Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004 | 9:56 a.m.
It wasn't long ago that Faith Lutheran was the underdog.
The private school, fresh into a new Summerlin campus, lived in the shadow of its secular neighbor, The Meadows, and the Mustangs' football dominance at the 2A level.
Now, however, Faith Lutheran is playing the first 3A football in Las Vegas since the 4A schools were bumped up from 3A in 1996. The Meadows still sits at 2A, not only on the smaller stage but no longer as dominant as in years past.
The turnabout couldn't have been more clear last weekend, when Meadows was forced to forfeit its opener against its rival, Faith Lutheran, after injuries ravaged the Mustangs' roster. Behind 37-6 with 8:34 remaining, a Meadows senior defensive lineman suffered a dislocated knee, and the game was stalled for 30 minutes while paramedics attended to the unidentified player.
The Crusaders had their second string in the game. The Meadows was just hanging on, with only 14 varsity players sitting on the sideline, cramping after the long delay.
Meadows coach Chris Lounsberry called the game.
With a high school enrollment of close to 575, Faith's leap to the 3A level was mandated by Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association enrollment guidelines, which dictate that schools with between 461 and 1,200 students play at the 3A level. Faith Lutheran athletic director Bret Walter said the school knew last year that the Crusaders would be making the jump.
The move has benefits, beyond exposing the school to newer 4A schools as well as mid-major high schools in Southern Nevada.
"There's a lot less travel during league competition," Walter said. "In almost all sports, it takes out the White Pine, Lincoln County, Needles. We trade out those trips for trips that our farthest league game is now is Mesquite."
Faith Lutheran coach Jake Kothe said the transition to a 3A school required a significant investment of time and resources on the part of the school.
"We've really, over the last three or four years, developed a strong strength and conditioning program," Kothe said. "We don't have the biggest kids, but our kids are strong and that's due to the weight room."
Kothe said the team has also been going to football camps in Cedar City, Utah, over the summer, along with 3A competitors Moapa Valley and Pahrump.
"We're excited about being able to not have to travel hours and hours and hours for road trips," he said. "When you move up it's exciting, when you get a chance to play bigger schools.
"The kids want to see where they measure up, too."
As a 3A school, the Crusaders are locks to play the new 4A schools in Las Vegas -- this year, Spring Valley, Del Sol, and Canyon Springs are on the schedule. Kothe said the Crusaders tried to schedule established 4A teams this year, and they'd like to play 4A teams in the future.
Bishop Gorman and Bishop Manogue, the only private schools in 4A, had 2003 enrollments of 857 and 494, respectively. Bishop Gorman has consistently had success in 4A, and Manogue, playing its first season in 4A up north, is considered a favorite to win the High Desert League.
Could Faith Lutheran also try for 4A status in Southern Nevada?
"I feel like we're going to level off over the next couple of years until we can build our junior high building," Kothe said. "Eventually athletically we want to be able to play the top schools in the state and so we'll continue to strive for that in all athletic events."
Walter said the Crusaders need to gauge themselves before they approach a move at the state's top level.
"I think we need to evaluate all of our programs at that point. We're not ready for that yet, but we've been improving a lot," he said. "We're not ready just jumping up from 2A to 3A; we're playing a few 4A schools in a couple of sports. That'll be a good indication of where we're at, I think.
"We're trying to fit in at 3A before we even think about that."
With the 3A South fairly strong and Moapa Valley setting a tone by beating 4A Carson last weekend, this year will be a good indication of how close the Crusaders are -- and how far they've come.
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