Columnist Adam Candee: C-M must contain Foothill freshman

Adam Candee

Friday, Sept. 5, 2003 | 9:14 a.m.

Adam Candee covers high school sports for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at candee@lasvegassun.com.

Maybe a little inverse proportion is in order for this week's prep football games.

Let me explain: Last week, the schedule displayed a number of games that promised great action. Yet come Friday night, most of that promise proved false as just three of 12 games were decided by seven points or less. Blah.

So this week, the schedule does not appear to provide us with much intrigue -- no classic rivalries, no sexy matchups. In fact, only the Rancho-Cheyenne and Shadow Ridge-Centennial games feature teams that both won their opening games. So maybe less exciting on paper will translate into more thrilling on the field.

Our power of pick worked well on the west side on town in the opening week, only to fail us three times over on the east side, where Coronado, Green Valley and Valley sabotaged the prognostication machine. All in all, we can't feel too bad about opening with a 9-3 mark, but mediocrity festers in satisfaction. That means upward bound for us in week two... Today's Games Week Two (All kickoffs at 7 p.m.)

Foothill (1-0) at Bishop Gorman (0-1)

Things could not have gone much worse for the Gaels in their opening loss to Green Valley. Things are not going to get much better against the Falcons, who become the South's best team if freshman RB DeAngelo Jones is really as good as he looked against Durango.

The pick: Foothill 20, Bishop Gorman 9

Chaparral (1-0) at Mojave (0-1)

This is an interesting game, if only to find out if Chaparral's 32-0 whitewash of Sierra Vista was for real. The Cowboys might not be that good, but against a Mojave team that just cannot find the right formula, Chaparral will have enough.

The pick: Chaparral 17, Mojave 6

Las Vegas (1-0) at Bonanza (0-1)

Wildcats coach Kris Cinkovich left last week's win against Cimarron-Memorial with a bad taste from his squad's sloppy play. That means a wake-up week of practice for Las Vegas, and a nightmare evening for the Bengals.

The pick: Las Vegas 30, Bonanza 0

Silverado (0-1) at Durango (0-1)

This can be a very good Blazers team, but we found out last week that without its starters, Durango will not fare well against the city's best. This week, with some key players back from injury and an opponent in Silverado that is still looking for identity, Durango will rebound.

The pick: Durango 23, Silverado 13

Coronado (1-0) at Cim.-Memorial (0-1)

We're still rubbing our eyes and making sure that Coronado's 41-0 whipping of Clark is true. Junior QB Andrew Hatch is one of the city's great sleepers, but here's a vote of confidence for Greg Spencer's Spartans defense. They likely have something cooked up for a young Coronado offense.

The pick: Cimarron-Memorial 13, Coronado 7

Desert Pines (0-1) at Western (1-0)

Starting with Palo Verde is just plain unfair to rebuilding Desert Pines. The Jaguars will find the going a bit easier against the Warriors, who needed a late score to get past Valley in an ugly game. Look for Desert Pines to get on track here.

The pick: Desert Pines 21, Western 10

Eldorado (0-1) at Sierra Vista (0-1)

Is Eldorado as good as its stunning comeback to force overtime against Centennial? Is Sierra Vista as bad as its shutout loss to Chaparral? There's something we like about the Sundevils with QB Brandon Godfrey, but this game really could go either way.

The pick: Eldorado 20, Sierra Vista 19

Basic (1-0) at Clark (0-1)

The Wolves opened with Bonanza, and now face Clark, Sierra Vista, Chaparral and Mojave in succession. If Basic wants to be part of the elite, there is no excuse for anything less than a 5-0 record in that stretch. This is a classic trap game, however, and Basic must be careful against Clark's option offense.

The pick: Basic 40, Clark 22

Rancho (1-0) at Cheyenne (1-0)

Soft-spoken and hard-charging, David Peeples is the fulcrum of Cheyenne's offense. The Desert Shields ripped through Silverado last week, and they should get more of a challenge from the Rams. Still, this Cheyenne team is going to be a tough one to stop unless teams stop Peeples.

The pick: Cheyenne 22, Rancho 11

Valley (0-1) at Palo Verde (1-0)

After struggling through a winless 2002 season, Valley came out and scored just six points against Western in its opener. That output is not likely to improve against the solid Palo Verde defense. More fun for Jarrell Harrison and Co. in this one.

The pick: Palo Verde 36, Valley 0

Shadow Ridge (1-0) at Centennial (1-0)

So here's the new rivalry out in the far Northwest part of town: Bulldogs vs. Mustangs. Shadow Ridge sounds pretty confident coming into this one, and we're all for confidence. Centennial, however, is likely to be a bit peeved after struggling with Eldorado.

The pick: Centennial 24, Shadow Ridge 7

Green Valley (1-0) at Snow Can. (Utah) (0-0)

Kudos to the Gators for upsetting Bishop Gorman to open Greg Murphy's tenure as coach. The good feeling is likely to stop up in Utah, where Snow Canyon is one of the better teams in the state.

The pick: Snow Canyon 30, Green Valley 7

Last week: 9-3 Season: 9-3com