Columnist Adam Candee: Football revolving door is still spinning

Adam Candee

Thursday, April 24, 2003 | 9:57 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.

One man will stay home, one man will go home, and two more prep football coaching vacancies are now filled.

Centennial will promote longtime assistant coach Joel Bertsch to the top job, and Cimarron-Memorial is bringing back former assistant and current Coronado coach Ron Smeltzer to take over the Spartans program.

Bertsch becomes just the second head coach in the school's four-year history, replacing Greg Murphy, who left to take over the program at Green Valley. After an outstanding 2002 season, Centennial could face rougher times this season as new high school Shadow Ridge opens and takes nearly half of the school's population.

"Because of the opening of the new high school, we are losing a large part of our sophomore and junior classes that have come up through our system, so I believe we are in for somewhat of a rebuilding year," Bertsch said. "But I like that we have some tough seniors who have been with us for four years and who know what it takes to win."

Bertsch first came to Clark County as an assistant under Murphy at Valley in 1999.

Smeltzer returns to the scene of two state championships with the Spartans in 1998 and 1999, where he served an assistant under Greg Spencer. Smeltzer spent the past two years building the Coronado program, where he compiled a 7-9 record.

"There's a real big upside for Coronado," Smeltzer said. "I hated to leave."

Smeltzer still lives in the Cimarron area and the opportunity to work closer to home appealed to him.

"I still know quite a few people there, and a lot of the same coaches are still coaching there, so that was enticing," Smeltzer said.

The Cimarron job came open when the school abruptly dismissed first-year coach Frank DeSantis after he led the Spartans to the Sunset Region semifinals.

"We are excited to be able to add someone of Breona's caliber to our team for next season," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. "She possesses a great deal of quickness and intensity at both ends of the floor."

Gray averaged 17 points and 6.8 rebounds per game for the Gaels last season, earning honorable mention All-State honors from the Sun. Gray also won the 4A state championship in the 400-meter dash in track in 2002.

Notre Dame went to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in seven seasons, logged its 10th consecutive 20-win season, and finished 21st in the nation in the final ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll this year.

Two dozen local wrestlers will take part in the Western Junior Regionals at the Las Vegas Convention Center May 7-10. The tournament, which is part of the 2003 Las Vegas United States National Wrestling Championships, will allow any wrestler who placed in the top three at the 4A State Championships a spot to compete.

The list of locals is headlined by Green Valley's Matt Conte (135), Las Vegas' Chris Gifford (189), Cimarron-Memorial's T.J. Geick (160) and Chase Pami (145). The first three all won state titles this year, and Pami was a runner-up.

At last week's Northeastern University Solomon Invitational, Quimby threw the shot put 39 feet, 3 inches to break her school record by an inch and a half. That throw was good for third place at the meet. Quimby set that previous record two weeks earlier at Rhode Island College.

Quimby also threw the discus 131-3 at the Northeastern meet, 3 feet shy of her school record.

Gorman's team score of 598 held off Huntington Beach (Calif.) by one stroke. Jonathan Taruc's final-round 72 led the Gaels to the win.

"I don't think you can really talk about one guy because it isn't a one-gut deal," Gaels coach George DeFrancesco told The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, S.C. "It's all of them putting it together."