Columnist Spencer Patterson: Locals struggle against out-of-state foes

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Sept. 14, 2000 | 10:03 a.m.

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

There's no question that high school football has come a long way in Southern Nevada during the past decade.

Signs of that improvement are everywhere, from the 12 area players who earned Division I scholarships last season to Cimarron-Memorial's No. 10 ranking in this week's USA Today western regional poll.

But until local teams prove they can go head to head with top out-of-state opponents and keep things competitive, doubts will linger about the quality of Las Vegas-area football.

Over the past several years, solid area teams have routinely taken a beating at the hands of out-of-towners, from Green Valley's 55-6 drubbing by St. Louis (Hawaii) in 1998 to Eldorado's 48-23 loss to St. John Bosco (Calif.) in '99 to Las Vegas High's 49-7 opening defeat to La Costa Canyon (Calif.) two weeks ago.

Even mighty Cimarron, Nevada's two-time defending 4A state champs, suffered a 28-6 loss to University (Calif.) in 1998 -- the same season that saw the Spartans capture their first state title.

The weeks to come will provide Southern Nevada with more chances to erase some of those stinging memories, with no fewer than five out-of-town opponents on the remaining September schedule.

Chief among those is a contest that could go a long way toward earning area football some of the respect local coaches desire: a Sept. 22 game between Cimarron and California's Rancho Bernardo.

Though the San Diego-area school is a fixture near the top of its division, the Spartans will host the game. Factor in the wide eyes Rancho Bernardo's players should have after taking in the Strip, and Cimarron has a couple of advantages it can't squander.

The Spartans are the best team Nevada has seen in several years -- an experienced, playoff-toughened group that features several Division I prospects. A Cimarron win on Sept. 22 could speak volumes for the improvement of local prep football.

Another blowout loss, and it could be quite a while before we see another national publication with a team from Nevada in its rankings.

For the second week in a row, Valley's James Sims exploded for an 80-plus-yard first-quarter touchdown last Friday night, rushing for an 85-yard score in his team's 18-15 overtime win over Western. In week one, he scored from 80 yards out in a 27-7 Viking loss to Palo Verde. ...

Reno High boys basketball coach David Padgett has resigned to take an assistant coaching position at UC-Santa Barbara. His son, David, a sophomore and one of Nevada's top college prospects, is expected to remain at Reno until the end of the school year. ...

KRLV 1340-AM will broadcast Friday's Foothill at Desert Pines football game live at 7 p.m. Cox Cable Channel 48 will air Friday's Las Vegas at Cimarron football game next Wednesday at 7 p.m.