Thursday, Sept. 9, 1999 | 11:30 a.m.
The 1999 season may prove to be a rebuilding year for the Green Valley High football team, but that doesn't mean the Gators' days as the area's dominant fall sports program have come to an end.
Far from it. The Henderson school still boasts one of Southern Nevada's top girls volleyball squads, along with a boys soccer team that should be a factor come playoff time.
But above all, it's in the season's individual-oriented sports -- girls golf, tennis and cross country -- where the Gators should make the biggest impact this fall.
Green Valley's girls golf program has been without compare in recent years, downing a state-record 97 consecutive dual-match opponents through Wednesday's action and capturing the past three Nevada state titles.
The Gators' boys tennis team has also earned the "dynasty" label, taking a four-year state title streak into the 1999 season. The school's girls program has also been among the area's best, finishing second in the state in 1997 and '98 after winning the Class 4A state trophy in 1996.
And in cross country, all talk on the girls side starts and ends with three-time defending state champion Abby Miller -- one of the nation's most feared distance runners and a senior at Green Valley High.
* GIRLS GOLF: The Gators are the story here, with the team carrying a dual-match winning streak that dates to the 1992 season. The national record of 120 straight victories, held by Phoenix's Xavier Preparatory (1985-95), is in sight and could be achieved in 2000, but new head coach Ron Moracco isn't taking anything for granted.
"The streak is an important goal, but our main goal is to win a state title," said Moracco, a former Green Valley assistant who takes over for longtime coach Del Sagers this season. "To be honest, this could be our last hurrah. We lose four seniors this year, and we've never done that before."
Three of those seniors -- Emily De'Ath, Mary Fernandez and Kimberly Kindig -- finished among the top six in the state individually last year, with De'Ath and Kindig placing first and second, respectively.
The Gators also return another of the state's best in sophomore Christine Fernandez, who tied her sister, Mary, for sixth place overall.
Despite losing third-place state finisher Ashlei Pendleton to graduation, Green Valley should have more than enough firepower to maintain the streak this season, with junior Taylor Cohen and senior Monica Dionne expected to fill out the lineup in 1999.
"Some coaches want to play five kids and count four. We want to play seven and count six," Moracco said. "Our No. 5 and 6 players can shoot in the 40s."
Bonanza seniors Autumn Monteiro and Jordan Auten, Bishop Gorman sophomore Danielle Reilly and senior Christine Hentzner and Durango sophomore Erin Andrews are among a talented pack of returning locals who could figure into the race for individual honors this season.
* TENNIS: While the Gators are aiming for their fifth consecutive state crown on the boys side, Bishop Gorman's girls are looking to add to their '90s legacy with a seventh state crown in eight years and third in a row.
The Gaels return six key players from last year's championship squad: seniors Jennifer Kuhle, Kerry Bennett and Vivian Shin and juniors Danielle Johnson, Allison Kremer and Katie Tyndall.
Gone from last season's team are the graduated Amy Fiedlander, along with sophomore Lauren Martines, who will sit out the 1999 season after transferring to Silverado.
Those losses should be more than compensated for by the arrival of three of the state's most talented freshmen -- the nationally-ranked Thompson Twins -- Christian and Catrina -- along with year-round competitor Allison Davis.
"We have a lot of kids back, and three new freshmen on the team who are quite strong," Gorman coach Cindy Bennett said. "So definitely, the state title is a big goal going in."
Also figuring into the girls mix locally could be state runner-up Green Valley, along with Silverado and Bonanza.
The Skyhawks also feature one of the state's top individual players in sophomore Jamie Marshall, who placed fourth in Nevada last season.
Like the Gorman girls, Green Valley's boys have much of last year's roster back in the fold, including junior Chasen Cohen and senior Ben Regin -- two of the state's top singles players, along with senior Mike Schuldt and Joel Kielbowicz -- the Gators' top doubles tandem.
"This is a senior team, and those kids play tournament tennis all year," said first-year coach Luther Bohanan, who comes over from Durango to take over for longtime Gators coach Jeff Horn. "They all know how to win. I'm just trying to keep them focused."
Bishop Gorman, led by senior Sean Marhulis, should also be among the area's top boys squads, along with traditionally tough Meadows and Bonanza teams.
* CROSS COUNTRY: On the girls side, Miller will be vying for her fourth straight individual title -- a feat that would move her out of a tie with Reno graduate Inga Thompson (1979-81) and into sole possession of the Nevada record.
A nationally-ranked distance runner, Miller placed 10th at last winter's prestigious Foot Locker Cross Country Championships -- giving her local competitors yet another sign that the 1999 title is hers for the taking.
According to Green Valley coach Jeff Doyle, however, Miller's primary goal for her senior year is to help the school to its first team cross country trophy.
"She's the epitome of a team player," Doyle said. "Her role as a leader is very important to the team, since we have five freshmen in our top eight and they need that leadership role because of her experience."
Indeed, the Gators will be counting on ninth-graders Emily Eskin, Jackie Favreau, Camille Stevens and Megan Saipale this season, along with returnees Shaunna Hay, a junior, Katie Hughes, a sophomore, and Candice Rausch, a senior currently sidelined with an ankle injury.
Sophomore Chaz Lahodny, who figured to be Miller's top local competition this year, will sit out the 1999 season after transferring from Clark to Faith Lutheran. Two of the area's other top runners -- the Meadows' Angela Peterson and Shannon Wolf -- won't get the chance to test Miller since they compete in Class 2A.
Teams looking to push Green Valley locally include Basic, Durango and Silverado, which were ranked Nos. 2-4 in the year's first Cross Country Coaches Poll.
Boys competition figures to be more wide-open, with Bonanza the poll's top team as the season begins. Bengals' defending individual state champion Cory Jeffers, a senior, looks to have a good chance at two in a row, with his primary competition from 1998 -- Silverado's Dustin Hudspeth -- graduated.
"From what I've seen, most of the boys teams are down this year," Bonanza coach Phil Lawton said. "I can't see many runners pushing Jeffers this season."
In addition to Jeffers leading the charge, Lawton's club appears to have a deep lineup of capable runners, as evidenced by last week's Lake Mead Invitational in Boulder City, when the Bengals placed eight runners among the top 20 in the field of 160.
Bonanza will get a strong test at this weekend's Kingman (Ariz.) Invitational, which will feature some of the Southwest's top teams, including nationally-ranked Page (Ariz.).
Also expected to compete for team zone honors are Basic, Durango and Green Valley, with Basic's Coby Campbell and Boulder City's Jack Hardy two of the area's most skilled individual runners.
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