Nevada high school football playoff field, new divisions set

To create more competitive balance in Nevada high school football, Class 5A, the top classification, was split into three divisions and two more state championship games were added.

The goal to create more opportunities for teams to win state titles was achieved in most leagues as title races went down to the last two weeks of the season.

It worked so well in the 5A Division II Southern League that calculators were needed on the final week of the regular season to determine the league winner.

Basic emerged with the league title out of a three-way tie with Foothill and Faith Lutheran. The Wolves rolled to a 49-32 home win over Foothill on Friday to win the title on a tiebreaker of margin of victory in games between the three tied teams.

The playoff fields for 5A, 4A and 3A are set. All playoff games will be played at 6 p.m. Thursday due to the Nevada Day holiday on Friday.

While the playoff brackets are set, so are the divisions for next season. Another change with the new realignment format is the introduction of promotion and relegation.

Basic and Foothill, as the top two finishers in the 5A Division II Southern League standings, will move up to 5A Division I next season. Shadow Ridge and Silverado will drop from 5A Division I to 5A Division II.

Legacy and Palo Verde, the top two finishers in 5A Division III, will move up to 5A Division II. Durango and Las Vegas High drop from 5A Division II to 5A Division III.

4A league winners Centennial (Desert) and Sunrise Mountain (Mountain) will be promoted to 5A Division III. Cimarron-Memorial and Spring Valley will drop down to 4A from 5A Division III. There is no relegation or promotion between 4A and 3A since 3A includes enrollment-protected schools.

In other sports

Boys and girls soccer, and girls volleyball teams also are nearing the end of their regular seasons.

Girls volleyball: No one has been able to challenge Bishop Gorman, which has locked up the 5A Desert League title. Reigning state champion Coronado has a one-game lead over Centennial in the Mountain League.

In 4A, Rancho (Desert), Coral Academy (Mountain) and Tech (Sky) have all wrapped up their respective league titles. Durango and Legacy are tied atop the Lake League.

Girls soccer: The top three teams in the 5A Southern League are separated by four points. Bishop Gorman (41 points) has a one-point lead over Liberty (40 points) and Faith Lutheran is third (37 points). Gorman plays at Coronado, in fourth place, at 4:30 p.m. Monday.

The races in 4A are just as close. Foothill (39 points) has a four-point lead in the Desert League over second-place Doral Academy (35 points), and Sierra Vista is third (34 points). Foothill plays both Doral Academy and Sierra Vista on Monday and Wednesday, respectively. Centennial and Green Valley are tied with 42 points atop the Mountain League standings.

Boys soccer: Coronado has locked up the No. 1 seed in the 5A Southern League. The Cougars play Palo Verde, who is in second place, at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Coronado won the first regular-season meeting 1-0 on Sept. 20 at Palo Verde.

Third-place Arbor View gave Coronado its lone defeat thus far in an 8-1 effort on Sept. 8. In 4A, Sierra Vista has clinched the Desert League’s No. 1 seed, and Faith Lutheran has a three-point advantage over Canyon Springs atop the Mountain League standings.

Up next

In 5A Division I, third-seeded Arbor View hosts No. 6 Shadow Ridge at 6 p.m. Thursday. Arbor View rolled to a 45-28 regular-season win over the Mustangs on Sept. 8 behind starting quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher, who is out the rest of the season with a broken collarbone.

No. 4 Desert Pines hosts No. 5 Coronado, and No. 7 Silverado plays at No. 2 Liberty in the other two 5A Division I state quarterfinals.

League winners Bishop Gorman (5A Division I), Basic, Legacy (5A Division III), Centennial (4A Desert), Sunrise Mountain (4A Mountain League) and SLAM Academy (3A) all have byes to their respective semifinals, as do second-place finishers Palo Verde (5A Division III) and Moapa Valley (3A).

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.