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Even at the end of that September night in Rio Rancho, it felt like there were loose ends that needed tying up between Cleveland and Las Cruces.

鈥淎fter we played them,鈥� Las Cruces coach Mark Lopez said, 鈥渨e had a sense that we may be back here for the state championship.鈥�

None of the challengers were up to the task of dealing with the Bulldawgs, or the Storm, over the course of the season鈥檚 first 14 weeks. There was Las Cruces and Cleveland, and then there was everyone else.

Now, in Week 15, the final pairing in Class 6A is the one nearly everyone projected, as No. 1 Las Cruces (12-0) plays No. 2 Cleveland (11-1) for the state championship at 1 p.m. Saturday.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not done. This team is definitely not done,鈥� said Las Cruces senior running back Danny Amaro. 鈥淲e鈥檙e one step closer to our goal, and we鈥檙e excited to be here.鈥�

Not since 2017 has there been a 6A title game that didn鈥檛 feature the Storm, which beat La Cueva in last year鈥檚 final. Saturday鈥檚 game is the first title contest in the largest division since 2016 to feature a school outside the metro area, and the last one was also Las Cruces.

鈥淓verybody is fired up for the opportunity,鈥� Lopez said. 鈥淲e all in the city have gone through this, this fourth high school thing (a reference to the opening of Centennial that had a huge negative impact on both Las Cruces and Mayfield), trying to figure out how we鈥檙e gonna deal with this.鈥�

The only blemish on the Cleveland ledger was that September night, when Las Cruces, then ranked No. 2, scored a touchdown with 90 seconds remaining for a 38-34 victory over the Storm, which was then ranked No. 1.

鈥淭he guys, they took it to heart,鈥� Cleveland coach Robert Garza said. 鈥淭hey took it personally. It really did make us better as a team, maybe humbled a few guys.鈥�

Cleveland was up two touchdowns in the first half that night, and led by as many as 10 in the second half. The Storm, even after giving up the lead late in the game, advanced as far as the Las Cruces 20 before the drive stalled.

Hatch (39 TD passes and just five picks) was intercepted twice that night 2陆 months ago, but his completion percentage is a gaudy 75.1%, and he鈥檚 surrounded by dangerous and reliable receivers like Evan Nanez (49 receptions, 977 yards, 15 TDs), Jacob Maldonado (48/769/9) and Ajay Vigil.

Samuel Bustillos (703 yards, nine scores) is the Storm鈥檚 leading rusher, but Cleveland likes to get multiple runners involved.

Both coaches will feed their stars, but how might Saturday look demonstrably different from September, if at all?

鈥淭he biggest mistake is assuming that past success will predict future success,鈥� Lopez said.

Amaro rushed for 188 yards and two long touchdowns in September. He has scored 39 touchdowns on the ground this season, including three in a 44-7 semifinal win in sa国际传媒官网网页入口 last week against La Cueva. He has rushed for 1,843 yards (an average of 150-plus) through 12 games.

鈥淔irst game, we were able to contain him for the most part, but he broke a couple of big runs,鈥� Garza said. 鈥淚f we can shut him down we鈥檙e gonna have a pretty good chance to win the football game.鈥�

Amaro is the most visible component of the Bullawgs鈥� big three, and each member of this trio demands attention.

Senior quarterback Gunnar Guardiola has been extremely efficient, throwing for 24 TDs versus just two interceptions. The receiver he鈥檒l look most frequently to is Francisco Winnikoff (64 catches, 1,248 yards, 12 scores).

But the Cleveland defense, and retiring coordinator Eddie Kilmer, has only surrendered 69 total points during an eight-game winning streak.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e creating a lot more turnovers,鈥� Lopez said.

Lopez said he wouldn鈥檛 be surprised if this game, much like the first one, was decided by who has the ball last.

鈥淚t feels like that to us,鈥� he said.

Las Cruces has not won a state football championship since 2013, which was a memorable one-point win over Mayfield at Aggie Memorial Stadium. The Bulldawgs were back in the final three years later, but were beaten by undefeated Rio Rancho.

Garza said his team is ready.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e excited,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e really been on them to enjoy this moment. Playing in the state championship game is a tough thing. 鈥� These guys are locked in.鈥