R-C Sports Notebook: State title had a sense of 'replay' to it

The year was 1983.

Suzi Graham was sitting on the bench next to her mom, Douglas head volleyball coach Josie Graham, as Suzi's younger sister, Coco, helped lead senior-laden Douglas Tiger squad to a state title.

It was only a year prior that Suzi had been the Tigers' starting setter, part of a small group of seniors that helped bring a large group of juniors up to speed. In '83 it was Coco who assumed the starting setter spot, while eight or nine seniors pushed ahead to the title.

Suzi was attending court-reporting school in Las Vegas as Douglas claimed the Northern 3A Regional title, which included an automatic berth into the state tournament, which as luck would have, was in Vegas that year.

She helped her mom coach during the tournament and watched while Douglas won its first state title in any sport at the large-school classification.

Fast forward 27 years.

Last Saturday, Suzi Graham, better known now as Suzi Townsell, was sitting on the bench again, watching a team she coached win a state tournament.

It didn't stop there.

The first call she made was to her oldest daughter Mysta, who is in Chicago playing Division I volleyball.

Mysta had been a first-team all-league libero for the Tigers last season, helping to bring along a junior-laden starting lineup as Douglas went 28-7 overall and lost in the regional quarterfinals.

Douglas' starting libero this year was, of all people, Mia Townsell - Mysta's younger sister. Mia, a close runner-up for Player of the Year honors to teammate Shannon Dugan, was one of 10 seniors this season.

"Mysta was so wishing to be here for it, too," Suzi Townsell said with a laugh. "Guess the big sisters set up the little sisters to finish big. It all brought back some serious deja vu for me kind of in a generational way."

The number 2.

This was weird, and it probably could have gone without mentioning, but I couldn't resist:

- Let's start at the top: Douglas won two state titles on Saturday, just in case you've been under a rock for a couple of weeks. That came a week on the heels of the school claiming two regional titles on the same day.

- Both volleyball and girls' soccer finished the year with just two losses. Just for good measure, the girls' soccer team went 22-2-2 overall on the year ... incidentally, for the second year in a row.

- Girls' soccer won both of its state tournament games by the final score of 2-0. Just for good measure, the Lady Tigers won two other games in the playoffs by scoring two goals.

- All three Douglas volleyball games against Bishop Gorman Friday night were decided by two points each.

- For the girls' soccer team, it marked the second state title in as many years. It was also their second title since the statewide state tournament was established (last year, but hey, I'll take it).

- It was the volleyball team's second state title of the 4A classification era.

- The volleyball team's entire state tournament lasted only 2 hours, 15 minutes of actual match time.

Someone asked on our CoverItLive during Saturday's state final match why, with all of the talent and all of the great teams Douglas volleyball has had over the years, it took 12 years to get back to the top.

It's simple, really.

Winning a state title is really, really hard.

I've seen enough "sure things" fall short over the years to know it's just not enough to have the best players. And it's just not enough to have the hardest workers.

It's just not enough to have the best chemistry, the best coach, the healthiest team, the most favorable schedule at the right times or even the best luck.

Winning a state title, especially coming from a rural area like Carson Valley, requires the best blend of all of the above -- and then, just maybe, you might have a shot.

Consider Saturday's volleyball title match. Douglas defeated Green Valley - a school with twice the enrollment of Douglas (meaning a double-sized talent pool to draw from).

Add to it that Southern 4A volleyball teams already have double the talent pool to draw from compared to Northern schools, without even considering enrollment numbers, because they don't have to compete with girls' soccer for potential players.

Granted, those are two specialized skill sets, but on the front end, if you live in Las Vegas, you know you can play both sports if you wish. No such chance up north.

But what happened Saturday - and this goes for soccer too - was an exceptional moment for the Douglas High athletic program.

Its two strongest strongest programs over the past 20 years rose to the top of the heap on the same day. And there was little doubt in either game/match.

Both teams managed to do what they did on the heels of tougher, more physical, more emotionally draining contests the previous night.

Soccer only got 16 hours from the end of surviving an absolute onslaught at the hands of Carson to kicking off against a Galena team seeking to even out the score after losing in last week's regional title match and last year's state title match.

