Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2005 | 9:16 a.m.
Basic WOLVES
COACH: Cliff Frazier (14th year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 8/10
KEY PLAYERS: Chris Hosley (Sr., RB); Kenny Ward (Sr., QB); Curtis Armistead (Sr., RB).
X FACTOR: Anton McCallister (Sr., WR/LB). Basic football is a family affair for the McCallisters, and Frazier is pleased to have McCallister, a 5-foot-10, 205-pounder, out this year. "I saw a kid that is a blue-collar kid," Frazier said. "That's what we try to emphasize to our guys, they can't have star syndrome. He's playing his butt off."
OUTLOOK: The Wolves started 2004 with a low growl, but that was reduced to a whimper just minutes into the season after quarterback A.J. Montano suffered a season-ending foot injury. Basic went 1-8, beating only Liberty and scoring 12 points per game while giving up over 40.
"To the kids' credit they played every down. It wasn't like every game they just quit," Frazier said. "The kids just realized it takes a different type of individual to play 4A football."
This year, Curtis Armistead and Chris Hosley anchor a running attack that Frazier said was "sorely missing" last season. A renewed focus on stopping the run on defense should help. "I just really feel like what I'm seeing now in practice is our kids trying to be physical and get the mindset that they come out and get after people," Frazier said. Should that fire burn into October, Basic will find itself back in the playoffs.
Coronado COUGARS
COACH: Alex Moore (1st year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 7/6
KEY PLAYERS: Tysson Poots (Sr., WR); Adrian Felix (Sr., RB); Matt Coleman (Sr., DL).
X FACTOR: Chris Desjardins (Sr., WR). With the 12th-most rushing yards in Las Vegas last year, Desjardins impressed with an overachieving Cougars squad. "He's not the fastest running back in the city, but he's hard-nosed, he works hard, and he'll give you 100 percent on every play," Moore said. "He'll do anything you ask him to do."
OUTLOOK: Coronado is perhaps the most intriguing team in the Southeast Division. The Cougars have a good core of veteran players, but grossly underachieved last year, finishing the season 5-5 with a schedule that included Basic, Liberty and Durango (combined 4-24 record).
"We've got two good running backs and we're going to play to our strengths," Moore said. "Not much is going to change. We're doing the same thing."
The same might not be good enough, with four teams legitimately contending for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Southeast Division. But the Cougars are an experienced bunch, and that may be the edge.
Del Sol DRAGONS
COACH: Preston Goroff (2nd year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 4/3
KEY PLAYERS: Brandon Makridis (Sr., QB); Chris Dunfield (Sr., WR/LB); Deandre Green (Sr., G/DT).
X FACTOR: Tim Johnson (Jr., RB). Johnson, who finished 2nd in the state in the 200-meter dash last year (21.84 seconds), is an all-around athlete who figures to spruce up the Dragons' ground attack. "He's got a nose for the ball," Goroff said. "He's one of those inside linebacker-fullback types -- a heart and soul of the team type guy."
OUTLOOK: It's easy to dismiss a second-year team, especially a team that won two games last season -- both against Spring Valley, which finished 0-9. In fact, it's too easy to dismiss Del Sol. So don't. This team could be good. Under Goroff, a former Foothill assistant, the Dragons have made significant improvements, particularly in the weight room.
"We're going to be big this year," Goroff said. "We're going to have our athletes. Hopefully they can pick up the system quickly."
The group impressed several area coaches at UNLV's football camp this summer. If they live up to the hype, the Dragons could reasonably expect to break even this year -- not bad for a second-year effort.
Foothill FALCONS
COACH: Marty Redmond (1st year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 3/7
KEY PLAYERS: D'Angelo Jones (Jr., RB); Michael Stokes (Sr., DL); Brandon Baker (Sr., DB).
X FACTOR: James Silvas (Jr., QB). Replacing a quarterback as versatile as Arthur Mayville will be no small task for Silvas. But with two years to develop with running back D'Angelo Jones, Silvas has the potential to do great things. "He's looking forward to having a great season," Redmond said. "He's a pretty composed kid for a junior."
OUTLOOK: Foothill lost a lot more than a Sunrise region quarterfinal last year after going undefeated through the regular season. The Falcons lost quarterback Arthur Mayville and defensive stalwart Antonio Hartwell, both seniors. Then they lost coach Ray Fenton, who left in March after being offered the head coaching job at his alma mater, Cypress (Calif.)
Foothill should have a solid season. Running back D'Angelo Jones had 1,861 yards on 221 carries during the regular season last year, and a 2,000 yard season is well within reach. But all in all, this could be a trying season for Foothill, as other Southeast teams smell blood in the water and will step up against the school that has been so dominant since opening in 1999. Starting the season with games against Eldorado and Palo Verde doesn't make things any easier.
Green Valley GATORS
COACH: Greg Murphy (3rd year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 6/4
KEY PLAYERS: Robert Reynolds (Sr., QB); Jeff Garcia (Sr., RB); Gabe Garcia (Sr., LB).
X FACTOR: Aaron Bagsby Jr. (Sr., FS). A transfer from Silverado, Bagsby will see time at running back and receiver, but his focus is on defense. "He's very athletic, he reads very well and works extremely hard in practice," Murphy said.
OUTLOOK: Murphy is one of the valley's more respected coaches, and Green Valley is a fairly experienced squad with a relatively high number of returning starters. The Gators lost running back Jairus Howard (1,290 yards on 189 carries) but return Jeff Garcia (511 on 114) and Brian Wiltshire (100 on 9). Quarterback Robert Reynolds passed for 444 yards on just under 50 percent completions.
Green Valley has some depth problems, and injuries could be disastrous. But a relatively weak non-league schedule coupled with a forgiving league schedule (Foothill and Silverado bookending Basic, Liberty and Del Sol) could spell great things for the Gators.
Liberty PATRIOTS
COACH: Lou Markouzis (3rd year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 7/7
KEY PLAYERS: Blake Niggemeier (Sr., QB); Joe Crawford (Sr., TE); Luke Rice (Jr., TB).
X FACTOR: Llo'Witt Cook (Jr., FB). Cook came on strongly for Liberty last season, scoring three touchdowns in rushing for 578 yards. Last year, he carried the bulk of the Patriots' attack.
"He's a tenacious hitter and a hell of a runner," Markouzis said. "We're hoping a couple of little additions to the team and the kids that have grown into the program can alleviate some of Llo'Witt's load."
OUTLOOK: Numbers continue to be a problem at Liberty, a school that should have been in the 3A for the past two seasons. With a projected enrollment of around 1,500 for 2005-06, Liberty will still have 500 fewer students than the next smallest 4A school in Las Vegas.
But with a smaller school comes a tight-knit group that has suffered together for two seasons, and they're ready for some divisional success. "We think this year we've got a little better of a product -- the kids are a little more physically mature," Markouzis said. "We're hoping physical maturity in the offseason keeps us in more football games this year. It's a big goal of our program to hang in there and see if we can be competitive in every game."
Liberty continues to take baby steps, but simply need a wider talent pool before the Patriots can taste real success in the Southeast Division.
Silverado SKYHAWKS
COACH: Doug Thornhill (3rd year)
RETURNING STARTERS (O/D): 5/6
KEY PLAYERS: Randy Liles (Sr., FS); Ben Jacobs (Sr., LB); Kyle Rath (Sr., LB).
X FACTOR: Tyler McNeace (Sr., QB). McNeace had a great year in 2004 both in the air and on the ground, and the Skyhawks will need him to continue to produce offense if they plan on living up to the preseason hype.
-- Nick Christensen
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