Lady Bulldogs Holiday Classic (HS Basketball), Final Day

Here is the article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that ran on Thursday, December 30th .

Lady Bulldog Holiday Classic, (HS Basketball), 2nd Day

Here is the article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that ran on Wednesday, December 29th .

Lady Bulldog Holiday Classic (HS Basketball), 1st Day

Here is the article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that ran on Tuesday, December 28th .

UNLV Lady Rebels Basketball (vs. Nevada)

Here is the article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that ran on Thursday, December 23, 2004.

GIRLS SOCCER FEATURE (Durango High School)

Here is the article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that ran on Thursday, December 16th .

Nevada Open Golf Tournament, Final Round

Here is the article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that ran on Thursday, December 9, 2004 .

Click Here For GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER CAPSULES

Here is an online only feature from the lvrj.com that was posted on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004 .

Girls High School Soccer Preview

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that ran Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004 .

UNLV Lady Rebels Basketball (vs. No. 5 North Carolina)

Here is the article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that ran on Monday, Nov. 29, 2004 .


I was called to cover the Lady Rebels when they played the fifth-ranked Lady Tar Heels. It was a great game, eventhough UNLV lost.

Click Here for LAS VEGAS RATTLERS Article

Here is the article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that ran on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2004 .

The story is so short because this was the same night the Indiana Pacers went in the stands and beat the hell out of those fans.

Las Vegas High School Playoffs, Wk 1

Valley Squeaks By in First Round
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

At Valley, the sixth-ranked Vikings (8-2) scored two fourth quarter touchdowns within 19 seconds to defeat the Cougars (5-5) in the first round of the Sunrise Regional.

With the game tied at 7 with 3:25 to play, quarterback Matt Christman rolled to his right and found Jarrell Hawkins for an 11-yard touchdown pass.

On the first play of Coronado's ensuing possession, Bryce Talice intercepted a Scott McLeod pass and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown.

While the Vikings' offense struggled for the second straight week, their defense kept the team in the game before the closing burst.

"We knew it was going to be hard because it's the playoffs and we're playing Coronado," said linebacker Marcus Cotton, who led the defense with 16 tackles and an interception. "You never underestimate a team."

Valley's defense scored first when Jeremiah Casella returned a Christopher Desjardins fumble 49 yards for a touchdown.

Coronado answered with their best sustained drive of the game, going 83 yards in 15 plays capped by 4-yard run by Desjardins. The drive included a 27-yard pass from McLeod to Brett Hamrick on third-and-25.

Desjardins finished with 54 yards on 21 carries.

Major Gray led Valley with 123 yards on 22 carries.

Soccer Playoffs, Both regions, Boys

Here is a story from the Las Vegas Review-Journal of an article published on Friday, November 5, 2004.

Desert Pines vs. Rancho (Football)

Desert Pines Blows Out Rancho
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Friday, October 29, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

• Desert Pines 67, Rancho 24 -- At Desert Pines, Shawn Tatum completed 6 of 8 passes for 185 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Jaguars (4-5, 2-3 Northeast) past the Rams to secure the league's final playoff berth.

Jeromy Jones, who caught five passes for 166 yards, scored on receptions of 57, 51 and 36 yards.

Rancho (1-9, 0-5) took an early 6-0 lead on a 16-yard touchdown pass from J.T. Bley to Terrence McGill. However, on the ensuing kickoff Donte Minton returned the ball 83 yards for a touchdown.

On the Rams' next possession, Dominique White intercepted a Bley pass and returned it 27 yards to the Jaguars 4-yard line.

Minton scored two plays later on a 4-yard run to help give Desert Pines a 34-point first quarter.

White would also recover a fumble and block a punt, all in the first quarter.

Freshman Michael Ball, who moved up from the junior varsity team this week, got 122 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Ball scored on runs of 12, 10 and 5 yards for the Jaguars.

Ryan Eliason ran for 131 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries to lead the Rams. Bley completed 10 of 21 passes for 156 yards and two TDs for Rancho.

Shadow Ridge vs. Mojave (Fooball)

Another Friday, Another Blowout in Las Vegas HS Football
By Arnold Knightly
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Shadow Ridge 49, Mojave 0 -- At Shadow Ridge, Bobby Alexander scored two defensive touchdowns in the first quarter to guide the Mustangs (5-3, 2-2 Northwest) past the Rattlers (2-6, 1-3).

Alexander returned an interception 45 yards and a fumble 29 yards for scores as part of a 28-point first quarter.

Ricky Snodgrass also had a big night, rushing for 166 yards and two TD on 19 carries in three quarters of action. Snodgrass scored on runs of 68 and 10 yards.

Quarterback Chris Berkeley scored on a 1-yard run and also connected with Beau Backman for an 11-yard TD.

Aaron Thomas scored on a 5-yard run in the third quarter.

The Mustangs forced six turnovers and blocked a punt.

UNLV vs. New Mexico (Football)

Rebs Turnover Game to Lobos
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
Published: Monday, October 18, 2004


New Mexico took advantage of the six turnovers and an uninspired second half performance by the Rebels to defeat UNLV 24-20 in front of an announced homecoming crowd of 19,065, although the actual on hand crowd looked a lot smaller in numbers.

Early in the second quarter following a quarterback change, the Rebels took a 17-7 advantage. Whether it was complacency or overconfidence at that point, UNLV started making mental errors in all parts of the game that would help lead to a New Mexico victory.

Also, the defensive unit got no turnovers for the game.

"I thought when we came out we were doing things I thought were positive," coach John Robinson said. "We came out in the second half and it just seemed to stop."

UNLV drops to 1-2 in the Mountain West and 2-5 overall. With only four games left, the opportunity for a winning season looks remote.

The Rebels started out slow when quarterback Kurt Nantkes threw an interception on their first possession. The Lobos scored five plays later to take an early 7-0 lead. UNLV answered with a 35-yard field goal by Sergio Aguayo on the ensuing possession.

Following the next Rebels possession, Robinson pulled the ineffective Nantkes for Shane Steichen. Nantkes had completed only two of five passes for 14 yards and one interception in three possessions. It was a maneuver that coaches and players said was planned during the week, although it had not been done in the past two victories.

The move paid immediate dividends. On his first series, Steichen found Earvin Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown. On his next possession, Steichen again found Johnson for a 47-yard touchdown. On the afternoon, Johnson got 144 yards on six catches.

"It doesn't really matter to me who's in," Johnson said. "I think whoever's in is going to get the job done."

With 10:39 left before halftime, the Rebels were seemingly on the verge of taking control of the game, but it did not work out that way.

When the Lobos punted on their next possession, Donell Wheaton tried to catch the ball in traffic instead of calling for a fair catch. The ball bounced off Wheaton, and New Mexico recovered. An ensuing field goal cut the lead to 17-10.

UNLV had another chance to extend their lead, but Steichen under threw a pass in the end zone intended for Johnson that was intercepted.

