Creating a champion

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008 | 5:50 p.m.

Jarrell Harrison remembers the first practice.

A sophomore quarterback on Palo Verde's football squad, Harrison and his teammates were the first group to run the program's signature offense. It was the summer of 2002 and longtime Panthers coach Darwin Rost introduced the double-wing to a group of confused athletes, Harrison said.

"Our first reaction was, 'What is this? Why is everyone so close together?,'" Harrison said. "That initial year it took a couple of games to get used to. But we ended up scoring 35 points a game and going to the state semifinals."

By 2004, they were running the offense to near perfection. With Harrison leading the way, Palo Verde captured its lone state football title that fall, a 21-7 victory against Las Vegas High.

Still running the double-wing, the Panthers (14-0) are back in the state title game. They play Reno's McQueen High Saturday for the large-school title at UNR's Mackay Stadium.

The double-wing features every offensive player in a tight formation, and it relies on a host of misdirection runs, counters and options to confuse defenses. The Panthers have played in seven consecutive state semifinals since installing the offense and have won 27 of their last 28 games.

Harrison, a sophomore at City College of San Francisco and one of the nation's most sought-after junior college recruits, credits Rost for turning Palo Verde into a powerhouse. It was Palo Verde's program that gave him a head start at the next level.

"It's the coaching at Palo Verde," Harrison said. "All of the coaches have played college football and knows what it takes to get there. They are a step ahead of everybody and it shows during the games."

Harrison was seemingly a step ahead of the opposition when he played. He also won a state title with Palo Verde's basketball team as a junior point guard in 2004.

"The kid had loads of confidence," Rost said. "He was the kid who could take a busted play and make something out of it. He was that good of an athlete. Defensively he could lock up and guard anybody."

Harrison originally signed to play football with UNLV out of high school but has never played for the Rebels, at least not yet. He'll take a recruiting visit to UNLV next weekend, and then decide between North Carolina, Arizona, Missouri and UNLV before the end of the year.

He remembers former Gorman stars Ryan Reynolds and DeMarco Murray being heavily recruited out of high school while he flew under the radar. He had offers only from UNLV and Oregon State because he wanted to be a college quarterback.

Now, he plays safety and his phone rings off the hook from recruiters.

"The whole process has been crazy because out of high school nobody wanted me," he said. "I wasn't Ryan Reynolds or DeMarco Murray (who now start for Oklahoma), but now I am getting calls from all over the country."

Come this Saturday, however, he plans to be the one making the call. He still talks with Rost each week, and plans on making congratulatory call that evening.

"Every senior wants to go out with a title, and that's what we got to do," Harrison said.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@hbcpub.com.