Mojave, Palo Verde facing 'must-win' games tonight

After breaking into the varsity ranks last year, newcomers Mojave and Palo Verde expected to have a say in the 1999 Sunset Division playoff race.

But just two weeks into their second campaigns, the Rattlers and Panthers face what could amount to "must-win" games tonight if they hope to keep their postseason dreams alive.

Last Friday, Palo Verde dropped a 20-7 decision to Bishop Gorman while Mojave fell 29-0 to Cimarron-Memorial. Losses tonight would put the Panthers and Rattlers in a deep hole in their extremely tough division.

Making matters worse for the second-year varsity programs, their opponents will be two of the area's top teams, with Palo Verde playing at No. 7 Cheyenne and Mojave hosting No. 9 Western.

To boot, both the Desert Shields and Warriors will be extra-hungry, after both teams suffered upset losses in week one.

"It's real early, but this one is very important," Mojave coach Mike Gutowski said. "Teams have come back from 0-2 to make the playoffs, but we know it's real hard."

Agreed Palo Verde's Darwin Rost, "It's a big challenge, and we have to be up for it. We've had a good week of practice, and I think after a loss you coach a little bit better."

Last week, Mojave shot itself in the foot repeatedly, turning the ball over five times in its shutout loss to the defending state champion Spartans.

"We looked at the films, and we saw that we made a lot of mistakes, but they're all correctable mistakes," Gutowski said. "If we limit the mistakes, especially the turnovers, I think we can be right there."

To stay in tonight's game, Gutowski knows his club will need to stop the Warriors' ground attack -- something Durango did for the better part of its 16-15 win over Western last week.

"You just can't let them have the big play," Gutowski said. "You have to make them drive down the field and not give up the big play."

Likewise, Palo Verde will try to limit the big-play ability of Cheyenne tailback Deon Ned, who rushed for more than 200 yards in the Desert Shields' stunning loss at Eldorado last Friday.

"You don't want to overload on him, but we have to know where he is on the field," Rost said. "As a defensive team, you want to gear yourself toward their best athlete and try to shut him down."

Rost said his team gained some confidence during last week's loss to the Gaels, as the Panthers stayed close before a fourth-quarter interception return turned a 13-7 game into a 13-point Gorman win.

"Last year, we noticed a big difference in what varsity game speed was like, but it wasn't real noticeable last Friday night," Rost said. "We're starting to catch up."

In other Sunset Division play tonight, Durango will host Bonanza, with the Trailblazers looking to go 2-0 in the conference to start the season. Likewise, the winner of tonight's Gorman at Clark contest will move to 2-0 in the division.

* VOLLEYBALL MECCA: Some of the Southwest's top girls volleyball teams will be in town this weekend for the ninth annual Las Vegas Invitational at Las Vegas and Green Valley High Schools.

The 32-team event kicks off today at 4 p.m. and will feature 14 Las Vegas-area squads: Las Vegas, Rancho, Cimarron, Eldorado, Cheyenne, Chaparral, Bonanza, Green Valley, Durango, Basic, Silverado, Palo Verde and Centennial. Additionally, there will be teams from other parts of Nevada, along with California, Utah and Wyoming.

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