Bulldawgs fall one possession short in title game

Generally, football games are a bit messier. Back and forth, ebb and flow, a turnover here and a big play there. When top seeded Las Cruces visited No. 2 Cleveland in Albuquerque Nov. 29 in the championship game of the NMAA Class 6A Nusenda state tournament, the math was very simple. A ridiculously low 12 total offense possessions resulted in nine touchdowns and three defensive stops, leading to a 35-28 Cleveland win.

“It obviously didn't end the way we wanted it to,” said Las Cruces head coach Mark Lopez. “It was a tough game, kind of a unique high school game, especially because there was only 12 possessions total between the two teams. We stopped them once, they stopped us twice, and that was basically the difference in the game.”

The Bulldawgs (12-1) saw their undefeated campaign come to an end after a strong effort that fell just shy of delivering their first state title since 2013. That was, in fact, the last time a team from the south claimed the championship in the state’s largest classification.

Las Cruces defeated the Storm 38-34 on the same field in a Week 4 matchup, but this time, it was Cleveland that turned the game’s one second-half defensive stop into a seven-point victory.

The game began simply enough, with the teams trading punts, but then the offenses took over, led by the offensive lines and the running game. For the Storm, the attack was much more run-heavy than their usual approach. Cleveland averaged 223 yards passing per game for the season, but in the championship battle, quarterback Jordan Hatch was efficient, completing 10-of-13 passes, but threw for just 88 yards. Running back Samuel Bustillos, on the other hand, ran it for 222 yards.

“The really controlled time of possession,” Lopez said. “That really hadn't happened to us this year. They’ve been leaning heavy on their pass game this season, and they went heavy into the run game on Saturday, and they kept the ball for at least two-to-one if not three-to-one time frame. We executed well on offense when we needed to. We just got stopped on those two possessions and that's the difference in a game like that.”

Bustillos started the scoring, running 28 yards for a touchdown with 4:37 left in the opening stanza.

Las Cruces answered that with a long drive of its own, with Daniel Amaro finding paydirt two minutes into the second period to level the score. The squads traded scores in the second, with a couple of big pass plays from Gunnar Guardiola to Francisco Winnikoff leading to another Amaro rushing TD with 5:23 left before intermission that tied the game at 14-14.

A couple of strategic pass plays were part of the equation for the Storm on their ensuing possession as they milked the clock before scoring on a Hatch to Evan Nanez 10-yard toss just 10 seconds before the break.

Trailing 21-14 to open the second half, Las Cruces had the first opportunity in the third quarter. A strike to Winnikoff moved the Bulldawgs to the Cleveland 34-yard line, and a pass interference penalty moved them to the 17, but that’s where the drive stalled out.

A holding penalty moved Las Cruces back 10 yards, and then the Storm brought the pass pressure on a third-and-20 pass to set up a fourth-and-20. With the way the game was progressing, Lopez and the Dawgs elected to go for it, but an Elijah Richards sack turned the ball over to Cleveland on downs.

That lone second-half stop was the difference in the contest, as Cleveland scored six minutes later to extend its advantage to 28-14. Las Cruces chased that two-touchdown deficit the rest of the way.

A big pass play set up an Amaro 15-yard touchdown scamper, but after getting the ball back, Cleveland milked the clock with a long 80-yard scoring drive. The Bulldawgs didn’t get the ball back until the 2:31 mark, and by that time, the deficit was once again two scores.

Las Cruces got seven points back as seven consecutive pass completions ended with a Guardiola to Winnikoff TD connection. That pulled the Dawgs with seven at 35-28, but with only 45 seconds remaining, all that was left was an onside kick that was recovered by the Storm to seal the win and the state championship.

“These guys have been just a pleasure to be around. It's just such an outstanding group of human beings, let alone football players, and I’m crazy proud of these guys,” Lopez aid. “They all really cared for and loved each other, and I think that's something that they take away, you do things right for a long enough period of time and you care about people, and you treat people the right way, and then good things are going to happen.”

The head coach especially appreciated the effort his players put in all year long.

“Ultimate success is never guaranteed, but you keep stacking days and that gives you a chance to do great things,” Lopez said. “That's what we did all year and these guys really understand that. I think they're going to take that into their lives and be really successful in everything that they do. They’re just great young men.”

The 12-game winning streak the Bulldawgs put together was the result of a season of progress.

“I think they gained more confidence as the year went along,” Lopez said. “We hadn't been in that big game since 2016. I think they started understanding the process of what it takes to be successful. They looked at things differently at the end of the year than they did at the beginning of the year, and they really understand that success is about doing the little things right all the time.”

The Las Cruces seniors leave a legacy in the Bulldawg program that returning players can build on.

“I appreciate what they've done for our program, what they've done for our school,” Lopez said. “I think the legacy they leave with the guys behind them is special, the leadership they had, for these younger guys to be able to model is going to be crucial for us moving forward. They definitely left their mark on our school and our program.”