Some surprises join the ranks of unbeaten teams

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Sept. 11, 2000 | 9:11 a.m.

Prep football

Week 2 results

Cimarron-Memorial 47, Basic 7

Chaparral 17, Cheyenne 14 (OT)

Foothill 13, Centennial 6

Green Valley 13, Mojave 12

Silverado 24, Palo Verde 23 (OT)

Desert Pines 42, Bonanza 12

Las Vegas 33, Clark 6

Rancho 45, Durango 44 (2OT)

Valley 18, Western 15 (OT)

Palo Verde (Calif.) 6, Boulder City 0

Eldorado 34, Gorman 20

The Meadows 47, La Jolla C.D. 0

Indian Spr. 54, Faith Lutheran 20

Just two weeks into the prep football season, only four of Southern Nevada's 20 4A schools remain unbeaten, and the perfect quartet is a rather unlikely bunch to say the least.

To no one's surprise, No. 1-ranked Cimarron-Memorial is in that group. The Spartans improved to 2-0 with a resounding 47-7 win at Basic -- the second straight week the two-time defending state champs have held their opponent to seven points.

After that, things get a bit more interesting.

Chaparral, a team that won just three games in 1999, picked up its second win of the young 2000 season Friday night, holding off visiting Cheyenne 17-14 in overtime.

"Beating a program like Cheyenne, which beat a good Eldorado team the week before, will build our kids' confidence a great deal," Cowboys coach Ben Johnson said. "Even if these aren't league games, building confidence is critical. When kids win, they have a tendency to work harder during the week."

Also staying unbeaten were two of Southern Nevada's three second-year schools -- Foothill and Desert Pines. Just one year after struggling through their inaugural seasons as independent entries, both are serving notice to their local peers.

"Who would have thunk it?" Foothill coach Ray Fenton said. "Four undefeated schools and Desert Pines and Foothill are two of them. That's got to be a shock to everybody."

Coming off an impressive week one win over Clark, the Falcons toppled fellow '99 newcomer Centennial 13-6 for their second straight road victory.

"The momentum from our first win carried over, and it seemed like our kids were more confident and more workmanlike in practice last week," Fenton said.

The Jaguars, perhaps the best story thus far after going 0-7 last season, pounded Bonanza 42-12, scoring touchdowns on their first five possessions.

Foothill and Desert Pines head into week three knowing one will improve to 3-0, with the two slated to match up Friday night at Desert Pines.

Desert Pines' win also highlighted a perfect night for the Northeast Division, which posted a 5-0 record in week two. Those five victories came at the expense of the Southwest Division, with Las Vegas beating Clark 33-6, Eldorado downing Bishop Gorman 34-20, Valley overcoming Western 18-15 and Rancho slipping past Durango 45-44.

Overtime also was a major theme in week two, as four teams -- Chaparral, Valley, Silverado, and Rancho -- needed extra time to finish off their victories. The Rams' win over the Trailblazers took two overtimes, with D.J. Porter's extra point providing the decisive margin.

Like Western, Durango and Cheyenne, Palo Verde saw its 2-0 dreams go by the wayside in overtime, falling 24-23 at Silverado. The Panthers were done in by a botched snap on their point-after attempt, helping the Skyhawks notch their first win of the season.

Five games were decided by three points or loss, including Green Valley's 13-12 win over visiting Mojave.

In small school action, three-time 2A state champion The Meadows improved to 3-0 with an easy 47-0 win over California's La Jolla Country Day. Faith Lutheran suffered its first loss in three weeks, falling to Indian Springs 54-20. And Boulder City opened with a 6-0 defeat at the hands of California's Palo Verde High.