Palo Verde, Las Vegas will settle it all

Nick Christensen

Friday, Dec. 3, 2004 | 9:26 a.m.

When Chris Faircloth was hired as Las Vegas High School's head football coach in January after 13 years as an assistant, he knew the expectations would be high. Whether he'd reach those goals would be another story.

"I had the expectation to be right where we're at right now," Faircloth said. "I think the bar was set in 2001: If you don't get into this game every year, we're not fulfilling expectations."

Las Vegas won the championship in 2001, and the Wildcats (12-2) play Palo Verde (13-0) for the 2004 4A state championship at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

For Palo Verde, this game is all about last year, having lost to the Wildcats 41-7 in a state semifinal. And for Vegas, it seems the Wildcats don't want to think about last year, and who can blame them?

Las Vegas had the most painful postseason imaginable, losing quarterback Chris Gifford and running back Eric Jordan to injury, then suffering a traumatic loss when defensive back Edward Gomez died from a head injury sustained during the Sunrise Region championship game. The Wildcats made it to the state championship, but lost to Reno at Mackay Stadium.

It was six days after Gomez's passing that the Panthers headed to Frank Nails Field for the state semifinal, a game that wound up so lopsided that Palo Verde coach Darwin Rost pulled his starters in the second half. The loss is still fresh in the minds of Palo Verde's players and coaches.

"Everyone remembers how they felt, coming off those emotions," Palo Verde quarterback Jarrell Harrison said.

Harrison, who helped to guide the Panthers to the state basketball title in February, is in familiar territory.

"I remember walking into the locker room when they won it up at Lawlor and he said, 'Now we're going to win it in football,' " Rost said. "As soon as that night was over his focus was doing whatever he could to win it in football. He spilled that across the team."

Harrison said that having been to the state semifinals for the past three years, his football teammates should be prepared.

"Every year, we're right there this time of year," he said. "We've got lots of experience in this type of atmosphere, we just haven't been to the big gusto."

Rost has been to the "big gusto," as an assistant coach at Eldorado. The Sundevils win the state championship in 1991.

"It's a lot of the same type of group," Rost said. "That group went 8-1 as freshmen, 9-0 as JV kids, and they had that commitment -- we're seniors, we're winning, we're putting time into it. When they were juniors, they had an 8-3 year and they lost to Chaparral. Those kids really committed themselves to the offseason as a senior group they were going to plan on winning state next year. This group is very similar to that, after they got beaten by Vegas last year, they committed on the offseason since day one."

Adding to the pressure for Harrison, Oregon State head coach Mike Riley was watching Palo Verde practice in Summerlin Thursday, and visited Harrison's home that night.

"I keep that separated from what I'm trying to do now," Harrison said. "I'm keeping my eyes on the prize, and keep the individual achievement away from what the team achieves."

Across town, Oregon assistant Robin Ross was at Frank Nails Field, watching the Wildcats practice, trying to reach what they came just short of last year.

But, said Faircloth, this game isn't about last year.

"I don't know how much bearing last year has on us at this point," he said. "We've kind of, I believe, even though Ed's death will always be with us, it's not something we dwell on every day. As far as injuries and so forth, those happen to everybody."

Christian Vidal was one of the Wildcats who was uninjured for last year's playoff run. He said that he feels the pressure now, not because his team came up short last season but instead because as a senior this is his last chance.

"What they're saying looking at last year, I think that's a little cocky," Vidal said. "It doesn't matter what we did last year, it matters what happens this year."

And this season, the Wildcats have Jordan. A junior, he ran for 2,658 yards and 31 touchdowns this season. Clearly the biggest threat in Las Vegas' offense, Jordan ran for all three of the Wildcats' touchdowns last week on the cold, slushy field at Reed High School in Sparks.

Jordan may be the most potent part of the Wildcats' attack, but Vidal, running back Jamal Lomax and quarterback O'Ryan Bradley all are playmakers.

"You know (Jordan's) going to get his yards," Rost said. "They have other players that are key role players. Lomax has really come on this second half. He was the kid carrying the load as a sophomore. Their quarterback's back and I think he's throwing the ball better than he's ever thrown it. Then Vidal, he started last year as a junior, I think he started as a sophomore too. He's got real good speed. But the focus is to slow down Jordan as best you can."

Vidal, who had 527 receiving yards this season as Las Vegas' second offensive threat, said that his team poses much more of a threat than just Eric Jordan.

"If it was only Eric Jordan's team, we wouldn't need a tight end, we wouldn't need a quarterback," Vidal said.

As for stopping Palo Verde's confusing double-wing offense, Faircloth said his concern was his team's Aug. 21 preseason scrimmage against Palo Verde.

"At the scrimmage we got manhandled," Faircloth said. "The key is we have to play assignment defense, be very unselfish, and be very very physical. When you only play this once a year it's hard to get a handle on it."