Ray Brewer

Sports Editor

Ray has been covering high school sports in Nevada since 1996 for the Home News. His work is regularly honored by the Nevada Press Association.

Contact Ray via e-mail

Call Ray at 702-990-2662.

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Story Archive

Former Findlay standout suffers tough loss with Illinois: Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009; Illinois freshman guard D.J. Richardson hadn’t experienced this feeling after a basketball game in nearly two years. Richardson was a key contributor last year at Findlay Prep, helping the Henderson-based Pilots to a 33-0 record and national championship after winning the 2009 ESPN Rise National High School Invitational.
Gorman ready to battle the elements, Reed in state semifinals: Friday, Nov. 27, 2009; The Bishop Gorman High football team hasn’t faced this type of challenge all season. It’s a challenge that some of Southern Nevada’s best teams haven’t been able to overcome in years past.
UNLV defense, athleticism too much for Holy Cross: Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009; The UNLV basketball team played suffocating defense Wednesday night for parts of its 80-59 victory against Holy Cross.
The Rebels forced the Patriot League school into 24 turnovers, which led to 32 points and UNLV’s fourth victory in as many games to open the season.
Gorman coach doesn't let disability slow him down: Limited to a wheelchair, Adam Hutchins has earned his stripes in Gaels' program; Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009; Adam Hutchins has always had to compensate for his disability. When the other football coaches at Bishop Gorman High instruct their players by showing them the proper technique or by giving an example of how a play should look, Hutchins, a paraplegic, isn’t able to do so.
Live game blog: Rebels move to 4-0, beat Holy Cross by 21 points: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009; UNLV' s 80-59 victory Wednesday against Holy Cross was its fourth straight to open the season and arguably the Rebels' best all-round performance of the initial three weeks. Tre'Von Willis and Anthony Marshall had a game-high 14 points to lead the Rebels, while Oscar Bellfield added 13 points and Justin Hawkins had 12. UNLV won the game with its defense, forcing 24 turnovers and scoring 32 points off those Holy Cross miscues.
New manager announced for Las Vegas 51s: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009; The Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday named Dan Rohn manager of the Las Vegas 51s, the club’s Triple-A affiliate. Rohn, 53, is familiar with the 51s’ Pacific Coast League, having managed the Fresno Grizzlies (San Francisco Giants) the past three seasons.
Another Palo Verde football player verbally commits: Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009; Palo Verde High senior safety Tyrone Blake had football scholarship offers from Northern Arizona and Southern Utah, and spent the last few months deciding which school would be the best fit.
He had visited both campuses and was attracted to several parts of each program.
Shaw helps Rebels top Southern Illinois: UNLV post players combine for 22 points, show they are improved; Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009; The UNLV basketball team will take this kind of production from its trio of post players every game — especially from forward Matt Shaw. Shaw hit a 3-pointer with less than five minutes to play Saturday night to give the Rebels their first double-digit lead of a back-and-forth game against Southern Illinois in a 78-69 victory at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Notebook: The Shark and LJ circle: Tarkanian gives Southern Illinois a nod of approval; Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009; UNLV legends Jerry Tarkanian and Larry Johnson sat in the first row behind the Rebels’ bench Saturday night for the 78-69 victory over Southern Illinois. Both were treated like rock stars, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans for most of the night.
Live game blog: Willis' 25 points help Rebels down Southern Illinois: Larry Johnson at Mack for Rebels tilt with Southern Illinois; Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009; UNLV's 12-point lead with four minutes to play was trimmed to five points by Southern Illinois with under a minute to play, but Matt Shaw hit a pair of free throws with 35 seconds left and the Rebels hung on for a 78-69 victory.
Basic's magical season continues with trip to state semifinals: Friday, Nov. 20, 2009; The Basic High football team isn’t supposed to be playing this late in the fall. This is when powers like Bishop Gorman, Palo Verde and Las Vegas High typically battle for gridiron bragging rights. But this is not your typical Basic squad. And this is definitely not a typical season for the Wolves.
All eyes will be on Basic, Foothill on Friday night: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009; If you thought the standing room only crowd at last week’s Palo Verde-Bishop Gorman high school football mega-showdown was impressive, wait until Friday night. That’s when the passionate fans off Henderson will be at the center of the most significant high school football game its community has seen in years.
