Columnist Spencer Patterson: Parity reigns among area soccer teams

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Sept. 21, 2000 | 9:30 a.m.

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

After three weeks of preliminaries, area boys soccer teams kick off their conference season today. And from the looks of it, local fans of the sport could be in for one of the most competitive seasons ever.

Unlike last year when Bishop Gorman and Green Valley dominated play on their respective sides of town from start to finish -- with both reaching the four-team state tournament -- the 2000 campaign appears wide open.

The Gators, defending 4A state champs, will certainly be a force again, as evidenced by their 5-1-0 record thus far. But they should get all they can handle from rival Silverado (4-0-1), with Chaparral (3-1-2) also capable of making a run at the Southeast Division title.

The Northeast could be even more interesting, with Eldorado, Rancho and Valley improved from a year ago and poised to challenge defending division champ Las Vegas High.

Over on the Sunset side, the Gaels' hold on the Southwest Division crown may be slipping, though Gorman has won four straight after opening the year 0-1-2. Perennial westside powers Durango and Bonanza look strong as always, and Clark has proven itself capable of staying with the best in town.

Of all the early season developments, perhaps none is as surprising as Centennial's unbeaten 6-0-2 start in the Northwest. Though the Bulldogs were expected to be tough this fall, few could have predicted their wins over Durango and Bonanza. Palo Verde, Cimarron and the rest of the division's hopefuls have their work cut out for them.

Three California schools -- No. 3 Mater Dei, No. 5 Centennial and No. 7 St. Mary's -- along with No. 16 Berkeley Prep (Fla.) will headline the event, which will feature teams from eight states.

Representing Southern Nevada will be Green Valley and the host Trailblazers, with defending 4A state champion Churchill County slated to make the trip down from the state's northern half.

Pool play begins Friday at 2:30 p.m. with Saturday's action starting at 8:30 a.m. and the championship scheduled for 7 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students and seniors per day.

Foothill's football team will have a bye this Friday, the result of a recent cancellation by Canadian foe Holy Cross. "We both made a commitment back in January, so we were disappointed, to say the least," Falcons coach Ray Fenton said. The Canadian school opted to travel for a game in Washington instead...

Cox Cable Channel 48 will broadcast Friday's Western at Eldorado football game next Wednesday at 7 p.m.