Centennial, Silverado, Green Valley roll along in 4A girls’ soccer

Nick Christensen

Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005 | 9:40 a.m.

Three teams remain undefeated this year in 4A girls' soccer, quite an accomplishment this late in the season.

Defending champion Centennial continues to roll in the Sunset Region, and neither Silverado nor Green Valley has lost in the Sunrise Southeast.

The latter two teams played to a 1-1 tie earlier this season, and play again Friday night at Green Valley.

Green Valley has been dominant this year, outscoring opponents 65-4, according to coach Bill Naftaly. Senior Lindsey Scheiss has scored 28 of those goals.

"We're a bit young, so there really has been a good mix of senior leadership ... it's a little different from Green Valley teams in the past," Naftaly said. "They continue to just jell and play very well together -- it's a great group of girls to be around and I think that shows by the way they've been playing."

Silverado coach Vicki Mangione said her team has been using the boys' state title in the fall as an inspiration.

"It's a real motivator for our girls," she said. "They're the ones who keep bringing it up so that's kind of cool."

Mangione said her focus now is getting the team ready for the always-unpredictable soccer playoffs.

"The good thing is these girls have been there," she said. "Our team definitely knows what it's like to play in overtime -- we've been working on conditioning."

Valley, Rancho, Green Valley and Silverado are all having great seasons in the Sunrise Region, and any could challenge for the state title -- or for the fourth seed that goes to the winner of a game between the Sunrise and Sunset runners-up.

"Obviously I think going in they'll be the favorites to do that; they're the two really good teams that have accomplished and proven a lot," Green Valley coach Adam Patai said. "Once you get into the playoffs and state tournament, in the postseason surprises could happen. There's an old saying -- any given night."

This year, though, the Falcons are struggling. Despite a late surge, Foothill is 9-9 overall, 4-4 in league and is in a four-way battle for the third and fourth playoff seeds in the Southeast Division. Right now, the Falcons are fifth in their division.

Coach Kevin Soares said despite the struggles, it's too early to count out the 4A runner-up.

"We have eight new faces, it's just a matter of time to figure out what combinations work," Soares said. "We're starting to figure it out a little bit.'

Kevin Kreier leads the Falcons in scoring, with Bobby Watkins and DeAngelo Jones making key contributions as well. The expected return of guard Brandon Baker could be enough to bring the Falcons back to last year's form, just in time for the playoffs. Baker broke his leg in football season.

"We realize all you have to do is make it to the playoffs and anything can happen," Soares said.

Reed's girls are undefeated this year, with Douglas, Churchill County and Reno having decent seasons. One boys' and one girls' team from the Northern Region will qualify for next month's state tournament at the Orleans Arena.

In wrestling, the rurals are dominating. According to NevadaPrep.com, Carson, Douglas, Elko and Churchill County are all undefeated. The state tournament begins next month at Winnemucca.

Girls soccer up north was settled in November, with Galena claiming its share of the state title, and the northern kids have traded in pads for skis.

A Bishop Gorman win Wednesday, coupled with a Sierra Vista loss at Clark, locks the Gaels into a playoff spot. Valley's boys can clinch tonight, but it's not likely -- they'd need to win at Canyon Springs, but also would need 4-15 Las Vegas High to upset Desert Pines.

Both the Valley and Las Vegas girls' teams can clinch tonight if the Vikings defeat Canyon Springs. Desert Pines could also clinch a Northeast seed if they upset Las Vegas at home.

Green Valley and Coronado are both on the brink, needing wins against Liberty and Foothill respectively to get in. They also need Basic to beat Silverado to clinch tonight.

Not surprisingly, Bishop Gorman and Centennial also can clinch Wednesday night. Bishop Gorman needs to beat Durango at home, and Centennial is in if they beat Cimarron-Memorial. If Shadow Ridge beats Cheyenne, both the Mustangs and Bulldogs clinch in the Northwest Division.

The 4A hoops playoffs begin Feb. 14.