Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 20

High school sports Wednesday, October 15, 1986 Reno Gazette-Journal J-f Picking Reno-Wooster winner is a game of hunches The prep beat Opinion by Larry Baden Wooster-Reno. Reno-Wooster. It's almost all I've neard about since arriving in town more than two months ago. And now here it is. Only four days My first Wooster-Reno football game.

I'm not embarrassed to admit it. Twenty-four years old and never been to a Wooster-Reno football game. Hard to believe, but true. I'm excited. After all, we've got two unbeaten teams, each 6-0.

Archrivals. The Northern AAA's best offense against the league's top defense. Wooster is No. 1 in the state, defending state champion and winner of 18 straight games. The Colts have scored 44.3 points a game and have won their games by an average of 33 points.

Reno hasn't scored 33 points in a game. None of the Huskies' six victories have been by more than two touchdowns. But they've allowed the fewest points in the league, 56. All those numbers you just read. Forget 'em.

Throw 'em away. They don't mean a thing. Yes, I've seen this type of rivalry before. In Missouri, it was Jefferson City and Columbia Hickman. Wasson and Mitchell didn't like one another much in Colorado.

East St. Louis and Lincoln used to put on great shows in Illinois. The names aren't the same, but the brand of football is. A rivalry is a rivalry. It doesn't matter if it's played in Reno or Columbia, Mo.

quarter with a broken collarbone. Instead, they stopped the Raiders in the last minute to preserve a 28-25 lead. So what we've got here are two teams that hate to lose and that hate each other. A pretty good matchup. Who's going to win? Take Reed over South Tahoe.

(Calm down. I'm just warming up.) In the big one Reno will beat Wooster. Don ask me why. I never was right on Mitchell-Wasson, either. PLAY OF THE WEEK: An easy winner here.

Yerington's Paul Roberts, punting into a 40-mph wind at Lovelock last Saturday from his 10-yard line, kicked the ball almost straight up. The wind took over from there, carrying the ball more than 20 yards backwards. The ball sailed right out of Yerington's end zone for a Lovelock safety. "There are no trees around, and the wind was coming straight down the field," Yerington coach John Dibble said. "It was like playing in a wind tunnel.

I've never seen anything like that happen before." He'll probably never see a play like that one again. For the record, Yerington endured the wind and won the game, 23-8. NOTABLE: Northern Nevada's longest high school tennis streak came to an end last Monday when Reed High's Hyo Chan Lee ended Douglas' Sam Chacon's consecutive-set winning streak in league play at 83. Chacon defaulted in the match, down 3-0, when he aggravated a back injury. Lee and Chacon could meet again this week in the Northern AAA zone tournament, which will be held Friday and Saturday at the Plumas Street Tennis Complex.

The Northern AAA girls' golf zone tournament also is slated for this week. Four-time defending state champion Reno High will go for its fourth zone title in a row Friday at Wildcreek Golf Course. Moapa Valley's 27-8 loss to Beaver, Utah, last week dropped the Muckers' football team to 1-5 on the season and ensured that they would finish with a losing record. What's significant is that Moapa hasn't had a losing season in 32 years. The last time the Muckers finished below .500 was 1954.

Wooster football coach Joe Sellers said starting tailbacklinebacker Pat Aragon will replace Conrad at quarterback. Aragon, an all-state defensive player last year, took snaps from the single-wing formation against Reed. The Colts, though, will run a more conventional attack against Reno, Sellers said The two entrants in this year's A League football state title game more than likely will be decided Friday. Whittell plays at Battle Mountain for first place in the Northern A League, and Virgin Valley meets Lincoln County for the Southern lead. You can never tell who's going to win one of these games.

Records never seem to matter much. Comparing scores doesn't help. A week ago, I would've felt pretty comfortable picking Wooster to win Saturday's game. Now I'm not so sure. Not only does Wooster's loss of all-state quarterback Scott Conrad change the picture not to mention the potency of the Colts' offense but so does Reno's 26-16 victory over Hug on Saturday.

That was the third time this season I'd seen the Huskies. In three games, they've done little to impress me. I went away each time thinking they were lucky to win, an average team. I was wrong. The Huskies hate to lose.

