Columnist Nick Christensen: Foothill might be extra sharp after those bonus two-a-days

Nick Christensen

Friday, Aug. 27, 2004 | 9:52 a.m.

Nick Christensen covers high school athletics for the Las Vegas Sun. He can be reached at 259-4085 or by e-mail at nick.christensen @ lasvegassun .com.

1. McQueen

Lancers resurgent after first-round upset

2. Foothill

High-flying Falcons lead the South

3. Palo Verde

Double-wing gets a first-week bye

4. Reed

Raiders fans have title expectations

5. Bishop Manogue

Reno legend Sellers leads Miners

6. Reno

Huskies 8-1 since Wallace started at QB

7. Las Vegas

Struggled in scrimmage vs. Palo Verde

8. Cimarron

Hatch makes Spartans that much better

9. Elko

Indians' first road trip: 660 miles round trip

10. Desert Pines

Jaguars pounce if Wildcats stumble

--Compiled by the Las Vegas Sun

and the Sparks Tribune

With arguably the city's best football team, Foothill coach Ray Fenton took a pass on a preseason scrimmage. Tonight, we'll see if his gamble paid off.

Skipping the scrimmage gave the Falcons an opportunity for three more days of two-a-day practices, which Fenton said was worth more to his team than a 20-play scrimmage.

And besides, he pointed out, nonleague play doesn't count anyway.

"It's a glorified scrimmage with officials," Fenton said of tonight's first-week game against Eldorado. "We're just trying to iron out the bugs."

Tonight's Hall of Fame games, with half of the gate at each of the seven 4A stadiums to be donated to building a Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Hall of Fame, are highlighted by a Sunrise Conference matchup between Foothill and Eldorado.

Sundevils coach Frank DeSantis isn't talking much about his game plan, but said that tonight's game will be a good gauge as to where his program stands.

"It's important to see if we can stand up with them. It's so early in the year, we can't really say that this is the team we are," he said. "It's important, but it's not the end of the world."

Fenton said his team's game plan is centered around a shootout.

"That's the objective, to outscore them," he said. "We watched them scrimmage. They're very much improved. They're physical on defense, and skilled on offense, led by that quarterback."

Sundevils quarterback Brandon Godfrey passed for 974 yards last season, striking for nine touchdowns with a completion rate of just under 50 percent.

"They're going to be all right," DeSantis said. "You never know until you get to play someone. We're doing the best we can."

Once around the town

The Clark County School District installed the $738,000 Field Turf playing surface for use by Valley's football and soccer programs. Bishop Gorman also plays home football games at Valley.

Vikings coach Jim Massey said the synthetic surface saves the CCSD up to $90,000 a year in maintenance and is great to play on.

"We had real bad ruts in all the soccer areas, the free kick and penalty kick areas and where they put the goals down," he said.

Massey is worried that opposing teams will have an advantage later on in the year, as they will be excited to play on the new turf after his team is used to it. But on the plus side, established markings on the field will allow for consistent ball placement by officials.

But the Cougars didn't have to worry about playing a team used to three-and-out or field goals in the end zones. STM and other British Columbia teams play by American rules.

Coronado coach Paul Berg's effort to bring in STM was for naught, though, as the team canceled. The news came too late for Coronado to find a replacement, and it will be a game short overall.

Anthony was the head coach at Western in 2003 and led the Warriors to the playoffs in two of his three years as coach.

This year, though, he expects even greater things from his former school.

"They should be stacked. They should win at least eight games," he said. "If they don't win at least eight games, something is wrong there."

The Warriors' five nonleague opponents scheduled for this season, including Cheyenne, went a combined 30-15 last season.

Centennial's junior varsity had better be as good as advertised, because the varsity roster is thinner than the paper it's printed on.

"They understand the challenge ahead of them," coach Joel Bertsch said. "They know they're light in numbers. They'll have to step up to play both ways to get it done."

Spread around town

First off, we've got to remind you -- these lines are for your own amusement (and the victorious underdog's bragging rights) only. We don't want to be hearing about any actual gambling on teenage football, and if you do bet, we're going to make you count the blades of grass that remain green by October city-wide (our guess: 6).

That being said, hey, these lines are about fun, so if you want to, go and have fun with them. Rub them in our faces when we're wrong. It's early, and the picks are a little rough around the edges.

So, again emphasizing that these are for your own amusement and everyone's record is 0-0 (except Pine View, who won its opener last week), we'll rev up the Predict-O-Meter for 2004 and give you the Sun Lines on tonight's action.

Games start at 7 p.m.

We'll put the over/under at 53.

Off the uprights: Carson at Moapa Valley; Dixie (Utah) at Virgin Valley; Faith Lutheran at Meadows, all at 7 p.m.