Cimarron-Memorial to rely on run

Spencer Patterson

Wednesday, Aug. 26, 1998 | 10:15 a.m.

Imagine you're a defender playing against the Cimarron-Memorial football team this fall.

The Spartans run a sweep to the right side, which means you have to contend with 300-pound tackle Kawika Sagapolu, the top returning offensive lineman in Las Vegas.

Find a way around him, and you'll likely bump heads with Leonard DeRoche, a tough-as-nails fullback whose eyes light up at the prospect of contact.

And should you manage to get past those two, you'll find yourself in pursuit of tailback Arnold Parker, the area's most feared rusher due to his unusual combination of size, speed and his ability to make would-be tacklers miss.

No wonder Cimarron is the early favorite to dominate the Southern Zone this season and represent Las Vegas in the 4A state title game for the second straight year.

Last season, the Spartans were nearly unstoppable offensively, racking up more than 30 points on five separate occasions. Cimarron cruised through the regular season, dropping just one contest, and dominated the local playoff scene before falling to McQueen in the state final.

With their "big three" back for their final season of high school football, coach Greg Spencer's club appears ready to make another run at that elusive state title.

But for now, Parker and his teammates are staying focused on Friday's opener at Chaparral.

"Getting back to the state championship is a goal, but we're just working game by game," Parker said. "I think our team is going to be really good. We're just young."

In large part, Cimarron's success this year will be determined by Parker's ability to get loose. In 1997, he compiled a combined 1,500-yard, 22 touchdown season, and with DeRoche and Sagapolu in front of him, he's ready to improve on those numbers.

"(DeRoche) works so hard, and we play well together," Parker said. "And no one is going to try to hit (Sagapolu), so I can stay right behind him."

The 6-3, 200-pound Parker, who has drawn interest from Division I schools nationwide, has been a consistent performer at the varsity level since his sophomore year.

But according to Spencer, Parker's improvement since then has been rapid.

"He's a great athlete and he's got size, speed and strength," Spencer said. "But he's made a lot of improvements, especially in mental toughness. He understands what he needs to do to get it done."

In addition to his blocking, the 5-10, 200-pound DeRoche also can get it done with the ball, and that means opposing defenses can't concentrate on stopping Parker.

"DeRoche is someone else you have to contend with," Spencer said. "You can't forget about him."

There's no way the opposition could forget about the 6-4, 300-pound Sagapolu, a Hawaiian native who is being pursued by a variety of Pac-10 and Big 12 schools. His presence makes it difficult for defenders to get a good view of Parker and DeRoche, to say nothing of tackling them.

"You see somebody in front of you one second, and here comes (Sagapolu) and then boom," DeRoche said. "He moves really well for his size."

Of course, as Spencer is quick to point out, a team needs more than three star players to win a championship.

"We play 11; we don't play three," Spencer said.

That may be, but as any other coach in the area would probably point out, Parker, DeRoche and Sagapolu aren't a bad three to build around.