Attached to his foot by a string, an alligator drags behind Basic assistant coach Dan Cahill throughout football practice on Monday. Basic will face the Gators on Friday in the annual Henderson Bowl.
Friday, Oct. 13, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Basic High assistant football coach Dan Cahill arrived at practice Monday with an accessory to his outfit.
Cahill had a stuffed gator tied to his ankle, dragging the toy across the field during the workout in his Henderson Bowl practice week tradition.
The 75-year-old Cahill, who has coached more than three decades at the school, does this every fall to help motivate the Basic players ahead of the rivalry game with the Green Valley Gators. Henderson Bowl is 7 p.m. today at Green Valley.
Cahill in 1991 coached in the first game of the series, which was created when Green Valley opened as Henderson’s second high school. The rivalry has never wavered — and for good reason, the coach said.
“In the beginning, when Green Valley was first built, there was kind of an elitist attitude about Green Valley,” Cahill said. “The adults we encountered didn’t even want to admit that Green Valley was part of Henderson. Our part of Henderson was industrial, a blue-collar town. Green Valley was elite.”
Green Valley has won the past five meetings and holds a 21-10 edge in the series. In the initial years of the rivalry, Green Valley won by lopsided scores. Nowadays, the games are closely contested.
Basic coach Jeff Cahill, Dan’s son, played in that initial game in 1991. He returned in the 2000s to join the coaching staff and in 2008 was elevated to head coach.
There’s been a ton of great memories over the years for everyone involved. For Jeff Cahill, that signature moment came in his first year as head coach.
Basic and Green Valley each entered with an undefeated league record, meaning the winner would capture the division title and the now-defunct Henderson City Championship. The game had extra emotion because Green Valley player LaQuan Phillips, who was nearly paralyzed earlier in the season and was still using a wheelchair, made a surprise appearance to motivate his teammates.
The teams pushed the rivalry to the side to celebrate Phillips, and then Basic prevailed in a back-and-forth game, 33-28.
“Most of these kids grew up watching the Henderson Bowl,” Jeff Cahill said. “They know why it is special and they want to win.”
This year’s version of the game could also help Basic to a division title.
The Wolves, 3-1 in conference, finish the regular season next week against Foothill. If Foothill beats Faith Lutheran tonight in a battle of the league’s only undefeated teams, Basic would be in position to capture the league crown next week.
Basic has won three consecutive games, scoring 45, 50 and 48 points. Some of the credit goes to quarterback Anthony Vega, who has passed for 17 touchdowns and rushed for five scores on the season.
Demarion Matthews and Zuri Whiters are capable receivers. Boston Wren is averaging 5.5 yards per carry at running back.
“We have a strong team this year. Basic is doing well,” Whiters said. “We might be able to get over that hump (against Green Valley). That feeling creates excitement. Our coaches say it all the time, that it is such a wonderful feeling (to beat Green Valley). I want to know what it is like. I want to get my picture with that trophy.”
Green Valley is led by junior wide receiver Trey Glasper, who has 23 catches and five touchdowns. He will arguably be the best player on the field.
And he also has a special distinction: His dad, Jamar, played for Green Valley in the late 1990s in the rivalry.
That tradition and history is what makes the game special, Jeff Cahill said. It’s also what motivates the players, who desperately want to leave the stadium Friday carrying the trophy and forever be known as a Henderson Bowl champion.
The trophy sits on a table behind the end zone waiting for the winning team to come scoop it up.
“You look off to the side and (the trophy) is sitting there looking at you,” said Antonie Taylor, Basic’s senior defensive lineman. “It’s like, ‘Dang, I want to go grab it right now.’ It’s intense for both sides. It’s a really important game and that (trophy) is what we are playing for.”
The same feeling is prevalent at Green Valley, said coach Clay Mauro, who has been part of the rivalry since 2016 when he arrived at the school. He was elevated to head coach in 2022.
Taking part in the celebration last year — from the ice bath in the final seconds to the postgame picture — is something Mauro cherished.
“A lot of people take pride in the rivalry,” Mauro said. “I didn’t realize how deep it was. This rivalry is for real. A lot of people (outside of the football team) care about it.”
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