Volcano Vista Edges Cleveland; Local Wrestlers Post Strong Results

Volcano Vista secured a one-point victory over Cleveland to claim the Conflict at Cleveland Invitational team title at the Rio Rancho Events Center. The three-time defending Class 5A champion Hawks were paced by meet winners Lorenzo Gallegos and Elijah Gawronski in a tightly contested event that featured more than 80 programs from across the Southwest.

Cleveland produced multiple individual champions, including Ricardo Poolaw, Roman Luttrell and Riley Haussler, but fell just short in the final team tally, 286-285. The close finish highlighted depth across weight classes and underscored how individual matches can swing team outcomes in large invitationals.

San Juan County athletes turned in notable results. Piedra Vista’s Logan Smith reached the 157-pound final and finished second after a 5-4 decision loss to Justus Freeman of Pueblo East. Smith’s runner-up finish helped the Panthers to an 18th-place team finish. Isaiah Blea of Piedra Vista placed eighth at 126 pounds, losing the seventh-place match to Los Lunas’ Matthew Valdez.

Bloomfield’s boys program, last season’s Class 4A runner-up, finished 33rd overall and was led by junior Bryce Lance. Lance advanced to the 113-pound final but fell 5-1 to Poolaw. Lance carries a 19-2 mark this season and added another top finish to his resume after placing second at the Warrior Classic in Grand Junction last month.

Kirtland Central produced several top-eight finishes as well. Todd Robinson placed sixth at 165 pounds, losing the fifth-place match by pin. Chance Aspaas earned fifth at 175 pounds, improving a season record to 16-2 with a 7-3 decision over Eldorado’s Martin Lovato. Steven Little claimed fourth at 285 pounds, falling in the third-place match to Belen’s Ryder Williamson. The Kirtland Central boys squad finished 20th overall.

On the girls side, Bloomfield’s team placed 20th, anchored by heavyweight Caylee Miller. Miller won the 235-pound division, finishing ahead of Khylee Whalen of Dumas, Texas, and entered the tournament unbeaten at 12-0. Miller is positioned to defend the individual state title she won at this weight last year.

With district championships and state tournaments on the calendar next month, these results will affect seeding, competitive matchups and momentum for San Juan County programs. This week’s schedule includes the Crown the Queen Invitational at Miyamura High School on Wednesday and the Pinto Duals at Moriarty High School this weekend, events that will provide further shaping of brackets and qualification pathways for the postseason. Local coaches and athletes will use the outcomes from Rio Rancho to adjust lineups and strategies as the season moves into its decisive phase.