Western presents next tough test for Eldorado

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Sept. 22, 2000 | 10:16 a.m.

Tonight's games

All games 7 p.m. unless noted

Green Valley at Bonanza

Chaparral at Mojave

Western at Eldorado

Durango at Desert Pines

Clark at Valley

Silverado at Centennial

Palo Verde at Rancho

Cheyenne at Las Vegas

Rancho Bernardo (Calif.) at Cimarron-Memorial

Rockhurst (Mo.) at Basic

Boulder City at Moapa Valley

Faith Lutheran at Tonopah

Cimarron J.V. at Meadows 6 p.m.

When Ken Trujillo got his first look at his team's 2000 football schedule, the Sundevils' coach nearly fell out of his chair.

Trujillo's club was to open its season with consecutive games against perennial Sunset powers Cheyenne, Bishop Gorman, Durango and Western.

Then, after its league opener against defending Sunrise champion Las Vegas High, Eldorado would play its final nonleague contest against a tough Chaparral squad before getting back to league play.

"When I looked at the schedule, I figured we'd have our hands full," Trujillo said. "Our early schedule is just brutal, but we knew if we could go into our conference season healthy, it would make us a better team."

Three weeks in, the Sundevils (2-1) already look like a much better team for the experience. After dropping its opener to Cheyenne, Eldorado has bounced back with impressive wins over Bishop Gorman, 34-20, and Durango, 35-0.

Tonight, the No. 6 Sundevils will host their fourth and final opponent from the westside. No. 7 Western is the same team that knocked Eldorado out of the Southern Zone playoffs last year with a 16-15 win.

"Western High School is so tough," Trujillo said. "That offense alone makes coaches go nuts trying to prepare. They have so much speed back there.

"But I've always believed it's best to be battle tested. If we play the big boys from the other side in our nonconference schedule, it's going to make us better and prepare us for the playoffs."

For the Warriors (2-1) the goal tonight will be largely just staying healthy. Already without ineligible running back Rossi Poole for the entire season, Western has lost several key players to injury, including two-way senior starter Chris Lightford (knee) and two-way junior lineman Adrian Vera (knee). Both will miss the remainder of the year.

"We're dropping like flies," Warriors coach Rich Stevens said. "It's to the point now where we're very limited in what we can do in practice, so we don't get anybody else broke."

After allowing a whopping 49 points in a one-point win over Silverado in week one, Western's defense has stiffened the past two weeks, holding Valley and Clark to identical 18-point efforts.

Stevens knows it will be difficult to match that defensive total again tonight, with Sundevils running back Steven Jackson bringing an area-best 560 rushing yards and nine touchdowns into the game.

"I think we're going to see the best running back in the state," Stevens said. "He's hard to bring down one on one, so about all you can do is try to corral him and get your buddies to help."

Eldorado will also have a tough running back to contend with in Western's Rodney Martin. A blazer who finished second in the state in both the 100 and 200 meters last spring, the 5-8, 155-pounder has nearly 450 yards already this season.

"That Martin kid is faster than anyone we've got," Trujillo said. "They're real scary to scheme because they're capable of scoring from anywhere on the field."