Rancho’s Whalen molding believers

Adam Candee

Monday, Sept. 8, 2003 | 9:46 a.m.

SUN PREP RANKINGS

Team / Record / Prev.

1. McQuuen 1-0, 1

Champs open strong, blank Carson

2. Las Vegas 2-0, 2

Unbelievable week for Eric Jordan

3. Douglas 1-0, 3

Tigers have little trouble with Reed

4. Foothill 2-0, 4

All the pieces inplace in 2003

5. Palo Verde 2-0, 5

Surprising struggle against Valley

6. Reno 1-0, 7

Shutout of Galena a good opener

7. Elko 1-0, 6

Major comeback needed to top Wooster

8. Basic 2-0, 9

Another week, another 40-plus points

9. Centennial 2-0, 10

Easy win over new rival Shadow Ridge

10.Cheyenne 1-1, 8

One-week pass to prove Rancho loss a fluke

Teams ranked by the Sun and Sparks Tribune.

Last season, Rancho coach Roger Whalen never knew which Rams team would show up Friday night.

It might be the talented bunch with the dangerous offense, or it might be the turnover-prone squad constantly shooting itself in the foot. The inconsistency drove Whalen nuts.

Things look different at Rancho today. After going on the road to Cheyenne and winning in overtime Friday, Whalen's Rams appear ready to steady their effort.

"We're a whole lot stronger than we were last year," Whalen said Sunday.

The Rams' 18-12 victory against the 10th-ranked Desert Shields was a huge boon at Rancho (2-0). An improved Rams defense checked Cheyenne standout RB David Peeples, who averaged 3.5 yards per carry but never really busted out.

"We played really good defense again," Whalen said. "We kept (Peeples) bottled up most of the time."

With an Arizona squad next on the schedule, followed by a date with Bonanza, Rancho could have some rare momentum building into its Northeast Division slate.

Meuir sat out with a thigh bruise Friday, though, and Jordan seized his chance. After rushing for almost 300 yards and six touchdowns Friday against Bonanza, Jordan is now both a name people know and a factor for Las Vegas, a 56-40 winner against the Bengals.

"We thought (Eric) did a real good job," Las Vegas coach Kris Cinkovich said. "He ran with a lot of authority."

The authority is what Jordan lacked as a freshman, Cinkovich said. Yet Las Vegas coaches recognized Jordan's talent and decided to keep him in a sparse role on the varsity so he could develop against tougher competition. While Jordan only saw significant action in a few games, Cinkovich feels the sophomore is now more relaxed and more intelligent.

"Playing last year helped him a bunch," Cinkovich said. "He's been a much better north-south runner."

Jordan will continue to split time with Meuir at running back.

"That first week, we made a lot of mistakes," Desert Pines coach Leon Evans said. "The kids are thinking instead of reacting."

The result did not surprise, as the Panthers rolled through last year's state finalist, 32-14. That meant a week of shoring up blocking assignment and techniques, as well as continuing a natural learning curve for young players.

"The young kids have got to learn to compete in practice and carry it through to Friday," Evans said.

The Jaguars did not stay down for long, rebounding to blank Western Friday, 21-0. All the key offensive skill players from the Jaguars' state run graduated last year, so it stood to reason that the defense displayed Friday might be Desert Pines' ticket to a successful season.