prep football preview:

Canyon Springs looks to improve on one-win season

Sam Morris

Canyon Springs football player Jonathan James Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009.

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

Canyon Springs High coach Hunkie Cooper has avoided several of the challenges that come with being a first-year head coach.

Cooper won’t have to worry about familiarizing himself with the school or the Pioneers’ personnel because he already has a relationship with the majority of the players from his three years as an assistant for Canyon Springs.

“I know the kids, I know them well,” Cooper said. “I know their parents. I know the environment they live in. I know the environment they thrive in.”

Canyon Springs won only one game last season. For Cooper, it’s no mystery why — they neglected the little things.

Canyon Springs racked up penalty yards, allowed third down conversions and was undisciplined, the coach said.

“I know we have talent,” Cooper said. “Now, it’s just getting it exposed.”

Canyon Springs is particularly talented in the defensive backfield, where senior Paul Woodward and junior Marquon Webster roam. Cooper listed Woodward and Webster as two of the leaders of his team.

Offensively, the Pioneers will platoon juniors Jamaal Martin and Dvante Howard at quarterback. Martin will add a new dimension to Canyon Springs’ rushing game, while Howard can attack defenses through the air.

“We’ve got two different styles of quarterback,” Cooper said. “One’s a runner and one’s a pocket passer so I think they’ll complement each other well and they’ll be able to do good things.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or at case.keefer@lasvegassun.com.

Area Football Teams

See bigger map

Scoring Alerts

Sign up and we'll send you updates after each quarter for every game we cover each week. We also will soon provide an e-mail newsletter every Friday and Saturday with previews and recaps from around the Valley.

All alerts »

Latest Stories

Bishop Gorman takes Sunset Region title in win over Cimarron

Freshman quarterback Anu Solomon passes for 200 yards, leads Gaels to within one game of vying for state championship

Anu Solomon deserved some praise after this performance. So when Bishop Gorman coach Tony Sanchez spotted Solomon after his team’s 31-7 victory against Cimarron-Memorial in the Sunset Region Championship game, he called the freshman quarterback over and put his arm around him.