Clark tailback picks Southern Utah: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009; Clark High senior running back Andre Clay has verbally committed to Southern Utah University, Chargers coach Don Willis said. Clay, who rushed for 850 yards and 14 touchdowns this fall, also received interest from North Dakota and South Dakota State.
Palo Verde's Godkin verbally commits to UNR: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009; Palo Verde senior football player Daniel Godkin has made his college decision. Well, sort of. The defensive end said Wednesday he made a soft verbal commitment to Nevada-Reno, but still plans on taking a recruiting trip to Navy in January. Commitments are non-binding and don’t become official until the February signing period.
Cimarron defensive back has experience beating Gorman: Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009; Cimarron-Memorial High senior James Carraway remembers the final out. He remembers the feeling of accomplishment as he raced toward the pitcher's mound from his outfield position to celebrate a victory nobody expected. Cimarron upset previously untouchable Bishop Gorman last spring in baseball's Sunset Regional championship game. Now, he's hoping history will repeat itself. This time, however, some would consider a Cimarron victory to be an even bigger upset.
Live game blog: Rebels open season with 91-52 victory against Pittsburg State: Willis scores 17, Wallace adds 16 in win against Division II school; Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009; UNLV outscored Division II Pittsburg State 48-26 in the second half Saturday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in a 91-52 season-opening victory. Tre'Von Willis scored 13 of his game-high 17 points in the second half, including seven straight to open the half. Kendall Wallace was 4-of-5 on 3-pointers to finish with 16 points, while freshman Justin Hawkins added 11.
Gorman tops Palo Verde to dance into Sunset finals: Win helps Gaels ease pain of last year's five-TD defeat against rival; Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009; It didn’t matter what song was being played on the loud speakers Friday night in the Bishop Gorman High football team’s locker room. The Gaels, fresh off a 38-28 victory against rival Palo Verde in the Sunset Regional semifinals, were going to dance and enjoy a moment they had waited one year for. The win helps erase memories of last year’s five-touchdown loss to Palo Verde in the regional finals. More importantly, it puts the Gaels in the driver’s seat to the capture the large-school classification title.
Del Sol's Miller passes for three touchdowns, Dragons advance to semifinals: Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009; Troy Miller passed for three touchdowns on Friday night to lead host Del Sol to a 32-13 victory against Valley in the Sunrise Regional quarterfinals. Del Sol, which is predominantly a running team, received more than 200 yards passing from its junior quarterback.
Foothill upsets six-time regional champion Las Vegas: Victory guarantees a Henderson school will play in the state title game; Friday, Nov. 13, 2009; A Henderson area high school football team hasn’t played in the state championship game since Green Valley High in 1994. That will change this year thanks to one of the biggest upsets in recent playoff history on Friday night in the Sunrise Regional quarterfinals.
Only six teams remain after Friday night's games: Friday, Nov. 13, 2009; This is the part of the high school football season the players have trained for all summer and fall — the playoffs.
High school basketball players from small school reach college dreams: Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009; Chalk one up for the little guy. For years, high school coaches and athletic directors of programs in the state’s lower classifications have tried to convince promising athletes they could reach their dreams of receiving a college scholarship without playing in the public school-based large-school division. Looks like those coaches are right.
Gorman, Palo Verde set for anticipated football game: Sunset Regional semifinals will have championship-game feel for perennial powers; Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009; A star-studded high school football game of this magnitude is a rarity in Las Vegas. But, with the season on the line Friday night for two of Southern Nevada’s marquee programs, this playoff game has the makings of a classic. Bishop Gorman High, the often controversial private school, hosts public school power Palo Verde at 7 p.m. on Friday in the Sunset Regional semifinals.
UNLV alumni game gives former players a chance to reunite: Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009; Jim Gostomski’s sat in the front row of the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday night with a grin from ear-to-ear as he reminisced about the glory days of the UNLV basketball program. He was one of roughly 2,000 fans who stayed in the arena to cheer for Rebels of year’s past in the annual alumni game following UNLV’s 62-52 exhibition game victory against Division II Washburn.
