Gator girls tie victory record

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Sept. 13, 2002 | 9:14 a.m.

Tonight's prep football games

All games 7 p.m.

Mojave at Chaparral

Bonanza at Coronado

Bishop Gorman at Foothill

Centennial at Green Valley

Durango at Silverado

Cimarron at Basic

Western at Desert Pines

Sierra Vista at Eldorado

Clark at Las Vegas

Cheyenne at Rancho

Palo Verde at Valley

Boulder City at Faith Lutheran

Saturday's game

Meadows at W. Wendover, noon

On Aug. 31, 2000, members of the Green Valley girls golf team huddled together anxiously at the Legacy Golf Club as the rest of their squad finished the course.

The Gators trailed Palo Verde by seven strokes with one score remaining. And judging from the nervous looks on their faces, you'd have thought the Henderson school was about to lose the Masters, rather than a regular season dual match.

But for Green Valley there has been no such thing as an ordinary dual match for the past 10 years. That's how long it has been since the Gators lost.

On that day two years ago, with her team down by seven, then-sophomore Monica Brown came through with a 9-hole round of 42. With that score, a career-low at the time, Brown bested her playing opponent by eight shots, giving Green Valley a one-stroke win.

That close call kept the Henderson school's consecutive dual match winning streak intact. And on Thursday, the Gators defeated Coronado 208-293 at the Revere Golf Course, running their string of consecutive victories to 128.

Win No. 128 moved Green Valley into a tie with Phoenix's Xavier College Preparatory for the nation's all-time unbeaten streak.

"My dad told me about the streak before I was even on the team. He'd read about it in the papers," junior Nicole McGirr said. "It's something to work for, and being a part of it has been really fun."

Added junior Chelsea Pendleton, whose older sister, Ashlei, helped the Gators go undefeated for four years in the '90s: "Coming in freshman year we didn't know if we could do it. We didn't know how strong we'd be. But every year we keep getting better. If somebody has a bad day, everyone else picks them up."

The Gators will have two weeks to think about breaking the record with consecutive win No. 129. Due to over-seeding at the Legacy, Green Valley won't play its next match until Oct. 1, when it hosts Coronado.

"The girls who started this thing 10 years ago are the backbone of it," Gators coach Nick Garritano said. "These girls want to keep the tradition alive and keep this streak going. They can be known as the girls who surpassed the national record. And the best part about it is they're a great group of kids."

Along with McGirr, Pendleton and Brown, Green Valley's 2002 squad consists of seniors Lindsay Beckstead and Tahnee Harrison, sophomore Whitney Harrison and junior Erin Schroeder.

Garritano took over the program this year, becoming the Gators' fourth coach during the streak. He follows Del Sagers, Ron Moracco and Jim Nicksick.

"It's a storied program. I'm just glad to be part of it," Garritano said. "When you've got a national record on the line, you don't want to be the one to lose it."

Green Valley quarterback Lance Patonai will miss at least three weeks with a broken collarbone he suffered in last week's loss to Snow Canyon Utah. Junior Eugene Berney will replace him.

Likewise, Foothill's Josh Daneshforooz is out 4-6 weeks with a broken collarbone, an injury he sustained in a win over Durango last Friday. Junior Mickey Beljian will start in his place.

Already without senior running back/cornerback Ahmad Atkins, Durango got more bad news when junior Tywain McTyer quit the squad after suffering an ankle injury last week against Foothill. McTyer was expected to be the Trailblazers' primary ball carrier until Atkins' return, as well as a starting outside linebacker.

Atkins should return in time for Durango's league opener against Bishop Gorman. In the meantime, junior LaBroi Walton will handle tailback duties for the Blazers.