There was a time, not so long ago, when Reece White was disappointed he wouldn’t be playing for the Mayfield High School football team.

Growing up in Las Cruces, all most boys think about is playing for a championship team like the Trojans or Las Cruces Bulldawgs. There are some who hope the Oñate Knights can get to a title game, but that dream seems far off.

The White family, though, moved to Rio Rancho five years ago, quashing White’s hopes of being a Trojan and relegating him to dreams of being a Ram.

Reese White watched his team's recent 7-on-7 competition at Rio Rancho Stadium from the sideline.

But wait. All of a sudden a new high school was built in the City of Vision and White realized he’d be a member of the inaugural Cleveland High Storm, for whose freshman team he played on last fall.

Before that, Reese, who dabbled in T-ball and soccer as a youngster, played on some local Young America Football League teams, counting among his teammates a few guys who’ll either be with him on the Storm or playing on the other side of Northern with the Rio Rancho Rams.

“I started playing flag football in third grade,” White said, remembering going to Mayfield games, maybe even seeing legendary coach Jim Bradley yelling at the players, and dreaming of wearing the hunter green and gold. Beyond that? White’s favorite pro team, the Green Bay Packers, wears the same colors.

“I wanted to play for Mayfield with all my friends,” White said.

Now, of course, he’s content to play with his new friends with the Storm.

“I’m actually kind of glad now I get to play for Cleveland. We get to start something new,” White said.

A wide receiver on offense and defensive back when the Storm doesn’t have the ball, White said he likes what head coach Kirk Potter is doing.

“He’s a really good coach. I think he has the best knowledge in the state, in coaching,” White said. “He’s a tough coach, but that’s what we need, to keep us in line.”

Potter seems to like his wideout, too, although an injury will keep him out of practice for a while.

“Reece has the work ethic that we are looking for.” Potter says. “He is always there and always on task. He has a natural sense of football identity. He understands the game and accepts the physical requirements that go with it. He is a good teammate and leads by example.

“We look forward to his return,” Potter said. “He is of great value in all phases of the game: He deep-snaps, he catches well, he is an excellent defender, and he can throw.”

White is planning to be one of the three main targets for Storm quarterbacks Garrett Hayes and Travis Lonergan.

But first things first, as in making sure the broken collarbone is healed enough to get him back on the field, catching passes thrown his way.

“It was at practice on (a July) Tuesday. I was playing cornerback and a ball was thrown under a little bit; the receiver was outside and I dove for it sideways and landed on my shoulder and the pressure cracked it, like, upward,” he said. “I went to the trainer first; she said I should go get an X-ray.”

He did and got the verdict.

The son of Quail and Karen White, he said his favorite NFL player, understandably because he plays the position, is Packers WR Greg Jennings.

“He’s really good,” White said, thinking the Storm will be pretty good too.

“I think that we can have a successful season, like better than .500, based on the way we competed (at a 7 on 7). We did pretty good against all these varsity teams.”

Like his teammates, he’s looking forward to the Battle of Rio Rancho on Oct. 30, when the Storm and Rams clash at Rio Rancho Stadium.

“I have a lot of friends over that are good friends to me,” he said. “I think if they would’ve kept us together, what a team we would’ve made.”

He can’t forget his team’s meeting with the freshman Rams last fall, a 14-13 win by the Rams.

“That game, I almost feel like we were too cocky about it, like we were going to win. Then they came out and played our game,” he said.

Watch out for the approaching Storm, White says, who compete in District 1-5A with the Rams, Cibola, Gallup and West Mesa this season.

“We’re going to be good,” White predicted.