Columnist Spencer Patterson: Wanted: A state title game worthy of our attention

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Dec. 14, 2000 | 10:46 a.m.

Spencer Patterson's prep sports column appears Thursday. Reach him at 259-4085 or spencer@lasvegassun.com.

Dear Santa, all I want for the holidays is a meaningful state championship game in a major prep sport.

It's been nearly a year since Bishop Gorman and Durango battled into overtime for the 4A boys basketball title and Galena upset heavily-favored Reno High for the girls hoops crown.

Since then, we've seen a double-forfeit in baseball, a forgone Galena conclusion in softball and the ultimate anticlimax in football -- McQueen's 35-0 whipping of a Wooster squad that had already lost to the Lancers twice previously.

The entire 2000 football campaign was spent in anticipation of a matchup between McQueen and Cimarron-Memorial, two powerhouses who ran the table during the regular season after playing a classic for last year's title.

The Lancers had defeated the Spartans for the 1997 title, and Cimarron returned the favor last year, at McQueen's home field no less. That set up the 2000 championship as a potential rubber match between the state's two dominant football schools.

But something funny happened on the way to the rematch. The Spartans fumbled away their Sunset semifinal game against Gorman, paving the way for an easy Lancers sweep through the state tournament.

Now, as basketball takes center stage again, odds appear good that Bishop Gorman's boys will take over where the McQueen football left off. The Gaels are big, deep and well-coached, and haven't come anywhere close to losing thus far.

During next week's Holiday Prep Classic, we'll get the chance to see exactly how good Gorman is. Through the Gaels are unlikely to challenge the likes of Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and Mater Dei (Calif.) -- two top-five nationally-ranked squads -- for the event championship, a strong showing in the tournament would all but erase any hopes of an epic battle for Nevada's state title in yet another sport.

Local schools Eldorado, Las Vegas, Valley, Rancho, Green Valley, Foothill, Basic, Cheyenne, Palo Verde, Mojave, Bonanza, Durango, Clark, Western and the host Skyhawks will join out-of-towners like California's Torrance High and St. John Bosco.

Competition begins Friday and Saturday at 9 a.m., with the finals slated to start Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for students.

Highland (Ariz.) captured first place at last weekend's Green Valley Duals, posting a perfect 5-0 record in the two-day wrestling event. Temecula Valley (Calif.) and Millard A (Utah) finished second and third, respectively with 4-1 marks, while defending 4A state champion Cimarron placed fifth with a 4-2 record.