Columnist Adam Candee: 4A title game returning to Sam Boyd

Adam Candee

Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 9:53 a.m.

Adam Candee covers high school sports for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at candee@lasvegassun.com.

TODAY'S GAMES

All kickoffs at 7 p.m.

The excitement of four championship prep football games in one day may be gone from Sam Boyd Stadium, but it appears the 4A teams will still hold their title game on the UNLV home field.

That is the latest word from Dr. Jerry Hughes, director of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association, who said that an agreement between the NIAA and UNLV is on the horizon.

"We're finalizing that right now," Hughes said. "It's 90 percent that we're going to be at Sam Boyd. It's been a good compromise."

Rumors swirled in the past few weeks that the two sides reached an impasse on the cost of renting the Sam Boyd facility for the Saturday, Dec. 7 game date. In that case, the championship game may have been moved to Reno.

"That was a possibility about a week ago," Hughes said.

Both Hughes and Sam Boyd booking director Joe Santiago said that is no longer the case, as the two sides are near an agreement that will make fiscal sense for all.

"I can't see a reason why it wouldn't happen right now," Santiago said.

Apparently, the tune changed in a hurry with the beginning of the football playoffs just about here. Hughes and Santiago both declined to discuss the financial specifics of the deal.

"Our standard billing deals probably don't apply in this situation," Santiago said.

In a stadium with a capacity well beyond what a high school football game can draw in southern Nevada, the NIAA knows it may end up in the red and is attempting to minimize the loss.

"We just don't make that kind of money at these events," Hughes said. "Football pays for cross-country, golf, tennis, all the sports that don't make any money."

Look, there are not a ton of cheap thrills associated with a sport that starts two-a-day practices in full gear during the 110-degree heat of August. But the chance to play in a big-time stadium for the championship game is somewhat of a tradition at this level.

One way or another, it simply needs to happen and it is good to see it likely can be done without damning the budget torpedoes.

Centennial and Green Valley expect to compete for the crown in both the boys and girls meets, while the Cheyenne boys and Palo Verde girls also feature tough squads in 4A.

Teams from 1A through 4A will be competing Saturday, with the first race getting under way at Veterans Memorial Park at 9 a.m.

The state meet will also be in Boulder City next weekend, and it will also feature both the smaller and larger schools.