That's a pretty good characteristic for a team to have. They aren a great football team. But coach Mike Jones has a pretty good idea of what his team can and can't do. He doesn't ask his players to do things he knows they aren't capable of doing. They don't wow you, they only beat you.

Wooster, too, hates to lose. After all, it would've been easy enough for the Colts to lose last Friday after Conrad left the Reed game in the second F6dfcball polls Scattini Coaches rank Tonopah No. 1 in state AA poll Two weeks ago. TonoDah's foot ball team beat Moapa Valley for the first time. The Muckers had been 0-27 against Moapa.

Last week, Tonopah beat Boulder City for the first time. This week brings another first for the Muckers: they're rated No. 1 in the Gazette-Journal's AA League poll. lonopah, the smallest school in Salinas Californian photo LAZZARONE: Former Reno High player is starting right guard on Foothill College's offensive line. jiff r' 'jit AA, with 312 students, moved from second into the top spot with a 7-6 victory over No.

3-ranked Boulder City last Friday night. The Muckers, 5-1, replace Elko, which lost at Manogue, 5-0. Elko's defeat marked the third consecu tive week the No. 1 team in the AA poll had been beaten. With that in mind, Tonopah is preparing for a Friday night game Foothill's Nevada players Brian Foster, Reno safety Jim Atcheson, Reno linebacker Eric Bowen, Reno kicker Joe Blanda, Reno linebacker Roland Lazzarone, Reno guard Blake Gudmunson, Carson safety Woody Healey, Carson running back Mike Borda, Carson split end Daiyl Dennis, Carson tight end Harlan Hill, Hug split end Tony Dillon, Hug linebacker Angek) Clelan, S.Tahoe cornerback Ralph Clelan, S.Tahoe cornerback Ron Wright, Manogue tackle Keith Hart, Douglas tight end Troy Clemens, Boulder linebacker at Needles, ranked third this week and the only unbeaten AA team at 6-0.

Tonopah's only loss came against Tahoe-Truckee, 21-14, on the season's third weekend. Super Poll AAA Salinas CaMornian photo BAD NIGHT: Gene Scattini, left, and former Hug High player Harlan Hill watch from the sideline during Foothill's 10-0 loss to Hartnell College. School, record Points 1 Wooster, 6-0 50 From page 1B "We're an elite area," said Scattini. "Parents want their kids to go to four-year schools. We've got one of the top academic programs in the state.

It's very elite." Like the rest of its community-college brothers in California, Foothill is a two-year public school. But the campus looks and feels exclusive, tucked neatly into this peninsula suburb, 40 miles south of San Francisco. The geography doesn't help Scattini. He is stuck between a pair of California's strong two-year football programs, San Jose City College to the south and College of San Mateo to the north. "We've got four high schools in our district," said Scattini, a former San Jose State University player who knows the area.

"San Mateo draws from just up here a few miles all the way to San Francisco. They have 26 high schools. San Jose has 28." To even the numbers, Scattini searched his old Reno home. "It's advantageous for the kids I had at Reno High," Scattini said. "I know them.

I know what they're capable of doing. They know my system. They know the program. They know I'll keep an eye on them." Rival junior-college coaches seem to be watching Scattini. There has been grumbling about the Nevada imports at Foothill.

"Last year, when we were 0-10, people didn't say much," Scattini said. But the Owls finished the non-league portion of this year's schedule with a 16-10 upset victory over Diablo Valley College, the team picked to finish first in the Golden Gate Conference, which includes San Jose City and San Mateo. Recruiting is a sensitive subject among football coaches at California's two-year schools. They're allowed to contact high-school players within their districts. Players outside the district can contact them.

But a coach can't make the first contact with a player outside his district. The California Association of Community Colleges in Sacramento allows Lassen College in Susanville, to contact Nevada high-school athletes because of Lassen's location near the Nevada border. According to Stu Van Horn, the organization's director of information, the CACC is cracking down on recruiting violations among its coaches. Van Horn said the association can ask schools to remove coaches who break rules. "If they (Foothill) followed proper procedures, if the players contacted the coach, we have no problem with that," said Van Horn.

"If proper procedure wasn't followed, then I'd have a problem with it. We don't check it out unless we're asked." According to Van Horn, first contact by a player can be made in person, or on the telephone. "I'm not really bringing them in," Scattini said of his Nevada players. "They're contacting me and want the opportunity because they know me from there (Reno) I'd love to have those kids every hill can be expensive. 2.

