R-C Sports Notebook: How was LeFever midfielder of the year?

We've taken a few weeks to think about this, and yet it still makes no sense.

When the Sierra League girls' soccer coaches released the 2006 All-Sierra League teams several weeks ago, there was one glaring point of interest.

Carson sophomore Brandi Vega, a midfielder, was named the league's offensive player of the year while Douglas senior Morgan LeFever, primarily a forward, was named the league's midfielder of the year.

But it wasn't so much the position mix-up that raised eyebrows here, it was the shear statistical discrepancy between the two players.

Vega had a very solid season with 14 goals and eight assists. As a sophomore, she already had 23 goals and 23 assists at the varsity level and has an outstanding shot to break the state 4A, Northern 4A, league and school records for goals in a career.

She's a strong player and without a doubt one of the very best Northern Nevada has to offer.

That being said, it is LeFever's career records that Vega will be aiming at these next few years.

LeFever had the best goal-scoring season in the 4A's recorded history, scoring 26 goals to go with a team-leading five assists. That included 15 goals in six contests during October when the Tigers were trying to claw their way into the playoffs.

While some might argue that the bulk of those 15 goals came against the Sierra League's cellar-dwelling teams, it also needs to go with strong note that she had Douglas' lone goal in an upset victory over Reno late in the year, both of her team's goals in a crucial late-season tie against South Tahoe, and Douglas' lone goal in an early season tie against Carson.

Simply put, she was the most valuable player to her team, especially in big games, in the region.

Her season totals pushed her up to 56 goals for her career, also a state record.

Add to it that she came back from a devistating ankle injury during the spring to still turn in a record-breaking season.

No one knows what goes on behind the closed doors of the Sierra League postseason coaches meeting, but shame on the coaches throughout the league for not giving LeFever her due as the true offensive player of the year.

The Tiger boys upped their record to 6-0 over the weekend, posting impressive wins over Fallon, Manogue and Laguna Creek out of California to take the title in the Carson Valley Classic.

This week, we'll find out how they stack up against some of the nation's best. The Tigers take on Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.), the 11th-ranked team in the country by USA Today, Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Galena High School.

Douglas then turns around Thursday to play Artesia (Lakewood, Calif.), ranked No. 2 in the country by the Sporting News and Sports Illustrated, at 3:30 p.m. at Galena High School.

Nico Barker, soph., wrestling and Tony Ferris, jr., wrestling. This could have gone to any number of athletes this week with Keith Olson turning in an MVP performance at the Carson Valley Classic for the boys' basketball team and Brigdet Maestretti leading the girls' basketball team to a 2-1 record at the North Valleys Classic.

But Barker (lightweight) and Ferris (heavyweight) were each named the outstanding wrestler of their weight class at the Natumas City Dual Tournament in Sacramento over the weekend.

Each wrestler went undefeated through five matches as Douglas captured the team title. Barker clinched the victory for Douglas in the finals with a technical fall over his opponent.