Area football teams prepared for conference action

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Sept. 11, 1998 | 11:14 a.m.

After two weeks of non-conference tuneups, local prep football squads get down to serious business tonight with the start of league play.

All eight teams in the Sunrise Division and six of the seven in the Sunset Division will play their conference openers tonight, with several quality matchups on tap.

Topping the list is this week's only clash of unbeatens: No. 3 Cheyenne (2-0) at No. 7 Durango (2-0).

The Desert Shields have been the area's most dominant team, posting a 28-0 Week 1 victory at Eldorado and rallying for a 27-17 win against Madison (Calif.) last Friday.

The Trailblazers haven't been far behind, outscoring Silverado and Valley by a combined 75-33 score.

Since opening in 1993, Durango has been dominated by the Shields, with the Trailblazers' only win coming in 1996. Cheyenne won last year 20-0.

"(Durango) has become a strong program recently," Cheyenne coach George Perry said. "But we've had success against them over the years."

Another promising matchup has Las Vegas (1-1) visiting No. 10 Green Valley (1-1) in a game that could go a long way toward deciding the Sunset title race.

For Wildcats' coach Kris Cinkovich, it also offers the chance for his third win in a row against Gators' coach Larry Thomas, for whom Cinkovich worked from 1992-94.

"We talk all the time other than the day we play each other," said Cinkovich, whose club has beaten Green Valley the last two years.

Las Vegas, which lost last week at Delta (Utah), will be bolstered by the return of three key starters -- offensive tackle Phillip Mullins (knee), tailback/free safety Coy Boykin (ankle) and offensive guard Billy Schaefbauer (knee).

Still, Cinkovich said neither club should approach this game as a do-or-die situation.

"It's going to be an even league all the way through this year, so one loss isn't going to knock us out of anything," he said.

In other action, Bishop Gorman (2-0), the Sunset Division's third unbeaten team, will travel to Clark (1-1). The Gaels have been a force offensively, racking up 81 points in wins over Basic and Palo Verde.

Valley (0-2) will host No. 10 Eldorado (1-1) in a contest with potential Sunrise title implications, while Chaparral (0-2) will look for its first win of the season against visiting Rancho (0-2).

No. 5 Cimarron-Memorial (1-1), which surrendered 28 points in a loss to University (California) last week, will look to get back on track when it hosts Bonanza (1-1).

Also, Basic (1-1) will play at Silverado (0-2), Western (1-1) will host Palo Verde (1-1) and Mojave (2-0) will try to stay undefeated against visiting Delta, B.C., Canada.