Basic football shows it’s up to the challenge of a shifting coaching staff

By Jared Harmon

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008 | midnight

Before the season began, Basic's football team had all the makings of a rebuilding year — a new head coach, a new quarterback and the departure of the team's top player on both sides of the ball.

It looked like it was going to be a wait-until-next-year scenario for the Wolves.

But that was before the season began.

Through the first six weeks, the Wolves are 5-1 with a 3-0 record in the Southeast Division. While some tough games remain on the schedule, coach Jeff Cahill is excited to see his team come out of the gate so quickly.

"We've been talking for a long time about playing with confidence," Cahill said. "These guys believe in themselves right now and know they can play against anyone. If we limit our turnovers and play a tight defense we'll be in a good spot. But we still have a long way to go."

After serving as the junior varsity coach for six years, Cahill stepped in to replace long-time coach Cliff Frazier. Senior wide receiver Justin Burdno said Cahill was the perfect fit as someone the team was comfortable with.

"We knew right from the beginning of the season that we were going to have a good year," Burdno said. "I think people probably thought we'd have some missteps with coach Frazier leaving and us getting a new coach and new staff, but it went real smooth — it was like overnight. We came out of camp with a good feeling."

Teams likely didn't know what to expect from senior quarterback Robby Faiman who missed the majority of last season with injury and illness. With former two-way star Greg Henderson gone to graduation, the pressure fell to Faiman who has proven himself more than up to the task of leading the offense compiling 546 passing yards and 372 rushing yards with 14 touchdowns.

"Robby can do it all," Cahill said. "When he's on his game he's one of the best quarterbacks in the state. He's been a big part of the offense's success this year."

With three quality receivers in Burdno, Billy Weathers and Jeff Pozdol, as well as Faiman's ability to run the ball, the Wolves are averaging 36 points per game, the highest average in Southern Nevada.

"It feels great to be 3-0 in league play," Faiman said. "I knew we were underrated before the season got started. We had a lot of weapons. We just need to keep up our intensity."

Burdno said the confidence in what the Wolves could do this year extended to the entire team.

"We saw what we had and we knew we could play against anyone," Burdno said. "We saw it right away even if no one else did."

With the offense rolling, it will be up to the defense to decide their fate, Burdno said.

Cahill said the defense has been overshadowed by the flashy numbers from the offense, but his squad has performed well all season. He pointed to tenacious lineman Kevin Hughes and a solid core of linebackers who have dominated opposing offenses while Burdno has pulled down five interceptions at cornerback — he returned two for touchdowns in the season opener against Boulder City High.

The only blemish on the Wolves record is a 35-28 loss to Chaparral Sept. 19 which Cahill chalks up to overconfidence, a problem that he said has been corrected.

Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or [email protected].

Jared Harmon can be reached at 990-8922 or [email protected].