A smashing success

By Christopher Drexel

Monday, Aug. 18, 2008 | 12:45 p.m.

Whether it is weight lifting, conditioning or camps, the high school football season in Southern Nevada lasts 12 months a year.

So Monday morning was a highly anticipated date on the gridiron calendar as schools across the Las Vegas Valley conducted their first contact practices.

“We pretty much were together all summer for four days a week, but there is nothing like the first day with pads, strapping them back up,” Palo Verde coach Darwin Rost said. “You can only do so much without pads on.”

With the first day of full pads also comes the first day of full contact blocking and tackling. Aside from one week during the summer when teams scrimmage at camp, players haven’t hit each other for nine months.

Cimarron coach Rod Vollan said colliding full speed into another person comes much easier to some than others. Cimmaron conducted one-on-one hitting drills that were videotaped and watched after practice.

“You have to retrain them that football is a collision sport and you find out the guys who play well in pads versus the guys that don’t,” Vollan said. “The kids that like to hit are excited today and the kids are tentative aren’t right now. Eventually all our kids will be hitters. But some aren’t ready yet mentally and physically.”

One local player who did more than his share of hitting last season and is eager to get back is Palo Verde senior linebacker Liloa Nobriga.

“I’m very excited to get the pads on,” Nobriga said. “I was one of the first ones here because I couldn’t wait to get it strapped up. I want to hit somebody.”

Even though both Cimarron and Palo Verde had two-a-day practices Aug. 14 to 16, Panthers running back Chaz Thomas said he considered the first day with pads an unofficial start to the season.

“It’s exactly like that,” he said. “I’m real happy we are playing our first game in 11 days, although I wish it was in three days. I don’t want to sound too confident, but we’re looking to win state. Nothing under that.”

The first day of pads also brings hope for future practices deep into the winter months, signaling a deep run in the playoffs.

Palo Verde has plans for a championship, after going 12-1 a year ago with their only loss coming to eventual state champion Bishop Gorman 24-20 in the Sunset Regional championship game. The Panthers return nearly all of their skill position players.

“This is my 25th year coaching and this is by far the fastest team I’ve ever coached, and I’ve coached a couple state championship teams” Rost said. “We really have good speed at the skill positions.”

Cimarron finished 6-5 last season and is breaking in a new coach with Vollan. But Vollan said he was confident the Spartans would carry on the school’s winning tradition.

“We are about where we expected to be at this point in time, but there is plenty of room for improvement,” he said. “Our first season goal is to make the playoffs and after that we will readjust our goals. But we want to be a physical team.”

Christopher Drexel writes for the Home News and can be reached at 990-8929 or [email protected].