UNLV struggles to exhibition victory against Division II school: Rebels, however, finish strong in not giving up a point in final four minutes; Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009; It will go down as a 62-52 victory for the UNLV basketball team. But it was surely not a double-digit win. The Rebels trailed for most of the second half against Division II Washburn Tuesday night in an exhibition game, but held the Topeka, Kan., school scoreless in the final 4 minutes, 44 seconds in rallying for the win at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Oregon man battles course to win Henderson triathlon: Monday, Nov. 9, 2009; Chris Williams admits the thought of quitting crossed his mind. Competing in the Fifth Annual Silverman Triathlon on Sunday, the Bend, Ore., resident started to feel cramps in his legs during the hilly 112-mile bike portion throughout the streets of Henderson.
Del Sol rallies without top rusher to win Southeast title: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009; Running back Dezerick Reed has been the Del Sol High football team’s No. 1 option offensively every game this fall. But in one of the Dragons’ most important games of the season on Friday night, they had to rally without their top performer. Reed was benched after drawing a personal foul on a late hit in the second quarter against a player from visiting Coronado.
Las Vegas wins Bone Game against Rancho to gain momentum for playoffs: Friday, Nov. 6, 2009; The Las Vegas High football team did more on Thursday night than extend their impressive streak of victories in one of Nevada’s most storied rivalry games. The Wildcats’ 44-0 victory against visiting Rancho in the annual “Bone Game” was their 14th straight triumph in a series that dates back to the 1950s. More importantly, the win gives an inexperienced Las Vegas squad momentum heading into next week’s Sunrise Regional playoffs that it can add to a more significant streak.
Local football player receiving national attention for tackling teammate: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009; Cory Turner’s now-infamous play during a local adult football game will surely be part of sports blooper highlight packages for years to come. Turner, a defensive tackle for the Las Vegas Cobras, inadvertently tackled his own teammate during a kickoff return last week against the Henderson Wolverines. The play instantly drew laughter from everyone at Ed Fountain Park. That, however, was just the beginning.
Don't count out Rancho in Bone Game against Las Vegas: Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009; Francis Valerio knows he will be playing in his last football game on Thursday night. You won’t, however, hear the reserve linebacker and running back from Rancho High complain.
Gorman's Loyd becoming a top football prospect: Senior speedster already has scholarship offers for basketball; Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009; Johnathan Loyd is arguably the top high school basketball player in Las Vegas. The senior point guard led Bishop Gorman High to the state championship last winter and has scholarship offers from the likes of SMU, Northern Arizona, Cal-Poly, Cal-State Riverside, Cal-State Northridge and Oakland University in Detroit. Come later this school year, though, the 5-foot-9 speedster will likely have the more attractive offer he is looking for. That offer, however, might not come in basketball.
Defensive touchdown clinches Northeast title for Las Vegas: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009; Las Vegas High senior linebacker James Joseph picked the perfect time to score his first touchdown. His 9-yard interception return for a score midway through the fourth quarter Thursday night against visiting Desert Pines rescued a struggling Las Vegas offense and gave the Wildcats a 7-6 victory to clinch the Northeast Division title.
Pahrump football not giving up despite taking lumps: Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009; One stat perfectly describes the struggles of the Pahrump Valley High football team this fall: Bishop Gorman kicker Colin Ditsworth has more extra points (65) than the Trojans have points (54).
Arbor View's female kicker a welcome addition to team: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009; Arbor View High sophomore McKenzie Karas is willing to accept any challenge — regardless of the sport. A member of the United States under-15 national soccer team, Karas has proudly wore her country’s colors during international competition and is in consideration for a spot on the under-17 team for this summer’s World Cup in Trinidad & Tobago. She takes pride in never letting the enormity of the moment — whether it’s at a tryout for the national team with hundreds of other hopefuls or playing goalie for the Americans during a tournament in Costa Rica — alter her way of thinking. That is one of the reasons why Arbor View football coach Dan Barnson recruited Karas to join his program as a kicker
Cheyenne coach removed from post: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009; Perryn Hale is optimistic he will be back coaching the Cheyenne High football team on Nov. 6 when they play Bishop Gorman in the Sunset Regional quarterfinals. Hale, who is also a math teacher at the North Las Vegas school, was removed as the Desert Shields coach on Monday because he hadn’t completed the requirements needed for a teaching license, he said.