(tie) Chaparral. 5-1 41 2. (tie) Rancho, 5-1 41 4. Reno, 6-0 31 "The first year you pay out-of-state," said Foster. "It's a lot easier the second year.

It costs about $175 a month for rent 5. (tie) Eldorado, 5-1 27 5. (tie) Reed, 4-2 27 5. (tie) Gorman, 5-1 27 8. Western, 4-2 16 9.

Hug, 3-3 10 10. Clark, 3-3 8 AA 1. Tonopah, 5-1 23 2. Manogue, 5-1 15 3. Needles, 6-0 1 1 V4 4.

(tie) Fallon, 4-2 10 4. (tie) Elko, 4-2 10 A League 1. Whittell, 6-0 23 2. Battle 4-1-1 19 3. Virgin Valley, 4-2 17 4.

Lincoln County, 5-1 10 5. Yerington, 3-2-1 3 League 1. Alamo, 5-1 15 2. Smith Valley, 6-0 12 3. Wells, 4-2 9 4.

McDermitt, 3-2 6 5. Pyramid Lake, 3-3 3 "I didn't know so many guys from Nevada were coming," said Lazzarone. "I came partly because it's a good school and partly because I'd get a chance to play. I thought if we started to win, we'd get some exposure. People would start looking at us, which they're starting to do." Lazzarone and his Foothill teammates want the chance to play at four-year schools, including the University of Nevada-Reno.

"I was going to go to UNR at first, but things didn't work out for me academically" said Hill, who plays at Foothill with outside linebacker Tony Dillon, a former Hug teammate. "I'm hoping I can get two good years here, then go back to UNR," said Hill. "I hope coach (Chris) Ault is still watching out for me." If UNR coach Ault checks Scattini Foothill roster, with Gudmunson and Dennis, he'll see two more players from Carson. Scattini's former Senators include running back Woody Healey and substitute wide receiver Mike Borda. Foothill's melting pot also features Keith Hart, a backup tight end from Douglas, and two players from South Tahoe High, brothers Angelo and Ralph Clelan.

They are reserve defensive backs. The Clelan brothers come from California, so they don't have to pay out-of-state tuition. But the freshmen from Nevada do. For them, playing at Foot year. I can relate to them, where they're coming from and their (high school) programs.

If these kids come down here and get a good opportunity and they're taken care of, we'll get other kids from up there." Foster and Jim Atcheson, a sophomore linebacker from Reno, suffered with Scattini at Foothill in 1985. This year, Scattini signed 13 freshmen who played in the northern Nevada-Lake Tahoe area last year. "He contacted our (high school) coaches," said Wright. "He knows our coaches." CACC rules don't prevent contact between junior-college and high-school coaches. But junior-college coaches aren't supposed to discuss the recruiting of specific players.

Scattini picked up a freshman, Troy Clemens, from Nevada's southern tip. Clemens, who starts at linebacker for the Owls, played at Boulder City last season. "I didn't know him (Scattini) at all," said Clemens. "I was referred to this school by a coach at Moapa Valley. I called and contacted coach Scattini.

He said there would be kids from Nevada. He said they'd be a good bunch of kids." With Foster, Atcheson and Lazzarone, two other Owls, Joe Blanda and Eric Bowen, played for Scattini at Reno. Blanda, a reserve linebacker at Foothill, was an all-Northern pick last season. Bowen is Foothill's place-kicker. ana tooa costs, we can our parents collect, so that helps." There are no dormitories at Foothill.

Scattini's Nevada players live in an off-campus apartment complex. "They gave us a good deal," Foster said. "Rent is too expensive down here." Scattini acknowledged the hardship for Foothill's Nevada players. But he said conditions are similar for out-of-state athletes at most California's junior colleges. "Anywhere they go, they're going to have that problem," Scattini said.

"I sent kids for years from Reno High that went to Shasta (college) and Yuba and Santa Rosa. It's no different." There are no athletic scholarships at California's community colleges. Foster and his Nevada teammates boost their incomes with part-time jobs as security guards at a concert hall in a nearby pen-ninsula city. "For anybody on the team that wanted it, coach (Scattini) got jobs working over at the amphitheater," Foster said. "You make about $75 a week doing that.

