McQueen looks to contain Ford

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Nov. 23, 2001 | 10:56 a.m.

Take a look at a highlight reel of Foothill's last two playoff victories, and you'd be quick to label the Falcon offense "one-dimensional."

After all, running back John Ford has accounted for 628 yards -- and all 11 Foothill touchdowns -- in those two games, establishing himself as one of the top individual talents Southern Nevada has seen in years.

But in Saturday's 4A state semifinal in Reno, the often-overlooked Falcons' passing attack could find itself in the spotlight against a McQueen defense that rarely allows opponents to get their ground game going.

Just one year ago, the Lancers put the clamps on Eldorado's Steven Jackson -- now a contributing freshman at Oregon State -- by holding the state's leading rusher to a season-low 108 yards on 30 carries.

Last week, McQueen's defense rose again, holding Elko's feared running attack to 77 total yards despite playing four overtime sessions after regulation.

"We watched film of their game against Steven Jackson last year. They loaded up with eight guys in the box and dared them to throw it," Falcons coach Ray Fenton said. "So we know one guy isn't going to win this game for us."

Not surprisingly after studying Foothill on film this week, McQueen coach Ken Dalton has made Ford his team's top priority.

"We think in order to beat an outstanding team in Foothill, you have to stop John Ford," Dalton said. "We love his ability and how he carries the ball."

If the Lancers can keep Ford, who enters the game with 1,949 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns, from getting on track, it could put the onus on Foothill junior quarterback Josh Daneshforooz and his receiving corps.

Daneshforooz has been effective at times during the postseason, most notably in a 41-0 rout of Rancho in round one, when he completed all seven passes he attempted for 158 yards and three touchdowns. Last week, he hit on 11-of-16 attempts, including his first six tosses, for 165 yards.

"If we run and it's working, then we keep going with it," said Daneshforooz, who connected on 70-of-116 regular season passes for 962 yards with five touchdowns and 11 interceptions. "With John, we have a big weapon, but McQueen is a tough team, fast and strong, so I think we're going to have to mix it up."

When Daneshforooz does look to pass, he has two dangerous targets in junior receivers Nate Wederquist and Lorenzo White. The duo combined for 54 catches for 795 yards during the season, and have added 11 receptions for 267 yards and a pair of scores in the playoffs.

"We haven't had to rely on our passing game much this year. We've pretty much rode John through the playoffs, but if we have to pass we feel comfortable passing," Wederquist said. "Coach knows where the weaknesses are and how to take advantage of them."

Defensively, the Falcons will come up against McQueen quarterback Jeff Rowe, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound senior who has thrown for 1,897 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 106-of-208 passing.

Foothill will be without senior linebacker Mike Jones, who has been removed from the squad for unspecified reasons. Jones did not play last week against Las Vegas, and Fenton admitted his absence was a factor as the Wildcats rallied for the win.

"Mike's a great player and we're going to miss him, but we'll trust in whoever's playing to do the job," Wederquist said. "People need to step up."