Prep softball: Silverado’s softball team to appear on ESPN telecast

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, March 26, 1998 | 10:01 a.m.

Silverado sports fans flipping through their television's channels in the coming months may get a jolt when they spot their very own Skyhawks on ESPN.

The softball team's recent contest against Chaparral (Ariz.) High School was shot by the network for a piece on the Firebirds, the nation's third-ranked squad, which will likely air on an upcoming episode of "Scholastic Sports America."

The game was part of last weekend's Ramada Express Tournament of Champions (formerly known as the Best in the West Tournament) in Bullhead City, Ariz., an annual event featuring 32 of the region's top clubs.

Although the Skyhawks lost the contest, 5-3, the locals did not go down without a fight. Silverado led 3-0 before five errors in the fifth inning helped the Firebirds earn the win.

"For four innings the other night, that's as good as softball gets," Skyhawks' coach Chuck Pope said. "The stands were packed, and people were lined up along the fences."

Silverado rebounded from the loss nicely, downing Yuma (Ariz.), 2-0, in game two behind a three-hitter by Janelle Richardson. That set up a showdown with defending Nevada state champion Galena, a game the Skyhawks dropped, 4-1.

Pope's squad closed out the tournament in style, posting wins over Tucson schools Sabino and Canyon del Oro to run its overall record to 6-2 and stay third in the SUN's top 10 poll.

"It was a wonderful experience for the girls," Pope said. "We're really starting to get some chemistry."

Green Valley and Durango also participated in the tournament, with the Gators going 1-4 and the Trailblazers finishing 2-3.

Around the horn

Green Valley downed No. 2 Bishop Gorman on Tuesday to stay on top of this week's SUN top 10 baseball poll. But the area's hottest team may be Durango.

The Trailblazers boast an impressive 10-1 record, with their only loss coming at the hands of the Gators on the season's opening day.

Since then coach Mike Gomez's squad has been dominant, downing area powers Chaparral and Silverado along with two solid clubs from Hawaii.

The toughest team to figure out thus far: Bonanza. After starting the season 1-2, the Bengals have come alive, winning their last three games, including a big victory over Chaparral.

Bonanza's up and down play never was more apparent than in a four-day period last week, when the Bengals earned a hard-fought 6-5 win over Silverado on Saturday before falling 12-1 to the same Skyhawks on Tuesday.

Changing the rules

The National Federation of State High School Associations recently adopted a pair of minor football rule changes, effective next fall.

First, players no longer can wear eye shields unless they are completely clear. The change was made to allow officials to see an athletes' eyes in case of an injury.

Second, the penalty for a defender slapping an offensive blocker's head has been increased from 10 to 15 yards.

Also, the committee announced that officials will pay extra attention to "unnecessary and illegal contact against ball carriers, unnecessary contact with players after the play, legal and illegal equipment and illegal contact below the waist" in an effort to make the sport safer.

Submissions

Submissions for the prep notebook should be faxed to Spencer Patterson at 383-7264 or mailed to the SUN, 800 S. Valley View, Las Vegas, NV, 89107.