State KOs Cheyenne

Adam Candee

Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 | 11:22 a.m.

David Peeples could not comprehend why his season had ended.

His mother would not accept that it had.

Deborah Johnson filed a request for an injunction this morning against the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association's decision to remove Cheyenne's football team from the playoffs.

The suit alleges that the NIAA's decision goes against the organization's own guidelines for due process rights to a hearing in the case. The suit also requests more than $40,000 in damages, because the suspension during a playoffs stopped college scouts from evaluating Peeples for potential recruitment and scholarships.

The injunction request also names Jerry Hughes, executive director of the NIAA, the Clark County School District and William Garis, the school district's director of student athletics and activities.

District Judge Jennifer Togliatti was to handle the case and was expected to look over the injunction during her lunch break today. A hearing had not been scheduled.

Peeples, Cheyenne's star senior tailback, said he meant to give a hug to a friend on the Gorman team last week after the Desert Shields upset the Gaels, 32-27, in a Sunset Region quarterfinal. Somehow, both Peeples and Cheyenne principal Dr. Ronan Matthew said, the move was misinterpreted, sparking a minute-long brawl between the teams during the postgame handshakes.

Those within the Cheyenne program expected some suspensions as a result, but on Thursday they received a much worse penalty. The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association issued a one-game suspension to the entire Cheyenne team, ending the Shields' season with a forfeit of their Sunset Region semifinal against Centennial. The Bulldogs automatically advanced to the Sunset title game.

"I didn't even believe it," Peeples said, speaking in barely more than a whisper Thursday night from his home.

Gorman also received a one-game team suspension, effective for its first Southwest Division game of 2004. That is little consolation to Cheyenne coach Dave Snyder, whose Shields, the fourth seed from the Northwest Division, finish with a 6-4 record and plenty of what-ifs.

"It's been a baffling experience," Snyder said. "I haven't seen anything so bizarre in my life."

Centennial coach Joel Bertsch, whose team will now have its second open date in the past three weekends, would have preferred his Bulldogs earn their way into the next round.

"It's unbelievable," Centennial coach Joel Bertsch said. "We were in disbelief."

Hughes spent the past two days reviewing TV news films of the fight and meeting with school district administrators in Las Vegas to determine what penalties would be issued. Hughes decided that the brawl warranted the harshest of responses.

"This is a very unfortunate situation," Hughes said. "A precedent has been set in the past that this type of behavior will not be tolerated in Nevada high school sports. While these decisions are very difficult, it must be emphasized that we expect our athletes to be good citizens who respect each other both on and off the field."

Both Matthew and Snyder distanced the school itself from any possible legal action.

"The school will not take it to court," Matthew said. "We have accepted the ruling of the NIAA. (But) as you know, the kids have parents."

Matthew met with Hughes on Thursday morning before the decision was made. They reviewed the tapes and Hughes outlined the NIAA's options for punishing the teams. Those included suspensions at the beginning of next season, as well as suspending athletes who play other sports during the winter or spring seasons.

Hughes' ultimate decision left Matthew and Snyder with the unenviable task of breaking the news to the team at the end of the school day.

"A lot of them wanted to know why -- why do you blame all of us?" Snyder said.

Snyder contends that just a handful of players from both sides were actually involved in the fight, while most were attempting to separate the teams. Foremost among the peacemakers, Hughes said, was Peeples.

"They started it," said Peeples, who ran for nearly 300 yards in the victory.

The NIAA decision also stated that individual suspensions will be handed down, but the names of the players will not be released. The ruling does not appear to distinguish which team instigated the fight and the NIAA is leaving the investigation into the brawl open, with the threat of further disciplinary action looming.

The threat meant little to the Shields.