Bonanza vs. Mojave means plenty to playoff hopefuls

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Oct. 22, 1999 | 10:23 a.m.

At first glance, tonight's Bonanza at Mojave prep football game would appear to have no outcome on the upcoming zone playoff picture.

As it turns out, however, that seemingly meaningless contest could decide which Sunset Division teams make the postseason party and which stay home -- a potentially bizarre ending to what has been a very unpredictable 1999 campaign.

Heading into tonight's action, three playoff berths remained up for grabs -- two in the Sunset and one in the Sunrise. Las Vegas High, Eldorado, Silverado, Cimarron-Memorial and Durango are in, and the sites for next week's first-round games have been determined.

But to figure out the possibilities for those final three spots, coaches and fans may need the aid of a Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association manual, a calculator and some serious patience.

In the Sunrise, things aren't too complicated. Should Valley upset No. 1 Las Vegas, the Vikings would get in and earn the right to play another unbeaten team -- No. 3 Cimarron -- in the playoffs next week.

A Valley loss would open the door for Rancho, which could then clinch the Sunrise's fourth seed with a win over Chaparral.

The Sunset, on the other hand, offers a plethora of potential scenarios, with Bishop Gorman, Western and Clark looking to grab the remaining two spots.

Western and Gorman are in the driver's seat, and both get in with wins. But for that to happen, the Warriors would have to topple unbeaten Cimarron tonight and the Gaels would need an upset of No. 7 Durango Saturday night in the regular season's final Class 4A contest.

Clark gets in if it defeats Cheyenne tonight, Western loses and Gorman wins, because it beat Western head-to-head. A Western win combined with a Gorman loss eliminates the Chargers even if they beat Cheyenne, because Gorman beat Clark this year.

On paper, the most likely scenario would have the Sunset's three playoff hopefuls finishing in a three-way tie with 4-4 league records. And that's where Bonanza and Mojave come in.

Because the state's first two tiebreakers -- head-to-head records and margin of victory in games between deadlocked teams -- come out dead even, a third tiebreaker would come into play. The three teams' records against conference opponents, starting at the top of the division and working down, would be compared until one was eliminated.

With none of the three beating Cimarron or Durango this season, their success against the division's seventh-place team would be the deciding factor. And that's exactly what Bonanza and Mojave are playing for tonight.

Because Western beat both the Bengals and Rattlers, a three-way tie would send the Warriors to the playoffs. A Bonanza win eliminates Gorman, which lost to the Bengals head-to-head, and a Mojave win knocks out Clark, which fell to the Rattlers earlier this season.