Friday, Oct. 3, 2003 | 10:10 a.m.
Adam Candee covers high school sports for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Trusting your instincts can be a tougher exercise than you might imagine. That is especially true when making prep football picks.
Logic tells you, Team A is better than Team B. Just look at the scores and the statistics. The story is as clear as the Pacific Ocean.
Yet it really is not that clear when you factor in the instinct that tells you something is off. We had a gut feeling that Rancho would lose to Valley last week, though the numbers suggested otherwise. We trusted the numbers, not the feeling.
The feeling, and the Vikings, won. So this week, we're going with the gut, whether it agrees with the numbers or not. Today's games, 7 p.m.
Coronado (4-1) at Green Valley (1-4)
The skinny: It's surprising that Coronado scuffled against Silverado, but give the Cougars their due for finding a way to win in the final seconds. Coronado can all but clinch a playoff berth by beating the Gators, who have been ripped for four consecutive weeks. The Cougars are just playing with so much confidence.
The pick: Coronado 14, Green Valley 7
Basic (5-0) at Silverado (1-4)
The skinny: Basic needs to tighten the screws this week after taking way too many penalties again Mojave. Such sins will not be forgiven Oct. 10 against Foothill. The Skyhawks are scoring, but they don't play the kind of defense that can slow down the Basic offensive machine.
The pick: Basic 44, Silverado 24
Centennial (3-2) at Foothill (5-0)
The skinny: Rewind to this game last year, when both teams came in on hot streaks and the Bulldogs came out with a win. This year, it looks as though the Falcons are a slightly better squad. Centennial is the strongest foe that Foothill has seen, but the Falcons have enough to avoid an upset.
The pick: Foothill 20, Centennial 10
Chaparral (2-3) at Las Vegas (5-0)
The skinny: Boy, that 20-6 opening night struggle against Cimarron-Memorial seems like ancient history for Las Vegas, doesn't it? The Wildcats are playing dominant football. Pity the Cowboys, who draw the city's best team just a week after allowing 72 points to Desert Pines.
The pick: Las Vegas 42, Chaparral 6
Valley (2-3) at Desert Pines (3-2)
The skinny: Who channeled Cornell and Marcel Johnson? The Jaguars' offense, led by Steve Golden and Donte Minton, opened up the Popeye spinach cans against Chaparral. Desert Pines seems to be onto something here. Valley pulled an upset against Rancho, but that will not happen again.
The pick: Desert Pines 35, Valley 10
Eldorado (1-4) at Rancho (3-2)
The skinny: Frank DeSantis likely takes little comfort in his Sundevils being called the best one-win team in town. What the coach should like is the respect Eldorado is earning for its gutty performances. We saw Rancho's tumble coming last week. We see it again this week, as Eldorado gets some validation.
The pick: Eldorado 27, Rancho 14
Bonanza (2-3) at Bishop Gorman (3-2)
The skinny: The battle of the Southwest's resurgent teams appears to favor the Gaels, who come off a sound beating of Durango. Gorman is looking like the class of the division, but Bonanza's offense is causing problems of late. The Bengals have won two consecutive games, but Gorman looks too good right now.
The pick: Bishop Gorman 24, Bonanza 17
Sierra Vista (1-4) at Clark (0-5)
The skinny: Someone please explain how the Lions lost to Western when they had the lead and the ball with 20 seconds remaining. That's just a crusher for poor Sierra Vista. Clark is looking at its best remaining chance at a victory in this one. The loser here likely misses the playoffs.
The pick: Clark 23, Sierra Vista 20
Durango (2-3) at Western (2-3)
The skinny: A promising season is quickly fading at Durango, where the Blazers just do not look right in any phase of the game. Western took advantage of a gift against Sierra Vista, and maybe the Warriors can use it as a springboard. It's time for one of these teams to take a step forward.
The pick: Durango 11, Western 7
Palo Verde (5-0)
at Cheyenne (3-2)
The skinny: Normally, we would say this one has major letdown potential for the Panthers, but Palo Verde's coaches have major respect for Cheyenne RB David Peeples. That means a prepared Panthers squad will face a rejuvenated Desert Shields team. Palo Verde, though, will not give Cheyenne seven turnovers to work with, as Centennial did.
The pick: Palo Verde 29, Cheyenne 16
Mojave (1-4) at Cim.-Memorial (3-2)
The skinny: Danger here for the Spartans. Coming off the whipping by Palo Verde, a loss to the Rattlers would put Cimarron in playoff jeopardy. This is actually a big test for Cimarron because Mojave has gained some confidence in the past couple of weeks.
The pick: Cimarron-Memorial 24, Mojave 7
Liberty (0-5) at Boulder City (1-3)
The skinny: We see both good news and bad news for the Patriots here. The good news is that they are in a good spot to get their first points of the year. The bad news is that they still might not get the win against the Eagles.
The pick: Boulder City 31, Liberty 12
Shadow Ridge (1-4) at Virgin Valley (4-0)
The skinny: The Mustangs gave it a good run against Pahrump, running up some good offensive numbers. But it was the defense that failed Shadow Ridge, and that must change if the Mustangs want to have a shot against a very strong 3A team.
The pick: Virgin Valley 30, Shadow Ridge 20
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