Columnist Nick Christensen: Division titles at stake

Nick Christensen

Friday, Oct. 22, 2004 | 10:11 a.m.

Nick Christensen covers high school athletics for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at nick.christensen@lasvegassun.com.

Three teams will be vying for league titles tonight as high school football heads down the homestretch for 2004.

The Southeast Division title will be decided when Silverado plays host to No. 3 Foothill and Nevada's best record at 8-0. Eight miles north on Eastern Avenue, 10-ranked Valley plays host to No. 4 Eldorado, with the Sundevils able to clinch with a win and Valley earning at least a piece of the title with an upset.

Silverado is looking to do the same thing Coronado did last year, that being upsetting the Falcons on the road and taking the top seed in the league. The difference between finishing first and second is big -- the top seed in the Southeast will likely host 3-4 Desert Pines in the first round, whereas the runner-up will probably get 5-2 Las Vegas to open the playoffs.

After last year's experience with Coronado, Foothill coach Ray Fenton said his veteran team is wary of the Skyhawks.

"It's very much in the front of our minds," he said. "Last year we came off a big win against Basic, and we came out flat and got beaten by a good Coronado team."

Fenton is particularly worried about Silverado's defense, second-best in Las Vegas in giving up only 9.6 points per game.

The Northeast title could also be decided tonight, although it's not as cut-and-dried as in the other half of the Sunrise Region. An Eldorado win against Valley clinches the Sundevils' first league title since St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson was wreaking havoc in 2000. But if Valley pulls the upset, the situation is more complex.

Valley might still need to win next Thursday at Las Vegas to clinch the Northeast title. Las Vegas is still in contention if Valley wins tonight, and the Wildcats are able to defeat Desert Pines.

Valley coach Jim Massey said his Vikings are trying not to worry about the playoff scenarios, knowing that a loss tonight could cause his team to slip down to third.

"I don't think we can put that kind of pressure on our kids," he said. "We've got a fairly good shot at winning, but things have to go right."

On the other hand, pressure is all Eldorado's faced this year. Five of Eldorado's eight opponents thus far are or were in the state rankings. The Sundevils are 3-2 against those teams.

"We've played in big games. We've been there," coach Frank DeSantis said.

Spread around town

Every week, I seem to hear the same thing at some school or another. And every week, I nod in agreement when people wonder -- what's up with the mascots?

It's bad enough that the Clark County School District seemingly just picks random words, puts them together, and plasters them on the side of a new high school (Sierra Vista, Palo Verde, Del Sol) or, in the case of other schools, just pick a geographic feature that might not even exist (Canyon Springs, Shadow Ridge) because it's better than naming a school after a street the school's close to but not on (Durango, Cheyenne). And for heaven's sakes, let's have no more '-ado's!

And I understand that not every school can have a good nickname, much less a good school name (Hooray for Green Valley, Spring Valley, and even Centennial). But Spring Valley's selection of Grizzlies was just borderline ridiculous. Three schools are named after the same animal -- Las Vegas' Wildcats, Coronado's Cougars, Sierra Vista's Mountain Lions. All that's left is for a school to be nicknamed the Bobcats.

Of course, that's better than Panthers or Jaguars, neither of which exist in the wild in Southern Nevada. Mustangs and Chargers were extinct here until Spanish traders brought them back 500 years ago, so we'll give them a pass.

But for heaven's sakes, as at least three new high schools, and probably more, open up over the next few years, think creatively! Flip through a few names of 1A mascots -- Thunderbirds, Tarantulas, Muckers and Thunder. Choose some local fauna and make itsound fierce -- Fighting Scorpions, Fighting Burros, Fighting Bighorn Sheep, Fighting Tortoises, Fighting White Tigers or Fighting Jackrabbits.

Now for a few more good choices. All games start at 7 p.m.

The call: Eldorado 31, Valley 14.

The call: Sierra Vista 55, Durango 7.

The call: Shadow Ridge 34, Mojave 7

The call: Rancho 23, Chaparral 20.

The call: Moapa Valley 46, Canyon Springs 20.

The call: Pahrump Valley 38, Del Sol 12.

The call: Bishop Gorman 66, Clark 0.

The call: Cheyenne 40, Centennial 12.

The call: Desert Pines 28, Las Vegas 21.

The call: Foothill 38, Silverado 30.

The call: Bonanza 18, Western 6.