Foothill tabbed as favorite as official practice begins

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Aug. 17, 2001 | 10:44 a.m.

Just two years after winning only one game in their inaugural season, the Foothill Falcons have good reason to believe they might be able to win it all in 2001.

"We're supposed to be state contenders this year," senior guard Paul Viray said Thursday, the first official day of high school football practice in Southern Nevada. "We don't want to get big-headed, but our seniors are going to lead this team. We've seen us at our worst, and we've seen us at our best."

The Falcons' worst came in year one, when the team went 1-8 as an independent entry, defeating only fellow first-year school Desert Pines.

Foothill's best came last season, when the team surprised most in town by going 5-3 in the regular season, finishing second in the Southeast Division and earning a playoff berth.

Now, with highly-rated running back John Ford on board after transferring in from California, many feel the Henderson school's best may still be ahead.

"Last year we were competitive in every game we played and we gained a lot of respect," Falcons coach Ray Fenton said. "We want to continue to build on that. The third year is kind of gravy. We don't have to establish expectations, because the kids already have them."

Though Ford missed Thursday's practice for personal reasons, the 6-2, 220-pounder is expected back today. He'll team up with junior receiver Nate Wederquist -- a first-team all-Southern Nevada selection in 2000 -- offensive tackle Paul Lethbridge and inside linebacker Mike Jones to form an experienced nucleus of potential future Division I athletes.

One player who won't be back, however, is senior Alex DeVaughn. Expected to be the school's starting quarterback again this fall, DeVaughn struggled to maintain his academic eligibility before moving out of town during the summer.

Junior Josh Daneshforooz was next in line to take over behind center. But after learning he had been re-zoned to attend new Coronado High, Daneshforooz has filed a series of appeals, and is sidelined while he waits to learn his fate.

That leaves sophomore Mickey Beljin, the starter for last year's freshman squad, as the Falcons' lone quarterback.

"We have to make do with what we have," Jones said. "But it would help to know who we're going to have out there."

Like Foothill, second-year Desert Pines took the field Thursday with high hopes of following up a successful 2000 campaign with a title run in 2001. After going 0-7 in 1999, the Jaguars went 8-2 a year ago, winning a game in the playoffs before bowing out.

With junior running back Cornell Johnson and senior quarterback Darrell Byrd back in the fold, Desert Pines is expected to be among the state's best again this fall.

Centennial, the third high school school to open its doors in the fall of 1999, also comes into the 2001 campaign with heightened expectations after earning a playoff spot last year.

So while new Coronado coach Ron Smeltzer knows his squad could be in for a rough first season, the former Canadian Football League head coach and former Cimarron-Memorial assistant also realizes he may not have to wait long for his team's turn in the spotlight.

"We haven't been able to do a lot because all our players are coming from different directions, plus we don't have a field yet, or a weight room," said Smeltzer, one of nine first-year head coaches to take the field Thursday. "We'll take our lumps, but I realized that going in so I can't get too upset."

Practice continues today and Saturday, with Monday the first day teams may begin contact drills in pads. The varsity season kicks off with games on Friday, Aug. 31.