Despite these two errors, the Rebels still headed into halftime seemingly in control of the game with a seven point lead. But, the two errors would carry over into a second half, where the Lobos seemed to make adjustments to what UNLV had been doing, and the Rebels got caught.

"We thought we had it coming in at halftime," senior offensive lineman Joe Critchfield said. "A lot of people were just kinda gigglin' around thinking we had it and that's where it started. We just started shooting ourselves in the foot."

On New Mexico's second possession of the second half, Marcus Smith came around the right side and ran for a 65-yard touchdown to tie the game at 17. After Steichen fumbled to give the ball back to the Lobos, Kole McKamey got behind the Rebels defense for a wide open 34-yard touchdown catch.

On the first play of the ensuing possession, Steichen fumbled again, giving the ball back to the Lobos on the UNLV 17. Although Joe Miklos blocked the field goal attempt by New Mexico to keep the Rebels within a touchdown, Steichen was sent back to the bench by Robinson.

"We had five turnovers, all at the quarterback position," Robinson said. "Neither quarterback was able to function enough for us to win the game."

The Rebels were able to get in position for a 40-yard field goal by Aguayo, but that was largely due to a pass interference call. Any hopes for a Rebel comeback ended with 1:07 in the game when Natkes fumbled the ball back to New Mexico.

After the loss, the UNLV was searching for answers to what had gone wrong in a game they felt they should have won.

"We came out hard in the first half and just came out flat in the second half," senior running back Dyante Perkins said. "And if you come out flat you're not gonna win a game, and that's just the facts of the matter. That's the truth."

Junior free safety Joe Miklos, who had nine tackles to go along with the blocked field goal, agrees with Perkins.

"I don't know if we thought we had it won at halftime or something like that." Miklos said. "As a team I don't think we came out as hard as it would be necessary to come away with a win in the second half."

Notes:
Dominique Dorsey rushed for 110 yards on 18 carries. It was his fourth 100-yard game of the season and ninth in his career.

Sergio Aguayo has hit six consecutive field goals after missing three of his first five this season.

Erick Jackson blocked a punt in the first quarter, the first in 18 games for UNLV.

Joe Miklos' blocked field goal was the first since Greg Estandia's last year against San Diego State on Nov. 8.

Next Saturday, the Rebels travel to Salt Lake City to play Utah. The Utes are 6-0 and ranked in the top 10 in every poll. It will be UNLV's third game against a ranked opponent. They lost to Tennessee 42-17 and Wisconsin 18-3 earlier this season.

Valley vs. Chaparral (Football)

By Arnold Knightly
REVIEW-JOURNAL
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Valley 81, Chaparral 13 -- At Valley, the defense returned three fumbles for touchdowns, and Matt Christman threw for four scores to lead the ninth-ranked Vikings (6-1, 3-0) past Chaparral.


Donte' Jasames returned a fumble 67 yards, Nyal Bedong returned one 19 yards and Mike Williams recovered another for a 1-yard score.

Valley also made two interceptions.

Christman completed 12 of 26 passes for 146 yards. He connected with David Sosa for TDs of 14 and 7 yards, threw a 9-yarder to Chuck Jackson and added a 7-yarder to Jarrell Hawkins.

Major Gray compiled 93 yards, including touchdowns of 29, 24 and 3 yards, on only eight carries. Adrian Shields supplied TD runs of 37 and 3 yards.

The Cowboys (1-7, 0-3) scored on a 7-yard pass from Lyndon Shinn to Jonathan Robinson and a 2-yard run by Kirby Okuda.

2004 Election

We lose to win, eventually. That's the story of social justice. You have to be willing to lose and fight, and lose and fight, and lose and fight. Until the agenda is won. - Ralph Nader

Sunset Regional Team Tennis Championships

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004.

Sunset Regional Girls Golf Tournament (In-Bee Park upset)

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that was published on Tuesday, October 12, 2004.
I covered the event from a golf cart. Rough assignment.

Bishop Gorman vs. Durango (Football)

Gorman Defeats Durango
By Arnold Knightly
Saturday, October 9, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

• Bishop Gorman 35, Durango 0 -- At Sam Boyd Stadium, DeMarco Murray rushed for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries to lead the fifth-ranked Gaels (4-1, 2-0) past Durango (0-6, 0-2).

Leading 7-0 in the second quarter, Gorman took control of the game with the help of fumbles on back-to-back Durango possessions.

The Gaels' Greg Williams recovered a botched Trailblazers handoff in the end zone for a touchdown, and Danny Wadhams recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff to give Gorman the ball on the Durango 16.

Murray scored a 1-yard touchdown three plays later. He added a 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Jacob Zanoni had touchdown receptions of 18 and 11 yards.

Durango's Louis Kimble ran for 114 yards on 25 carries.

UNLV Dominates Reno (Football)

Fremont Cannon Remains Red
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
Published: Monday, October 4, 2004
The Rebel Yell (ryunlv.com)


A week made all the difference.

One week after suffering the team's most embarrassing loss to start the season 0-4, and six days after finding out their beloved coach was retiring at the end of the season, UNLV bounced back to dominate the lesser of Nevada's two four-year universities 48-13 in front of 27,596 fans.

"There's nothing better than this," senior tight end Greg Estandia said. "To beat them the way we did, it just makes us feel that much better."

The win keeps the Fremont Cannon painted red for the fifth straight season.

"I've been here four years, and we kept the Cannon all four years," senior running back and Las Vegas native Dyante Perkins said. "Today feels great. Man, to finally get a win, to get a win against our rival school. It's just a great feeling."

Dominique Dorsey had another big game, rushing for 141 yards on 21 carries. Earvin Johnson led the receivers with 73 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches.Quarterback Kurt

Nantkes overcame last week's four interceptions with none this week. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Perkins and Erick Jackson also rushed for two touchdowns each.

"This is to start our bus, man," Perkins said. "We're gonna get the bus movin'. The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round. They're startin' to go around."

The bus started out slowly, but Nevada's five turnovers would start the bus rolling down hill. Leading 20-6 headed into the fourth quarter, the Rebels scored four touchdowns to bury the Wolfpack under the bus.

"We physically got beat by a team that is 0-4," Nevada head coach Chris Ault said. "It tells you where our program is at and we got to get better."

The game did not start out promising for UNLV. The Rebels trailed 3-0 in the first quarter when linebacker Joe Miklos intercepted a pass and returned the ball for what appeared to be a 95-yard touchdown return. However, the officials said that Miklos stepped out-of-bounds at the Nevada 16.

On the first offensive play, Nantkes appeared to find Johnson in the end zone for a touchdown. Again, the officials said the Rebels where out-of-bounds.

"Earvin Johnson was clearly in the end zone when he caught that ball," coach John Robinson said. "I thought,'Oh my God, will this never end?'"

UNLV had to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Sergie Aguayo on the drive. Aguayo would later hit a 41-yard field goal to give UNLV their first lead 6-3.

