A burgeoning rivalry toes the line

Nick Christensen

Thursday, Aug. 26, 2004 | 9:37 a.m.

Monday -- Northeast

Tuesday -- Southeast

Wednesday -- Southwest

Today -- Northwest

Friday -- Preseason poll

SUN RANKINGS

1. Palo Verde -- Nobody wants to face Rost's offense.

2. Cimarron -- QB Hatch strong in a ground-dominated division.

3. Shadow Ridge -- Disciplined talent on 2nd-year team.

4. Cheyenne -- Two weeks before we'll know how good they are.

5. Centennial -- Lack of depth is an understatement.

6. Mojave -- Had a strong preseason camp in Utah.

2003 STANDINGS

(division record in parentheses)

1. Palo Verde...9-0 (4-0)

Lost state semi to Las Vegas

2. Centennia...l5-4 (2-2)

Lost Sunset semi to Cheyenne

3. Cimarron...6-3 (2-2)

Lost Sunset semi to Palo Verde

4. Cheyenne...5-4(2-2)

Lost Sunset final to Palo Verde

5. Mojave...1-8 (0-4)

6.Shadow Ridge...2-7 *

* played as an independent

PAST STATE CHAMPIONS

Centennial -- None.

Cheyenne -- None.

Cimarron -- 2; 1999, 1998.

Mojave -- None.

Palo Verde -- None.

Shadow Ridge -- None.

Ten years from now, some might wonder why Centennial and Shadow Ridge high schools play a rivalry game.

When young Mustangs go and toilet paper Centennial's campus, or zealous Bulldogs fans spray silly string all over Shadow Ridge's stadium, it may not be obvious why two schools, 10 miles apart and separated by possibly two high schools, have such a dislike for each other.

It started, in fact, in the summer of 2003, when the lines were drawn for the zones of the new Shadow Ridge High School, carved out of a large eastern chunk of Centennial's zone near the new Aliante community.

Last year, the Bulldogs made a postseason run and weren't too hurt by the pull of freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to the new school.

But this season, it stings.

Not only did Centennial lose a lot of talent to Shadow Ridge, but it lost a large part of its roster.

This year's meeting between the schools -- in the last week of the regular season -- means more than even the playoff implications both teams face.

"Because the schools are so close, we see (friends at Shadow Ridge) all the time," said Jeremy Vilardo, a Centennial linebacker. "It'll be for bragging rights for the whole offseason.

"We're putting all we can into it."

Centennial coach Joel Bertsch and Shadow Ridge's J.D. Johnson are working on obtaining a trophy for the two teams, "The Silver Pick," to reflect Nevada's history. But even without the trophy, it's a game that both teams are looking forward to.

Bertsch said he doesn't like "singing the blues" on the zoning, but admits that his team was stung particularly hard by the new school.

"From what we have seen, we seemed to come up a little shorter with this senior class than they did," he said. "The boundaries of the high school seemed to give them a lot more kids."

Johnson thinks that Bertsch is overestimating how much the zone split hurt the Bulldogs.

"People think we got 90 percent of their kids. I tend to disagree," he said. "It's what we've done with these kids in the weight rooms that made a difference."

Johnson, who before coaching in Las Vegas coached the eight-man team at Spring Mountain Youth Camp, a juvenile prison on Mount Charleston, runs a very tight ship.

His practices are crisp and strenuous, and he makes no secret that he thinks his team's success is because of his coaching staff's expectations. He quotes Oklahoma Sooners coach Bob Stoops when stating his philosophy.

"A five-year plan is for guys who don't know what they're doing for their first four years," he said.

Chris Berkeley, Shadow Ridge's quarterback who started out at Centennial, said there's a definite notice between the two coaching staffs.

"Here, the coaches are more into the physical game," he said. "The coaches here really care; they want to see us succeed. That's the major difference."

To emphasize how seriosuly the Mustangs took their first meeting with Centennial, in last year's 2-7 season (the two wins were against winless Liberty), Johnson cites the team's 24-0 loss to the Bulldogs.

"Most people tend to forget how close we played Centennial last year," he said. "It was 24-0. We figured it would be a 56-0 blowout. They scored twice on two offensive turnovers, and a third time late in the game," as the Mustangs were sapped of energy and emotion.

Despite the Mustangs' musings on Centennial's program, Bulldogs quarterback Aaron Prado said things are a little friendlier on the Bulldogs' end.

"It's not like we're bashing them. It's friendly stuff," he said. "If anything, we're more emotional.

"It means a lot more than any other team."