Green Valley players Kyler Chavez, left, and Christian Lopez pose with the Henderson Bowl trophy after beating Basic 31-27 during the Henderson Bowl at Basic High School in Henderson on Friday, September 28, 2012.
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015 | 2 a.m.
Prep Sports Now
Bad defense or tough schedule?
Ray Brewer and Case Keefer dive into Henderson Bowl week by getting into a debate about the annual Basic at Green Valley showdown before moving on to the rest of the schedule.
Robert Reynolds is the junior varsity football coach at Green Valley High. Jason Jackson coaches the defensive line for the varsity program. Both are graduates of the school.
With Reynolds and Jackson on staff, you can argue the Gators are taking a page out of the playbook of rival Basic in building their program. The teams meet at 7 p.m. Friday at Green Valley in the annual Henderson Bowl, which is in its 25th season.
Basic, a school that’s been around since the early 1940s, frequently relies on alumni to join its faculty and coach its athletic teams. Basic is situated in east Henderson, a part of Southern Nevada where community is especially important and where high school football Friday nights often draw standing-room only crowds.
They have a saying: “Once a Wolf; always a Wolf.”
A natural rivalry was created when Green Valley opened in 1991 as the second high school in Henderson. Basic was more blue collar and didn’t have some of the resources as Green Valley. Green Valley was the dominant program statewide in most sports, easily dominating Basic in everything from football to tennis.
While Green Valley holds a 16-8 lead in the football series, including winning the past four seasons, it’s become a closely contested game. It’s arguably the best rivalry game in Nevada — with strong crowds, a historic trophy, tradition and an evenly matched contest.
“This game is our Super Bowl,” said Reynolds, a former Green Valley quarterback who won the Henderson Bowl in 2005 as a senior. “This game can define the season for us. Even if the team isn’t successful, as long as you win Henderson Bowl, it is a good season.”
Reynolds and Jackson can summarily rehash stories from their years playing in the game. Former Basic players, including coach Jeff Cahill and four other alumni on staff, have similarly indelible memories.
“The energy is unlike any other game I have been in,” Reynolds said. “Both of us (in his senior season) were run-of-the-mill teams, you could say, but in that game you saw teammates do things they had never done before.”
The Henderson Bowl trophy.
Jackson, who played in the late 1990s, has been coaching at Green Valley for 14 seasons. He’s like those on Basic’s staff — a loyalist to the program whose fondest football memories include Henderson Bowl wins.
The trophy sits on a table behind the endzone during the game, giving players a constant reminder of what they are playing for. And once the clock hits zero, players from the winning team race to grab the trophy to celebrate. There are pictures, hugs, more pictures and lifetime memories.
“It’s about two communities who really love their teams,” Jackson said. “You go to their games and you see the stands packed from the top to the bottom. You go to our games and the stands are always packed from top to bottom.
“There are dudes in college and the pros getting fired for losing to their rivals. When the principal and deans are saying you better win that game, you better win that game.”
It’s a night that’s immediately circled when the schedule is released each winter. The intensity of Reynolds and Jackson during the week helps players realize this isn’t like most Friday nights.
“They take a lot of pride in the game,” Green Valley coach Brian Castro said. “They get excited and let the kids know what they have here and how important this is to them.”
Castro hasn’t lost to Basic in his four previous games, but continuing the streak won’t be easy. Green Valley (2-3) surrendered 51 first-half points last week against Liberty, and Basic (4-1) is considered a top-five team in Southern Nevada. It’s the Southeast League opener for both schools.
David Berg, Green Valley’s hard-hitting senior linebacker, hasn’t lost to Basic in two tries. The feeling of racing to get the trophy is something he wants to experience one last time.
“(The coaches) fire us up more. We have more intense practices, more physical practices,” Berg said. “That is one of the happiest times of my life, to be honest. Such a great feeling.
For coaches Reynolds and Jackson, being part of the Henderson Bowl pageantry never gets old. They, too, wouldn’t mind another memorable celebration.
Yes, “Once a Gator, Always a Gator.”
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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