Columnist Spencer Patterson: Teams must wrestle title from Cimarron

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2000 | 10:32 a.m.

Spencer Patterson covers high school sports for the Sun. His prep column appears Thursday. Reach him at 259-4085 or spencer@vegas.com

Can anybody beat Cimarron-Memorial?

That's the question on the mind of 17 area coaches as the two-day 4A Southern Zone Wrestling Championships gets under way Friday at Centennial High.

For the past three seasons, the Spartans have owned the postseason, winning three consecutive zone titles, finishing second in the state twice and winning last year's 4A state championship.

This year, Cimarron appears ready to keep its string of playoff successes intact, with the Spartans qualifying wrestlers in 13 of 14 weight classes for this weekend's zone meet.

"Hopefully, they'll peak at the right time," Cimarron coach Tim Jeffries said. "That's what you're gearing up for -- so they can place as high as each individual can accomplish."

For the Spartans, the mission will be two-fold this weekend: win zone for the fourth straight year and qualify as many wrestlers as possible for next weekend's 4A State Championship.

"Winning is important, but not as important as a state championship," Jeffries said. "We're going to need as many as possible (to qualify). We're shooting for 10, but you have to have at least seven or eight to have a good shot to win state."

On paper, the Spartans would appear to have an excellent chance of meeting Jeffries' expectations, with six of the squad's wrestlers seeded first in their fourth of the bracket: Michael Park (112 pounds), Curtis Johnson (119), Chris Harris (135), Rayes Gonzales (145), Joe Tussing (171) and Brandon Garcia (215).

The top four finishers in every weight class will advance to next weekend's state tournament, which will take place at Cimarron. This year's state brackets will feature eight wrestlers apiece, compared to 16 in previous seasons.

Still, Cimarron will not be without competition for this weekend's team title. Jeffries expects a major push from both Bonanza and Rancho. The Spartans slipped past the Bengals 34-31 in their only meeting this year and did not wrestle the Rams.

"Both of those teams have strong individuals, just like us," Jeffries said. "Obviously, you can't fall to pieces or get discouraged if you were to lose zone, but at the same time it's preparation for state."

Rancho coach Chuck Diller, whose Rams posted impressive victories over Bonanza and fellow Sunrise power Las Vegas this season, said this weekend's tournament will be a whole new challenge for his wrestlers.

"We've had a great year. We beat Bonanza and Vegas, but dual meets are so much different," Diller said. "That depends on how you match up that particular day. To me, this is about qualifying the most kids you can for state."

Diller's squad is expected to dominate the lower weights, with five Rams seeded No. 1 in their fourth of the bracket between 103 and 140 pounds: Brian Waite (103), Chase Diller (112), Jared Medina (119), Billy Rosado (125) and Josh Medina (140). After that, however, Rancho will be hard pressed to hold off the likes of Cimarron and Bonanza in the upper weight classes.

"In order for us to win zone and state, we need a lot of help from other teams," Diller said. "You want to win, but maybe you don't have enough manpower."

Bonanza will bring seven top seeds into the event, including Cody Chapman (103), Travis Best (152) and Adam Seward (275). Likewise, Las Vegas comes in with seven No. 1 seeds, including Greg Gifford (152) and Jeremy Woods (171).

As for individual weight classes, 119 pounds promises to be among the most competitive, with Green Valley's Brian Teel, Durango's Allan McIver, Rancho's Jared Medina and Cimarron's Johnson all legitimate threats to win the title.

* KICKING OFF: The girls soccer playoffs open on Saturday, with four first-round Sunrise Region contests at Las Vegas High and four first-round Sunset Region games at Durango.

Regional semifinals will be played next Monday and Tuesday, with the two championships slated for Thursday at 2 p.m. at the two host schools.

The finalists from each region will also advance to play in this year's inaugural Clark County Championship at Durango, with the first round slated for Feb. 19 and the finals on Feb. 22.

Playoff pairings will be finalized tonight when the regular season concludes.

* NO CONTEST: Last Friday night, Bishop Gorman's boys basketball team took the floor for a home contest. The Gaels were ready, as was their crowd and a three-man officiating crew.

There was just one problem: no opponent showed up. Though a game between Gorman and Centennial was listed on the district's master schedule, the Bulldogs insist they never scheduled a game against the Gaels.

* TIDBITS: After four weeks, Durango's boys and Chaparral's girls remain the area's most dominant bowling teams, with each taking a 39-1 overall record into the regular season's final week.

Individually, Cimarron's Eric Erickson and Green Valley's Brian Karr are tied with the top boys' game score (290), with Green Valley's Brandy Moreno boasting Southern Nevada's top girls score (256).

Regional bowling tournaments will begin next Monday...

Cox Cable Channel 48 will broadcast Friday's Palo Verde at Centennial boys basketball game next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m...

On the Internet, website nevadapreps.rivals.com will air Friday's Gorman at Western boys basketball game live at 7 p.m.