Don't worry, the football playoffs aren't here quite yet. It only appears that way.
Two huge games take place in the Las Vegas valley this week with potential league titles and postseason implications on the line in both. The marquee matchup will be in North Las Vegas on Friday when No. 3 Legacy hosts second-ranked Palo Verde (Las Vegas) with first place in the Northwest League at stake. On the other side of town, No. 5 Del Sol (Las Vegas) travels to No. 14 Silverado (Las Vegas) with the winner having the inside track to the Southeast League crown.
Legacy (6-0) is fresh off a thrilling 30-29 overtime victory at Cimarron-Memorial, which was arguably the biggest win in the fourth-year school's history. Cimarron took a 14-0 lead before the Longhorns rallied and tied the game at 22 on a 20-yard touchdown run by quarterback Devin Weidemann with 8:19 remaining in the game.
The Spartans scored first in the OT as Tim Hasson caught a 10-yard pass from quarterback Kenny Banks. Legacy answered on a 10-yard keeper by Weidemann and the game appeared to be over when the Longhorns missed the extra point. But a roughing-the-kicker penalty gave Legacy another chance and senior William Purcell scored on the two-point conversion for the victory.
Palo Verde (6-0), meanwhile, won a 48-34 shootout with Cheyenne (North Las Vegas) that saw the Panthers give up 20 more points than they had all season. Brandon Wright rushed for 183 yards and five touchdowns, while Chappell Thomas added 121 yards, including a 72-yard scoring run for Palo Verde. Those two will test Legacy's rush defense, which allowed 218 yards against Cimarron-Memorial.
On the other side of the ball, all eyes will be on the matchup between Palo Verde linebacker Daniel Godkin and Legacy running back Deshae Edwards. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Godkin is being recruited by UNLV, Nevada and Navy, among others, while uber-quick Edwards is becoming one of the state's top prospects and is hearing from the likes of Fresno State, Maryland, Nevada and UCLA.
Maybe most importantly, though, the winner of this game would likely earn the Northwest League No. 1 seed and avoid a potential showdown in the Class 4A Sunset Region semifinals with Bishop Gorman (6-0), which took over the top spot from Palo Verde in the latest MaxPreps state rankings. Del Sol (5-0) is off to a surprising start considering the Dragons returned just one offensive starter from 2008 and five in all. But Del Sol has made a habit of winning close games, including last week's 21-19 win over previously unbeaten Basic (Henderson) when Jason Meuir blocked a 29-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
It's a similar story down the road at Silverado. The Skyhawks were one of the area's biggest disappointments in 2008, missing the playoffs despite having three Division I players on defense. However, Silverado has bounced back this season behind a strong running game and a stingy defense. In last week's 44-14 victory over Coronado (Henderson), Terran Madu-Jules had 176 yards and two scores, while the Skyhawks defense allowed just 66 yards and no points in the second half. It will be interesting to see how Silverado handles bruising running back Dezerick Reed and a Dragons offense that has struggled to move the ball at times this season.
Fight halts game
The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association is expected to rule this week on the outcome of the football game between Bonanza (Las Vegas) and Western (Las Vegas) that was stopped midway through the third quarter Friday due to a bench-clearing brawl.
After Bonanza took a 20-0 lead with 8:48 left in the third quarter, a fight broke out during the point-after kick attempt and players from both benches rushed onto the field, according to Nevadapreps.com. NIAA rules dictated that officials stop the game at that point. It is anticipated that NIAA officials will record the game as a double-forfeit or award Bonanza the victory after reviewing tapes of the game. The ruling could also affect this week's games should the NIAA hand down suspensions. Bonanza (3-2) is scheduled to play at Bishop Gorman, while Western (1-3) is at Sierra Vista (Las Vegas).
