Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011 | 11:06 p.m.
Prep Sports Now
Gorman's national contest precedes Saturday slate
Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Case Keefer and Ray Brewer go across the valley and break down the upcoming week of high school. They give their picks on every game and spend extra time debating Del Sol vs. Liberty and Servite (Calif.) vs. Bishop Gorman.
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Rancho is getting healthy and improving.
After starting the season with three disappointing losses, the Rams have now won two straight. Rancho defeated Chaparral on Saturday 44-12.
“We really have no choice but to get it going now,” Rancho coach Elvin Dick said. “We’re in the meat of our schedule.”
Rancho’s next three opponents are the top teams in its Northeast Division — Canyon Springs, Las Vegas High and Desert Pines. The Rams showed some reasons why those squads shouldn’t sleep on them against the Cowboys.
Senior running back Cody Hafen racked up yards on the ground, while senior quarterback William Gosse-Gardett moved the offense well through the air.
Both Hafen and Gosse-Gardett were responsible for multiple touchdowns.
Dick was also happy with the defensive effort, which could get better soon with the return of a few players, including senior linebacker Melvin Robinson.
“We made some plays,” Dick said. “We had a lot of penalties but in the second half, we really took over.”
Chaparral High School has seen better days.
Once among the top performing schools in the Clark County School District, Chaparral High is undergoing changes to counter dismal test scores and the lowest graduation rate in the district.
The campus located near East Flamingo Road and U.S. 95 is one of five turnaround schools not meeting the expectations outlined in No Child Left Behind.
Chaparral is now looking to clean up its reputation, touching every aspect of the school from restrooms to test scores.
Changes weren’t received well by students who openly protested the cuts to faculty and the new order that banned the use of cell phones and music players during the school day.
Under stricter rules, tardy students are locked out of classrooms, bathroom breaks during class time aren’t allowed and the lunch hour was pushed back to 1:40 p.m.
Superintendent Dwight Jones told students he’s not settling for half successes.
“Right now, 50 percent of the kids in this school don’t graduate high school. Is that acceptable to you? Think about that. Right now, some of the friends that you’re with aren’t going to graduate. Is that OK? That’s unacceptable to me. I think you guys ought to kick all of us out.”
- Year built:
- 1971
- Mascot:
- Cowboys
- Principal (Year Hired):
- David Wilson (2011)
- Enrollment:
- Approximately 2,250
- School Report Card:
- 2010-2011
Compiled by Gregan Wingert
Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.
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