Western didn’t leave its best on practice field

Bob Cloud

Monday, Nov. 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Maybe practice is overrated.

Coming off what coach Rich Stevens termed a disappointing week of practice, Western's Warriors blasted Valley 63-28 to capture the Southern AAAA zone championship Friday night at Piggott Stadium.

Anthony Jones rushed for 237 yards and De'Angelo Floyd added 88 and a touchdown to pace the Warriors. The victory moves Western (11-1) into Saturday's 4A state title game vs. McQueen at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Valley ended the season 11-1, completing a dramatic turnaround from a winless campaign a year ago.

"We didn't have the best week of practice," Stevens said. "We had four seniors miss practice on Monday, and I thought we didn't do a good job all week. But I tell you what, we played an awfully good game."

Jones set up Western's first touchdown with an 87-yard run seconds after the Warriors stopped Valley on four plays inside their own 5-yard line. A one-yard quarterback sneak by John Cantu and a 34-yard fumble return for a touchdown staked the visitors to as 22-0 lead after the opening quarter, and left the Vikings stunned.

The second quarter saw the Warriors continue the onslaught, as Jones tallied from three yards out and Cantu hit Eric Fields with an eight-yard scoring pass for a 36-0 advantage.

"I think our kids were ready," Valley coach Greg Murphy said. "But when we couldn't get that first one in and then they turned around and scored that gave them the momentum. We tried, but we never could turn the tide."

The Warriors added touchdown runs by Rosco Denson, Eddie Smith and Jermial Smith to rack up their 63 points, the highest total by a Southern AAAA team this season.

While Stevens had high praise for Jones, he was quick to point out the quality work by Western's offensive line, which paved the way for a total of 505 rushing yards.

"Anthony's real special," said Stevens. "He showed his worth today. Anytime we can get the ball in his hands big things can happen. But you also have to give credit to the guys who block for him. It doesn't matter how good you are if nobody opens the holes."

Stevens also had high praise for his defeated opponent.

"Valley has nothing to hang their heads about," he said. "They're definitely a great football team. You don't go 11-0 if you're not special. They had us tremendously worried all week. We just had everything go our way tonight."

All that now remains for Western is Saturday's 8 p.m. championship showdown with McQueen (10-1), which beat defending Class AAAA champ Wooster 15-10 in the Northern AAAA zone final. Bubba Henderson picked up 85 yards on 17 carries to pace the Lancers.

"It's a dream come true," Stevens said. "For a first-year coach to get a great group of kids to work with is something. There's been a lot of luck along the way, but we've made it. Now there's one game to go."

* BULLDOGS, MUSTANGS EARN FINAL BERTHS: Virgin Valley earned a berth in the Class AAA state championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium with a 12-7 victory Friday night over Fernley. The Bulldogs registered six quarterback sacks. Nate Peterson led Virgin Valley with 96 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. The Bulldogs will face Tahoe Truckee, a 20-7 victor over Moapa Valley, in Saturday's 5 p.m. final. In Class AA action, Andy Cannon ran for 107 yards and three touchdowns as The Meadows beat Independence 40-22 in Elko. The Mustangs (8-2) will play Beatty for the state title, a team which beat them twice during the season, at 2 p.m. Saturday. Indian Springs (10-0) meets Eureka at 11 a.m. in the Class A final.

* GATORS REIGN IN VOLLEYBALL: Green Valley captured the Class AAAA state volleyball championship Saturday by defeating Durango 15-3, 15-5 at Galena High School. The Gators, who have won three of the last four state titles, did not lose a game in four state tournament matches. Krista Gronert of Green Valley was named the tournament MVP. With Durango's second place finish, Southern AAAA schools swept the top four positions at state, as Cheyenne placed third and Eldorado fourth. In Class AAA, Moapa Valley won its sixth straight championship, beating Virgin Valey 15-13, 13-15, 15-12 in the title match at Galena.

* BONANZA WINS SOCCER CROWN: Bonanza won its second consecutive 4A state boys' soccer title with a 3-2 overtime win over Cimarron-Memorial Saturday at UNLV's Peter Johann Field. Jeremy Catmull scored the game-winner for the Bengals (16-3-2) with 45 seconds to play in the second overtime, avenging a loss to the Spartans (14-4-4) in last week's Southern AAAA zone final. It was Catmull's second goal of the match.