Cheyenne's Ned shines in opener with three TD's

The word "fullback" typically evokes images of a lumbering, hard-headed 200-plus pounder barreling through the line in tough short-yardage or goal-line situations.

In Friday night's 28-0 win over Eldorado, Cheyenne's Deon Ned showed opposing defenders he's anything but typical.

In his first varsity game, the 5-9, 175-pound junior picked up apart the host Sundevils for a game-high 172 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.

Not bad for a guy making his first start at fullback after leading the Desert Shields' junior varsity squad in rushing yardage from his tailback position in 1997.

"We expected big things from him this year," Cheyenne coach George Perry said. "He's quick, he's strong and he's a breakaway threat."

With Eldorado poised to stop Shields' tailback Jawan Dodson on the outside, Ned had a field day inside, doing his best Barry Sanders imitation as he spun and slipped his way past the Sundevils.

"He's phenomenal," said Cheyenne assistant coach Scott Belnap, who coached Ned on the junior varsity level last fall. "He'll hit the hole, and if it's closed, he'll bounce sideways and he's immediately got the gear and he's gone."

According to Belnap, Ned had at least one run of 50 yards or more in every win by Cheyenne's undefeated JV team in 1997.

"It's natural, you can't teach it," Belnap said. "He's got the innate ability to find a hole."

So far, so good

It didn't take long for varsity newcomers Mojave and Palo Verde to break into the victory column.

The Rattlers opened with a 34-22 road victory over 3A foe Pahrump, while the Panthers rallied for a 12-10 win over Rancho at home.

"It was exciting to finally put a varsity team on the field," Mojave coach Mike Gutowski said. "The kids were real excited. They were carrying on a little bit after we won."

Mojave receiver Corey Dodds put his name in the school's record books, recording the first-ever Rattler touchdown -- a 35-yard pass from Joe Primas in the second quarter.

For Palo Verde, quarterback Mitchell Grant scored the first TD on a three-yard run in the third quarter.

After Grant left the game with muscle cramps, backup James Rohret led the Panthers on their first game-winning drive, which was capped off by Calvin Washington's one-yard touchdown run.

"I knew we could compete," Palo Verde coach Darwin Rost said. "I just didn't know if we could beat them."

* ELSEWHERE: Week One was kind to the area's new head coaches, who went 4-1 in their debuts. In addition to Rost and Gutowski, Clark's Jim Massey had a successful debut, downing host Valley 39-33, as did Bishop Gorman's Roger Whalen, whose squad picked up a 47-8 win at Basic. Chaparral's Ben Johnson couldn't make it 5-for-5, however, with the Cowboys dropping a 34-0 decision to No. 2 Cimarron-Memorial. ... In other action, Durango defeated Silverado 35-20, Las Vegas hung on for a 25-20 win over Bonanza.

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