RESEDA – Cleveland head coach Mario Guzman has spent the offseason preaching a simple philosophy to his senior-laden team: “We” over “me.” Friday night, the Cavaliers looked like a team that got the message.

Guzman’s Cavs dominated Narbonne, rolling to a convincing 43-0 victory behind a punishing ground attack and a defense that gave the Gauchos little room to breathe. “This group has bought in,” Guzman said. “There’s a brotherhood there. A bond now.”

During warm-ups, Narbonne looked every bit as big and athletic as Cleveland. They just had fewer players, only suiting up 21 . Cleveland’s coaching staff alone ran 11 deep.

Then came the opening kickoff. Freshman Alfredo Fuentes ripped the ball out of a larger Gaucho’s arms, giving the Cav offense a short field.

Looking to establish the run early, Cleveland matriculated the ball down the field. Last year’s 1,100 yard rusher, Moyosoreoluwa Odebunmi fittingly pushed it into the end zone for the Cavs first points of the new season.  

After Narbonne was flagged on the extra-point attempt, Guzman didn’t hesitate, immediately sending in his short-yardage package. The decisiveness paid off as quarterback Dominik Fuentes bulldozed his way into the end zone on a quarterback sneak for the two-point conversion.

That level of readiness in week 0 was the Cav’s superpower. Not one penalty. And whether calling out schemes to players on the field or making adjustments on the sideline, Cleveland’s coaching staff kept the Cavaliers focused and disciplined as they imposed their will on the Gauchos and took a commanding 21-0 lead into halftime.

But even the score didn’t fully capture how lopsided the first half had been. Narbonne finished the first quarter with negative yards from scrimmage and failed to record a single first down before halftime.

Sophomore defensive lineman Carter Fitzgerald gave the Gauchos’ offensive line fits throughout the night, while Oluwafemi Okelola seemed to be everywhere defensively, while also adding 40 yards to the Cavs ground game.

Admittedly, this wasn’t the Narbonne of recent memory. The Gauchos are serving the second year of a three-year playoff probation, and a program that ranked among the City Section’s most imposing just two seasons ago is clearly in a different place. Still, Narbonne looked capable of making this a competitive game. Cleveland never gave them a chance.

The Cavaliers ran for nearly 300 yards on the ground, led by Odebunmi’s 110. But this was far from a one-man show with six different Cavs contributing to the run game.

Dominik Fuentes finished with 2 touchdown runs and played lockdown defense. Robert Granillo, who broke off a 45-yard touchdown scamper in the second half, finished with a pair of scores. Bruising fullback Joseph Hurtado provided power runs between the tackles.

Cleveland just kept rotating fresh bodies in the backfield and Narbonne never found an answer. Fuentes only dropped back a half dozen times, completing two passes. But expect that production to rise in coming weeks with the return of L.A. Daily News top 100 WR/TE, Cobe Green, who didn’t suit up for after suffering a minor injury in practice.

The Cavaliers look ready to compete in a stacked West Valley League. Guzman talked about the non-stop effort from his team: “A good amount of these guys play both ways. It’s a credit to them taking the conditioning seriously.”

Cleveland looked focused. Physical. Connected. Exactly the kind of team Guzman has been trying to build. And on Friday night, “we” was more than a slogan.

Cleveland will face a tougher test next week against a resurgent Reseda squad under new head coach Jaylen Sanders.

all photos by Benjamin Becher