Early-season football rankings are often as accurate as Shaquille O'Neal at the free-throw line. And this season is no exception.
One week after missing out on an upset, Carson (Carson City) bounced back with a 54-27 thrashing of Reed (Sparks), the No. 1 team in the MaxPreps state rankings.
The No. 13 Senators (2-1) led McQueen (Reno) 34-23 with less than eight minutes in their previous game only to see the defending state 4A champs rally to win 38-34. But Carson was able to finish the job against Reed, getting a huge performance from senior quarterback Blake Plattsmier.
"After the McQueen loss, I felt we needed a signature win," Carson coach Blair Roman told the Reno Gazette-Journal. "We needed to beat a team we weren't supposed to, and the guys came to play tonight."
The loss was the second straight for Reed (1-2) after a season-opening 26-10 win over Bishop Manogue (Reno), and will certainly cause a shakeup at the top of the rankings.
Here are a few of the candidates:
No. 2 Palo Verde (Las Vegas) stated its case for the top spot with a 49-0 win over Foothill (Henderson). The Panthers (3-0) gained 315 yards on just 19 plays in the first half on the way to a 42-0 halftime lead.
No. 3 Manogue (1-1) scored twice in the final three minutes and escaped with a 21-20 win over host Hug (Reno). Hug quarterback Treyon Montgomery scored on a 1-yard run with no time remaining, and the Hawks elected to go for the two-point conversion and the win, but Montgomery's pass intended for 6-foot-7 receiver Tre Johnson sailed out of the end zone.
No. 5 McQueen (2-1) rallied for the second week in a row, using a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joey Sorgani to tight end Watson Asi with six seconds left to edge No. 18 Douglas (Minden) 35-32.
Joey Sorgani, McQueen
File photo by Todd Shurtleff
And another team expected to move up is No. 7 Cimarron-Memorial (Las Vegas), which pounded No. 9 Arbor View (Las Vegas) 35-7 in a key game in the stacked Northwest League. Senior Stephen Nixon ran for 97 yards and two scores for the Spartans, who allowed AV to run just five plays in Cimarron territory.
Recruiting trail
Enes Kanter, a 6-10, 250-pound center from Istanbul, Turkey, who was expected to play this season at Findlay Prep (Henderson), has instead transferred to Mountain State Academy (Beckley, W.Va.), according to several reports.
Kanter was named MVP of the Under-18 European Championships this summer, scoring 32 points and adding 25 rebounds in the semifinals against Serbia. He scored 35 points to go along with 19 rebounds and four blocks against Lithuania in the bronze-medal game.
Kanter is reportedly being recruited by the likes of Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State, Texas and UCLA, among others.
In other recruiting news:
* Bishop Gorman linebacker Evan Palelei has de-committed from Stanford after he "lost contact with them over the summer," according to Nevadapreps.com.
* UNLV's baseball program picked up verbal commitments from two Arbor View players, as senior OF/P Buddy Borden and senior IF/P Zach Hartman pledged to play for the Rebels.
* Rancho (Las Vegas) junior P Eric Holdren, part of a loaded Class of 2011 in the Las Vegas area, gave a verbal commitment to San Diego State.
* Palo Verde senior swingman Moses Morgan is expected to visit DePaul this weekend after going on an official visit to Indiana last weekend. Morgan's father, Winston, played for coach Bobby Knight and the Hoosiers in the 1980s.The 6-5 Morgan, who is also expected to visit Arizona State, has scholarship offers from UNLV, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Nevada.
Game balls
* Wade Meddles of Sierra Lutheran (Minden) won the Reed Invitational cross country meet, setting a course record in the process. Meddles finished the 3.1-mile course in 16:07, three seconds faster than the previous record held by Galena's Bryan Tibaduiza. Meddles is ranked as the No. 21 runner in the country, according to dyestat.com.
* Carson senior quarterback Blake Plattsmier accounted for 286 yards and four touchdowns in the Senators' 54-27 win over Reed. Plattsmier rushed for 140 yards and a score and also went 9-of-14 for 146 yards and three touchdowns.
* Senior Deavin Rimmey overcame two first-half fumbles to run for 198 yards and two touchdowns as Canyon Springs (Las Vegas) beat Green Valley (Henderson) 42-21. It was the first win for Pioneers coach Hunkie Cooper, a former standout at UNLV and in the Arena Football League.
* Silverado (Las Vegas) senior Terran Madu-Jules rushed for 199 yards and three touchdowns as the No. 16 Skyhawks routed Valley 41-0.
* Quarterback Ryan Newton finished 19-of-27 for 272 yards and four touchdowns, and also added 81 yards rushing, as Coronado (Henderson) beat Eldorado (Las Vegas) 35-19.
* Freshman quarterback Jarrett Solomon threw three touchdown passes to lead second-ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) over Pahrump Valley 50-0.
Sneak preview
It's a huge week for football fans with at least four key matchups across the Silver State.
1.) Cimarron-Memorial (2-0) at Palo Verde (3-0): The latest big game in the Northwest League. Cimarron's defense was dominant last week in a blowout win over Arbor View, but the Spartans figure to get a stiff test against Palo's explosive double-wing offense featuring Chappell Thomas and Tyrone Blake.
2.) Reed (1-2) at McQueen (2-1): This is the High Desert League opener for both teams. Reed has lost two straight, while McQueen has pulled off two consecutive come-from-behind victories.
3.) Arbor View (2-1) at Legacy (2-0): If not for the Cimarron-Palo battle, this would be the game to watch in the Northwest League. The Aggies will have their hands full trying to contain Legacy running back Deshae Edwards, who ran for 231 yards and three TDs on just 10 carries in a 56-0 win over Mojave (Las Vegas).
4.) Silverado (2-0) at Desert Pines (2-1): This game could go a long way in determining the best team on the East side of Las Vegas. The Skyhawks have blowout wins over Chaparral and Valley, but take a step up in competition against DP. The No. 15 Jaguars have scored 120 points in three games, including a 64-16 win over Western last week.
David Schoen works at the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and is a former Associate Sports Editor and Turn2 columnist for the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune. You can reach him at ByDavid1@aol.com.
