R-C Sports Notebook: A word about The R-C Sports Network

After introducing our plans for the R-C Sports Network last week, I've received a lot of interest in participating. Against, what we are doing is launching a site that will allow coaches and parents in Carson Valley to post stories and photos about their games.

A couple of varsity programs (individual sports) at the high school have shown interest, as have local youth sports organizations.

From the looks of it, the software would be a good fit for junior varsity and freshman programs, middle school sports and, of course, youth and recreation leagues (which is what we initially bought into this for).

So if you have any interest, give me a call at 782-5121, ext. 212, e-mail at jcrandall@recordcourier.com, or pull me aside if you see me at any sporting events in the next couple of weeks.

While the football team is heading down to Las Vegas this week, I won't be. Anyone out there going to the game would be welcome to send us pictures afterward. I'm also still looking for someone who will be there who wouldn't mind giving me a call/text/e-mail with updates during the game. Just let me know if you might be interested. Again, 782-5121, ext.212 or jcrandall@recordcourier.com.

- It's officially opening week for prep sports and I'm particularly looking forward to the Manogue-Reed, Vegas-Douglas, Reno-Galena and Spanish Springs-Carson matchups. Those games will tell quite a story as to where the major players stand heading into the year.

- We'll learn very quickly just how much of a hole last year's senior class left on the girls' soccer team's starting lineup this weekend. The Galena preseason tournament annually draws most of the top teams in the area. Last year the Tigers breezed through it without a loss. A repeat this year could mean big things for the Lady Tigers in the coming months.

- I'll have more on this in tomorrow's paper, but the most highly-recruited athlete in the region this fall may be Sierra Lutheran's Wade Meddles. Falcon cross country coach Dave Marson said "everyone" is interested and that he has passed more than 50 letters along to Meddles this summer. Some of the more interested schools appear to be Arizona, Kansas and Texas A&M.

- Marson went on to say Meddles hopes to eclipse the 15-minute mark in the 5K distance this season. Just for a frame of reference, last year's Foot Locker cross country national champion won the race with a time of 15:15.

When did the Douglas High football team make its first appearance in the playoffs?

- With only one game in the books for the 2009 season, there was only one surprise last week, but it was a big one.

I thought the chances of McQueen beating Arizona's Peoria Centennial, currently ranked No. 9 the country, were pretty slim. I never thought, though, that the final score (51-20) would be so lopsided.

I figured with it being the first game of the year, and Centennial having to come up at play at some decent altitude, that McQueen would be able to keep things closer. It marked the worst defeat for the Lancers in 21 years - or in other words, since before any of this year's seniors were born.

Don't take the game as solid evidence that this will be a down year for the Lancers, though. Twenty points against a defense that could very well start at a small college right now is nothing to laugh at.

Plus, experience in that kind of atmosphere against that kind of team (not to mention the extra week of practice heading into the year) will set McQueen above everyone else in the region for the first month of a season.

By the time the Lancers meet up with Douglas in week 3 (week 4 for McQueen), they'll already be in midseason form. That ups the ante for the Tigers to get things worked out over those first two weeks against Las Vegas and Reno. Should be a pretty good game up there in Northwest Reno.

If I had a vote for overall player of the year in the Northern 4A Regional football honors ballots (and I don't), this is what it would look like, based mostly on their respective performances over the last week:

If I had a vote for overall player of the year in the Northern 4A Regional football honors ballots (and I don't), this is what it would look like heading into the year:

1. Tyler Pine, QB, Reed; 2. Tre Johnson, WR/DB, Hug; 3. Johnny Pollack, RB, Douglas; 4. David Knowles, RB, Hug; 5. Christian Thompson, RB, Reed.

Keep an eye on these guys: Lucas Fejer, RB, McQueen; Jordan Cruz, RB, Douglas; Nick Bietz, QB, Reno.

The top athletes, regardless of sport, at Douglas High determined by production during competition, overall value to their team, ability to perform with consistency in routine situations, performance compared to others at the same position throughout the state/region, ability to come up big in clutch situations, versatility, attitude, sportsmanship, overall athletic ability, heart, potential at the next level, and a host of other intangibles (emotional leadership, role-playing value, work ethic, etc.) This is all, of course, just my opinion.

