Columnist Nick Christensen: Collision courses

Nick Christensen

Thursday, Oct. 28, 2004 | 10:29 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.

Two teams look for redemption tonight as they try to force three-way ties for first place in their divisions.

In the Northeast, Las Vegas must beat Valley to enter the tie after losing to Eldorado in the second week of league play. Across town, Sierra Vista's double-overtime loss to Bonanza can be forgotten with a win against Bishop Gorman tonight at Valley. And not to be forgotten, the game of the night is probably in Summerlin, as Cheyenne visits No. 2 Palo Verde in a battle of the unbeatens.

Las Vegas must win by 12 or more points to clinch the Northeast Division title, and a win of 5-12 points gives the Wildcats second and Valley third.

"We've seen them on film and we saw them two weeks ago, and we thought they were probably the best team we would face this year," Wildcats coach Chris Faircloth said. "They're very, very athletic and talented. They're along the same lines as Cheyenne as far as putting athletes on the field."

But Faircloth also said that Valley still hasn't faced the pressure that Vegas and other teams have dealt with this year.

"They hadn't been in the big game. They played in the big game last week and won that one," he said. "They gave us proably our toughest game during the season last year. We knew they were going to be like this this year. We knew they'd be very good."

Sierra Vista also faces a tough team, first-place Bishop Gorman and linebacker Ryan Reynolds, who was named an Army All-American last week.

Both teams were tested in Week 8 -- Bishop Gorman hung on to defeat Western 7-6, but Sierra Vista missed a point after attempt against Bonanza in the second overtime to fall back in the pack.

Now, the Mountain Lions need to beat Bishop Gorman by seven or more to move back to the top spot in the Southwest.

"That Bonanza loss was just horrendous. But we're still in it," Sierra Vista coach Ben Johnson said. "We did not play well at all. We had 22 penalties. But it's behind us. We have to beat Gorman and that's our goal. We knew we had to beat them in the beginning anyway. It doesn't change much."

Johnson said he's taking note of what Western did to slow down Bishop Gorman's otherwise strong offense.

"They've got the best running back in the city. Somehow we've got to contain and tackle him," Johnson said. "We're watching that Western tape pretty closely. They're very good offensively, and a very good defensive team."

A win in the Northwest title game means an undefeated season for one of these teams, although Cheyenne technically forfeited its first game of the season after a fight in last year's playoffs. Palo Verde coach Darwin Rost said he was surprised at Cheyenne's success until he took a closer look at that team.

"After looking at my scouting report and really breaking it down and getting some numbers, they are actually a pretty experienced group," he said. "Winning breeds winning. The kids that are seniors now. That's all they've known at that school."

Cheyenne's performance has been centered on running back Torrie Coleman, who filled the void left by David Peeples to the tune of 1,291 rushing yards in seven games. Palo Verde matches with a double-wing offense led by Marc Evans and Jarrell Harrison.

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Happy Nevada Day!

It was Oct. 31, 1864 that Nevada became a state, and until a few years ago, schools and state offices were closed on that day. Now, the last Friday of the month is the state holiday, meaning that high school football closes out the year a week early.

The only games this week without playoff implications involve the three 4A expansion teams. Every established 4A program has a chance to make its postseason -- or break someone else's.

Number crunching will inevitably be a factor, and we've got our calculators ready for any and every playoff scenario so we can print a bracket Friday afternoon. In the meantime, bundle up, hang on, and enjoy what figures to be a great week for prep football. Everything starts at 7 tonight.

Northeast Division title

The call: Las Vegas 32, Valley 24.

The call: Eldorado 54, Chaparral 18.

The call: Desert Pines 40, Rancho 21.

The call: Green Valley 34, Silverado 24.

The call: Foothill 48, Basic 18.

The call: Coronado 34, Liberty 14.

Southwest Division title

The call: Sierra Vista 34, Bishop Gorman 31.

The call: Bonanza 40, Durango 14.

The call: Western 28, Clark 0.

Northwest Division title