With the game tied at 6 late in the second quarter, the Rebels got their second big break of the game. Facing a third-and-one on Nevada's 27-yard line, the Wolfpack's Keone Kauo was called for pass interference when he tackled Michael Freund on a pass that Freund probably could not have caught. On the ensuing play, Nantkes found Johnson in the right corner of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass.

Midway through the third quarter ,UNLV got their second turnover when Terrance Young recovered a fumble stripped by Mario Hill. Four plays later, Perkins powered in from the 1-yard line to extend the lead to 20-6.

The Rebels' defense intercepted three passes and recovered two fumbles in the game. In the previous four games, the defense had only one interception and two fumble recoveries. The defense had gone two games with out getting any turnovers.

"It was nice to get some turnovers," Robinson said. "God it was nice to get some turnovers. Please, God, thank you for some of those turnovers."

In the fourth quarter UNLV took control of the game scoring on four straight possessions. Perkins scored on a 1-yard run, Johnson scored on a 15-yard pass from Nantkes, and Erick Jackson scored on a 5-yard run and a 2-yard run.

After the game with the Fremont Cannon in the locker room, the atmosphere was completely different than just one week ago.

"It feels good," senior offensive lineman Marcus Johnson said. "Those loses were kind of heavy. They were just on our shoulders, ya know, weighing us down. It feels good to get loose and to say hey, we know we can score, we know we can play, now let's go out and do it."

Miklos, a junior who will return next year to keep the Cannon at UNLV for a sixth straight season, also believes the win could turn the team in the right direction heading into their last six games, all in conference.

"Our conference play is what really matters. That's how we're going to make it to a bowl this year. We hope this is like a spring-board that will help us dive into conference and start us rollin' from here on out."

Fourth-year player and Las Vegas native Jamaal Brimmer was glad to keep the Cannon in town all four years he has been here. He was also glad for the first win and hopes it can translate into a better finish to the season than the start.

"It obviously feels good. I'm not saying we've forgot about the losses we've had. It does feel like one of those breakout games where we played well and everybody's on the same page."

Game Notes:
Adam Seward had 15 tackles making for 363 in his career, the all-time record in the Mountain West.

Johnson has caught a pass in 35 consecutive games.

Dorsey is now the fifth person to reach the 2,000 yard mark in his career at UNLV. It was also his eighth career 100-yard rushing game.

The victory ended a six-game home losing streak.

Robinson will retire having lost the cannon only once, his first year.

Reno's inferiority complex to Las Vegas continues.

Eldorado vs. Rancho Football Game

Here is an write-up of a game that was published in Las Vegas Review-Journal on Saturday, October 2, 2004.

Eldorado 43, Rancho 0 -- At Eldorado, Marcus Newson rushed for 184 yards on 11 carries, including touchdown runs of 70 and 23 yards, to lead the eighth-ranked Sundevils (4-2, 1-0 Northeast) past the Rams (1-5, 0-1).
Eldorado jumped to a 27-0 lead in the first quarter. Along with Newson's two touchdown runs, Brandon Godfrey connected on two TD passes in the quarter, a 16-yarder to Andy Bacchetta and a 9-yarder to Dionn Whittaker.
Godfrey finished 6-for-13 passing for 116 yards.
Justin Ellison added touchdown runs of 13 and 12 yards in the third quarter.
Brian Saari hit a 21-yard field goal in the fourth quarter for the final margin.

In-Bee Park Profile, Area High School Golfer

Hello everyone,

This is a story about one hell of a young golfer here in Las Vegas. I found out about her in August when I was doing the high school girls golf preview for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. She moved to town in July and joined the defending state champion golf team. Last season the team won by 61 strokes and also had the individual champion. The individual champion, along with one other player graduated, but the team was so loaded they were going to be favored to repeat before In-Bee showed up. The coach of the girls team tried, though he would never admit it, to deflect my attention away from her during the preview. I understand why he did this. He is dealing with high school age kids and he did not want In-Bee to become the focus of the team before the season even started. However, after the season started one thing quickly became obvious; there is In-Bee and then there is everyone else.

Interviewing In-Bee and her family was a wonderful experience. One thing the story did not tell was her human side; about how self-confident and self-effacing she is. For a 16-year-old girl, she is so comfortable with her abilities. She will sit out school matches to let other girls on the team get time in competition, but will be practicing in uniform in case she is needed. She hangs out with her teammates and really tries to have the regular high school experience. She knows she will become a player on the LPGA tour, but her education is important to her and her family. Everyone kept reiterating how important it is for her to go to college before joining the tour full-time. Being from South Korea, she told me she wants to have better command of the English language before she goes out on the tour.

I am not a big follower of golf, but just being around her you get the sense that something is different about her. The way she talks about herself, the way she drives balls off the tees, there is just something different. She is humble, her family is warm and welcoming. I really believe you will read her name again one day. Please read the article and see why.

UNLV vs. Utah State 9/25/04: Another Disaster

Rebels slip to 0-4
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
Published: Monday, September 27, 2004
The Rebel Yell (ryunlv.com)

A palpable sense of despair has set in over the 2004 UNLV football team.

As the Rebels left the field Saturday night after their 31-21 defeat at the hands of Utah State, the Aggies and their fans celebrated what may be one of the biggest disappointments in coach John Robinson's career at UNLV.

"I don't have an explanation," Robinson said. "I've never been through anything like this, and it's very frustrating."

Considering these words come from a coach who has won a national title, has been named national coach of the year, coached two teams to the NFC championship game, and won eight of nine college bowl appearances, they take on extra weight.

Starting 0-3 after losing to two teams ranked in the top 20 and a tough conference foe, Utah State was a team the Rebels, it was widely believed, should handle easily. The Aggies won only three games last season, had lost nine consecutive road games and lost last week to Utah 48-6 after trailing 41-0 at halftime.

However, Utah State took advantage of five UNLV turnovers and 105 yards of Rebels' penalties to give the Rebels their worst start since 1998, the season before Robinson's arrival. Utah State committed only four penalties for 51 yards and had no turnovers. It was the second game in a row that the Rebels had not forced any turnovers.

"We made the penalties and they made almost no penalties," Robinson said. "It's the second week in a row, I don't think they had a turnover. All those things seem to be just hitting us right in the face."

Robinson's promise last week to the local media of opening up the offense and involving more people was kept, with UNLV out gaining the Aggies 550-291 on offense.While Dominique Dorsey lead UNLV with 189 yards on 18 carries, JaJa Riley and Dyante Perkins got nine carries each, while Erick Jackson had five carries.

The Rebels' diversified running attack also allowed more players to get involved in the passing game with catches by seven different receivers. Earvin Johnson led UNLV with six catches for 90 yards before being injured midway through the third quarter. He did not return the rest of the game.

If Johnson's injury proves to be serious, it will be another blow to a receiving corps already decimated with injuries. Donell Wheaton has been hampered by a bad back, while tight end Greg Estandia and wide receivers Terry Furlow and Tremayne Kirkland all did not play because of injuries.

"We've lost just about the entire receiving corps," Robinson said. "We have guys in there playing who practiced on the opponent most of the week."