A lot of Cple have financial aid and student is." So, all the money doesn't grow on trees in this town. There are a few football players standing under the branches, even if they are transplants from Nevada. The Gazette-Journal's coaching panel Is made up of: AAA Mike Rippee, Douglas; Mike Ervin, Reed; Joe Sellers, Wooster; Richard Whitehead, Basic; Chuck Gerber, Gorman; AA-Moyal Kump, Elko; John Lundstrom, Bishop Manogue; J.D. Deschler, Tahoe-Truckee; Chuck Stuart, Boulder City; Marty Taggart, Moapa Valley; Rick Baxter, Tonopah. A-Jerry Corbitt, Battle Mountain: John Dibble, Yerington; Evan Wilson, Virgin Valley; Larry Goins, Pahrump Valley; Rick Phillips, Lincoln County.

B-Ward Coates, Wells; David Thomas, Alamo; Jon Blmn, Carlin. Rushing crillTUCDU A Yds. Avg. Att. 727 109 Smith's Ruiz scores 7 TDs FootbaU standings Player, School Carr.Hug Genasci.Reed Cooper.McQueen Moss.Sparks Boucher.Reno Johnson.Wooster Sullivan.Douglas Terelak.Wooster 686 598 590 572 540 325 312 94 132 134 91 79 58 42 Player of the week Lincoln County 3 0 0 1.000 .833 132 90 Virgin Valley 3 0 0 1.000 4 0 667 99 29 Faith Lutheran 2 1 0 667--3 0 400 53 78 Pahrump 2 2 0 1 3 0 .500 139 8 Beatty 1 3 0 250 3 3 0 .500 106 114 Indian Springs KJ V-250 2 4 0 .333 75 101 Spring Mtn.

.000 0 5 0 .000 36 173 V--V LEAGUE Alamo 5 0 0 1.000 5 1 0 .833 226 120 Smith Valley 5 0 0 1.000 6 0 0 1.000 256 170 Wells 4 2 0 .667 4 2 0 667 244 60 McDermitt 3 2 0 .600 3 2 0 .600 141 84 Pyramid Lake 2 3 0 .400 3 3 0 .500 146 192 Gabbs 2 4 0 .333 2 4 0 .333 144 133 Carlin 1 4 0 .200 1 4 0 .200 130 232 Jackpot 1 4 0 .200 1 4 0 200 86 212 Eureka 0 4 0 .000 0 4 0 .000 20 216 EASTERN CALIFORNIA EASTERN ATHLETIC LEAGUE League Overall Pet. Pet. Chico 0 0 0 .000 4 1 0 .800 Oroville 0 0 .000 3 1 0 .750 Las Plumas 0 0 0 .000 3 1 0 .750 Lassen 0 0 0 .000 2 3 0 .400 Paradise 0 0 0 .000 2 2 0 .500 Pleasant Valley 0 0 0 000 1 3 0 250 FEATHER RIVER LEAGUE Loyalton I 0 0 1 000 5 0 0 1.000 Greenville 0 1 0 .000 2 2 0 .500 Portola 1 0 0 1.000 2 3 0 .400 Chester 0 1 0 .000 2 3 0 .400 Westwood 0 0 0 .000 0 3 0 .000 Receiving Player, School Rec. Yds. Avg.

