Preps: State association changes transfer rules

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Sept. 3, 1998 | 11:07 a.m.

To deal with the growth of local magnet schools, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) recently created a set of new regulations to govern athletic eligibility.

Beginning this year, students who enroll at magnet schools with athletic programs (Clark, Rancho, Valley, Vo-Tech) and play sports there must wait 180 days to regain their eligibility if they return to their home school.

For example, if a student zoned for Durango enrolls in Rancho's aerospace and aviation program and plays football for Rancho, he will be ineligible for 180 days should he return to Durango.

"There were no provisions about students going back to their old schools," Clark County Director of Athletics Larry McKay said. "We need a definitive rule because magnet schools are becoming more popular."

The 180-day waiting period has already been in effect for students transferring from a public school to a local private school (i.e., Bishop Gorman), or vice versa.

Under the new guidelines, a student who attends a magnet school without athletic programs (i.e., Las Vegas Academy) still can compete for his or her home school.

Likewise, a student who attends Vo-Tech still can play one of the sports V-Tech does not offer (like football or soccer) for his or her home school.

"Basically, we analyzed what other cities have done and adopted similar rules," McKay said.

Record victory

The Green Valley girls golf team's 191-322 win over Las Vegas last Thursday was the Gators' first victory of 1998, but it also had significant historical value.

The Henderson school pushed its winning streak to 78 matches, good for second place in the National High School Sports Record Book. The Gators came into the season tied with Arizona's Xavier College Preparatory, which won 77 matches in a row from 1979-85.

Now, coach Del Sagers' squad trails only one team -- which also happens to be the same club the Gators just caught. From 1985-95 Xavier strung together a whopping 120 wins, a record Green Valley could break in 2000.

Numbers games

Consecutive victory streaks haven't been a major topic of conversation at Chaparral, Cheyenne, Clark or Western this fall, with all four schools struggling to fill five-player lineups consistently.

Through Tuesday, the Cowboys, Desert Shields, Chargers and Warriors have combined to forfeit six matches due to lack of athletes. According to Western coach Richard Schmiesing, this isn't a new issue for his club.

"We've had problems for six years filling out the team," said Schmiessing, whose club still doesn't have five players.

As for why some schools have had trouble finding girls to try out for the golf team, Cheyenne coach David Carpenter has a theory.

"A lot of the teams that don't have trouble (with numbers) are zoned for areas where people live near golf courses, like Green Valley and Durango," Carpenter said. "We don't have many courses up here."

Tidbits

* PANTHERS DRAW FIRST BLOOD: In the first varsity battle between Palo Verde and Mojave, the Panthers posted victory No. 1 Monday on the golf course. Palo Verde's girls team picked up a 239-292 win over the Rattlers at Painted Desert Golf Club. Mojave will get its first chance at revenge in boys soccer on Sept. 11.

* GORMAN LOSES COACH: Former Bishop Gorman softball coach Heather Siegel, who led the Gaels to a playoff berth last spring, has been added to the Wichita State coaching staff as a graduate assistant. Siegel, whose Gorman club compiled a 12-13 overall record in her only season at the school, graduated from UNLV in 1997. In 1995, she helped the Rebels to second place in the Softball College World Series. Gorman has named Tony Dyer, a local Amateur Softball Association (ASA) coach, as Siegel's replacement.

* CHARITY SOFTBALL: Palo Verde High School is organizing the first Summerlin Charity Softball Tournament to benefit Childhood Cancer and the Palo Verde softball program. The 16-team adult co-ed tournament will be held Sept. 26-27 at Trails Park. The team entry fee is $200, with the top three finishers receiving T-shirts and trophies. To register or for more information call Lisa Campbell at 799-1450.

* SUBMISSIONS: To submit an item for the weekly prep notebook, contact Spencer Patterson by phone (259-4085), fax (383-7264) or mail (800 S. Valley View, Las Vegas, NV, 89129).