Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

kickoff 2014:

First-year Desert Oasis coach says players have what it takes to win

2014 High School Football

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

From left, Desert Oasis High School football players Franco Rocco, Jonah Levy, Michael Irenze and Ryan Knapp July 21, 2014.

Desert Oasis High School football preview 2014

Las Vegas Sun sports editor Ray Brewer talks to Desert Oasis High School's football coach and key players ahead of their 2014 season.

Prep Sports Now

The season begins

Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Ray Brewer and Case Keefer try to contain their excitement for the start of the football season enough to get through the first slate of games. They also discuss the two defending state champions, Bishop Gorman and Faith Lutheran.

The Desert Oasis High football program is still searching for its first playoff win. The school opened in 2008 and hasn’t been able to make it out of the Sunset Regional quarterfinals.

But, then again, neither has the Sunset’s other teams. For the past five seasons, the semifinals have featured the same four schools, Arbor View, Bishop Gorman, Centennial and Palo Verde.

First-year Desert Oasis coach Marcus Sherman is confident his program will eventually buck the trend. Sherman, who was previously the Valley High coach, raves about the participation numbers at Desert Oasis and the players’ willingness to the go the extra mile in training.

“The previous coaches have laid the foundation,” Sherman said. “I just hope I can do what I can to take the program to the next level. ...If you give us a little bit of time, two or three years down the line, we’ll mix things up and be one of the top teams in the conference.”

Desert Oasis has a strong junior class and should give a few sophomore significant playing time. That experience will be valuable in future seasons.

“We have an outstanding group of young men who are willing to come to work everyday and put in the time to improve this program,” Sherman said. “We’ll be a playoff team this year, that’s our goal. Next year, we’ll have a better team.”

While Sherman raves about the potential, he’s equally impressed with his senior class.

Players such as defensive lineman Jonah Levy (6 foot 3, 225-pounds), linebacker Ryan Dip, defensive back Malik Batiste and fullback Franco Rocco have led the charge during offseason condition. Batiste, who played last season at Valley, had received some light recruiting interest.

“Everyone will have to give it their all,” said Levy, the team’s leader. “Go into every game, every practice with a good attitude and effort.”

Desert Oasis will run a pro-style offense and a 5-2 defense, playing into Sherman’s desire of wanting to control the line of scrimmage and develop a strong run game. Tyshon McClintock and Rocco will handle a bulk of the carries.

“(Sherman has) the same message as any coach: Just win football games,” Rocco said. “No quitters.”

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy