smith, left, and others for the first touchdown during their game in Rio Rancho on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
La Cueva High School's Jackson Hix, #17, is tackled by Cleveland High School's Juan Munoz during their game, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
Cleveland High School's football team leaves their inflatable helmet into the rain for the 2nd half of their game against La Cueva, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
Mia Gardner-Pittman, 14, left, and Lauren Pinon, 15, wait on wet bleachers at Lightning Bolt Stadium during a lightning delay before the start of the La Cueva verses Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
Allenjay Satore, left, and Tyelor Easton, both juniors at Cleveland High School, pass a football while they and others wait outside Lightning Bolt Stadium during a lightning delay before the start of the La Cueva verses Cleveland High School in Rio Rancho, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
La Cueva High School's quarterback Cameron Dryer is tackled by Cleveland High School's Nathaniel Berry during their game, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
La Cueva quarterback Cam Dyer, left, is pursued by Cleveland’s Strat Shufelt, middle, and Psalmon Kegler, right, during their Aug. 25 game. The teams meet again Saturday for the Class 6A crown.Eddie Moore
Cleveland High School's quarterback Jordan Hatch carries the ball against to La Cueva during their game, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
Cleveland High School's Ben Linfoot, center, Jon Baca, right, and others celebrate Harris Mbueha's, #2, first touchdown during their game against La Cueva, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
Cleveland High School's A.J. Manning, center, breaks up a pass to La Cueva's Kobe Mcgill, right, during their game, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
Cleveland High School’s Jaden Davis gets by several of La Cueva’s defenders for a first down during their game Friday in Rio Rancho. The Storm (3-3) may be at the top of the polls, but they are middle of the metro-area class standings after grades were handed out in Professor Y.'s midseason report card.Eddie Moore
Several games in the Albuquerque area on Friday night were affected by weather delays, including the La Cueva-Cleveland game at Lightning Bolt Stadium in Rio Rancho.Eddie Moore
Cleveland High School's Marcus La Cuesta grabs the first of several interceptions his team had during their game against La Cueva, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
Shawn Havill, his wife Shelley, and sons Colton, 9, and Wyatt, 11, try to protect themselves from the rain during Cleveland High School's game against La Cueva, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
Cleveland High School's quarterback Jordan Hatch looks for a receiver during their rainy game against La Cueva, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
Cleveland’s Micah Martinez (42) and others tackle La Cueva’s Eliseo Lumbrera III for a loss of yards during their Aug. 25 game.Eddie Moore
Cheer leaders from Cleveland and La Cueva High Schools meet uder a stormy sky, during a lightning delay before the start of their teams' game in Rio Rancho, Friday, August 25, 2023.Eddie Moore
