After a humbling loss to fellow undefeated La Cueva in the 2018 state championship game, one
in which they trailed by two scores less than seven minutes into the game. Things should go much
better for the Storm, who once again will be among the state’s elite. With a 45-5 record since the
beginning of 2015, Cleveland has consistently been a tough out, and the return of star running
back Dorian Lewis from a season-ending injury last year will no doubt keep them rolling. Lewis
will be joined by junior quarterback Jeff Davison, who forms a key partnership with junior wideout
Tre Watson. Much will also be expected from Colten Madison, who’ll lead the defense from his
linebacker position as a senior.
2019 Albuquerque High Schools Football Yearbook 23
cleveland storm
dEL nORTE kNIGHTS
Eighth-year head coach Bruce Binkley is
looking to get his Knights on track after seasons
of four, five, four, five, four and four wins since
2013. With quarterback Christian Mejia and
top target Nicholas Gomez (49 receptions, 594
yards) graduated, the return of junior running
back Isaiah Ortiz (1,099 rushing yards as a
sophomore) will help Del Norte get back to
its run-oriented roots. Ortiz had a stunning
430 rushing yards and eight scores in a
70-20 win over Los Alamos last year.
Wide receiver Hunter Litherland will take
a step forward in his senior year, and
the Knights bring back some veterans
on defense in linebackers Coleton
Radford and Nick Soto and defensive
end Andrew Carrillo. After breaking
off a three-game winning streak last
year that included a 174-22 point
differential—a stretch that propelled
the Knights to a Class-5A district
title—Del Norte has something to
build upon in 2019.