Football games of the week — Week 4

THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS GAME

Desert Pines at Liberty — This has the potential to be the game of the year.

Desert Pines — the area’s top Class 3A school — will visit 4A Liberty in a battle of Southern Nevada heavyweights.

Each team is loaded with talent, especially the Jaguars who have five players who have orally committed to Division I schools and many more on the way.

Liberty, which has won the last six Sunrise Region championships, is led by Ethan Dedeaux, who has committed to San Diego State, and three-star quarterback Kenyon Oblad. This season, the Patriots appear to be in contention for the Class 4A state title.

“They’ve been wanting to play us for a couple of years now,” Liberty coach Rich Muraco said. “I didn’t feel our team would have benefited (against) a team at a lower level. We’re supposed to win. If we win, we win. If we lose, it’s a huge upset. But with all of the Division I players they have — I think they have eight or nine kids — I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ It will be a good game.”

GAME OF THE WEEK

Faith Lutheran at Silverado — The battle of former NFL players.

Faith Lutheran coach Vernon Fox, who was a safety for eight seasons in the NFL, will take his Crusaders into battle against the Skyhawks and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and Silverado coach Randall Cunningham.

Let’s see if Cunningham, who played 16 seasons behind center, has any tricks in his pocket in year No. 2 at the helm. The Skyhawks were 7-4 last season and made it to the Division I Sunrise Region semifinals before losing to Basic. They will rely on senior running back Keikiokalani Misipeka (121 carries for 526 yards and 10 TDs), who led the team in rushing a season ago.

The Crusaders are 28-8 in Fox’s three seasons, but now are playing up a division. Will it matter?

Faith Lutheran returns one of Southern Nevada’s top running backs in Christian Marshall (1,255 yards rushing and 22 TDs).