Destiny meets dynasty in state title affair

Adam Candee

Thursday, Dec. 5, 2002 | 9:39 a.m.

Last week's 4A state semifinals provided plenty of things for people to stare at in disbelief.

Here in the southern part of the state, the sight of Cornell Johnson crumpled over on the field was a scary one indeed. Johnson has fought through minor injuries all season, so to see the state's top player battling pain that brought tears to his eyes stunned everyone in attendance.

Most importantly, Johnson is OK. Here's hoping that a young man with a promising college career ahead of him does himself no damage by gutting it out to play Saturday. (Of course, Johnson would scoff at that idea, knowing that a state championship is one win away.)

The other shocking sight of last weekend came up north, where McQueen simply ran over a good Palo Verde team by a 45-0 score. We all knew McQueen was a strong opponent -- but those were not the Sisters of the Poor lined up across the field. Beware the Lancers this week, because it appears they are not a good, but a great, team.

One final shocking outcome of the weekend was a 2-0 picks record for our top-notch prognostication staff. We would love to have rewarded them for their hard and accurate work with a week off, but that just is not possible when the state title is on the line. On to our final pick of the season ...

4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP DESERT PINES (SR-1, 12-1) vs. MCQUEEN (N-1, 13-0), 1 p.m.

Puns and plays on words are not our favorite around here, nor are cliches. But this matchup simply must be termed "Destiny vs. Dynasty."

The destiny is obviously the Jaguars, the team whose freshmen said four years ago at the school's inception that they could be state champions when they became seniors. Saturday, they arrive at the destination point, but will their leader be ready for the battle?

No one knows if Cornell Johnson will be himself after suffering torn rib cartilage last week against Cheyenne. The Desert Pines offense runs through him, especially to set up the passing game, so it will be crucial to see if Johnson pops up quickly after those first couple of tackles. McQueen will smell blood and act on that if Johnson is not capable.

The Lancers, Reno's dynasty team, are likely the strongest team in the state, so they hold the advantage up the middle of the field. Spies tell us that is why the double-wing, trap-and-dive offense of Palo Verde found no success last week.

But Desert Pines might well be the state's fastest team, and it definitely holds the advantage on the edges, where spies also tell us McQueen is vulnerable in the secondary. It is up to the Jaguars' coaching staff to figure out how to exploit that. Few teams have exploited much against a McQueen defense that has allowed 28 points through 13 games.

One possibility is Jaguars quarterback Marcel Johnson. He can throw the ball downfield to lightning-fast wideout Kawon Walker, but it was his elusiveness and ability to scramble that sparked Desert Pines past Foothill in the Sunrise Region semifinals. Marcel Johnson can be the X-factor in this game.

McQueen likes to use its top-flight special teams to set up field position for its balanced offense. Running back Ed Cortez averaged almost 12.5 yards per carry in the regular season and the Jaguars showed a dangerous vulnerability to the run against Cheyenne.

The Lancers, though, will be without one of their best two-way players in tight end/linebacker Mohu Otuafi. The All-State performer was ejected from last week's semifinal and will now serve a mandatory one-game suspension. His absence weakens the Lancers, but the senior-laden team is so deep that it can likely cover the hole.

Desert Pines proved two weeks ago against Las Vegas that it shed the younger brother complex of facing a good team. McQueen, however, has simply been an assassin all season long. The Lancers are not just beating teams, but burying them.

If any team in the south can beat McQueen, though, it is big-play Desert Pines. The Jaguars beat Cheyenne by 20 points last week in a game where they actually looked pretty average, and you can expect a better showing from them this week.

Even a better showing might not be enough Saturday. McQueen really looks that good, and we feel that the Lancers will hoist the trophy.

THE PICK:

McQueen 30, Desert Pines 18

Last week: 2-0

Spencer Patterson's 2002 Record: 37-10 (.787) Adam Candee's 2002 Record: 54-17 (.761)