G.Williams.Wooster 25 536 22.3 P.Williams.Wooster 23 270 11.7 Gregory.Douglas IB 169 9.3 Cooper.McQueen 18 150 8.3 Allie.S.Tahoe 17 203 11.9 Wight.Reed 16 209 13.1 14 349 24.9 Womack.S.Tahoe 12 174 14.5 Smith.S.Tahoe 12 71 5.9 11 172 155 Saladino.Reno 9 239 26.5 Bames.Hug 9 138 15.3 Scoring Player, School TD FG PAT TP Aragon.Wooster 11 0 2 70 P.Williams.Wooster 2 5 26 53 Boucher.Reno 8 5 15? G.Williams,Wooster 7 0 2 46 Mcveigh.Hug 6 0 0 36 Genasci.Reed 5 2S Carr.Hug 5 0 1 32 Johnson.Wooster 5 0 0 30 5 0 0 30 Barber.Reed 4 14 26 Rushing Player, School Att Yds Avg Fittmanjackpot (B) Wright.EIko (AA) 162 842 5.8 Ruil, Smith Valley (B) 8 J03 7.1 97 668 6.9 McKinnon.Gabbs (B) J3 628 5.1 German.Fernley (AA) 01 599 5.9 Dilk.Dayton (A)- 552 4.7 Parodi.whittell (A) "0 618 5.6 Lawson.Truckee (AA) 78 615 7.8 Pearce.Baftle Mtn. (A) 65 512 7.9 Cooper (AA) 54 500 9.2 Receiving Player, School Rec. Yds. Avg Diede, Hawthorne (A) 27 450 16 6 Myer.Dayton (A) 21 190 8 6 Schroader 18 391 2.7 Silva.Dayton (A) 18 207 11 5 Kramer.Tonopah (AA) 17 436 25.6 Scheffeljonopah (AA) 16 280 7.3 McKinnon.Gabbs (B) 15 167 10.6 Scoring Player, School TD FG PAT TP Ruil, Smith Valley (B) 21 0 7 140 Nosworthy.Wells (B) 12 0 14 100 Barr.Tonopah (AA) 6 3 19 64 Brigham.Gabbs (B) 8 0 0 48 Bleak, Lincoln Cry. (A) 8 0 0 48 McKinnon.Gabbs (B) 8 0 0 48 NOTE: High school statistics are compiled by the Gazette-Journal from results supplied by area coaches.

THIS WEEK'S GAMES AAA Friday McQueen at Carson; Douglas at Sparks; South Tahoe at Reed. All times 7:30 p.m. Saturday Hiram Johnson (Sacramento) at Hug; Reno at Wooster. All times 1:30 p.m. AA Friday Moapa Valley at Boulder City; Elko at Incline; Manogue at Fallon; Tonopah at Needles.

All times 7.30 p.m. Saturday Lowry at Fernley, 1:30 p.m.; North Tahoe at Tahoe-Truckee, 2 p.m. A Friday Battle Mountain at Whittell; Dayton at Lovelock; Independence at Yerington; Owyhee at Hawthorne. Friday North Gem, Idaho, at Jackpot. Saturday Alamo vs.

Pyramid Lake at Sparks; Carlin at McDermitt; Eureka at Smith Valley; Gabbs at Wells. NORTHERN AAA League Overall Pet. Pet. PF PA Reno 6 0 0 1.000 6 0 0 1.000 109 56 Wooster 6 0 0 1 000 6 0 0 1.000 268 70 Reed 4 1 0 .800 4 2 0 .667 146 83 Hug 3 3 0 .500 3 3 0 .500 126 131 McQueen 2 3 0 .400 3 3 0 .500 74 82 Carson 1 4 0 .200 1 4 0 .200 84 135 Soutti Tahoe 1 4 0 .200 1 4 I .200 53 126 Douglas 1 4 0 200 1 5 0 .166 58 168 Sparks 0 5 0 .000 0 6 0 .000 59 141 SOUTHERN AAA Sunrise Division Eldorado 2 0 0 1.000 5 1 0 .833 113 61 Rancho 1 0 0 1.000 5 1 0 .833 138 63 Western 1 0 0 1.000 4 2 0 .667 108 60 Basic 0 2 0 .000 1 5 0 .166 56 106 LasVegas 0 2 0 .000 1 5 0 .166 69 101 Sunset Division Gorman 2 0 0 1.000 5 1 0 .833 100 61 Chaparral 1 0 0 1.000 5 1 0 .833 81 36 Clark 110 500 3 3 0 500 62 57 Bonanza 0 1 0 .000 0 6 0 .000 46 151 Valley 0 2 0 .000 1 5 0 .166 54 118 NORTHERN AA Manogue 3 1 0 .750 5 1 0 .833 72 33 Truckee 3 1 0 .750 5 1 0 .833 114 87 Elko 3 1 0 .750 4 2 0 .667 110 60 Fallon 3 1 0 .750 4 2 0 .667 104 60 North Tahoe 2 2 0 J00 3 2 1 600 133 82 Fernley 1 3 0 .250 2 4 0 .333 39 127 Lowry 1 3 0 .250 1 4 1 .200 83 180 incline 0 4 0 000 0 5 1 .000 34 72 SOUTHERN AA Tonopah 2 0 0 1.000 5 1 0 .833 195 60 Needles 1 0 0 1.000 6 0 0 1.000 93 38 BoulderCity 1 1 0 jOO 3 3 0 .500 99 77 Moapa Valley 0 1 0 .000 1 5 0 .166 59 120 White Pine 0 2 0 .000 0 6 0 .000 22 190 NORTHERN A Whittell 4 0 0 1.000 0 0 1.000 219 76 Baffle Mtn. 4 0 0 1.000 4 1 1 .800 134 46 Yerington 2 2 0 J00 3 1 1 .600 82 81 Hawthorne 2 2 0 JOO 3 3 0 .500 99 134 Independence 2 2 J00 2 3 0 .400 73 132 Owyhee 1 3 0 .250 2 3 0 .400 74 98 Lovelock 1 3 0 .250 1 5 0 .166 40 110 Dayton 0 4 0 .000 1 5 0 .166 64 187 For Smith Valley's Jorge Ruiz, scoring has become second nature.

