Defensive war, shootout help decide the final four

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Nov. 19, 2001 | 11:12 a.m.

From an offensive shootout to a defensive shutout to a wild, four-overtime affair, Nevada's three Class 4A regional championship games offered something for everyone Friday night.

In the Sunrise Region, Foothill and visiting Las Vegas lit up the scoreboard, as John Ford and Antione White waged a spectacular battle of running backs. The Wildcats scored 21 points in the final eight minutes to rally for a 41-34 victory.

Defense was the name of the game in the Sunset, as the stingy Durango Trailblazers blanked their second opponent of the playoffs, besting visiting Cheyenne 14-0.

And up north, McQueen and Elko played one for the ages, with the visiting Lancers ultimately prevailing 37-34 in four extra sessions for the Northern Region title, avenging their lone loss of the season.

In the end, it all adds up to the final four, the quartet still in the hunt for the 2001 4A state title.

This Saturday, McQueen (11-1) hosts Foothill (8-4) in one semifinal, with Las Vegas (11-1) entertaining Durango (11-1) in the other. Both games were originally scheduled for 1 p.m., but the time of the Las Vegas game is up in the air, with the school hosting a national Pop Warner tournament on Saturday.

The Wildcats bring an 11-game winning streak into state, but very nearly suffered their first loss since their regular season opener Friday night. Las Vegas fell behind 21-7 at halftime and trailed 34-20 with nine minutes to play before coming to life.

Greg Scroggins and White scored touchdowns within three minutes of one another, the second knotting the score with 5:20 to play. Then, after the Wildcats forced and recovered a Nate Wederquist fumble a minute later, White dove into the end zone with the game-winner with 3:06 left.

"We were disappointed that we didn't come out ready to play in the first half," Las Vegas coach Kris Cinkovich said. "That really should have been a loss; they looked a lot hungrier than we did. Hopefully it's a slap in the face and it will wake us up and get us going."

White finished with 337 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries. Ford, his Foothill counterpart, racked up 288 yards and five scores on 24 attempts and has scored the Falcons' last 11 touchdowns.

"I think Vegas had a sense of urgency and picked it up to do what it took to win," Foothill coach Ray Fenton said. "And we also ran out of gas. We were doing it with smoke and mirrors, and it finally caught up with us."

Durango continued to get it done with defense, pitching its second shutout in three weeks despite the absence of top two-way lineman Luke Doty, who missed the game with a fracture in his foot. The Blazers have allowed just two touchdowns in 12 postseason quarters.

But Durango coach John Mausbach acknowledged his team will need to improve offensively to get past Las Vegas this week. His offense scored just one touchdown on a 43-yard run by Allen McIntyre, with the other score coming on a 70-yard fumble return by Ahmad Atkins.

"I know we've got a pretty good defense, but expecting a shutout every time is unrealistic," Mausbach said. "After looking at the film, with Doty out and some new guys in there, we have to get back to basics and make sure those replacements know who they're blocking. Those kids are going to get better this week."

Nearly an hour after things had been settled in Southern Nevada, Elko and McQueen battled on, going into the first overtime after playing to a 10-10 deadlock.

After the clubs traded blows for three overtime sessions, the Indians had to settle for a field goal in the fourth, and the Lancers seized the opportunity. Zach Borba provided the winning run, keeping McQueen's repeat state title hopes alive.

"We're going up north representing Southern Nevada," Fenton said. "Hopefully, we can bring the state championship game back with us."

Barring a Foothill upset, the 4A state title game will be held at Reno's Mackay Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 1. Should the Falcons win, an all-south game would be played in Southern Nevada, at a site to be determined.