After Utah State took an early 3-0 lead, the Rebels marched 80 yards on seven plays capped off by Dyante Perkins 1-yard touchdown run. It was the first time this season UNLV had scored a first quarter touchdown.

Utah State scored on its next two possessions to take a 13-7 lead early in the second quarter. The Rebels answered with Dorsey's 53-yard touchdown run and went into the locker room leading 14-13, their first halftime lead of the season. UNLV had committed only one turnover at this point, a Dorsey fumble.

On the Rebels' first possession of the second half, they marched down to the Utah State 9-yard line and looked ready to take control of the game. On second-and-goal, quarterback Kurt Nantkes rolled right looking for a receiver down field. What he found was Aggie linebacker Robert Watts at the 10-yard line. Watts then took the ball 90 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion gave Utah State a 21-14 lead.

The Rebels answered right back by driving 69 yards on eight plays capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to Shelvion Williams from Nantkes. Following Nantkes' second interception of the quarter, by Watts again, the Aggies took a 24-21 lead on a 25-yard field goal as the quarter expired. Nantkes then threw his third interception on the ensuing possession.

"Certainly the interceptions in the second half were disastrous to us," Robinson said.

Nantkes completed 20 of 35 passes for 283 yards.

UNLV put the game in the hands of their defense with 5:59 left to go and Utah State backed up its own 18. After holding the Aggies to only three yards on their first two plays, the Rebels were seemingly in a great position to get the ball back with over four minutes left.

Up to this point, Utah State had converted four of 14 third down attempts and quarterback Travis Cox had completed only 11 of 25 passes for 98 yards. When Cox rolled to his right and looked down field he found Tony Perryman down the sideline. When the Rebels defender misjudged the ball, Perryman was able to run 79 yards untouched for a touchdown and the final margin.

With 57 returning upperclassmen for 2004, 0-4 was not the beginning UNLV was expecting.

"What seems to be a cloud, I don't know, I thought we'd be out from under it," Robinson said. "Somebody told me we made 530 yards of offense and had the ball 71 times. That's what we were hoping for and we did and we still kept ourselves from winning."

The announce attendance of 19,116 was the lowest home game attendance since 17,081 attended the New Mexico game in Nov. of 2000.

The loss was the Rebels sixth consecutive at home.

Dorsey rushed for over 100 yards for the seventh time in his UNLV career. His 189 yards is his personal best and the most by a Rebels back since 2002.

Johnson's 90 receiving yards moved him into fifth on the Mountain West Conference receiving yards leader.

Adam Seward's four tackles gives him 348 and adds to his lead as the conference's all-time foremost tackler.

Faith Lutheran vs. Pahrump Valley, High School Football

Trojans rally for win over Faith Lutheran
By Arnold Knightly
Sunday, September 26, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal


Pahrump Valley came back from an early two-touchdown deficit Friday night to defeat host Faith Lutheran 28-20.

With the score tied 14-all, the Trojans (3-1, 1-0 3A Southern League) went ahead for good on a 14-yard pass from T.R. Plummer to Ryan Holz with 7:40 remaining in the third quarter. After two penalties on the extra point, Plummer ran the ball in from the 15-yard line to give Pahrump Valley a 22-14 edge.

Faith Lutheran (2-2, 0-2) answered with a 13-yard TD pass from Cameron Done to Jarid Rollins, but the two-point conversion failed.

Plummer than scored on a 2-yard TD run with 1:55 to play to put the game away.
Kyle Floyd rushed for 193 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, and Kekoa Malendres had 150 yards and a TD on 16 carries for the Trojans.

Faith Lutheran took a 14-0 lead on two touchdown passes by Done -- a 16-yarder to Rollins followed by a 24-yarder to Rico Pataro.

Foothill vs. Bonanza Football game

By Arnold Knightly
The Las Vegas Review-Journal
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

• Foothill 27, Bonanza 6 -- At Foothill, D'Angelo Jones rushed for 163 yards on 12 carries, including touchdowns of 62 and 52 yards, to lead the third-ranked Falcons (5-0) past the Bengals (2-3).
Jones' 62-yard score came midway in the first quarter and his 52-yarder to begin the third quarter. In between, Arthur Mayville scored on a 1-yard run to cap a 56-yard drive that began after the Falcons blocked a 47-yard field-goal attempt.
Foothill scored again in the fourth quarter on Xavier Stover's 20-yard run.
Late in the game, Andres Rangel returned a fumble 26 yards for Bonanza's score.
The Bengals' best offensive scoring opportunity came in the third quarter when they had second-and-goal at the 4 yard line. But Brett Parry's pass was intercepted in the end zone by Brandon Baker.
Parry completed 10 of 18 passes for 103 yards.

The UNLV-Air Force Football Story

Football Drops Home Opener
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
Published: Monday, September 20, 2004
The Rebel Yell (ryunlv.com)


After getting overpowered their first two games by top 20 teams, UNLV was out finessed Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium by Air Force 27-10.

Falcons' quarterback Shaun Carney connected with five different receivers to complete 12 of 14 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. On the ground eight different Falcons got touches, combing for 278 yards on 71 carries. Air Force also committed no turnovers and only two penalties.

"They're really good at ball control," senior linebacker Adam Seward said. "That's how they win games. Fisher DeBerry (Air Force head coach) does a great job every year. His boys are disciplined."

Air Force fullback Dan Shaffer had 98 yards on 21 carries, while freshman Shaun Carney added 64 yards on 21 carries. Adam Cole added 58 yards on 11 carries for the grind-it-out offense of the Falcons.

"They just keep pounding you, they're tough guys," Seward added. "Most teams don't like to get just three yards every time, four yards every time, but they like it."

For the third straight game, the offense was unable to sustain drives, leaving the Rebels defensive unit on the field for extended periods of time. UNLV only had two sustained drives of over 10 plays, but also had seven possessions of four plays or less.

"We're not producing much on offense," coach Robinson said. "The offensive guys are trying just as hard as the defensive guys, but there is just something in the way of that success."

The Falcons' offense controlled the ball just over 40 minutes of the game (games are 60 minutes). In the first two games, Tennessee had the ball over 34 minutes, while Wisconsin controlled the ball for 36, enabling their offenses to wear down the UNLV defense.

Senior running back Dominique Dorsey gained only 54 yards on 14 carries, while sophomore quarterback Shane Steichen, starting in place of the injured Kurt Nantkes, completed 12 of 24 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown. He also threw two interceptions.

In the first quarter, Sergio Aguayo missed a 42-yard field goal with 5:24 left that would have given UNLV an early lead. The drive followed a fourth and one stop by the Rebels defense when senior lineman Brian Nicholas stopped Cole at the Falcons' 29.

Air Force took a 3-0 lead on a Michael Greenaway 30-yard field goal early in the second quarter. On the ensuing possession, quarterback Steichen threw his first interception of the game at the Air Force 41 while trying to connect with Earvin Johnson. The Falcons then marched the ball 57 yards on 12 plays to go up 10-0.

