Shorthanded Las Vegas High passes Basic test in playoffs

Adam Candee

Monday, Nov. 10, 2003 | 10:03 a.m.

No Gifford, no Jordan, no problem?

Not quite, but Las Vegas still found a way to survive a scare from Basic Friday night in the quarterfinals of the Sunrise Region playoffs. Whether the Wildcats' crafty offensive changes are enough to beat Foothill in a huge semifinal showdown is another matter.

The Wildcats (NE-1, 10-0) scored 33 second-half points in a comeback 40-34 home win over the Wolves (SE-4, 7-3), including three touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Jeremy Craddock to junior receiver Christian Vidal, to advance without injured starting QB Chris Gifford and RB Eric Jordan. Craddock and Vidal hooked up four times for touchdowns, totaling 226 yards.

Who are these guys? Craddock to Vidal? A second-game starting quarterback throwing to a little-used waterbug junior wideout?

"That's the neat thing about Friday nights," Las Vegas coach Kris Cinkovich said. "You never know what's going to shake out."

That's not exactly the connection Cinkovich envisioned relying on at the beginning of the season, but the duo displayed poise and plenty of skill in helping the Wildcats fight back from a 20-7 third-quarter hole.

"It's been great," Craddock said. "There are a lot of people that had to step up for people with injuries. They've stepped up a lot."

Foothill will be a different beast than Basic, which fought valiantly behind a remarkably gutsy outing from senior quarterback Chris Montano. The Falcons (SE-2, 9-1) rolled over Rancho, 50-22, and they have the strength in the trenches to scrap with the Wildcats' tough linemen.

The Las Vegas line came alive in the second half as sophomore tailback Jamal Lomax found room to run on the edges in his first varsity start. Cinkovich sensed the momentum slipping away before Lomax snapped out of a first-half funk to spark the offense.

"I was just hoping it didn't get to 28-7," Cinkovich said. "That would have forced us to vacate what we wanted to do."

Peeples also scored four times Friday in Cheyenne's 32-27 upset of Southwest Division champion Bishop Gorman, outdueling Gaels tailback DeMarco Murray as the Shields (NW-4, 6-4) avenged a regular season loss to Gorman (SW-1, 7-3). Peeples' outstanding night fell to second billing behind the postgame brawl between the teams, one that could have serious ramifications for Cheyenne's Sunset Region semifinal matchup with Centennial (NW-2, 6-4).

Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association spokesman Donnie Nelson said Sunday that his office has not yet received officials' reports from the game. Nelson anticipates those reports arriving by today and disciplinary action could follow after an NIAA review of the officials' account of the fight.