Centennial expects to contend for crown

Adam Candee

Monday, March 10, 2003 | 9:24 a.m.

Here is a look into the magic 8-ball with eight questions about the prep baseball season:

1.What can we make of Centennial after it came so close to winning the state title last year?

Wooster shocked the Bulldogs in the 2002 4A title game, but Centennial returns a strong core of players. Bulldogs coach Charlie Cerrone is confident about the returning group headlined by catcher Bryce Massanari, outfielders Rob Arata and Josh Wheeler and third baseman/designated hitter J.C. Leach.

"If we get the kind of senior leadership that we got last year, I think we'll be competitive in town," Cerrone said.

Centennial graduated an outstanding senior group, including Sun All-State first-teamers Chris Bonnell, a third baseman, and outfielder Tim Wheeler. In addition to the group above, Cerrone will look to seniors Brian Simpson and Trent McDonald to fill the leadership void.

2.Top to bottom, is there any better division than the Southeast?

It doesn't look like it. Silverado should challenge for the state championship, as should perennial power Green Valley. Foothill and Coronado return a handful of strong players from successful 2002 seasons, and Basic traditionally fields a competitive program.

"Our league is double tough," Skyhawks coach Brian Whitaker said. "Baseball's real strong in the Valley overall, and there's no chippies in our league."

The Southwest (Bishop Gorman, Sierra Vista) and the Northwest (Centennial, Palo Verde, Cimarron-Memorial) feature top teams, but the Southeast appears to have the best balance.

3.Who are some of the best players in town?

In addition to those already mentioned, the names include Green Valley pitcher Ryan Tabor and outfielder Jordan Parraz; Silverado catcher Jared Ferdinand, pitcher Wes Johnson and third baseman Ryan Castellanos; Bishop Gorman outfielder Anthony Garcia, pitcher/outfielder Russ Warthen and shortstop Chris Siewert; and Foothill catcher Spud Low.

4.Who are the favorites to win it all?

Centennial and Bishop Gorman are expected to lead the Sunset Region pack, and Cerrone defers to the Gaels.

"Gorman's probably the best team in our region," the Bulldogs' coach said.

Silverado and Green Valley are preseason favorites in the Sunrise Region.

5.Any sleeper teams out there?

Word is that Cimarron-Memorial and Sierra Vista might turn some heads, while the aforementioned Southeast Division teams could contend, along with Palo Verde.

The Spartans feature nasty left-handers Mike Dunn and Paul Schmidt, both CCSN signees. Just two starters return from a 20-win season, but the Spartans could have a successful year.

A young Lions team made noise in its first year, and senior shortstop Ty Selby should pace Sierra Vista in the Southwest Division behind favorite Bishop Gorman.

6.Does the financial situation at CCSN affect the 13 local players who signed with the Coyotes next year?

For the moment, no. Tim Chambers' baseball program avoided the axe that fell on the CCSN basketball programs, but the situation at the community college is tenuous at best.

In the past three years, 29 CCSN players have moved on to Division I baseball, though UNLV has not tapped into that pipeline much. The CCSN program serves as a valuable conduit to higher levels for local baseball players, but signing a junior college letter of intent does not preclude these athletes from choosing pro ball or other collegiate options.

7.What about Durango? Aren't the Blazers usually in the state mix?

Definitely, but this could be a challenging year at Durango. Mike Gomez, the only coach in school history, stepped down before the season, and the Blazers must replace almost an entire roster of graduated seniors. New coach Sam Knapp will be hard-pressed to keep the high standard in his first year at Durango, which lost to Cheyenne on opening day.

8.Enough already ... who is going to win state?

With no clear-cut favorite from the North or from the South, there is no easy answer. Yeah, we are ducking it ... and for now, that's OK. Check back at midseason, when some of these good teams have had a chance to break from the pack.