Cheyenne’s game recipe can go flat

Adam Candee

Thursday, Nov. 6, 2003 | 10:09 a.m.

Somewhere in the usual recipe where talent and experience create sweet victories, Cheyenne attempted a dangerous kitchen shortcut on the football field this year.

They did not always include effort in the mix, Desert Shields coach Dave Snyder said. Accordingly, a potentially lovely souffle rose and fell more times than the Stratosphere's Big Shot ride.

"The kids have some talent -- it's not that," Snyder said. "It's a matter of practicing the way you want to play all week. It's hard to turn it on (in the game)."

At times, Cheyenne (NW-4, 5-4) did turn it on. More times, the Desert Shields did not. That inconsistency earned them a quarterfinal date with Southwest Division champion Bishop Gorman (SW-1, 7-2) Friday night as the Sunset Region playoffs open.

If the Cheyenne switch is to remain on, the responsibility falls to senior tailback David Peeples. One of the city's top backs, Peeples amassed 1,397 yards on 198 carries and scored 12 rushing touchdowns and proved to be the Shields' only reliable offensive option.

"David is a very mature kid who knows what's ahead of him," Snyder said. "His performance always determines what we do. There's a lot of weight on him."

Peeples' quickness and speed mirror the greatest assets of the Desert Shields. Snyder just wishes more Shields would mirror some of what Peeples does on a consistent basis, which would take pressure off his senior star.

"We ride too much on David's shoulders," Snyder said. "We need some other people to step up."

An unexpected contributor is the key to Gorman's turnaround. Sophomore tailback DeMarco Murray took over starting duties early in the season and the Gaels' offense took off as senior quarterback Steve Harris felt the relief of a solid running game. Murray ran for 1,235 yards on 132 carries and bested Peeples by more than 2 yards per carry with a 9.4 average. Murray also scored 14 rushing touchdowns.

Knowing that Murray will be the focus of Cheyenne's defense, White feels Harris is the key to Gorman avoiding a second consecutive first-round loss to a fourth seed from the Northwest. Cimarron-Memorial routed the Gaels, 50-6, last season after Gorman won the Southwest.

"Steve has to step up and the receivers, the passing game has to step up because we know they're going to key on DeMarco," White said. "Steve's definitely going to be a big key."

After whipping first-year Liberty, the Gaels really gained momentum in their current seven-game win streak with a 19-12 triumph against Cheyenne, a victory that looked like an upset at the time. Even now, Gaels coach David White feels his team may have been the underdog.

"We got lucky on a few occasions," White said. "If you look back at the tape, there were some opportunities they missed. There were some opportunities we missed as well."

Missed opportunities are a theme for Cheyenne as well, but the Shields have played well enough to at least stay competitive in all but the Cimarron game. Of the Shields' four losses, three came by seven points or less and one of those came in overtime.

Snyder is encouraged that the struggles may be over, though, after watching his team over the past two weeks.

"We're practicing better than we had in a real long time," Snyder said.

Cheyenne followed a similar script last season, struggling down the stretch before regrouping in the playoffs for two wins and a state berth. The Shields downed Western in the quarterfinals a season ago, but they will find a much tougher opponent in Gorman. White feels that linebackers Ryan Reynolds and D.J. Senter give the defense enough speed to match up with Peeples.

The Gaels' coach said that not even a two-week hiatus slowed the roll Gorman created by sweeping through the Southwest.

"None of us feel like we really lost that," White said.

The game will be played at Valley High School, Gorman's default home field, at 7 p.m.