Week 7 holds several important matchups across state

Adam Candee

Monday, Oct. 6, 2003 | 9:54 a.m.

The Sun Top 10 rattled and rolled this week as Elko stunned top-ranked McQueen and Silverado shocked Basic.

Yet aside from those two head-shakers, everything else went according to form in Week 6 of the prep football season. That means one doozy of a Week 7 slate is on tap.

We can look ahead to a quartet of important games featuring Top 10 teams across the state this week. It could be a wild Friday night.

Coronado (5-1, 2-0) surprised many by winning five of its first six games to stand in a tie atop the division with Foothill (6-0, 1-0). Basic (5-1, 1-1) no longer owns a share of that tie after Silverado (2-4, 1-1) pulled the biggest upset of the first half of the season Friday night, downing the Wolves, 45-35.

Basic coach Cliff Frazier gave an ominous foreshadowing to the loss just a week earlier, after his Wolves beat Mojave. Talking right after that game, Frazier could not believe his team's lack of discipline in taking more than 120 yards of penalties.

He felt something was not right. Throw in a couple of injuries on offense, including wideout A.J. Montano, and Frazier's instinct became a reality.

Foothill needed a field goal in the waning moments of the game to beat Centennial, its toughest foe to date. With both teams coming off below average showings, this could be a real dogfight of a game.

The schedule, though, has been kind to the Cougars. In its five wins, Coronado has faced subpar opponents and give the Cougars credit for taking care of business. In its only game against top competition, Coronado lost a tight battle with Cimarron-Memorial.

Coronado now faces one of the state's best in Palo Verde (6-0, 2-0). The Panthers once again ran the ball at will against Cheyenne. They appear to be gaining confidence every week and are taking on the look of a steamroller. If the Cougars want to have a happy homecoming, they must find a way to keep the ball out of Palo Verde's hands. Otherwise, they might see some long Panthers' drives and a long night on the field.

The Shields (3-3, 1-1) and Spartans (4-2, 1-1) sit in a three-way tie for second place in the Northwest Division with Centennial. Because both have already played Palo Verde, the winner of this one is well set up for second place and a first-round playoff home game.

Cheyenne is risen from the ashes after struggling through the first month of the season. The Shields upended Centennial two weeks ago, thanks in large part to seven Bulldogs' turnovers -- two of which went for touchdowns. Cheyenne put up a fight with Palo Verde, but few teams can withstand the pounding of the Panthers' offense.

Cimarron's biggest battle is with itself, considering its tiny squad. Smeltzer and assistant Greg Spencer whittled down their numbers in the preseason, and a dearth of players is something that begins to show with wear and tear late in the year.

The battle will be Cimarron's defense against Cheyenne tailback David Peeples. With Peeples again running well, the Shields are formidable. The Spartans must set up a running game -- minimizing Cheyenne's speed advantage -- and control the clock.

Hug (5-0, 3-0) and Douglas (5-0, 2-0) will effectively decide the Sierra Division title this week. The Tigers are proving to be the best team in the North, but Hug is not terribly far behind with the likes of speedster Mitchell Moore in the fold.

No detailed analysis to be offered here, but you might want to keep an eye and some memory space for the result.com