Fall Sports Preseason

1. Bethany Wurster, golf

2. Amelia Ritger, tennis

3. Tia Lyons, girls' soccer

4. Edgar Arceo, boys' soccer

5. Jourdan Burke, volleyball

6. Katie Dry, girls' soccer

7. Johnny Pollack, football

8. James TenBroeck, tennis

9. Mysta Townsell, volleyball

10. Garrett Tenney, football

If there were more spots on the list: Jordan Cruz, football; Cesarina Ceglia, girls' tennis; Ryan Moglich, football; Alex Laing, girls' soccer; Scott Lococo, cross country.

Since I've been here (2003)

1. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track (2005-present)

2. Luke Rippee, football/basketball/baseball (2003)

3. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball/baseball (2006-present)

4. Brittany Puzey, basketball/softball (2003-04)

5. Bridget Maestretti, volleyball/basketball/softball/track (2004-08)

6. Tyson Estes, football/basketball/baseball (2003-05)

7. Ryan Pruitt, football/wrestling/baseball (2005-07)

8. Mike Gransbery, soccer/basketball (2004-07)

9. James McLaughlin, football/basketball (2006-present)

10. Andy McIntosh, football/basketball/track/golf (2003)

- Apparently not satisfied with simply changing his last name, Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco tried out a change of position (and new first name for that matteR) last Thursday, replacing the kicker Shayne Graham who had a sore groin during warm ups.

Afterward, he said, "Esteban Ochocinco is back, the most interesting footballer in the world..."

He successfully converted an extra point, which proved to be the difference in a 7-6 win.

This week, he is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury.

- Who needs a quarterback?

"When we have a big back like Frank Gore and a big offensive line," Singletary told CBS Sports. "You want to be able to run the football; you want to be able to have a physical presence. The message we want to send is that we're going to be a physical football team, and we're coming. We're coming downhill."

He went on to say:

"When I say I want our football [team] to be physical, I think right away everyone thinks, 'Man, he wants to run the football.' But I mean physical when we're passing the football, as well. If you don't have the football I want to see you go and hit somebody. I think that's important for us to understand. The physicality is both on running and passing the football."

With pro football season quickly approaching, it's time again to try to drum up interest in our weekly Pro Football Pick 'Em contest. It's your basic straight up pick game with a tie-breaker.

There's an added "regular season survivor" game where you pick the one team you are sure will win that week every week, and continue to do so every week until your team of the week loses. You can only choose each team once during the year.

Sign-up is free and you will be competing for local and national prizes.

Visit recordcourier.profootball.upickem.net to sign up and make your picks.

Celebrating Edd Roush, the only player ever ejected from a Major League Baseball game for sleeping in the outfield.

- From Rick Reilly in Sports Illustrated last week: A Staten Island woman sued the local Little League, her son's Little League coach and the team's first-base coach five years ago because her son slid clumsily into second base and tore his meniscus and ACL.

She claimed her son hadn't been taught the proper way to slide and that the local Little League had the wrong kind of bases. She ended up settling for $125,000 two weeks ago.

There's nothing I can say to top that.

- In case you missed it, former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz said (with a straight face, I might add) on ESPN this week that he think's Notre Dame will be in the BCS title game this year. You know, that same Notre Dame that has lost nine out its last 10 bowl games - none of which were a part of the BCS. That same Notre Dame that lost to Syracuse and North Carolina last year. That same Notre Dame that has such national powerhouses as as UConn, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Navy, Pittsburgh, Washington, Washington State and (I'm sorry) Nevada, filling in the majority of this year's schedule. Not that I disagree or anything ...

- Busy week on the Edd Roush front: A Japanese baseball team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, is testing all of its members for swine flu after two players and a coach caught the virus.

No word on whether it was contracted while fighting with the ham.

1951. Douglas won its first six games and clinched a birth in the regional playoff game against Reno. The game was played at Mackay Stadium for a date with Las Vegas for the state championship. Reno won 20-7. Ironically, Douglas opens its 2009 slate with Las Vegas and Reno in succession.