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Cleveland High graduate Luke Wysong was New Mexico’s Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year in football and in track and field in 2021. (Robert E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal)
Testimonials about Luke Wysong tend to be sharply worded, which is a compliment of the highest order.
“He’s great all the time,” said Cleveland High’s longtime boys track and field coach, Kenny Henry, who doesn’t often speak so glowingly about a Storm athlete, and he’s coached more than his fair share.
“In my experience, with Luke and the years he ran track for us, he never had an off day. He’s a machine.”
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West Mesa’s Ja’Calvin Newsom (21) plows through Sandia defenders on his way to a big gain Friday night at Wilson Stadium. Defending on the play is Sandia’s Jordan Rael. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal)
New Mexico went 66 weeks between high school football seasons, from the final championship game of 2019 to the March 5 start of this blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 2021 spring campaign.
It’ll only be about 20 weeks fingers crossed from the end of this one until the first kickoffs in late August.
There were justifiable doubts that there would even be prep football this spring. The line had been moved so often, it was frustrating and infuriating.
And on Saturday, a complete demolition of Las Cruces High.
Future Lobo Luke Wysong caught five touchdown passes on his future home turf, the Cleveland defense forced six turnovers, and the Storm swarmed the Bulldawgs 56-7 on Saturday at University Stadium to cap the short spring prep football season.
“They’re damn good, all of them,” Las Cruces coach Mark Lopez said of the Storm.
It was another memorable display of talent by Cleveland (4-0) in this psuedo “bowl” game arranged by the New Mexico Activities Association.
The Storm put up 20 points before many people had even settled into their seats on a warm late afternoon/early evening.
Turn on those lights: Rams at Storm Friday
Cleveland hoists the City of Vision trophy after the Storm’s win in 2019 at Rio Rancho Stadium.
Photo Gary Herron
“Friday Night Lights” will be back on Friday in Rio Rancho for the first time since Nov. 15, 2019, when the city’s two varsity football teams destined to meet 15 days later for the Class 6A championship eliminated Las Cruces schools in quarterfinal contests.
Kickoff is set for 7 at Cleveland High’s Thunderbolt Stadium for the annual City of Vision Championship Game, the title of which was originated by the
Observer prior to the teams’ 2010 meeting, just the second time they’d squared off.