The Elevator

Sat, Mar 8, 2008 (2 a.m.)

Who’s headed toward the penthouse on the local sports scene — and who’s getting the shaft.

GOING UP

The Grappler

Cimarron-Memorial High graduate Gabe Suarez has made a quick impact at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. The 141-pound wrestler finished second in a regional to qualify for the NCAA Division II national championships next weekend in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A redshirt freshman, Suarez is 32-4 this season.

Adults only

The Wranglers finagled a few more fans through the turnstiles Tuesday with a 9 p.m. game for an over-18 crowd. R-rated movie clips shown during the game required the special designation. It worked. At 4,413, the crowd was the team’s biggest on a Tuesday in nearly two years. Plus, Las Vegas beat Stockton, 5-1.

Aqua Rebels

Kim Bonney, Jonas Andersson and Kier Maitland emerged from the pool in Oklahoma City, where the Mountain West Conference Championships were held, with automatic berths in the NCAAs. Bonney will swim the 200 breast stroke in Columbus, Ohio, March 20-22. Andersson (100 and 200 breast stroke) and Maitland (1,650 freestyle) will compete in Federal Way, Wash., March 27-29.

GOING DOWN

Fangless

College of Southern Nevada baseball coach Tim Chambers wants to have a national power, but the Coyotes might not be the best JC team in the state. Western Nevada won three of four at Morse Stadium last weekend. The Coyotes rallied to avoid being swept in their own yard. CSN plays doubleheaders against the Wildcats in Carson City on April 4 and 5.

99 car

NASCAR, too. The governing body discovers that back-flippin’ Carl Edwards won the Las Vegas race on Sunday without his oil-tank cover and slaps him hard. Docks him points. Fines and suspends his crew chief. Yet, he gets to keep the victory he obtained with an illegal rig? Great sport.

Waaaaaay down

Victoria left wing Robin Gomez is serving an indefinite suspension for sucker-punching Wranglers center Chris Ferraro on Saturday. Gomez hopped off the bench to cheap-shot Ferraro, who lay unconscious for 15 minutes in a puddle of blood. That’s the only way Gomez can fight; check out an October 2006 YouTube clip in which Andre Roy of Pittsburgh teaches him a pugilistic lesson. The ECHL suspended Gomez for the rest of the season, including playoffs.