Injury report
Sad news broke last week when it was reported that running back/cornerback Zak Hill of Shadow Ridge (Las Vegas) suffered a broken neck during a 56-0 loss to Palo Verde on Sept. 25. Hill, who has movement throughout his body, broke his C1 and C2 vertebrae and will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery at University Medical Center. Hill was the leading rusher (349 yards, three TDs) and receiver (eight catches, 98 yards, one TD) for the Mustangs.
Also, Chaparral senior wide receiver/cornerback Malcolm McMurray was released from the hospital Sept. 25 and did not require surgery after suffering a deep contusion of his spine during a 33-15 loss to Desert Pines. McMurray missed Friday's 28-12 loss to Valley (Las Vegas), but could be cleared to return this season.
Recruiting trail
Findlay Prep (Henderson) senior point guard Cory Joseph, one of the nation's top prospects, will begin his official visits this month with two Big East Conference schools: Connecticut on Oct. 16 and Villanova on Oct. 23.
Joseph is also looking at Texas, Minnesota, UNLV, Mississippi State and Florida.
Game balls
* Douglas (Minden) running back Johnny Pollack carried 42 times for 451 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers rallied from 13-0 and 20-14 deficits to beat Damonte Ranch (Reno) 35-20.
* Carson sophomore Dylan Sawyers touched the ball three times in the Senators' first seven plays and scored on each one in a 56-0 rout over Wooster (Reno).
* Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) freshman QB Jarrett Solomon went 8-of-10 for 149 yards and three TDs - two went to USC-bound tight end Xavier Grimble - in a nationally-televised 58-0 victory over Green Valley (Henderson).
* The Foothill (Henderson) defense forced seven turnovers and allowed 174 yards in a 12-0 win over Liberty (Henderson).
* Desert Oasis (Las Vegas) running back Ronald Hunt rushed for 128 yards and all three of his team's scores on 28 carries in a 23-6 victory over Spring Valley (Las Vegas) that kept the Diamondbacks' playoff hopes alive.
* Julio Mora of Durango (Las Vegas) rushed for five TDs in the Trailblazers' 49-7 romp over Pahrump Valley (Pahrump).
* Quarterback Cody Hosier finished 11-of-14 for 287 yards and four TDs - all to junior receiver Kale Leavitt - as defending Class 1A state champion Pahranagat Valley (Alamo) beat Henderson International 48-0.
Sneak preview
1.) No. 4 Truckee, Calif. (5-0) at Dayton (6-0): This is the second straight big game for the Wolverines, who blasted Fernley 50-9 a week ago and are the top 3A team in the state rankings. Truckee held Fernley quarterback Bryce Baker in check, but will be tested by Dayton running back Kyle Onstott, who rushed for 266 yards and three scores in a 40-14 win over Yerington.
2.) No. 18 North Valleys (5-1) at No. 8 McQueen (3-2): North Valleys (Reno) has been one of the surprises of the first half of the season, but the Panthers' run came to an end last week in a 24-14 loss to No. 12 Spanish Springs (Sparks). Defending 4A state champion McQueen (Reno) is fresh off a 36-7 win over Elko in which the Lancers played without four players who were suspended for their involvement in a fight following a loss to Reed (Sparks) on Sept. 18.
3.) Cheyenne (3-3) at Centennial (3-3): This might not have the glamour of the Northwest League battle between Legacy and Palo Verde, but there are huge playoff ramifications here. Both teams enter the game at 3-2 in league and in a three-way time with Cimarron-Memorial for third place. The top four teams qualify for the postseason. Cheyenne (North Las Vegas) has overcome a slow start and appears to be clicking, especially on offense. Centennial (Las Vegas), meanwhile, has struggled against the top teams in league and the Bulldogs have to find a way to slow down Cheyenne's speed.
4.) Regional tennis tournaments: The postseason gets underway this week with boys and girls regional tournaments across the state. The Northern Region girls final is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday at the Caughlin Club with the boys final set for the same time at LakeRidge. The girls final for the Sunset and Sunrise regions will take place at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Darling Tennis Center with the boys finals to follow at 4:30 p.m.
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.
