Columnist Adam Candee: Silverado, Wooster lead the arms race

Adam Candee

Thursday, April 3, 2003 | 10:15 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.

Arms, arms and more arms.

The common thread between Silverado baseball and Wooster softball, the top-ranked teams in the Sun's initial statewide spring polls, is that both feature top-flight pitching.

The Skyhawks (18-1) earn the top spot, thanks in large part to the pitching of Wes Johnson, Eric Gertz, and Dan Morris. Now fully healthy, Johnson is dominating for Silverado, which dropped its first game of the season Tuesday to Las Vegas.

At Wooster, the story is the same as the past three years. Brianne McGowan, who already has signed with Oregon State, is easily the most dominant player in the state.

With good height across the net, in addition to a standout setter in Daniel Wright, the Bulldogs have dispatched most of the top competition in the Valley. Credit also goes to Jeff Robinson, who is leading the Centennial offense.

More than a few coaches have marveled at Centennial's strength. Centennial wiped out Las Vegas, the best team in the Northeast Division, Wednesday, not allowing the Wildcats to reach 10 points in two of three games.

After winning the 4A State Tournament in Reno, the Desert Shields completed a season in which their only loss came to national power Oak Hill Academy (Va.) The country took notice as USA Today ranked Cheyenne No. 19 in the nation in its March 31 season-ending poll. Cheyenne also ranked fifth in the West region. The Student Sports Fab 50 Rankings placed the Desert Shields No. 17 in the country.

Those rankings flew mostly under the radar during the season, as discussion about Cheyenne's stacked roster and transfers dominated the prep scene. A handful of kids on that team were at Cheyenne for their entire careers, though, and for them, it is regrettable that such recognition was slow in coming.

The game featuring all-star lineups selected from the Sunrise and Sunset all-region rosters, will take place May 31 at Green Valley High School at 7 p.m. The game will be preceded by a couple of days of celebratory luncheons and assorted buildup, including a tour of the Lions Burn Center at UMC. Admission to the game is $5.