Adam Candee covers high school sports for the Sun. Reach him at (702) 259-4085 or by e-mail at [email protected].
TONIGHT'S PREP FOOTBALL GAMES
All kickoffs at 7 p.m.
Silverado at Basic
Green Valley at Coronado
Rancho at Eldorado
Las Vegas at Chaparral
Desert Pines at Valley
Western at Durango
Bishop Gorman at Bonanza
Clark at Sierra Vista
Cimarron-Memorial at Mojave
Cheyenne at Palo Verde
Foothill at Centennial
Pahrump at Boulder City
Tonopah at Faith Lutheran
The word from Chaparral High School on suspended head football coach Ricky Watts is absolutely no word at all.
One week ago, the school placed Watts on temporary suspension from the football team after a senior player accused the coach of striking him in the head during an argument at practice.
The school said it was launching an investigation into the allegations, and since that point, the lines of communication from the school have been fully disconnected.
While personnel rules prevent discussion of specifics in Watts' case, athletic administrator Charles deClercq has refused to return repeated phone calls from the Sun. Reached Thursday, an assitant for deClercq said he had "no new comment" about the football situation.
Multiple attempts to contact Watts have also been unsuccessful.
School district athletic director Larry McKay said the investigation process can take up to a month. In the meantime, Rich Ebarb fills in for Watts. The Cowboys are 2-3 going into tonight's game against Las Vegas.
Johnson will be announced as one of 78 nationwide selections to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in a ceremony at Desert Pines High School today.
Listed by ESPN.com as one of the top 10 running back prospects in the country, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Johnson has not yet committed to a college program. His Desert Pines team is off to a 5-0 start and a No. 4 ranking in the Sun prep poll.
Recruiting expert Tom Lemming of Prep Football Report ultimately makes the selections for the game.
The game, slated for Jan. 5, 2003 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, will be set up in an East vs. West format. It will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
The results are dramatic: The Panthers lost two wins and two ties for a total of eight points. But because the forfeits came in early season games, Palo Verde will not be affected much in terms of the playoff race in the struggling Northwest division.
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