It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the La Cueva Bears had no problem doing just that on Friday. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 63-33 victory over Las Cruces. The win was familiar territory for La Cueva who now have nine in a row.
La Cueva's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Cameron Dyer led the charge by rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns on only 13 carries, while also throwing for 370 yards and two touchdowns on only 18 passes. Dyer really tore up the turf during one magnificent 85-yard run. Cheeto Lumbrera iii was another key contributor, rushing for 148 yards and four touchdowns on only 14 carries.
La Cueva has yet to lose a match at home this season, leaving them with a 9-3 record. It's not like the team was facing easy opposition over that stretch either, as it included 8-3 Sandia and 9-4 Rio Rancho (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 57.7% over those games). As for Las Cruces, their loss dropped their record down to 7-6.
La Cueva will head out on the road to face off against Cleveland at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Cleveland is also coming in off of a big victory, so somebody is in for a big reversal of fortune. Las Cruces does not have any more games scheduled as of now.