Exciting season of football lies ahead

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Robby Faiman has been waiting for Aug. 29 for as long as he can remember.

That’s when Faiman will lead Basic’s football team onto the field at Don Taylor Stadium for the season opener against Boulder City High to fulfill a seemingly lifelong dream of being the starting quarterback for his beloved school.

It won’t be his first duty under the Friday night lights.

Faiman, a 17-year-old senior, got his start as an Estes McDoniel Elementary School fifth-grader when he was asked by former Basic coach Cliff Frazier to be the team’s ball boy.

Faiman didn’t realize it at the time, but his journey to becoming the Wolves’ quarterback started those memorable nights eight falls ago. He closely studied the quarterback position, learning what it took to lead a team and dreaming about when it would be his turn under center.

Southern Nevada, a place where 14 public high schools have opened in the last 10 years, might not have a long football history. But it is loaded with a loyal following of athletes, fans and neighborhood supporters who are counting the days until the start of the season.

If last year is any indication, we’ll have another exciting fall.

Last year featured several memorable moments, none more thrilling than a back-and-forth battle between Bishop Gorman and Palo Verde in the Sunset Regional title game that was finally settled with seconds to play on a Gorman touchdown.

There was Del Sol executing a perfect hook-and-lateral play in the Sunset Regional game, and Clark celebrating like it won the Super Bowl after snapping a four-year, 42 game losing streak.

It’s these kinds of stories you’ll read about weekly in the Home News. We respect the pure nature of prep football and take pride in documenting this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

After all, Faiman and others only get one senior year, or five home games in front of family and friends. We’ll be there each week recording the highs and lows as this true American tradition plays out across the Las Vegas Valley.

High school football brings us all back to our four years in high school and the lifelong memories created on Friday nights — whether we were on the field, in the band or cheering with our classmates.

“I never remembered having as much fun as I am right now,” Faiman said.

The season starts Aug. 29 across the valley with everyone from the athletes, parents, fans and ball boys creating new memories.

We’ll see you there.

Ray Brewer is the sports editor for the Home News and can be reached at [email protected] or 702-990-2662.