Arbor View, Coronado football to play in Nevada high school playoffs

As the old football saying goes, it’s hard to beat a team twice.

That’s what coach Marlon Barnett and Arbor View will have the chance to do in the Class 5A Division I state semifinals.

The second-seeded Aggies (9-1) rolled past No. 7 Basic 48-0 in a state quarterfinal Friday and will get a second meeting with No. 3 Coronado at 6 p.m. Friday at Arbor View.

The Cougars (7-4) rolled to a 51-15 home win against No. 6 Desert Pines in their quarterfinal. In the regular season, Arbor View scored twice in the final three minutes to rally for a 28-21 road win over Coronado on Sept. 27.

“That’s always a tough deal because (Coronado) is going to make adjustments,” Barnett said. “We’re also going to make adjustments, and we’re going to try and continue to execute on an elite level. When adversity strikes, we’ll respond, but everything goes into our preparation and focus.”

The winner of Friday’s game heads to the state title game Nov. 26 at Allegiant Stadium.

In Barnett’s first season, Arbor View emerged as the clear second-best team in the state behind Bishop Gorman. The Aggies also claimed a 31-28 road win at Liberty on Oct. 24 to clinch the No. 2 seed in the state playoffs and the chance to host a state semifinal.

“Going into next week, that’s kind of going to be the focal point, minimizing the penalties and minimizing the turnovers,” Barnett said. “I think that’s what kind of really kept those two games against Coronado and Liberty close. It was the mistakes we made on both sides of the ball.”

In the other 5A Division I semifinal, No. 1-seeded Bishop Gorman (9-1) will host No. 4 Liberty (5-6). Gorman rolled to a 49-0 victory at Liberty on Sept. 27.

Arbor View is the only local team to score on Gorman, in a 49-14 loss Oct. 10.

“We didn’t give up. A lot of teams go in the tank when they play Gorman,” Barnett said. “We continued to fight and play as if it was 0-0. The boys are excited to possibly have another opportunity to play them, but we have to get through Coronado first.”

Class 5A Division II

The game of the week was Shadow Ridge’s thrilling 35-30 victory at Legacy in the 5A Division II Southern League semifinals.

Shadow Ridge (9-3) will get another shot at undefeated Faith Lutheran (10-0) at 6 p.m. Friday for the Southern League title. The winner advances to the state title game against the Northern champion Nov. 23 at McQueen High in Reno.

In the regular season, Shadow Ridge lost to Faith Lutheran 35-20, but the Mustangs held a 14-7 halftime lead. It was the only time this season when the Crusaders trailed a local opponent.

Faith Lutheran, last year’s state runner-up, blanked Green Valley 31-0 on Friday without BYU commit running back Cale Breslin, who was out with an injury.

Class 5A Division III

Top-seeded Centennial put away No. 5 Clark behind 541 yards of offense and four rushing touchdowns from Khyren Harris to cruise to a 52-14 home victory in a Southern League semifinal.

The win sets up Centennial (5-5) with a home date with No. 3 Desert Oasis (8-3) at 6 p.m. Friday for the league title. The winner will advance to the state title game Nov. 25 against the Northern champion, tentatively scheduled to be played at Bishop Gorman. Desert Oasis won at second-seeded Las Vegas High 36-28 on Friday.

Centennial won the 4A state title last season, then moved up to 5A Division III and won four of its last five regular-season games to clinch the Southern League title. Now the Bulldogs have a legitimate shot to defend their state title up a class.

Class 4A

Mountain League champion Spring Valley’s 14-7 loss to Chaparral in its regular-season finale Oct. 24 should have been a sign of things to come.

Coming off a first-round bye, No. 4-seeded Eldorado upset Spring Valley 27-7 on the road Friday. The Firehawks (5-6) will play at No. 2 Canyon Springs (7-5) — a 40-8 winner over No. 3 Chaparral in the other league semifinal — at 6 p.m. Friday for the league title.

In the Desert League, champion Mojave (10-1) will host No. 2 Losee (10-2) at 6 p.m. Friday for the league title. Mojave claimed a 32-21 win at Losee on Oct. 24.

The Desert and Mountain League champions will face off for the state title Nov. 26 at Allegiant Stadium.

Class 3A

What a difference a few weeks make. After suffering a 20-point loss to rival Moapa Valley in the “Hammer Game” on Oct. 24, Virgin Valley went back to Moapa and defeated the Pirates 13-6 in a Southern League semifinal.

Virgin Valley (9-3) and SLAM Academy (7-4) — a 56-33 winner over Pahrump Valley in the other league semifinal — both advance to the 3A state semifinals to face Northern opponents.

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