'Underdog' Meadows aims for 2A title

It's hard to imagine anyone overlooking a team that has made four straight trips to a state championship game.

But according to coaches and players at 2A football power The Meadows, opponents have been underestimating the Mustangs all season long.

"They thought since we lost some some good players, they figured our run was over," said Meadows coach Frank DeSantis, whose school has won the past two Class 2A state titles, was the 1997 2A runner-up and captured the 1996 1A state trophy.

With 1998 all-state running back Victor Wright and all-conference wide receiver Jeff Raskin having graduated, the Mustangs came into 1999 without a marquee name on their roster. But DeSantis knew from the start that reports of their demise were greatly exaggerated.

"We've got a lot of seniors in our lineup, and they took offense at that," DeSantis said. "I told them it was a matter of respect."

Indeed, to hear the Mustangs' senior leaders talk, they have taken their coach's words to heart and played the season with something to prove.

"Not one school has given us respect," senior lineman Adam Gregory said. "It was up to us to make everything happen."

Agreed senior Jason Williamson, another two-way lineman: "No respect. That's been the story all year. Coach tells us you've got to earn it."

So far, the self-imposed "underdog" role has served the Summerlin private school well. The Meadows is 10-0 and headed north to play unbeaten Wells for the 2A championship.

And though the Mustangs trounced the Leopards 49-6 in last year's playoffs, The Meadows thinks Wells may be taking the defending state champs lightly.

"We already know they don't respect us," Williamson said. "They call us rich kids, wussies, the same old stuff. It gives us some motivation."

The Meadows will certainly need to be motivated against a 10-0 Wells club that returned nearly every significant player off last year's state semifinal team. To boot, the Leopards will be playing in their home stadium, in what is expected to be one of the most celebrated events in recent Wells history.

"We're not taking them lightly," Gregory said. "When it comes to the state games, we've got the experience. We're all excited and ready to play."

Although Meadows fans won't soon forget Wright, last year's 2A Player of the Year with more than 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns, senior quarterback Matt Harris is etching his own name into school annals.

In his first full season under center for the Mustangs, the 6-3, 205-pound Harris has thrown for 1,359 yards and 23 touchdowns, with 10 of his scoring tosses going to Justin Allen.

On the ground, the load has been divided between Marcel Demaree and Jeff Bowman, with Pat Curren, another key back, out with an injury.

"Last year, teams knew Victor was going to get his carries," DeSantis said. "This year, it depends what the other team does defensively. We can throw long, medium or short and we can run the ball."

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