WOODLAND HILLS — As if the rain wasn’t enough.

Cleveland football’s head coach, Mario Guzman, addressed his team postgame. Rain poured on him as he spoke. Seconds later, ice-cold water was dumped on his head. Then, cheers.

Just minutes earlier, Cleveland quarterback Domenik Fuentes heaved a pass down the left sideline. It was tipped into the hands of wide receiver Jesus Fuentes, who is not related to him, and he turned and ran into the end zone for a touchdown.

Game over.

Cleveland (5-8, 1-4) defeated Fairfax (4-9, 1-4) 14-7 in a slugfest to earn a spot in the City Section Division 2 championship next week. The game was played at Taft.

“We were two and eight this year,” Guzman said. “These kids could have packed it up after the first couple games being one [and] whatever going into league, but they stayed together. It’s a brotherhood, as cliché as it may sound, to true brotherhood. We all play for each other, for the name across the chest, not on our backs.”

The game was held at Taft High School for the semifinal matchup in the rain. With conditions like this, the game was low-scoring, penalty-filled and overall sloppy.

Yards were hard to come by all night, but when Cleveland needed them most, Fuentes led a two-minute drive that resulted in the winning score. He finished 9-of-20 for 72 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions and added eight carries for 25 yards and another score.

Fuentes contributed on defense as well.

“They’re fighters,” Guzman said. “I’m extremely proud of every single one of them. They just have a never-say-die attitude. Never say never. I think it’s still a little surreal, still hitting me a bit. But I’m just extremely proud of these guys.”

Throughout the regular season, the Cleveland defense gave up 33 points a game – in the playoffs, they’ve lowered that number to three. A significant change, but one of the biggest reasons why they find themselves in the Division 2 championship.

With all the offensive mistakes, penalties and turnovers. The defense stopped up every single time they needed to, no matter how dire the situation looked.

“The scheme’s always been there,” Guzman said. “We just had guys buy in a little more practice, a little harder. We have fewer guys going two ways now, just to keep our bodies as fresh as possible. It helps with our call-ups from our JV, those kids.”

Guzman said Cleveland has never won a City title. It has a shot next week to make history – a goal both Guzman and the school have been chasing.

“I’ve been coaching football for going on 14 years,” Guzman said, fighting back tears. “My family sacrificed, my wife sacrificed a lot, a lot of time away from home, a lot of time away from her. It just means a lot to see us get to where we want to be. But we still got one more win to go get.”