Disappointing loss should not define Palo Verde’s talented football squad

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 | 3:12 p.m.

Nobody remembers who takes second.

This saying, which is often used in sports to describe teams that lost the big game, isn't necessarily true with Palo Verde's football team.

The Summerlin squad suffered a heart-breaking 13-12 loss Saturday to Reno's McQueen High in the large-school state championship game at UNR's Mackay Stadium. The defeat, however, shouldn't define an otherwise dominant season.

In a day and age when a majority of Southern Nevada team's are watered down, the result of growth spreading the talent to a slim few at each school, Palo Verde was stacked. So stacked, that you can make arguments that it was Las Vegas' best team in the last decade.

The Panthers were led by a group of five who could be playing Division I football next fall and outscored opponents 537-148 to enter the title game undefeated. Palo Verde has gone 26-2 the last two years, with both losses decided in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.

A day after falling to McQueen, with the disappointment of the loss still fresh in his voice, Palo Verde's Darwin Rost called the squad one of the best he's coached.

While the Panthers' talented athletes played a huge role in their success, it wasn't the only thing that made them a special group.

"The thing that stood out was these guys were really good friends," Rost said. "They could care less who got the glory."

Palo Verde had eight seniors who saw significant action on both sides of the ball. They were the last to board the bus following the loss, and received a standing ovation from teammates for their contributions to the program.

Seniors Alex Bonczyk, Dave Castro Jr., Edwin Cruz, Torin Harris, Sidney Hodge, Liloa Nobriga, Chaz Thomas and Kelly Zurowski set an example for younger teammates about how to dedicate themselves to the program, the coach said.

Linebackers Castro and Nobriga, two of the Las Vegas Valley's top defensive players, volunteered to play both ways this year, adding offensive line duties to their resume to help key Palo Verde's dominant rushing attack. The Panthers rushed for a Las Vegas Valley best 4,395 yards.

"All these kids had such a great passion for the game," Rost said.

Rost also has a passion for the game. He's spent every Sunday in the football office at Palo Verde since the middle of the summer preparing.

Even with the season over, Rost logged his normal office hours last weekend, less than 24 hours after coming up short in the title game.

Rost's dedication to winning is the main reason why the Panthers have played in the last seven state semifinals, including capturing the 2004 crown. He puts in ridiculous hours year-round to give the Summerlin community one of the state's top programs.

Sure, the Panthers came up short this year, but Rost will have them back in thick of the postseason next fall.

Knowing the coach, he probably spent that first Sunday in his office working on a starting lineup for next year.

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