Reno’s entry knocks out one southern team

Spencer Patterson

Tuesday, July 28, 1998 | 11:34 a.m.

The American Legion State Tournament's good fortune will be bad news for one Las Vegas-area squad, which will find itself on the outside looking in when the event starts Saturday.

Tournament organizer Tom Conroy confirmed that after a two-year absence, the Reno Knights will represent Northern Nevada in the eight-squad tourney this year.

The Knights will participate as the event's fifth seed, and that means the No. 8 finisher from Southern Nevada won't be involved in the postseason.

If the regular season ended Monday, Valley and Cheyenne -- tied in the eighth slot with 12-13 records -- would be out. Las Vegas and Western, both 14-12, would be in as the seventh and eighth seeds.

"Being a bubble team is just one of those things," said Cheyenne coach Dave Snyder, whose team missed out on the high school playoffs on a tiebreaker. "If you deserve to go, you go. Our kids understand that if you don't beat the top teams, you don't deserve to go."

Durango (22-3 league), Bishop Gorman (20-6), Silverado (18-6) and Cimarron-Memorial have clinched berths in the tournament, while Green Valley (15-9) needs just one win in its final four games to get in.

The league-leading Trailblazers, who already have played in 78 games this summer -- 28 more than any other club -- also need just one victory to clinch the regular season crown and the top spot in the tournament.

The Knights, a club comprised of players from Reno High School, last played in the tournament in 1995 before skipping the last two years to enter Carson's Pride of America Tournament.

Because the Reno squad is the only Legion team in Northern Nevada, coach Pete Savage's team plays most of its games against Connie Mack clubs and out-of-state competition.

Still, Conroy said he expects the Knights to be a force in the five-day state tournament at UNLV's Wilson Stadium.

"They've always come down and been competitive," Conroy said. "They should be again this year."

"We know it's going to be tough competition," said Savage, whose club finished its regular season with a 38-14 record. "But we want to play everyone who's a quality team."

Award winners

Basic's Jason Bitsko and Durango's Jack Newark received the league's most valuable player awards for their efforts throughout the 1998 season. Both players graduated from their respective high schools last spring.

Bitsko, a 6-3, 180-pound pitcher/infielder, was named the American League MVP for schools on the east side of town. The team's starting third baseman is batting .445 with seven homers and 44 RBIs and also doubles as Basic's top starting pitcher.

"He's just having a great summer," said Basic coach Kent Bitsko, Jason's father. "He's been our most consistent player."

Newark a 6-4, 220 pound infielder, is this year's National League MVP for schools on the west side of town. A third baseman who also serves as one of Durango's top relief pitchers, Newark is batting .405 with a team-leading 63 RBIs and three saves.

"It's well deserved," Durango coach Tom Appleyard said. "He's been our leader all year. He plays hard, and he's done a great job."

Scott Yahraus, a pitcher from Durango, received the scholar athlete award, while Gorman catcher Cooper Fouts and Green Valley outfielder David Krynzel were named the Legion rookies of the year for their respective divisions.

Bitsko, Newark, Yahraus and the still-to-be-determined state tournament MVP each will receive $500 for their accomplishments.

* BOUNCING BACK: After dropping games to Cheyenne and Silverado on Saturday, Durango responded by sweeping a doubleheader against Green Valley on Sunday. Newark was the big story for the victors, coming in during the final inning of both games and shutting the door on the Gators in 4-3 and 8-7 wins.

* INJURY UPDATE: The league-leading Trailblazers have played most of their recent schedule without two of their top two performers, graduated seniors Mark Weisenmiller and Matt McCurdy. Weisenmiller, the club's starting catcher, has been recovering from a contusion on the back of his head suffered earlier this season when he was hit with an opponent's bat. He is expected to return in time for the state tournament. McCurdy, the club's starting shortstop and top power hitter with 13 home runs, tore a muscle in his leg during Durango's trip to South Dakota. He has missed three weeks and his status for the postseason is uncertain.

* LASORDA OUT: Hall of Famer Tommy Lasorda, originally scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the American Legion World Series banquet, has been replaced by former major leaguer Steve Garvey. According to Conroy, Lasorda's new position as the Los Angeles Dodgers' interim general manager made a trip to Las Vegas on Aug. 20 impossible. But Conroy said he had no regrets about the switch. "You couldn't ask for a better substitution," he said.