Wildcats, Panthers perfect going into semifinal

Adam Candee

Monday, Nov. 24, 2003 | 10:04 a.m.

The football part is over. Now an equally interesting battle begins.

For Cheyenne, Saturday's 31-0 blowout loss to Palo Verde (12-0) in the Sunset Region championship game did not end all that pertains to its season. That is because despite the loss, the school's court drama -- being fought through the family of Cheyenne tailback David Peeples -- continues Tuesday in District Court.

In the moments right after the game, though, Cheyenne coach Dave Snyder certainly did not feel like a day in court is a continuation of a football season.

"It's not really a concern of ours on the football team," Snyder said.

After the peaks and valleys of the last 10 days, Snyder felt relieved that no matter the outcomes in court, his team got the opportunity to decide its football fate between the white lines. He said it "would have been unjust" to do otherwise.

Despite Cheyenne's elimination from the playoffs, the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association plans to continue with its fight to overturn District Judge Jackie Glass's ruling that eliminated the one-game team suspension and playoff forfeiture penalty handed down to the Desert Shields by the state board for their part in a Nov. 7 post-game brawl with Bishop Gorman.

Glass will hear the NIAA's motion to reconsider Tuesday morning, and the NIAA is already planning contingencies to go to the state Supreme Court if unsuccessful with Glass.

In another light, the end of Cheyenne's football season takes the focus away from the court and places it back on the field. Of course, it will be difficult for anyone in the prep community to focus solely on football following the death on Sunday night of Las Vegas senior Edward Gomez, who did not survive injuries sustained in the Wildcats' Sunrise Region title game win over Desert Pines. The win improved Las Vegas to 12-0.

When the attention does come back to football, it will reveal a Palo Verde team low on flashy play, but high on efficiency, consistency and winning.

Panthers coach Darwin Rost did his best to shield his team from the swirl of rumors about when the Sunset title game would be played, thanks to the NIAA's suggestion that it could be moved to prevent a potentially moot hearing in court.

"I'm really proud of our kids," Rost said, adding that he instructed his players to turn off TV news and avoid newspapers.

The Panthers' double-wing offense is not sexy, not with its subway map full of twists and turns deceiving the defense and shooting running backs out from the line in all directions. It bears little resemblence to the traditional plays run by Las Vegas, but Rost said Saturday that his program borrows plenty from one of the most consistent schools of the last decade.

"We try to model ourselves after them," Rost said of Las Vegas. "They do things right over there."