Volleyball played until 10:34 p.m. Friday night against a Bishop Gorman squad that quite possibly boasted the best high school volleyball defense I've ever seen, and still wore them down with a relentless, quick-tempoed attack. They didn't roll into the Douglas High parking lot until at least midnight, maybe 12:30.

The Tiger spikers were also on the floor just about 16 hours later and absolutely blasted a Green Valley squad that, according to the RGJ, had been preparing for that moment since their season ended with a loss in last year's state title match.

In both cases, the schedule was less-than-favorable. Both Tiger squads had to face a tougher foe in the semifinals than they did in the state finals.

But in both cases, the two teams simply just rose above it. Both had the superior talent. Both had the superior strategies. Both had the veteran leadership, the chemistry, the work ethic, the coaching and the right bounces at the right times to win it all.

If you were there, plaster those memories into your mind. If you weren't, find one of the players and congratulate them.

After all, it's not like this happens every day. It's not even like it happens every 12 years.

Winning a state title, coming from a small town like this, is every bit a storybook ending. It should be treated as such.

I heard another question Saturday evening that wasn't quite as easy to answer.

Someone asked how, with Las Vegas' vast population and the fact that they don't have to split the fall season with girls' soccer (add to it that the girls' can practice against the boys' teams down there if they so choose while boys' volleyball in Northern Nevada is virtually non-existent), why Southern Nevada doesn't dominate high school volleyball the same way it dominates, say, baseball, boys' basketball or even football to some extent.

Since 1998, Northern Nevada has won 8 state volleyball titles while Southern Nevada has won 5. In the last seven years (it's an odd window, but that's the amount of time since I started doing this job), the North has won five times.

I think on one hand, there are some really good, well-coached volleyball clubs up here. You see it during the spring and summer -- they compete at the highest levels and do well at national tournaments. They produce as many, if not more, Division I athletes than any other sport in the area (I don't have concrete numbers in front of me, but it's a fair assumption that it's true -- Softball may be close). This year alone, Douglas has a pair of players on Division I rosters.

On the other hand, it could be that volleyball is a sport where altitude has come into play.

Six of the last seven state tournaments played in Northern Nevada have been won by Northern Nevada teams. Compare that with the last six state tournaments played in Southern Nevada, where Northern Nevada has won just twice. It is interesting, if nothing else.

I do know that Green Valley looked spent after going five games against Manogue the night before. Douglas, which was in as close a three-game match as you'll ever see against Gorman the night prior, looked energized and tack-sharp - even though their basic rotation throughout the playoffs was only about eight players deep.

I don't know if there is a concrete answer. Douglas, as evidenced by its spotless tournament down in Vegas to open the season, likely wouldn't have been affected by the altitude disparity. They were the best team in the state literally from the first weekend of the season.

They were also the best team in the state to close out the season. And I suppose that's all that really matters.

- While presenting the state championship trophy at Manogue High School Saturday night, the public address announcer inadvertantly gave the Douglas volleyball team two more titles. He said first that they had proven without a doubt to be the best girls' basketball team in the state. He then corrected himself by calling them the best football team in the state. After a short pause, he finally settled on best volleyball team in the state. No one disagreed.

- It took exactly one hour for the Tiger spikers to polish off Green Valley in the state final match.

- Despite five state titles in the program's history, this was only the second time the Lady Tiger volleyball team won both the regional and state titles in the same season. The last team to do it? 1983.

- The last time two Douglas High teams won state team titles in the same season was the last time the volleyball team won it all -- 1998. Girls' Cross Country also won it that year.

- The school has only won multiple titles in the same school year three times prior to this year. In each case, volleyball was one of those titles (volleyball and girls' basketball in 1977-78; volleyball and boys' basketball in 1978-79 and volleyball and girls' cross country in 1998-99.

- Volleyball has hung more banners in the Douglas High gym than any other program at the school with six state titles and six regional titles. Girls' soccer and boys' basketball are tied for second with seven banners each.

- High school volleyball coaches around the state of Nevada breathed a collective sigh of relief Saturday evening at the thought of never having to see Douglas outside hitters Shannon Dugan and Brenna White again.