Last year, he led the Bulldog basketball team with more than 20 points per game. This year he leads Nevada football players with 21 touchdowns and 140 points in six games. One might think Ruiz may get a bit tired of scoring. Hardly. "It adds some fun to the games," Ruiz said.

In Saturday's game, Ruiz had a lot of fun in the Bulldogs 58-44 League victory over Pyramid Lake. Ruiz, a senior running back, scored seven touchdowns and rushed for 145 yards. The performance earned Ruiz recognition as Gazette-Journal player of the week. Scoring seven times in a game even surprised Ruiz. "I really don't know what happened," Ruiz said.

"It was a shock to me. (Pyramid) didn't have a very strong defense." On defense Ruiz plays linebacker, and does not slow down just because he is not going to get the ball. "I would guess that he is in on at least 50 percent of the tackles," coach Lou Micheo said. "He runs, throws, receives, and returns punts and kickoffs. He is strong and tough.

He hits hard into the line and has moves in the open field." OTHER TOP PLAYERS: John Plttman, Jackpot: rushed for a stale-high 312 yards in a 40-24 League victory over Eureka. He also scored four touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Pittman leads Nevada rushers with 947 yards. Steve Elliot, Carson: led the Senators soccer team to a 3-1 victory over previously unbeaten Reno High with two goals. Elliot's first goal was the first scored against Huskies' goalie Brett Shumsky in 12 games.

Cyndy Rockwood, Carson: won the girls high school division of the Stanford Cross Country Invitational. She finished the race in 18 minutes, 40 seconds. Joe Genaacl, Reed: gained 213 rushing yards and scored on runs of 53 and 66 yards in the Raiders' 28-25 loss to Wooster. Andy Ancho, Battle Mountain: intercepted three passes and added five tackles from his safety position to lead the Longhorns to a 19-6 A League victory over Hawthorne. Scott Talbott, Manogue: The Miners' sophomore linebacker had six sok) tackles, assisted on 12 others, knocked down two passes and had a sack in a 5-0 shutout of No.

1 -ranked Elko. Steve Lawson, Tahoe-Truckee: rushed for 195 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead the Wolverines past Lowry Prep leaders AA.A.B Passing Player, School Att. Comp. Jarolimek.Lowry (AA) 71 Northern AAA League Passing Att. Yds.

TO Conrad.Wooster 59 107 998 2 10 Grantham.Reed 44 76 682 4 7 45 10 36 88 542 6 4 Kennel 49 80 529 4 3 EckXarson 40 101 0 6 Montelatici.Reno 29 55 443 3 42 100 3 9 6 Jasper 38 91 396 9 1 Yds. Intcp. TD 180 904 8 6 104 890 5 8 80 687 5 4 90 607 1 6 78 579 2 0 103 576 7 4 104 573 12 6 128 559 6 10 69 524 7 5 Puckettjonopan iaai Ackerson.Smirh (B) 36 Neville.Hawthorne (A) 43 (A) 43 (AA) 47 Banovich.Fallon (AA) 29 E.Anderson.Cariin (B) 43 Cutler.Whittell (A) 29.