High School rivals will battle tonight

Two of Las Vegas' longest standing high school football rivalries renew tonight, and one will have the added bonus of being week five's most anticipated matchup.

Las Vegas High and Rancho, the area's two oldest schools, will square off for the 42nd time with the legendary "Sir Herkimer's Bone" on the line.

But the evening's true intrigue will take place at Eldorado, where visiting Chaparral will take on the Sundevils for "Merlin's Cleat" and, more importantly, a share of first place in the Sunrise Division.

The Sundevils and Cowboys are tied with Green Valley atop the conference standings, with all three undefeated through two league games.

"It's a big game," said Eldorado coach Ken Trujillo, whose club will play at home for the first time in four weeks. "By winning this game, we control our own destiny."

Trujillo has spent this week urging his players to avoid a repeat of last year's 34-23 loss to Chaparral, in which the Cowboys returned two blocked punts for early touchdowns.

"Last year, they really caught us by surprise," Trujillo said. "They picked up some easy touchdowns, and that forced us out of our game plan. We had to pass against them a lot more than we'd planned to."

Tonight, look for Eldorado to try to establish its running game. The Sundevils' offensive line is among the biggest in town and has paved the way for tailback DeMareo Robinson to rush for 456 yards and five touchdowns.

Chaparral's offense also is largely run-oriented, with quarterback Tyson Dobbs leading first-year coach Ben Johnson's option attack. Dobbs has been consistent through the air as well, completing 36-of-65 passes, including 17 to tight end Richard Seigler, the area's leading receiver.

"They're not as big as us, but they have some blue chippers," Trujillo said. "And with their coaching change, it's going to take everyone a while to get acclimated to what Chaparral does."

Also on tap tonight: a Hall of Fame induction ceremony at halftime of Valley's game against visiting Basic. The Vikings will honor graduates LaRontae Johnson '97 and Dion Jackson '96, the zone's past two Nevada Players of the Year, and retire their No. 2 jersey.

Johnson, a tailback, ran for 2,024 yards and 22 touchdowns during his final year. He plays basketball for Lassen Junior College in California.

Jackson, Valley's quarterback, threw for 1,994 yards and 17 TDs and ran for 1,124 yards and 21 TDs as a senior before moving on to play football at UNLV.

"They're two special athletes who can do a lot with the football to make things happen," Valley coach Greg Murphy said.

In other action tonight, Green Valley travels to Silverado, Cimarron-Memorial plays at Bishop Gorman, Bonanza hosts Durango, Western visits Clark, Mojave is at undefeated Cheyenne, Palo Verde travels to Moapa Valley and Boulder City plays at Spring Creek.

archive