Wildcats’ role players excel

Adam Candee

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003 | 9:47 a.m.

Every football team needs Tyrone Brandon and Steve Holmes.

They need the senior leadership, toughness and skill that such experienced players bring to the field. But even more important, they must have a few guys who think this way:

"I just like to block people," Brandon said. "I don't really like getting the ball as much because when you don't have the ball, all you have to do is run into the hole and hit somebody. When you've got the ball, you have to worry about hanging onto it. Without it, it's just a free shot to hit somebody."

Brandon and Holmes are two-way standouts for the undefeated Wildcats, who travel north this weekend to face Reno (8-5) on Saturday afternoon for the 4A State Championship. Both are strong defensive ends for Las Vegas (13-0), with Brandon seeing time on offense at fullback and Holmes starting at tight end.

Of course, these are not players who often stand out on the stat sheet or the TV highlights. That is just fine with Las Vegas coach Kris Cinkovich, who understands their importance in their roles.

"They're real unselfish kids who don't demand the spotlight, nor do they really want it," Cinkovich said.

Their most important responsibilities for Las Vegas are two-fold: Stop the run on defense and create holes to run on offense. They did just that last week against Palo Verde in the state semifinals, mostly shutting down the Panthers' double-wing running attack in a 41-7 victory.

Cinkovich said the defense would not be the same without Brandon and Holmes.

"It's real important for us in our scheme to have good defensive end play," Cinkovich said.

It is also important for Cinkovich to have senior leaders, especially with inexperienced underclassmen manning important offensive skill positions. Although those players have responded well to pressure in the playoffs so far, the state title game is a different animal.

So, too, is preparing for the game just a week and a half after the shocking death of Edward Gomez, the Las Vegas senior safety who died Nov. 23 after collapsing on the sideline during the Wildcats' Sunrise Region championship victory against Desert Pines. Gomez, 17, died of blunt force trauma to the head.

After attending Gomez's viewing and funeral Sunday and Monday, the Wildcats are still bringing their intensity back up in practice. Getting on the field is a good thing, though.

"You feel it off the field, but when you get on the field, it's just football," Holmes said.

Brandon and Holmes said they learned from previous senior classes at Las Vegas that it is their responsibility to help pull the team up from that rut.

"(The intensity) could be better," Holmes said. "We've been a little sluggish. I think a few guys might be taking it too lightly."

Those are strong words from the soft-spoken Holmes, who Cinkovich considers one of his most unsung of heroes.

"We kind of take him for granted sometimes," Cinkovich said. "That's what happens with those quiet kids."

On the other hand, Brandon is becoming a force in the locker room to match the force that he brings to both of his hard-hitting positions.

"Tyrone's really become a real good vocal leader for us," Cinkovich said.

A senior would not be a senior, though, without a little extracurricular responsibility. The Wildcats are less than thrilled with the prospect of an 8-hour bus ride Friday morning to Reno, but they plan on finding ways to spice things up.

"We mess with people in their sleep," Brandon said.

No shaving cream or anything crazy, Brandon said, because Cinkovich would not go for it.

"There's no messy stuff going on," Brandon said.

Even if there is, it will likely be effective under the radar, just as Brandon and Holmes have been all season.