On the next possession, the Rebels bounced back marching 80 yards on 11 plays for their longest drive of the game. When Steichen hit Johnson with a 12-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds left before half time, it appeared UNLV would go into the locker room down by only three, even though Air Force had dominated time of possession and had out gained the Rebels by nearly a 2-1 margin.

On the kickoff, Air Force returned the ball out to their 47-yard line. With 35 seconds left on the clock, Cole rushed for 17 yards down to the 36. Following a 1-yard gain and a time out, Carney completed a 25-yard pass to Justin Handley and then a 10-yard touchdown strike to Alec Messerall with six seconds left. The five play, 53-yard drive in 29 seconds left the crowd of 23,823 silent.

UNLV started the second half with possession, but a Steichen second intercepted pass of the game less than a minute in gave the Falcons the ball at the Rebels' 22. After a Falcons' first down on the 3-yard line, the UNLV defense made four consecutive stops at the goal line to get the ball back on downs. The Rebels then moved the ball 77 yards on 11 plays before Aguayo's 37-yard field goal cut the lead to 17-10.

Air Force took the ensuing drive 68 yards on 10 plays for another touchdown and led 24-10 headed into the fourth quarter. On the extra point attempt, UNLV was called for being offside, followed by an illegal procedure penalty on the Falcons, the first penalty calls of the game coming with 59 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Falcons' Greenaway hit a 39-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for the final margin.

"This is very obviously a disappointing evening," coach Robinson said. "I told our team that as disappointing as it was, I'm not disappointed in them and what they've brought to this effort. We are just not getting any of the results that we should be getting out of our effort, and I think that's my fault."

In the locker room following the game, some of the players disagreed with Robinson's assessment of self-blame for the 0-3 start.

"Nothing's his fault," senior offensive lineman Joe Critchfield said. "That's the head coaches job to say 'blame it on him.' Nothing's his fault. He's a great coach."

Adam Seward agreed."You can't put all the blame on coach Robinson," Seward said. "We're the ones out there playing. Overall, we just need to play better, we're just not playing well right now."

The loss is the third straight for the Rebels against Air Force, dropping their overall record against the Falcons to 3-7. The loss also drops the program to an all-time record of 201-202-4, the first time UNLV football has been under .500 in its history.

On a positive note, Seward became the leading tackler all-time in the Mountain West Conference. With his 18 tackles, he now has 344 with eight games to play, maybe nine if the Rebels can salvage the season and grab a bowl bid. "Obviously, a bowl bid is a long shot," Seward admitted. "We'll probably have to go 7-4. It's definitely possible, we just need to take one game at a time."

Also, Earvin Johnson's seven catches for 99 yards moves him into fifth place on the Mountain West Conference career list with 2,021 yards.

The Death of Alfred Solomon at 104, a Man I Met

In 1988 and 1989, I waited tables at an exclusive club in Saratoga Springs, New York called The Reading Room. I was not a very good waiter because I am not a very good people person, but I managed to do it for two seasons. The club was only open one month (August) every year in conjunction with the Saratoga Horse Track. I remember once Al Pacino had dinner there.
The Restaurant was mainly a New York social lite gathering place for the hoity-toity. Out in the grass at a table with a umbrella, I had the privledge of waiting on Mr. Solomon, one of the kindest people I have ever met.
Every day he was there with a smile and his personal assistant Victoria.
I was his personal waiter for two years. One of my regrets in life, I'll be it a small regret, is the fact that Mr. Solomon could never find one of his hats to fit my head (I have a big skull). We stood out by his car one day as Victoria ripped bands out of hats that Mr. Solomon would hand her out of the trunk. Finally, Mr. Solomon shook his head and said, "Arnold, you've got one of the biggest heads I've seen." Oh well. I never got that hat he had promised me, but to be able to be in his presence all those years ago was better than any hat I would have lost by know anyways.
Here is his obituary in the New York Times. He died in Saratoga Springs at the age of 104 years old.


Alfred Solomon, 104, Innovator in the Sale of Hats, Dies
By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Published: September 12, 2004
New York Times

Alfred Z. Solomon, who transformed the way American women buy fashionable hats and in later years became famous as the cigar-chomping dean of the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga, N.Y., died on Sept. 4 in Saratoga. He was 104.
A party will be held as scheduled on his birthday in three weeks, with the orchestra, balloons and magicians that Mr. Solomon personally arranged.


Mr. Solomon was the founder of Madcaps, a company in the garment district of Manhattan that made "knockoffs" - slightly different versions - of hats by the great European designers and sold them to millions of American women at department store "hat bars," a concept he pioneered.

But it was as the good-humored occupant of Box E33 at the Saratoga track for 62 years that Mr. Solomon became a legend. Wearing one of his 50 straw hats, puffing on a cigar and perhaps sipping a bourbon, Mr. Solomon handicapped generations of ponies with mathematical precision and a highly personalized view of his results.

Victoria Garlanda, a friend, said he insisted that he won, but she said that all horse players probably think that. At any rate, he kept his bets small, leaving plenty for charitable giving.

His philanthropy included the National Museum of Racing's gift shop, which is named for him and his wife, Nancy, who died in 1982. He leaves no immediate survivors.

For the last six years, a race on opening day at Saratoga has been named for Mr. Solomon, whom The Associated Press described in 2000 as "a Damon Runyon throwback" in a high-society setting that has historically included Vanderbilts and Whitneys, not to mention Man o' War and Secretariat.

"I've been waiting 100 years for this," Mr. Solomon said when the race was named for him.

Alfred Zins Solomon was born in Manhattan on Sept. 25, 1899. His father, Felix, had several jobs, including selling lighting fixtures. One grandfather sold Green River whiskey, a rotgut concoction more than a few cuts below the Maker's Mark bourbon that Mr. Solomon came to prize. His other grandfather sold cigars.

In the late 1920's, Mr. Solomon began importing trimmings for hats. He bought marcasite stones, mainly in Czechoslovakia, that were used by Paris milliners at the time. He went to Paris to buy model hats to show to manufacturers in New York. The manufacturers ordered the trimmings and copied the hats, according to The New York Times in 1962.

His first venture in manufacturing was a little hand-crocheted hat, which he made in different versions over the years. The Parisian milliner Agnès helped him find the prototype.

Mr. Solomon's wife traveled with him to shows in Europe, and his sister, Janet A. Sloane, was long a partner in Madcaps. The company did not have shows; people could simply wander into the shop on 39th Street to see versions of hats by such designers as Chanel, a good friend of Mr. Solomon's.

Mr. Solomon explained to The Times in 1958 that there were only two kinds of hats in 1932, "Better," usually on a department store's fifth floor with French clothes, and "Budget," on the third floor. Mr. Solomon led the fight to get hat bars onto the main floor, where other accessories were usually sold.

"Nothing should be hidden," Mr. Solomon said. "All the models should be spread out on the counter so that a woman can grab and try on a dozen of them in a minute, if she wants."

