Cleveland High adds former Rio Rancho EDGE Jacari Smith to pass rush

Jacari Smith has transferred from Rio Rancho High School to Cleveland High School, immediately strengthening the Storm’s pass rush with a defender who produced 7 sacks and 17 tackles for loss last season. For Sandoval County football, the move lands at the center of the district’s shifting balance of power.

Cleveland now pairs Smith with Joaquin Manning, giving the Storm two of the most talented pass rushers in the state, according to local sports coverage from Couch Potato Sports Coverage. That combination changes the way opponents have to game-plan Cleveland, with pressure coming from both edges instead of one focal point to block. It also raises the stakes in the Rio Rancho-Cleveland rivalry, where one player’s transfer can alter how both sides attack the line of scrimmage.

Hudl lists Smith as a Rio Rancho, New Mexico, player on Rio Rancho High School’s varsity football roster, wearing No. 35 and classified as a defensive end in the Class of 2027. That profile matches the production that made Smith a notable recruit: a disruptive edge player who lived in the backfield and finished plays behind the line.

Smith’s rise has already drawn broader attention in New Mexico high school football circles. Prep Redzone has a player profile for him, and On3 NM Preps published a New Mexico High School Football Top 100 Player Rankings page featuring Jacari Smith. That attention follows the same profile that made him such a difficult assignment last season, when he turned pressure into sacks and tackles for loss.

For Cleveland, the transfer adds another high-end piece to a defense that can now threaten opposing quarterbacks from multiple angles. For Rio Rancho, it means losing one of the edge players that helped define its front and leaves the district watching how much one move can reshape the weekly matchup picture in Sandoval County.