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Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
Cheyenne football players Darius Gantt, Devin Tatum and Dylan Power Thursday, July 26, 2012.
Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2012 | 2:05 a.m.
Prep Sports Now
Sollenberger Classic, Division 1-A and Wiz Khalifa
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Back from Arizona, a heartbroken Ray Brewer recounts the costly mistakes that made Nevada teams go 0-2 in this year's Sollenberger Classic. Fellow Las Vegas Sun sports reporter Case Keefer helps him cope by looking at this week's national showdown between Bishop Gorman and Maryland's Our Lady Of Good Counsel. The two also babble semi-coherently on the rest of the week's games and high school football players' favorite rappers. Don't forget to subscribe to Prep Sports Now on Itunes.
Cheyenne football coach David Cochran frequently delivers a similar message to the players on his team: Championships are won on the field, not the Internet.
Ever since the Desert Shields were realigned to the new Division I-A, several in high school football circles have penciled them in as the favorite to win the state title.
The new division takes the old 3A classification — Boulder City, Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley — and combines them with schools, such as Chaparral, Western and Sunrise Mountain, that struggled to compete in recent years against larger-enrollment schools. The realignment formula factored in results for several sports, meaning Cheyenne was better suited for the lower level because its athletic programs as a whole struggled.
Football rarely has had a down season in the school’s 20-plus year history, including last year when they lost by one point to a Centennial squad that nearly reached the Sunset Regional title game. Roughly 10 years ago, Cheyenne knocked three-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman out of the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
“Some of the kids are getting comfortable and caught up, reading their own press clippings,” Cochran said. “We need to continue to work hard, and hopefully our hard work and dedication will pay off with some victories.
“Like I tell them all the time, nobody will lay down for you just because you are Cheyenne. Everyone in our new conference has a new life. They think they can win it all. We can’t let what the media says get to our head.”
Cheyenne Coach David Cochran
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Cheyenne High School Coach David Cochran talks about the upcoming 2012 football season.
One look at the 12-team division and it’s easy to see why Cheyenne could be the favorites. The Desert Shields and Desert Pines High are the only teams from the new division that made the large-school playoffs last year, and Cheyenne returns a sure-thing college prospect in running back Myloe Lewis, who is one of two players from the Division I-A on the Sun’s preseason all-city team.
Also, Maxpreps.com ranks Cheyenne as Nevada’s seventh most consistent program in a listing of each state’s top 10 consistent teams.
Winning a state title, however, won’t be as easy as showing up each Friday night — especially when showing up on Friday nights won’t be as easy as before.
Cheyenne will play one road game 70 miles away at Pahrump Valley and could have to travel to Overton’s Moapa Valley, Mesquite’s Virgin Valley or up north to face defending state champ Truckee in the playoffs. Learning how to prepare for the road trips — such as having a snack for players after a long bus ride — could become equally important as learning how to stop the opposition’s offense.
Cheyenne's Myloe Lewis from the Sun's All-City team.
“No matter who you play or where you are playing, it is about producing,” Cochran said. “You have to play the hand that is dealt to you.”
Lewis, who runs a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, automatically gives Cheyenne an advantage because there traditionally aren’t many players at this level with his speed. Still, like Cochran has preached to him, yards and touchdowns won’t be easy to come by.
“We just have to stay humble and put in the work out here,” said Lewis, who last year rushed for 963 yards and 12 touchdowns. “It’s good to be in this position, but we have to stay level-headed and trust the coaches.”
Lewis isn’t the lone player who should shine for Cheyenne.
Senior defensive lineman Victor Magana was a first-team all-Northwest selection last year, and senior defensive end Dylan Power (6-foot-4, 230 pounds) is a returning starter with a big body the opposition could find tough to contain. Last year, both thrived in the Northwest League — which was widely considered the state’s toughest league.
“We aren’t too confident. We are just out here trying to win some games,” Power said. “We want to show everyone that we are Cheyenne and show them what Cheyenne is about, and that’s winning some games.”
Cheyenne also returns wide receiver and defensive back Devin Tatum and expects big things from Darius Gantt at running back, wide receiver and defensive back.
Piece all the parts together and even Cochran knows it has the making for a good season. Well, only if his players put in the work.
“My theme is always the same: Hard work and dedication will result in good things,” the coach said.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.
For the Cheyenne thing here's the deal. They don't belong in Div 1A but just happened to have the ball bounce their way. They can beat or compete with most in Div 1 they know that and we know that. Think it's a shame Rancho is in Div I and the Desert Shields in the subdivision. But nonetheless that's not their fault and I am only trying to give them love with that point.
They are clearly the most talented and loaded team-by far in Div IA on paper. However many a more talented and athletic team has had to travel north only to lose. Ask Vegas, Palo, Moapa and Liberty.
The fact that there isn't even a mention of Truckee/Moapa dominance AND ability to compete and beat 4A schools is what kills me. Moapa whooped Del Sol at home last year. They lost to Legacy by 3 points.. Cheyenne lost to Legacy by 2. Cheyenne is a clearly talented team but to do a whole piece on them being the favorites with only mentioning the mileage they'd travel seems off. A 70 mile trip to play Pahrump is hardly what they'll face against Truckee, in November hundreds of miles away.
On paper Cheyenne has the speed, talent and numbers to beat everyone in Div IA. But games aren't played on paper.
Truckee and Moapa have 1/3 the enrollment of most of the new Div IA schools, Cheyenne included. They don't have nearly the D1 talent and a lot, a lot less speed but they will have a very good chance of beating Cheyenne because they have football PROGRAMS.
They build, they have community support, pride and discipline. No disrespect to Cheyenne and what they do but there's a reason Moapa and Truckee have consistently faired well against upper division schools with 3x more enrollment. There's a reason Moapa came to Vegas and beat Del Sol, shut out Silverado and almost beat Legacy.
If it's Cheyenne vs Truckee in Vegas, i'd put my money on Cheyenne. The numbers and speed is a lot to make up. If they're playing up north, as likely they will, i give Truckee the odds to win. Cheyenne hasn't had to play a program like them or travel that far or play in that weather. It'll be a lot for those kids to make up, specially if they go up there expecting a cake walk with their heads blown up because everything they read fails to mention why winning a Div IA title will hold some weight and be meaningful- because you'll have to win against good programs and win far far away from home in order to do it.
Not to take anything away from Cheyenne, but don't be surprised to see them lose tmrw against DP. And don't be surprised if the Wilkes kid has more yards than Lewis. Not to take away from Milo, but Wilkes is bigger and he rushed for almost 900 yds last year while rotating w the sr Hayes kid. I was told DP was the top team at the Del Sol scrimmage last weekend. They also have some size. I may be wrong, all I'm saying is don't just anoint Cheyenne too quickly.
Thanks for this article. Loving it up North...