Friday, Aug. 30, 2002 | 9:31 a.m.
The Meadows
All games 7 p.m. unless noted
The longest winning streak in Nevada high school football history could be in serious jeopardy tonight.
The Meadows, winner of 41 consecutive games and five straight Class 2A state titles, will put its string of victories on the line tonight in a season opener against a strong Battle Mountain squad at Tonopah High School.
Generally favored in every game they've played in recent years, the Mustangs return only three players with varsity experience. They also feature a new coaching staff, along with new offensive and defensive schemes.
"I've never emphasized (the streak) since I took over. You take away all those (graduated) players' years of experience, and obviously it's a very big loss," said first-year coach Chris Lounsbery, who took over for Frank DeSantis, now coach at Cimarron-Memorial.
"We wouldn't be surprised if we end up in a good game against Battle Mountain, but we are realistic enough to know we're facing a group of Battle Mountain juniors and seniors with more varsity experience."
Among the graduated Meadows players from last season: two-way stars Pat Curran, Coleman Hutzler and Aaron Demaree, along with quarterback Mike Paulos.
Faith Lutheran
All games 7 p.m.
Two-way lineman Ravi Chanderraj, the squad's captain, is the lone returning senior, and junior Mike Barson (TE/DE) and sophomore Greg Maggiore (RB/S) are the only other players back from the 2001 varsity.
"You lose a lot of experience, and with a new coach and a new system, it takes some time," Lounsbery said. "We view this first one as a test."
Still, the cupboard isn't exactly bare at Meadows. Two-way senior lineman Ron Ganti, a Green Valley transfer, will start after sitting out last season, sophomore Chris Adams will man an inside linebacking spot after moving in from out of state, and Lounsbery expects big things from his running back quartet of juniors Fred Tarantino, and Dusty Mayo, sophomore Adam Schnurstein and Maggiore.
"My philosophy is let's improve every week, and the winning and losing will take care of itself," Lounsbery said. "Our kids are very intelligent and very disciplined, so we're going to give it our best shot."
Should The Meadows falter, Faith Luteran could assume its place atop the division. The Crusaders went 6-4 last season, and return 10 starters on each side of the ball.
"We were pretty young last year, and we knew it would pay off for us in the future," Faith Lutheran coach Jacob Kothe said. "We're excited about this season."
Jason Case, who started all 10 games in 2001, and senior two-way playmaker Sean Whales (RB/DE) lead the Crusaders. Seniors Aaron Ongman (RB/OLB) and Erick Fox (OT/DL) and juniors Travis Tuls (OLB/TE) and Matt Anderson (ILB/TE) will also play key roles for Faith.
Despite his squad's experience, you won't hear Kothe and his players talking about beating The Meadows just yet. He says they learned that lesson last season.
"We started off 5-0 and started to look ahead a little bit," Kothe said. "So this year, we've made a commitment to go one game at a time and not even think about Meadows."
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