- Outside hitters around the state breathed a collective sigh of relief Saturday evening at the thought of never having to see Douglas libero Mia Townsell again.

- As good as the three above-mentioned players were this season (and they were very, very good), the strength of this year's volleyball Tigers was in the team. It's one thing to say it (Because what coach ever really says "Well, it was just a great individual effort from one player tonight ... if it weren't for her, we might as well not play"?) and it's a completely different thing for it to be true. The effectiveness of the Tigers' outside attack was due in large part to the front line's ability to draw a significant amount of coverage to the middle and to senior setter Jackie Harper's ability (not to mention creativity) to put the ball just about wherever she pleased and have someone on the other end to put it home. The effectiveness of Townsell on defense was again due in large part to the supremely understated front line flushing the opposing attack away from high percentage shots and the backline's ability to give the opposing attack limited room to work with. It didn't hurt that Townsell could seemingly teleport herself to where she needed to be, but that's a different story. This was a special team in many ways, but it was most special in the fact that it was -- first and foremost -- a complete team.

- With its shutout wins over Reed and Damonte last week, the Douglas girls' soccer team broke its own state record for shutouts in a season at 14. The previous mark, which they shared with two other schools, was 13 from last season.

- Despite missing a large portion of the season with an injury, Zack Williams finished his varsity football career at Douglas with 191 completions over two seasons. That ranks third on the all-time school career completions list behind Luke Rippee (292) and Tim Rudnick (199). He finished ahead of Chris Griffith (179), David Laird (141) and Paul Meadows (120). Current Carson coach and former Tiger QB Blair Roman is eighth on the list at 119.

- Williams also finished fourth in career passing yards (2,230) behind Rippee, Rudnick and Griffith, and fifth in career passing touchdowns (17) behind Rippee, Rudnick, Griffith and George Streeter.

- Austin Neddenriep wrapped up his career sixth on the school's receptions list with 53, six in career receiving yards with 814 and fourth in career touchdown catches with 11.

- "I'm a football goal post. Normally, I just stand around imitating the letter 'Y'" - from Allstate's fantastics "Mayhem" commercial series.

I've made no small passing mention of my time at TCU in this column over the past couple of years. So, you all know my keen interest in the Horned Frogs somehow finagling a way into the BCS title game.

This was by far the worst weekend in TCU's bid for a spot in the national title game.

1) They struggled with San Diego State in Fort Worth, needing a last-minute stop to even win. Sure, San Diego State is a lot better this year and sure, there were a ton of extinuating circumstances, like the offensive line coach having a literal heart attack in the first quarter (it sounds like he'll be OK, but they didn't know that then), but teams simply can't come within 20 points of you at home when you need everything to be absolutely perfect to even get a look at the national title game.

2) Utah looked listless in a bad loss to a bad Notre Dame team.

3) Baylor lost.

4) Oregon State lost.

5) Both Oregon and Auburn won.

6) Boise State looked awesome in beating Idaho.

7) Fresno State and Nevada each improved their standing in a close game in Fresno. Boise still has to see both, and quality wins in each will almost surely push the Broncos ahead of the Frogs in the computer rankings.

So that could be it. That's just the way it goes. The same basic things still need to happen, but this past weekend was a huge blow to the Frogs' chances, and a huge boost to Boise State's.

It's likely Auburn will lose to Alabama this week. And I wouldn't bet on the Ducks anytime soon after Cal issued a picture-perfect defensive blueprint on how to slow down that offense.

But now it's Boise State's dream to lose, and as I said before: As much as I want to see TCU make it, I'll be just as happy to see any Non-AQ make it, because that, in my mind, is the true beginning of the end for the whole BCS system.

Here's the revised Purple Perfect Storm:

Nov. 27: Auburn loses at Alabama. This is a must, plain and simple.

Dec. 4: Oregon loses at Oregon State - If Alabama can't beat Auburn, then this is the last resort - plus it would give TCU another boost in the computer rankings given its season-opening win over Oregon State. Final stop-gap: Someone other than Auburn to win the SEC title game (I'm looking at you, South Carolina).