Cowboys erasing doubts

Victoria Sun

Thursday, Nov. 1, 2001 | 10:48 a.m.

Were the words spoken by most any another athlete, they could easily be filed under C, for cliche.

"We've had to take every game this whole season like it was a big game because of what happened last year," Chaparral defensive tackle Derek Niggemeier said.

But when spoken by a Chaparral football player, they couldn't be closer to the truth.

The Cowboys rattled off four consecutive victories to open the season last year, then lost four of their last five to miss the 4A Sunrise Region playoffs.

Living the mantra spelled out by Niggemeier, Chaparral finished the regular season this year 8-1 and will play at Desert Pines (7-2) in the first round of the playoffs Friday night at 7.

"We know that if we lose this game the whole season is over so I'm pretty sure all the seniors on this team are going to step it up just a little bit more because they don't want to stop playing football," said Grady Thomas, Chaparral's leading wide receiver.

The Jaguars are ranked No. 6 in this week's poll with the Cowboys right behind at No. 7.

Despite its impressive record, Chaparral ended up as the third seed because it finished in a three-way tie for first place in the Southeast Division.

"They've got a lot of motivation to succeed in the playoffs," Desert Pines coach Gary Findley said. "They're rated lower in the polls than we are and they shouldn't be.

"I think they're every bit as good as Durango and Las Vegas, the only two teams we've lost to."

The Jaguars lost in the second round of the playoffs last year to Eldorado.

Niggemeier said the Cowboys will have something to prove in the playoffs because they've been overlooked all season.

"Everyone just had doubts about us because we lost our quarterback (Dallas Dobbs) and everything," Niggemeier said. "They were just seeing what we lost.

"They didn't really see too much that we brought back from last year. We did grow; I think it brought us closer together this year."

Both coaches said their teams are healthy and Desert Pines will be boosted by the return of wide receiver Stevie Dyson, who was out three weeks with a broken foot.

For Chaparral, stopping Desert Pines' running back Cornell Johnson and slowing quarterback Darrell Byrd will be top priorities.

Johnson is the team's leading rusher with 1,064 yards on 191 carries and 15 touchdowns. Byrd has completed 115 of 190 passes for 1,359 yards and 12 touchdowns.

"They're a very athletic team," Chaparral coach Ben Johnson said. "I think they're similar to us athletically.

"If we let their quarterback get into a rhythm throwing the ball, we're going to be in trouble. We've got to put a lot of pressure on them. I'd say they're probably the most balanced team we've seen all year as far as the run-pass and they do both successfully."

Thomas has 32 catches for 522 yards and 15 touchdowns (10) receiving. The Cowboys' top rusher is Markesse Owens, who has racked up 1,023 yards.

Senior quarterback Justin Arnold anchors the Cowboys offense. He has thrown for 1,058 yards, 15 touchdowns and has a 61 percent completed pass ratio.

"We've never played them before," Findley said. "They're a scary team to look at.

"They've got a big offensive line. They know we got one back that's going to carry and four receivers, five receivers with over 20 catches.

"It's a cliche, but this game is going to come down to turnovers."