C-M begins quest for another title

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Aug. 18, 2000 | 10:39 a.m.

Can anyone knock off Cimarron-Memorial?

That was the prevailing question as Southern Nevada's 2000 high school football season officially kicked off with the first day of practice on Thursday.

Coming off back-to-back 4A state championship seasons and three straight trips to the state title game, the Spartans will open the year as the most prohibitive favorite Nevada has seen in quite some time.

Cimarron returns nine key starters from last year's club, including top rushers Kellen Marshall and Andre Rhodes, defensive back Kyler Rushton and linebacker/tight end Anthony Bass -- all among the state's top players at their positions.

And though Cimarron coach Greg Spencer is notorious for downplaying his club's chances in the preseason, coaches across town were singing the defending champs' praises on Thursday.

"They have to be the odds-on favorite," Western coach Rich Stevens said. "They've got guys coming back, they're a well-coached, disciplined team and you know they'll be prepared when you play them."

Stevens has a unique perspective on the Spartans' dominance in 1999, having handed them their only regular season loss before falling to them, 35-6, in the Southern Zone semifinals.

"The first time we played them we weren't intimidated and we weren't scared," Stevens said. "Basically, we played a mistake-free game. In the playoffs, it seemed like we didn't show up, like we were intimidated."

Las Vegas High's Kris Cinkovich is another coach quite familiar with the Cimarron machine. His Wildcats, the popular choice to win it all last season, rolled to a perfect 11-0 record before losing to the Spartans, 40-14, in the Southern Zone finale.

"With what they have back they should be the pick, and everybody's going to have to step up to their level," Cinkovich said. "We were young up front last year, and they exposed that."

This season will see the implementation of the state's new football playoff format, in which the Sunrise and Sunset Regions will hold separate, eight-team tournaments with four squads qualifying from each of Southern Nevada's four divisions.

The Sunset and Sunrise champs, along with two representatives from Northern Nevada, will earn berths in the 4A State Tournament, with the championship game returning to Southern Nevada provided at least one of the finalists is from the state's southern half.

Although the new format will not crown a "city" champion in the traditional Las Vegas style, fans hoping for a Cimarron vs. Las Vegas rematch won't have to wait long. The Spartans and Wildcats will meet clash in a week three matchup at Cimarron.

"No matter how far you go, only one team in the state finishes the season with a win," Cinkovich said. "And when you finish with a loss, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. We hope everybody picks us as underdogs, and it seems like they are. We think we're going to be pretty good."

Added Wildcat linebacker Jacob Hales: "We lost a game to (Cimarron) in front of 7,000 people, and it was a big game, but that's not the focus of our season right now. We just want to come out and play as a team, and hopefully we'll be playing in December."

Like Cinkovich, Stevens relishes the underdog role, particularly after a 1999 season in which his club was an early favorite before dropping three of its first five contests to Durango, Palo Verde and Clark.

"In 1996, when we won it all, we weren't even ranked, and I love that" Steven said. "It's better to be a snake in the grass."

The regular season gets under way with a full slate of games on Sept. 1, with most teams starting league play on Sept. 28 -- one of two Thursday's on this year's schedule.

The postseason will begin Nov. 4, with the 4A state title game slated for Dec. 2.