Rivalry week: Eldorado QB Williams will be in the spotlight during Cleat Game

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Thursday, Oct. 14, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Eldorado High football coach Vernon Brown doesn’t hesitate endorsing his quarterback as the state’s best.

It’s just that JaQuorrey Williams, a three-year starter for the Sundevils, is also one of the state’s best-kept secrets. With Eldorado struggling for victories the past two years, Williams’ solid performances have gone virtually unnoticed.

Come Friday, that will likely change — at least for a few hours.

Eldorado will be in the spotlight when it plays host Chaparral in the annual “Cleat Game,” one the Las Vegas Valley’s longest and most storied rivalry games. Most weeks, it’s defending state champion Bishop Gorman or perennial powers Palo Verde and Las Vegas highs in the spotlight.

This week, however, it’s two of the area’s oldest schools. And that gives the 5-foot-10, 152-pound Williams a rare opportunity to shine.

“I haven’t seen any of the schools in the North play, but I can still honestly tell you he’s the best in the state,” Brown said. “If you put him on any other team, he would make them instantly better. They would be picked to win the league.”

Former Los Angeles Rams great Merlin Olsen in the 1970s donated one of his cleats for the game, which is bronzed and sits on a 2-foot base. Chaparral holds a 23-14 series edge, but Eldorado was victorious last year for its lone win of the season.

Keeping possession of the cleat is easier said than done. Eldorado (3-3, 2-2 Northeast) is in contention for a playoff spot, whereas Chaparral is in the middle of a 17-game losing streak.

That won’t matter come kickoff.

“It’s a rivalry game. You have to throw all of (the records) out the window,” Brown said. “This is like a playoff game for Chaparral when you consider the season they are having.”

Williams, who has passed for 785 yards and 11 touchdowns in six games, can beat you a variety of ways. He has passed for a touchdown in every game this season and has rushed for 337 yards and three touchdowns.

“I’m an athletic quarterback,” Williams said. “I can do anything you need me to do. I can stay in the pocket and make a pass or take off and make something happen. We just worked so hard in the off-season to win games like this.”

Senior receiver Brett VanOrden has started alongside Williams since they were sophomores. VanOrden’s 413 yards receiving and five touchdowns rank him as one of the state’s top wideouts.

“We have that connection,” VanOrden said. “We have a lot of confidence in each other. He knows when I adjust my routes.”

Williams — because of his size and the fact Eldorado receives little publicity — has received minor interest from colleges. He’s been contacted by Kansas and Oregon but has no scholarship offers.

For now, the only thing Williams is worried about is leading his team to a victory in their most important game of the year.

“This is my last year playing for the cleat,” Williams said. “I want to go out a winner.”

The players on both teams take pride in being part of the game. The schools have played since the 1970s, and even though both have struggled for victories in recent years, that can’t erase the history of this rivalry.

Eldorado had the cleat trophy at practice Wednesday as a subtle reminder of what’s at stake later in the week.

“The rivalry we have with Chap gets our blood pumping and our adrenaline flowing,” Eldorado lineman Roberto Higuera said. “I’m honored just to be part of it. This game has so much history, and we’re (fortunate) to be part of the history.”

This isn’t the only rivalry game of significance this week.

Las Vegas plays host to Rancho in the annual “Bone Game” in another rivalry with decades of history. Lately, that history has favored Las Vegas, which hasn’t lost to Rancho since 1995.

Unlike Eldorado, the bone — a cow bone introduced to the rivalry in 1957 — won’t make an appearance on the practice field this week. It is under tight security in the athletic director’s office at Las Vegas after it was stolen a few years ago.

The schools first started playing against each other in the 1930s.

“It’s a big festivity around here,” Las Vegas senior defensive lineman William Johnson said. “The teacher and other kids love it and ask us about it all week. I'm proud to be part of the history.”

Also, Basic travels to Foothill in the annual Battle for Boulder Highway game. No trophy is awarded.

Foothill opened in 1999 and took most of its students from Basic to create a natural rivalry. The schools are located two miles apart, on opposite sides of Boulder Highway.