Monday, Sept. 29, 2003 | 9:57 a.m.
Sun prep rankings
Team / Record / Prev.
1. McQueen 4-0 1
Ho-hum shutout win over Fallon
2. Las Vegas 5-0 2
Passed only division test against Eldorado
3. Douglas 4-0 3
Tigers ripped through North Valleys
4. Foothill 5-0 4
Centennial will be toughest opponent yet
5. Palo Verde 5-0 5
No one wants to see the double-wing
6. Basic 5-0 6
Up and down against Mojave, still won by 21
7. Hug 4-0 7
Easy time with surprisingly struggling Reno
8. South Tahoe 4-1 9
Somehow, they just keep winning
9. Cim.-Memorial 3-2 8
Can't fault them: Losses are to LV and PV
10. Coronado 4-1 ----
A nod for nail-biter win over rival Silverado
Teams ranked by the Sun and Sparks Tribune.
At this time last season, Palo Verde's double-wing offense appeared to be flapping off a cliff.
Of course, it is easy to believe in the double-wing today, after Palo Verde gained almost 400 yards Thursday night in a 55-21 win against Cimarron-Memorial, a traditionally strong defensive squad.
Palo Verde has scored no fewer than 26 points in each of its first five games -- all wins -- and the backfield combination of quarterback Jarrell Harrison and running backs Tyree Walton and Jamal Brumfield is enjoying consistent success.
A year ago, when the Panthers managed just one touchdown in their first three Northwest Division games, the double-wing had not produced the results to match Palo Verde coach Darwin Rost's belief in it.
"It was (tough)," Walton said. "We just had to keep believing in it."
Few could have argued if Rost gave up on installing the old-style offense based on a dizzying array of dives, spins, traps and fakes. After all, Palo Verde scored just 11 total points against Centennial, Cheyenne and Cimarron leaving the school in danger of missing the playoffs with one of its best-ever groups.
Yet Rost preached patience to both his skeptics and his players, saying all along that the double-wing would prove effective, and maybe even dominant. The players bought in.
"Ever since day one that we put in this offense, they've believed in it," Rost said.
Rost needed some payoff for the faith shown by his players, and he got it. The Panthers rolled against Mojave to make the playoffs, stunned unbeaten Centennial in the second round, won the Sunset Region and advanced to the 4A state semifinals for the first time in school history.
The fun in nearly abandoning the pass in favor of a bunch of punishing runs through the line showed through.
"Nothing's more fun than running down the sidelines for 80 yards," Rost said.
GAEL FORCE: It is not the best year so far in the Southwest Division, where just one of six teams owns a winning record. Bishop Gorman, at 3-2 after a convincing 31-14 win against Durango, looks to be establishing itself as a strong favorite to retain its division title.
After being upset by Green Valley and blown out by Foothill to open the season, the Gorman story appeared to be a sad one in 2003. First-year coach David White said early on that he did not know what record to expect from his team, and some inconsistent play, namely from quarterback Steve Harris, seemed to prove him right.
The Gaels, however, have been one of the city's best teams over the past three weeks. Harris looks much more comfortable, especially after the entire Gorman offense cured itself in a 70-0 win against Liberty.
Gorman took a bigger step by going on the road to Cheyenne and holding off the Desert Shields, 19-13, proving they could beat a stronger opponent. Along with the Gaels' win against the Shields, Bonanza's 26-20 win against Rancho is the only other victory for a Southwest squad against a team with a winning record.
That is all the more reason why Gorman looks to be stepping ahead in the Southwest, where it will face the resurgent Bengals this week.
QUICK HITS: Coaches are roundly impressed with Las Vegas, both for its typically stellar line play and for its team speed. That is bad news in the Northeast Division, where the Wildcats will not see another dangerous opponent until they face Desert Pines in the final week of the regular season. ... If there is such a thing as a quiet 5-0, Basic has done it. The Wolves sport a feared offense that has scored no fewer than 37 points in a game, but the schedule has been kind to Basic. The combined record of Basic'sfirst five opponents is 6-19. The Wolves face Foothill in two weeks with the division crown -- and the right to avoid Las Vegas until the Sunrise Region final -- on the line. ... Speaking of the Falcons, there has been no more dominant team in the city. Foothill now enters its toughest two-week stretch of the season, though, with Centennial preceding that date with Basic.
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