The Meadows battles Needles for 2A championship

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Nov. 19, 1998 | 10:45 a.m.

Two of Friday's small school Nevada state football championships will have a decidedly non-Nevada flavor to them.

Both the 2A and 3A title games will feature matchups between in-state schools and California opponents who participate as members of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

One of those California-based teams, Needles High School, stands between local private school The Meadows and the Mustangs' second consecutive 2A crown.

The other, California's Tahoe-Truckee High School, will take on Reno private school Bishop Monogue in the 3A championship.

Of Friday's first three games, only the 1A battle between Indian Springs and Eureka will stack two Nevada clubs against one another.

Nevertheless, all three small school contests should have their share of interesting story lines when action kicks off at Sam Boyd Stadium at 10 a.m.

Game one will be a rematch of last year's 1A title clash, in which Indian Springs knocked off Eureka for the school's first championship.

Soon after, the Thunderbirds lost head coach Ben Johnson to 4A school Chaparral. But the team has stayed on top, thanks in large part to new coach Sope Faga's son Andrew, one of the state's top quarterbacks.

Game two will also feature a rematch, this one just two months after the Mustangs (8-2) knocked off Needles 31-8 in California.

Like Indian Springs, The Meadows will be looking for its second straight state title. The Mustangs' explosive offense, led by seniors Victor Wright (1,709 rushing yards) and Jeff Raskin (627 rushing yards, 494 receiving yards), will make them a heavy favorite.

And this year's 3A championship should feature plenty of fireworks. Monogue is averaging 37 points per game, while Tahoe-Truckee is close behind at 36.

But in the 3A finalists' only meeting of the year, the Wolverines downed the Miners 16-8.