Panthers of Palo Verde learn to play with big cats

Palo Verde High School coach Charlie Cerrone signed his club up for this year's American Legion season in the hopes that his players would learn some valuable lessons heading into their first year of varsity competition.

On Monday night, the Panthers did just that, squandering a five-run first inning lead in a wild 16-10 home loss to Cheyenne.

"It's all a learning experience," Cerrone said. "Even when we lose, we try to take something out of it."

The Panthers (6-12, 6-10 league) walked off the field this time knowing they need to play better defense if they hope to protect a lead. The hosts made six errors in the ballgame to help the Desert Shields (10-11, 6-7) come from behind.

"We're real young, but I don't like to use that as an excuse," said Cerrone, whose squad features players heading into their junior, sophomore and freshman years. "Our pitching and hitting are ready for the adjustment (to varsity), but we've been inconsistent defensively."

What Palo Verde has going for it are a head coach that succeeded local coaching successes Rodger Fairless (Green Valley), Calvin Valvo (Cimarron-Memorial) and Brian Whitaker (Silverado) at Valley High School, a squad that went 20-3 at the junior varsity level last year and a field that features one of the most magnificent views of the Las Vegas.

Included among the returnees is a core group of hard-working, eager-to-please players including pitcher/shortstop Eric Newman, pitcher Brandon Meads, pitcher /catcher Chris Jones and pitcher/first baseman Jason Frederich.

What the Panthers lack is an athletic tradition, something Cerrone admits will hurt his club initially.

"The hardest part about opening the school this way is that there's no one ahead of them that went through a varsity program," he said. "We (coaches) talk to them about things, but it's always helpful to have people on the field who have been through it."

Since opening in the fall of 1996 with only a ninth-grade class, Palo Verde has added a class of freshman each year. The Panthers have competed primarily on the junior varsity level athletically, with the only exceptions being in individual-oriented sports like golf and track.

Next year, the school will participate as a full-fledged member of the 4A Sunset Division, along with fellow newcomer Mojave High School.

Monday's game was not without its highlights for Palo Verde, which scored six times in the bottom of the first, thanks to some shaky defense by the visitors.

But with Desert Shields' reliever Richard Burkhard limiting the Panthers to just seven hits over the final six innings, Cheyenne began to claw its way back.

All-conference second baseman Jake Liadlaw set the stage for a five-run third inning for the visitors with a leadoff double, and teammates Cliff McMachen, Tommy Krier and Adam Klestinec followed with back-to-back-to-back two-base knocks to open the floodgates.

* NOTES: They may be fourth in the league standings, but the hottest area team this week may be the Cimarron-Memorial Spartans. Coach Bill Rodriguez's squad overcame 100-plus degree temperatures and a grueling schedule to finish second in Basic High School's recent Time Met Tournament, an event which also featured area clubs Green Valley, Chaparral, Cheyenne, Eldorado and Basic. The Spartans, who played eight games in four days, went 7-0 before falling, 15-13, to Escondido (Calif.) in Sunday's championship. "We just ran out of gas," said Rodriguez, whose club beat Green Valley 9-4 to reach the finale. "But they played with a lot of heart." Cimarron made its run to the title game without relying heavily on ace right-hander Mike Esposito, who tossed only four innings in the entire event. "He's got a valuable arm, and we didn't want to burn him out," Rodriguez said. One player who did play a major role for the Spartans was catcher James Nepa, who caught every game in the exhausting heat and batted over .700 in the tournament. Also making big contributions were center fielder Brian Ashton, who belted three homers, and shortstop Jason Ruiz, who sparkled defensively despite playing on a bruised foot. Up next for the Spartans (20-6, 12-5 league): next week's 20-team Hot Shot Tournament in Phoenix. ... Silverado rallied from a four-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat host Durango, 7-6, for the title at the six-team Joyce Tucker Memorial Tournament on Saturday. The tournament, which also drew squads from Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado and California, was dedicated to Joyce Tucker, mother of Trailblazer pitching coach Mike Tucker and a dedicated Durango baseball booster who died last year. Graduated senior Matt McCurdy did all he could to help the hosts win the tourney, blasting four homers in four games, but the Blazers couldn't hold the lead in the final contest.

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