Palo Verde honors late coach Dave Castro with record-setting win: Panthers take the field for the first time since their coach's death; Saturday, Oct. 24, 2009; Palo Verde defensive coordinator Dave Castro usually sounded like a broken record on Friday nights during his halftime speech. Regardless of the score, Castro’s message was always the same — finish strong and play with pride. That’s exactly what the Panthers did Friday night in their first game since Castro died on Oct. 17, closing with 55 unanswered points in a 76-21 victory against visiting Faith Lutheran.
Gorman captures Southwest title with another blowout victory: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009; The Bishop Gorman High football team had a comfortable seven-touchdown lead Thursday night with less than six minutes to play against host Spring Valley when players from the Gaels’ second string were finally inserted into the game. No, Gorman wasn’t trying to run-up the score
Faith Lutheran proving it is different than most private schools: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009; The critics could be considered hypocritical on this issue. Every time a team from Bishop Gorman High wins a state championships, the peanut gallery of fans in Southern Nevada wrongfully labels the Summerlin Catholic school as cheaters.
Boulder City football looks to bounce back against Virgin Valley: Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009; The Boulder City High football team controls its own destiny. If the Eagles beat Mesquite’s Virgin Valley High on Oct. 23, they will host a first-round playoff game in two weeks. A loss, however, would put them on the road for entire postseason.
Funeral arrangements set for Palo Verde coach: Monday, Oct. 19, 2009; Funeral arrangements are set for Palo Verde High assistant football coach Dave Castro. A viewing will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Christ the King Catholic Community on Torrey Pines Drive and Tropicana Avenue. A funeral mass will follow at 5 p.m.
Palo Verde coach Dave Castro remembered for his tough love: Defensive coordinator found dead Saturday morning at his Henderson home; Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009; Dave Castro’s love for the football players he mentored helped the veteran educator become of the Las Vegas Valley’s most respected high school coaches. Castro, 54, was found dead Saturday at his home in Henderson.
Legacy scores two defensive touchdowns to beat Cheyenne: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009; LJ McMorris, Devin Weidemann and Martell Crockett had rushing touchdowns Friday night for Legacy in its 35-7 victory against Cheyenne.
Spring Valley back on track in Southwest Division: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009; Spring Valley’s Taj Allen had three touchdown runs to lead Bonanza to a 35-28 Southwest Division victory against host Bonanza.
Bishop Gorman makes quick work of Western: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009; Bishop Gorman continued its domination of the Southwest Division on Friday night with a 69-6 victory against Western.
Eldorado wins Cleat Game against Chap: Friday, Oct. 16, 2009; The Eldorado High football team picked the right Friday night to win their first game. Daytron Green rushed for three touchdowns and quarterback JaQuorrey Williams added a touchdown to lead the Sundevils to a 33-7 victory against Chaparral in the annual ‘Cleat Game.’
Strong start carries Foothill past Coronado: Friday, Oct. 16, 2009; Foothill’s Parker Riggin passed for three touchdowns and the Falcons led by 25 points after the first quarter Friday night in a 33-20 victory against host Coronado.
Durango's Mora has four touchdowns in victory: Friday, Oct. 16, 2009; Julio Mora rushed for more than 200 yards and four touchdowns Friday night to lead Durango to a 60-20 victory against visiting Sierra Vista.
Palo Verde scores 34 points in fourth quarter, tops Arbor View: Friday, Oct. 16, 2009; Chapelle Thomas had 156 yards rushing and two touchdowns and Brandon Wright rushed for more than 100 yards to lead visiting Palo Verde to a 55-21 victory against Arbor View.
Faith Lutheran notches first 4A victory: Friday, Oct. 16, 2009; Faith Lutheran finally has its first 4A classification victory. Don Pearson accounted for three touchdowns and the host Crusaders never trailed in beating Shadow Ridge 27-13 Friday night
Del Sol stays undefeated, blanks Centennial: Friday, Oct. 16, 2009; Dezerick Reed’s 35-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run lifted Del Sol to a 6-0 victory Friday night against Centennial in a non-league game.
High school football season enters home stretch: Friday, Oct. 16, 2009; Another week of high school football games are in the books. Yes, we agree — the season has gone by too fast.