Jim Marsh Cup up for grabs

By Sean Ammerman

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008 | 6:56 p.m.

For the high school football teams at Shadow Ridge and Centennial, this is the playoffs.

Both teams have been knocked out of contention for the postseason, but with a rivalry game on the line, they still have plenty to play for.

The two Northwest Las Vegas schools will fight Friday for the Jim Marsh Cup — named after its founder, a local car dealership owner.

"You can throw the records out the window for this one," Centennial coach George Baker said. "These teams know each other well. A lot of these kids went to middle school together or played youth football together and they want to show each other up."

Shadow Ridge (2-6, 1-4) has dominated the game since its inception in 2004, winning three out of four games.

But Centennial (2-6, 0-5) won the cup for the first time last season and used the momentum from the victory to end the season with a winning record.

"It was a similar situation last year because we were out of the playoffs and our kids were playing for pride," Baker said. "I didn't even know we had a trophy until we won it, but that helped build to our last win."

Shadow Ridge is coming off a pair of blow-out losses to Northwest Division foes Cheyenne and Palo Verde, the league's top two teams, and will be eager to get back into competitive play.

"The records don't show it but every team in this division has been beating up on each other," Shadow Ridge coach Gabe Gledhill said. "I think we came out of those games a better team. We're a young team and our kids learned a lot."

Gledhill said his team will look to start strong on defense to contain Centennial quarterback Chris Henderson and receiver Matt Holley.

On offense, Shadow Ridge will rely on rushing leader Zach Hill, who has 893 yards this season.

"We really need to improve on our offensive execution," Gledhill said. "We have had a lot of opportunities in the red zone where we couldn't get any touchdowns."

After opening the season with two wins, Centennial has lost eight straight games.

Baker said his team will need to improve its rushing defense against Shadow Ridge to earn its first league win.

"We need to wrap up and tackle," he said. "If not, their backs could get some major yardage."

The season has not been what Baker expected as injuries and a tough conference schedule has been too much to overcome.

"This game will be a mouthwash game," the coach said. "It won't get rid of all the bad memories of the season, but it will help us end it with a better taste in our mouth."

Sean Ammerman can be reached at 990-2661 or [email protected].