Seniors gear up for finale

Spencer Patterson

Friday, May 25, 2001 | 10:44 a.m.

Every year, the Lions Club senior all-star football game marks a changing of the guard. In tonight's 30th annual installment, that will apply not only to the players, but also to the coaches on both sidelines.

For the Sunrise Region's Ken Trujillo, who resigned last winter after 23 years as an assistant and head coach at Eldorado, it will be a final chance to coach a high school game, at least for the forseeable future.

"It's an opportunity to work one more time with my coaching staff, and I love being around the kids," said Trujillo, now an administrator at Eldorado. "It's going to be a memorable evening, regardless of who wins."

And for the Sunset Region's Roger Whalen, tonight will present one more opportunity to coach Bishop Gorman players Dyante Perkins and Jason Rogers. Whalen left the Catholic school after three seasons to become head coach at Rancho last winter.

"I had a great relationship with those kids, and it's good to be around them again," Whalen said. "There's familiarity there that's real comfortable."

Trujillo and Whalen earned the right to coach in tonight's game by taking their teams to regional championships and appearances in the 4A state playoffs last fall.

Of course, when the game kicks off at 7 p.m. at Palo Verde High School, the primary focus will be on the seniors who will put on their pads for the last time as high school players.

"It's my last game and it's my coach's last game," said Eldorado running back Steven Jackson, the Sun's 2000 State Offensive Player of the Year. "We'll come out and play hard and represent our side of town."

Jackson, who will play for Oregon State this fall, will be joined in the Sunrise backfield by Valley running back James Sims (Washington) and Chaparral quarterback Dallas Dobbs (Southern Utah). Rancho lineman Leon Moore (UNLV) and Las Vegas lineman Jacob Hales will anchor the squad's defensive unit.

"During the regular season, we didn't get to play teams from the other side," Sims said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what the Sunrise (Region) can do."

The Sunset squad will feature UNLV signees Perkins and Rogers at quarterback and tailback, respectively, but will be without the services of Cimarron-Memorial fullback Alex Gonzales, who pulled a hamstring in practice.

Defensively, Whalen's team will look to the likes of Western lineman Tim Day (Oregon), Cheyenne linebacker Kevin Thomas and Cimarron linebackers Chase Spencer and Anthony Bass.