Not only did Mr. Solomon offer a greater variety of stylish hats with greater convenience - albeit at higher prices - but he added his considerable personal panache to the brew. Ads for stores like Bloomingdale's and Bonwit Teller in the 50's and 60's regularly announced visits by Mr. Madcaps.

Not long after his marriage in 1937, Mr. Solomon bought a 286-acre estate that he named Madcaps Farm. His routine was to spend weekends on the farm, which was conveniently near the Saratoga track. He would then return to Manhattan on Monday to put in a few hours of work before heading to the races at Belmont, in Queens. A stop or two at an O.T.B. parlor was not unheard of.

Mr. Solomon came to be known as the Duke of Gansevoort, in honor of the town nearest the farm. In recent years, he sold his apartment on Sutton Place in Manhattan to live at the farm full time. He himself never raised thoroughbreds. He gave up on Chesapeake Bay retrievers after a litter of 14

Las Vegas vs. Bonanza High School Football Game

Las Vegas is one of the top high school football teams in the west. Ranked #7 regionally by USA Today, the Wildcats are impressive. Obviously, they are ranked #1 in Nevada after losing in the state championship last season. This appeared in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on September 11, 2004(www.lvrj.com) PEACE!

• Las Vegas 49, Bonanza 20 -- At Las Vegas, Eric Jordan ran for 289 yards on 13 carries and scored four touchdowns in three quarters of work to lead the top-ranked Wildcats (3-0) over the Bengals (1-2).
Jordan scored the first two touchdowns of the game on runs of 79 and 65 yards to give Las Vegas a 14-0 lead.
Bonanza cut the lead to 14-7 on a 3-yard run by Brett Parry with 1:12 left before halftime. On the second play of the ensuing possession, Jordan broke over the right side and ran 75 yards to score with 17 seconds left and put the Wildcats back in control.
Following a 70-yard kick return to start the second half, Jordan scored again on a 25-yard run on the first play to put the game out of reach.
Las Vegas also scored on a 1-yard run by Xavier Cleveland and an 11-yard run by Jamal Lomax. Michael Sanchez returned a fumbled kickoff 15 yards for the Wildcats' final score.
The Bengals were led by quarterback Brett Parry, who completed 11 of 15 passes for 122 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown to Marquese Brickhouse in the third quarter.
-- Arnold Knightly

A Rant About UNLV Fan Apathy

Hello,Here is a story from the college newspaper I write for at UNLV called the Rebel Yell (http://www.ryunlv.com/). I put up the whole article because the school paper wishes you to register to read their content.
Peace!

Sports Commentary
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
Published: Thursday, September 9, 2004

On the ESPN broadcast of the UNLV-Tennessee football game Sunday night it was reported that the Rebels returned 4,300 of their 5,000 tickets for the game. As I looked out of the press box at section BB across the way, where the few Rebels fans sat, I believe this report was accurate. This means that of the 108,625 people who attended the game, 700 were Rebel fans. Actually, 697 were because I gave my three tickets to my sister Amy, our brother-in-law Kevin, and his 8-year-old son Robert, all Vols fans dressed in orange.

Discouraged, but not surprised, by the number of people who made the trip from Las Vegas, I set out after the game to find any fellow UNLV student I could who made the 2,000 mile trip. I found one.

Standing in the darkness watching the UNLV team buses pull away from Neyland Stadium, I met Brittany Blasier. Blasier is a freshman Education major who flew from Las Vegas to meet her family in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she is from, and then drove out to Knoxville for the game. According to mapquest.com, the drive is over eight hours and covers 528 miles!

When I asked her why she came all this way she explained her boyfriend is on the team (#33 Dan Rankin, also a freshman from Arkansas) and she wanted to come out and support the Rebels.

So what did she think of being a Rebel supporter in a crowd that numbered 108,625 strong?

"It was enormous, it was incredible," Blasier said. "It was extremely intimidating for just a sea of orange, and then just little spots of red, which was misleading because some of them were Coke vendors." Note: the vendors at the stadium wear red shirts.

I then asked Blasier if she felt the crowd could have affected the team's performance in any way?

"I think it might have been overwhelming for the opening game because (the stadium) is so big. And (Knoxville) is far, too, way out of their stomping grounds."

True, the game is far away "from their stomping grounds," but teams play great distances from home every year, and bring more than 697 people. Just the night before, I watched Oregon State almost upset LSU on ESPN. The whole corner of the upper deck was Beavers fans; I am guessing their whole 5000 ticket allotment. So why are so many Oregon State fans willing to make the trip and so few UNLV fans?

Maybe the Beavers fans felt they had a better chance, but both UNLV and Oregon State were 20-point underdogs going into their respective games.

The distance between Corvallis, Ore., and Baton Rouge, La., is 2600 miles, 700 miles more than the distance between Las Vegas and Knoxville. But who is going to drive that anyway? Most people will fly.

To get to Knoxville, you fly into Atlanta, connect into Knoxville and repeat on the way back. This cost me $375 round-trip. To get from Corvallis to Baton Rogue is a whole different set of logistics. First, an Oregon State fan probably drives 40 miles south to Eugene and flies directly to Baton Rogue for about $100 more. But I really do not think this is the why Oregon State brought fans and UNLV did not. The reason Rebels fans did not travel is fan apathy.

So the next question is why have teams like Tennessee on the schedule in the first place? Accountants and no other reason. It has been reported that UNLV got a nice check of over $500,000, but our fans are not going to make the trip, so the game has to be about the money. At least with Wisconsin we get a return game. Tennessee would, probably, never come here. Could we not get the same check closer to home against a team willing to play here? Also, if we barely draw 20,000 at home, why ask those fans that do care to travel so far to watch their team? Would the program not be better served playing schools in our time zone so fans can travel if they so desired? I understand the Tennessee game is left over from a previous regime in the athletic department, but it should not be scheduled again. Fans of UNLV football need to be realistic about the level of play the Rebels will be able to achieve in the future. John Robinson himself is quoted in The Las Vegas Review-Journal last Friday as saying that UNLV football will be on the rise over the next ten years, but that the Rebels "won't ever be USC." Okay, but why not be one of the top teams in the Mountain West every year and possibly break through once in a while, like Utah is doing this year?

Utah may be the best team on the Rebels schedule this season, and could possibly upset the balance of the Bowl Championship Series this season by going undefeated. But one cannot expect Utah to play at that level every year. They went 10-2 last season, but had losing seasons two of the three seasons before that. This year the Utes travel to Arizona as a return game for a visit the Wildcats made in 2000. UNLV played at Arizona in 2001 and I hope there was a return game in that package for the future.

