Verdict is all Cheyenne

Nick Christensen

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2003 | 9:34 a.m.

On Friday in downtown Las Vegas, Cheyenne won in the people's court.

Monday in Centennial Hills, Carol Leavitt Stadium became Peeples' court.

Cheyenne running back David Peeples steamrolled for two touchdowns as the Desert Shields advanced to the NIAA Sunset Division championship with a 28-6 victory.

The game was originally a forfeit by Cheyenne, ordered by the NIAA for a fight 10 days earlier following the Desert Shields' win against Bishop Gorman. Las Vegas judge Jackie Glass issued a temporary restraining order Friday night granting Cheyenne the right to play, after Cheyenne argued that the whole team shouldn't be punished for the mistakes of a dozen players between both squads.

It wasn't that Centennial looked unprepared to face the Desert Shields both teams struggled early, and the game remained scoreless until just before halftime but Cheyenne just dominated on both ends of the ball in the second half. Centennial's touchdown didn't come until very late in the fourth quarter.

Centennial coach Joel Bertsch made no excuses for his team's performance on the field.

"I don't think (the court case) had any impact," Bertsch said. "You can't have three turnovers in a game like this. We were fired up -- but you can't throw the ball away like that."

There was no doubt on the other sideline that the attention surrounding the game had an impact. TV cameras lined the field, and reporters from at least six different TV stations chased quotes from coaches afterward, when a normal football game might have one or two print reporters asking questions.

"We had to be stronger and ready to play," Peeples said. "It pulled us together as a family."

Peeples started slow, rushing for just over a dozen yards in his first six carries. For that, Cheyenne coach Dave Snyder credited the attention to the game.

"The intensity was high," Snyder said. "He just needed to get everything together. He's a special kid, real talented."

Cheyenne now moves on to face Palo Verde in the Sunset championship. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday at Palo Verde.

And hanging over the Desert Shields is the cloud of the NIAA case. Sunday, NIAA director Dr. Jerry Hughes indicated that they will continue to pursue legal avenues to uphold Cheyenne's forfeiture and suspension. But after Cheyenne's win, Snyder said he would be willing to accept the NIAA's decisions.

"I'll stick to whatever they do as long as it's just and justified to both sides," Snyder said. "They have to look at both sides and make a just decision, and I'll stick by that."

Centennial parent Diana Wegmann's son, David Serrano, was on Centennial's team. She said she felt the way Cheyenne appealed was unfair.

"The court overruled the school's jurisdiction," she said. "When you play football, or any sport, you win or lose as a team. You should be disciplined as a team. I don*t know how you can pick and choose who was in and who wasn't."

But Centennial fan Vito Pasqualicchio was a little more practical about the implications of Monday's game and the drama around it.

"It doesn't matter who won tonight," Pasqualicchio said. "Either team would get spanked by Palo Verde."