Teams out to prove they can compete with big boys

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

Del Sol High football coach Preston Goroff is still disappointed his team was included in the proposal.

The Dragons, which have earned the reputation as being one of the Las Vegas Valley’s most physical teams, have advanced to the last three Sunrise Regional championship games in becoming one of the state’s elite teams.

But not elite enough to save his school’s status in the large-school classification and keep them from being put into a league with Boulder City High and first-year Sunrise Mountain High.

Del Sol should be competing against Las Vegas High — the team it has lost to in the last three regional finals — and mentioned among the likes of Palo Verde and Bishop Gorman as the city’s top teams, the coach argued.

The same sentiment is shared by coaches at Arbor View and Basic, who were also displeased at not being included in the large classification as the result of a realignment plan that was proposed last spring.

Luckily for Goroff and others, the proposal — which took roughly a dozen schools from the large-school classification and placed them in the middle division of a three-classification plan — wasn’t passed during a Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association board meeting in June.

While officials are taking feedback and looking for a better solutions, coaches who argue they belong in the top league know this fall is their chance to prove it.

“We understand that if we don’t have a good season that will give them more ammunition to keep us down,” Goroff said. “I personally feel a lot of pressure.”

The proposal included all sports at a school, meaning the successful Del Sol football squad or Canyon Springs basketball team wouldn’t be safe if other teams at their school aren’t competitive. If passed, it would have gone into action for all sports except football this fall.

Football would have followed in 2010.

Still, the coaches know that this could be the last year for the four-classification format.

“You shouldn’t be able to judge a team by one season, but that’s the situation we feel we are faced with,” Goroff said.

While the coaches know what is at risk, the issue has never been a priority for the athletes.

When the proposal was announced, Arbor View coach Dan Barnson said several players came to him with concerns. But since football wouldn’t immediately be changed, most worries went away.

Now, it’s a virtual non-issue for the athletes.

“I don’t think our kids have thought about a possible move,” Barnson said. “That has went away in the last few months. When it was put to rest by the NIAA and everyone else, that was it.”

Realignment wasn’t scheduled to be addressed until 2012, but became a priority last spring because officials said it would help save money with travel in the state’s rough economic climate.

While schools like Western or Clark would thrive against smaller-enrollment schools currently in the 3A classification, it wouldn’t be a good fit for other schools.

Take the Basic football team.

The Wolves won the Southeast Division title last year, reached the Sunrise Regional semifinals and take pride in competing with the area’s top programs each year.

“I don’t think (the proposal) took much into account,” Basic coach Jeff Cahill said.

Arbor View, which opened in 2005, is one of the valley’s up-and-coming programs. The Aggies still haven’t reached the playoffs, but Barnson feels they are on the verge of breaking through. He would like the success to come against the best the state has to offer.

“Hopefully we can put our name on the map,” Barnson said. “(The proposal) hasn’t changed our attitude of wanting to prove we belong.”