If the program desires to schedule schools from power conferences like the Southeastern Conference, go get Kentucky, Vanderbilt or Mississippi State, not Tennessee. As an example, the scheduling of Kansas out of the Big 12 Conference makes good sense from a fan standpoint. Not traditional football powers like Oklahoma and Texas, the Jayhawks are a nice scheduling match up that the Rebels fans would not be considered crazy for believing their team could win. While Kansas did beat the Rebels pretty hard last season, UNLV defeated them in 2002 got at Sam Boyd. Another belief in scheduling games like Tennessee is the thought that these contests give the Rebels' program national exposure and helps in recruiting. Tennessee has beaten UNLV over the two meetings 104-20 on national television! If I was a prospective recruit, and I saw (1) UNLV get beaten pretty badly and (2) no one from Las Vegas cares, why would I want to come here? I am not a football player looking for a school, nor do I claim to know anything about running an athletic department, but losing that badly cannot be beneficial to anyone in the long run, not even the accountants.

UNLV vs Tennessee Football Story

Here is a story from the college newspaper I write for at UNLV called the Rebel Yell (www.ryunlv.com). I put up the whole article because the school paper wishes you to register to read their content. It is from the game on September 5, 2004 in Knoxville, Tn. Peace!

Football Loses First Game of the Season
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
Published: Thursday, September 9, 2004

Heading into Sunday night's game, UNLV understood they would need to play mistake-free football if they were going to have a chance of defeating the 14-ranked Volunteers.

However, the Rebels made miscues at key junctures of the game and lost 42-17 before a crowd of 108,625, the largest crowd to ever see UNLV play a football game.

The first mistake came late in the first quarter, trailing 7-3. Sitting first-and-goal on the Tennessee 9-yard line, the Rebels' offense was called for an illegal motion penalty and then a holding penalty, leading to a missed 37-yard field goal. The Vols then marched the ball down the field to take a 14-3 lead.

The second miscue was the first of two UNLV turnovers in the game. Senior quarterback Kurt Nantkes, who had a solid game completing 13 of 24 passes for 175 yards, threw his only interception at the Tennessee 16-yard line. The Vols then promptly marched the ball 83 yards, helped by two Rebels penalties, to go up 21-3.

The first penalty of the drive was called on strong safety Jamaal Brimmer for a personal foul, a late hit out of bounds. On the next play, cornerback Ruschard Dodd-Masters was called for pass interference in the end zone.

Tennessee's big, strong and fast receivers caused problems all evening for UNLV's defensive backs, who often found themselves overmatched in man-to-man coverage. The Vols' passing attack racked up 241 yards and scored two touchdowns while throwing no interceptions. "I was disappointed in our pass defense," coach John Robinson said. "I think we had focused on the run probably not knowing what the quarterbacks would do or what was coming there, and maybe we focused a little too much on the run."

The Rebels also had trouble handling the run, giving up 272 yards and four touchdowns.

The next miscue happened on the UNLV's ensuing drive. Struggling to get back in game, the Rebels were marching down the field and appeared ready to bring the game to within 11 points at halftime, when senior running back Dominique Dorsey fumbled the ball on the Tennessee 5-yard line after a big gain.

Following the game, Robinson pointed to the two turnovers as being key in the loss."We had two key errors, I thought, in the game," Robinson said. "Earvin Johnson hooked up in the middle and Kurt just misread it and threw up what looked like a can of corn to the safety. Then Dominique made a real nice run and fumbled. Those two were decisive plays in terms of miscues we had."

Despite the fumble, the 5'7'', 170 -pound running back had a big game for the Rebels. Dorsey gained 121 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown, his sixth 100-yard rushing game in only four starts. On top of the 121 yards rushing, Dorsey also caught two passes for 31 yards and returned two kickoffs for 78 yards."He was a great (running) back in high school," Robinson said. "Part of the time in college he's had some ups and downs. I guess we wised up and figured he was strong enough to do it. He's done a great job for us."

Dorsey also received accolades following the game from fellow teammates.

"He's just an all-around great player," senior lineman Joe Critchfield said. "Out of losses, he makes gains."

Heading into halftime, the UNLV football team was well aware of the missed opportunities and the self-inflicted mistakes that had cost them the opportunity to challenge Tennessee. "The game for us, in terms of ourselves, we didn't get the points in the first half when we had chances," Robinson said. "We came away with three instead of 14."

The Rebels did not give in and kept fighting in the second half. After the Vols scored on their second possession of the second half to go up 28-3, UNLV marched 80 yards on seven plays for their first touchdown of the season. Nantkes completed 3 of 3 passes for 46 yards before Dyante Perkins scored on a 3-yard run.

Trailing 28-10 and headed to the fourth corner, the Rebels defense was visibly tired, having been on the field for 28 of the 45 minutes played. Tennessee scored again early in the fourth to push the lead out to 35-10. UNLV and the Vols exchanged possessions before Dorsey scampered for a 17-yard touchdown. Tennessee would score one more touchdown for the final score, but the Rebels knew after the game it was the miscues that had cost them a better showing before a national television audience.

"Look at the way we played, we moved the ball," Nantkes said. "We weren't really surprised by anything they did. We didn't feel like they were better than us. They weren't more physical than us in any aspect. We just didn't finish drives."

The offensive line gave strong protection to Nantkes while breaking open big holes for Dorsey to run through. The Vols' defense only recorded three sacks and had trouble putting pressure on Nantkes, while the elusive Dorsey racked up 230 combined yards.

"We were very well coached by our offensive line coach," said Critchfield. "(Jonathan Himebauch) prepared us for everything. I thought our offensive line did everything we were prepared to do. I thought we did better than everyone thought we would do."

Critchfield also knows that the line, as well as they played against a top tier Division I program, does have room to improve."We have a couple things we need to work on in our pass protection. I think if we take the little mistakes off, our line will be awesome, our offense will be great."

Following the game, Robinson told the team that they did not have time to dwell on the game because this Saturday, the Rebels travel back to Madison to play the No. 21 Wisconsin Badgers.

"I like our football team," Robinson said. "It was tough going. I just told them, 'Hey, don't feel sorry for yourself for more than a half-hour because you have to do it again next weekend.' I am far from discouraged; it was a great experience for us."

Last season, the Rebels upset the Badgers on national television 23-5, an experience UNLV is sure Wisconsin has not forgotten about.

"They're going to be hungry," Nantkes said about the Badgers. "We went in there and played them tough. They obviously think they're better than us and that shouldn't have happened and we have to go out there and prove it wasn't a fluke."

High School Tennis Preview, Men & Women, 2004

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004

High School Tennis Team-By-Team Capsules

Here is an Internet-only feature that I wrote. It was posted online at www.lvrj.com on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004.

Girls High School Golf Preview, 2004

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Monday, August 30, 2004.

Tennessee Football Tradition vs UNLV

Here is an article that was published in the University of Nevada, Las Vegas newspaper the Rebel Yell (ryunlv.com) before the UNLV-Tennessee game that was played on September 5...a game I flew across the country to attend. Enjoy.
The Rebel Yell wants people to register to read their articles, so I put the whole article here...

