Playing for a home date

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Nov. 15, 2001 | 11:29 a.m.

At first glance, this week's Sunrise Region championship game may look like the 2001 prep football season's ultimate anticlimax.

After all, both Las Vegas and Foothill already know they will play in the upcoming 4A State Tournament, regardless of what happens Friday night at Foothill High School.

But the Sunrise title game actually carries critical significance, with both clubs' state championship hopes potentially hanging in the balance.

To the winner goes the Sunrise championship and with it, all-important home-field advantage in next week's state semifinals. The loser, meanwhile, gets an eight-plus hour bus ride, to play the winner of Friday's McQueen-Elko Northern Region championship.

Elko takes an 11-0 record into this week's game and has outscored opponents 366-112. McQueen is 10-1 and has outscored foes 356-52, with its only loss coming at Elko earlier in the season.

"To us, home-field advantage is a big thing," Foothill cornerback Nick Constantin said. "We don't want to travel up there, spend 10 hours on a bus. We want to play here next week."

Offered Las Vegas coach Kris Cinkovich: "It would be to your advantage to play at home rather than go up there and play one of those teams. That in itself is worth playing for -- getting our home jerseys out for another week."

Cinkovich said he hasn't stressed that in practice this week, however, opting instead to keep his team focused on a mission he has stressed all year.

"Our goal is to play better each week than we did the week before," said Cinkovich, whose club comes in with a 10-1 record and a 10-game winning streak. "The bottom line is at this time of year, you want to be playing your best football."

For third-year Foothill (8-3), Friday night also presents an opportunity to claim something few could have expected from the 2001 senior class when they opened the school in the fall of 1999: a Sunrise title.

"We're playing for a banner," Falcons tackle Paul Lethbridge said. "It would mean so much, especially to the seniors. It's a good indication of where our team has come in the past three years."

Three weeks ago, the Wildcats and Falcons hooked up in a nonleague, regular-season contest at Las Vegas High. The Wildcats came out on top, 31-14, but saw little of Foothill tailback John Ford, who played sparingly while nursing a lower back injury.

"He was hurt the last time we saw him and he's healthy now," Cinkovich said. "He's a great running back, and we're ready to step up and try to accept the challenge."

Last week, Ford carried the Falcons past Desert Pines in a wild 42-35 victory, racking up 342 yards and all six of his team's touchdowns on 40 rushing attempts. After being held to negative yardage in his brief appearance against the Wildcats last time around, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder is looking forward to the rematch.

"It's really a big deal for us. We went revenge on Vegas after what they did to us last time," said Ford, who has 1,663 yards and 27 touchdowns to his credit this season. "It's a must that we prove to them that I can get some yards, and that we can play better than we did."

As Foothill coach Ray Fenton points out, however, his offense has its work cut out for it against a Las Vegas first-string defense that has yet to allow a point in the playoffs.

"We have our hands full as far as moving the ball against them," Fenton said. "They've outscored their first two playoff opponents 75-0 in the first half, and that's scary. They're explosive on offense and they have a stingy, aggressive defense."

After surrendering 237 yards and four touchdowns to Desert Pines running back Cornell Johnson last week, the Falcons will find themselves up against the state's leading rusher. Wildcat Antione White comes in with 2,137 yards and 39 rushing touchdowns on 274 carries, and the elusive 6-0, 180-pounder presents a different type of challenge for the Foothill defense.

"Last week, Cornell was trying to run through you," Constantin said. "Antione tries to put moves on you, and when he gets into the open field, he's gone."

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