The Volunteers' Deep Football Tradition to Host the Rebels on Sunday
By ARNOLD KNIGHTLY
Published: Monday, August 30, 2004


To understand the difference between Tennessee and UNLV when it comes to football, one needs to look no further than their respective 2004 media guides. While the Rebels' guide comes in at a healthy 39 pages, the Volunteers' guide comes in at a weighty 372 pages.

It's hard to explain to people who have never lived in a place like Knoxville, Tenn. (I grew up there) what football means to the people living there. The easy joke that citizens of Las Vegas like to make is that there is nothing else to do in Tennessee, so of course that is why they are so deep into football. What they do not understand is that football at Tennessee, and throughout the Southeastern Conference, is a deeply rooted tradition which goes back five generations. The program has won six national championships; 1938, 1940, 1950, 1951, 1967 and 1998. (The beginning of what would become UNLV was opened as a satellite campus of University of Nevada in 1957.)

A football game at the 104,079 seat Neyland Stadium is a gathering, a spectacle, a religion. By comparison, Sam Boyd seats 32,000. Last season, the Vols averaged 105,038 fans per game while UNLV averaged 25,805 people per game. The "Big Orange" games are broadcasted on over 200 stations throughout Tennessee and a few out-of-state markets, as well as on the Internet.

The atmosphere on game day is a happening that has to be experienced to be understood. Orange-clad fans start showing up three or four days in advance of a game. Some bring their houseboats down the Tennessee River and hitch them at the dock right across the street from the stadium. Others park their RV around campus and have a multi-day cookout/tailgating party. By the time the 350 member "Pride of the Southland Marching Band" splits the giant T and the Vols come running through before the game, the crowd is at a fever pitch.

The Volunteer faithful expect victories at these gatherings, and they are rarely disappointed. The last time a non-bowl, non-Southeastern Conference opponent walked into Knoxville and beat them was October of 1986 when Army shocked the devoted, 25-21. Not only do the Vols expect to beat UNLV (and soundly so), but they expect to win every game they play. And this is with a schedule that usually includes Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. This season, Notre Dame replaces Miami on the non-conference schedule.

To put this attitude in perspective you need to look no further than Vols head football coach Phil Fulmer. Since taking over the last few games of 1992, Fulmer and the Volunteers have won 113 games and lost 27. He won the 1998 National Championship, has had a street named after him, and is now paid $1.7 million a season. By comparison, Rebel coach John Robinson's total payment package from inside the university and other media deals is around $600,000.

Yet with a "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" attitude, there are rumblings among the Tennessee faithful on sports talk radio and over backyard barbecues that Fulmer's run could be over. In Fulmer's first five-plus seasons before the championship the Vols have won 54 games and lost 11, won at least 10 games four times, and recorded victories in four out of six bowl games. Following their 13-0 championship season, their record has been 46-14, only two seasons with at least 10 wins, and four out of five bowl game defeats including the past two Peach Bowls by a combined 57-17. To compare the Rebels' program during the same time frame, they have accumulated a 42-86 record and had two winning seasons while appearing in two bowl games. In fact, the Rebels have won more than 10 games once since they started playing Division I football in 1978. (Tennessee started playing football in 1891, 14 years before Las Vegas was incorporated as a town by Union Pacific Railroad).

This will not be the Rebels' first trip to Knoxville. In 1996, UNLV was drubbed by a Peyton Manning led offensive attack, 62-3. The Tennessee fans expect the same type of results this time around. UNLV is first on the schedule for a reason, the same reason Fresno State, Wyoming, Texas Tech, East Carolina and, previously, UNLV, are the first teams on Tennessee's schedule nearly every year; to tune up for brutal conference schedule every year. The Vols have won nine straight home/season openers.
Let me say right here that I am a Rebel fan. I go to all the home football games, home basketball games, and try to catch some of the other teams here at UNLV. I did grow up under the shadow of the Volunteers and spent many Saturdays of my youth at the stadium. As a Boy Scout, my troop would guard the flags that line the top of the stadium, and in high school I sold sodas during the games. And I will be back there on September 5, cheering for my beloved Rebels. You may catch me on ESPN2 that night; I will be the shirt of red in a sea of orange. I return to the stadium believing that UNLV can be the first non-bowl, non-conference team to beat Tennessee in Knoxville in 18 years. Maybe this is wishful thinking on my part, but I really do believe.

Girls Golf Preview, School-By-School Capsules, 2004

Here is an online feature the Las Vegas Review-Journal posted on Monday, August 30, 2004. www.reviewjournal.com

Coronado vs. Del Sol; High School Football, Week 1

The Clark County School District has opened 17 new high schools since 1991. The immediate results are schools that have been around a few years beating the living daylights out of newer schools. It is basically a varsity team beating up a JV squad. It was suggested in the newsroom that maybe the new schools should play smaller schools, or the big school's JV squads. The new schools are essentially made up of freshmen and sophomores. If there is a junior on the team it is usually because he was not getting playing time at the other school and elected to go to the new opening. The end result is what I witnessed last night...OUCH! Outcomes like this can not be good for anyone involved.


Coronado 66, Del Sol 0 -- At Coronado, Christopher Desjardins rushed for six touchdowns and returned a fumble for a seventh as the Cougars crushed the Dragons in their first game.
Desjardins scored on touchdown runs of 57, 30, 23, 12, 7, and 6 yards and ran back the fumble 24 yards. He finished with 214 yards on 13 carries.
Coronado's Scott McLeod completed 5 of 8 passes for 108 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown to Tysson Poots.
The Cougars defense recovered four Del Sol fumbles and intercepted one pass. Coronado allowed only 107 yards.
-- Arnold Knightly

Me and Emma in Maryville, TN, May 2004

CCSN at Dixie State, day two (Baseball)

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Sunday, May 9, 2004.

CCSN at Dixie State (Baseball)

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Saturday, May 8, 2004

CCSN vs. Southern Idaho (Baseball)

Here is an article that ran in the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Sunday, May 2, 2004.

CCSN vs. College of Southern Idaho (Baseball)

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Saturday, May 1, 2004.

CCSN Baseball (vs. Salt Lake CC)

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Sunday, April 25, 2004

CCSN Baseball (vs. Dixie State)

An article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal that was published Monday, April 5, 2004.

Boys High School Volleyball Preview Story

Here is an article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal published on Thursday, March 11, 2004.

The above link is to an article I researched and wrote for the local newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal . I had never covered boys' volleyball before and had to start from nearly scratch. I honestly did not know how involved the process was and I f'd-up the assignment. I learned from my mistake and did a lot better job in September with three new previews. Sierra Vista ended up winning the state championship losing one match all season (24-1). I had wanted to put them more at the stop but I could never get their coach on the phone. Oh well. The team they beat, Cimarron-Memorial (16-6), I did not even have in the feature at all. I promise I'll do better next time. The link below clicks to the preview capsules.

Boys Volleyball Team by Team Capsules

Here is an online feature the Las Vegas Review-Journal posted on Thursday, March 11, 2004. www.reviewjournal.com

CCSN vs. Moraine Valley (Ill.) CC (Baseball)

Las Vegas Review-Journal