Class 3A/2A/1A football capsules: SLAM eyes state, Lake Mead rebuilds

Class 3A

SOUTHERN LEAGUE

Boulder City Eagles

Coach: Bubba Mariani (7-3, entering second season)

2023 record: 7-3

Playoffs: Lost in 3A Southern League semifinals to Moapa Valley

Breakdown: Boulder City returns 22 players from Mariani’s first season in charge. Quarterback Gage Hopkinson is expected to power the Eagles’ offense after throwing for 2,356 yards and 23 touchdowns last year. Sam Bonar and Landon Goodhue will help lead the defense. Easton Welbourne will play both ways, and Devin Barrow is the top lineman for an offense that Mariani said will be aggressive.

Democracy Prep Blue Knights

Coach: Darwin Peterson (10-10, entering third season)

2023 record: 4-5

Playoffs: Lost in 3A Southern League quarterfinals to Virgin Valley

Breakdown: Peterson said Democracy Prep’s goal is to compete for a state title. He said one of the team’s strengths will be its running game, thanks to backs Darian Phillips and Johntae Johnson. Cameron Lowe will lead the Blue Knights at quarterback. Peterson said the defense will be aggressive behind linebacker Kevin Osei-Antwi.

Mater East Knights

Coach: Tyler Tuiasosopo (4-6, entering second season)

2023 record: 4-6

Playoffs: Lost in 3A Southern League quarterfinals to Boulder City

Breakdown: Tuiasosopo, in the second year of his second stint with Mater East, said he was impressed with how the offseason went. He said the team’s strength will be its defense. Linebacker Markel Rogers, two-way lineman David Garcia and Jaden Houston, a safety and wide receiver, return for the Knights. Quarterback Daylin James will lead the offense after throwing for 2,082 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. Tuiasosopo said some of the team’s goals are being more physical and executing better in close games.

Moapa Valley Pirates

Coach: Brent Lewis (193-67, entering 23rd season)

2023 record: 9-3

Playoffs: Lost in 3A state semifinals to Truckee

Breakdown: Moapa Valley is bringing back its entire offensive and defensive lines from last season. Lewis said the Pirates should have a strong running game and he expects their defense to be solid. Talon Schraft will lead Moapa Valley at quarterback, and Gavyn Frederick will play both ways at tight end and linebacker. Lewis said this year’s team will be tough as it looks to get over the hump after losing to Truckee in the state semifinals the past two seasons.

Pahrump Valley Trojans

Coach: Tom Walker (11-15, entering third season)

2023 record: 3-6

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: Pahrump Valley is looking to return to the playoffs after missing out the past two seasons. Kayne Horibe will start at quarterback, and Randy Murray will be one of his primary targets. Matthew Lopez, Hunter Mellinger and Jack Walker will all play both ways as offensive and defensive linemen.

SLAM Academy Bulls

Coach: Mike Cofer (36-21, entering sixth season)

2023 record: 10-2

Playoffs: Lost in 3A state title game to Truckee

Breakdown: SLAM Academy is looking to break through and win its first state title after coming up short in the last two championship games. Cofer said the offense will be led by quarterback Alaijah Young and running back Damien Nevil. Nevil averaged 151.7 rushing yards per game last season and scored 26 total touchdowns. Cofer said the Bulls are inexperienced on defense, but tight ends/linebackers Dylan Tondreau and Alex Garcia should lead the way. Chenney Chua and Jayden Sykes will play both ways on the offensive and defensive lines.

Virgin Valley Bulldogs

Coach: Matt Woods (43-18, entering seventh season)

2023 record: 7-5

Playoffs: Lost in 3A Southern League semifinals to SLAM Academy

Breakdown: Virgin Valley lost a lot of offensive production with quarterback Gunner Cortez and wide receiver Chase Otteson graduating. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, running back Decker Lee returns. He rushed for 1,199 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and also led the Bulldogs with 74 total tackles and had six sacks.

Class 2A

SOUTHERN LEAGUE

GV Christian Guardians

Coach: Zachariah Eukel

2023 record: 2-4

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: GV Christian will look to make the playoffs in a more wide-open 2A Southern League. The Guardians won their first two games last season but lost their final four.

Lake Mead Academy Eagles

Coach: Jay Schroeder

2023 record: 10-1

Playoffs: Won 2A state title over Pershing County

Breakdown: Lake Mead Academy will rebuild this year after winning the 2A state title last season. Schroeder, the school’s athletic director and a former NFL quarterback with the Raiders and others, takes over as coach. Wide receiver Bowe Farmer returns after catching 13 touchdowns last season. Jayden Scott and Tyler Brooks will also contribute for a team Schroeder said is young and athletic. Quarterback Jerry Meyer, who set a state record with 58 touchdown passes last season, now plays for Waxahachie (Texas).

Lincoln County Lynx

Coach: Kevin Hannig

2023 record: 5-6

Playoffs: Lost in 2A state semifinals to Pershing County

Breakdown: Lincoln County was one game away from reaching its second straight 2A state title game but came up short against Northern champion Pershing County.

Needles Mustangs

Coach: Thomas DeLeon

2023 record: 5-5

Playoffs: Lost in 2A state quarterfinals to Lincoln County

Breakdown: Needles went 3-1 in league play last year and beat Lincoln County 22-21 in its regular-season finale, but then lost to the Lynx 32-15 the following week in the playoffs. Paxton Murch, Xavier Russell and Tanner Pletcher are Needles’ top returners. DeLeon said the Mustangs will lean on their experienced backfield.

White Pine Bobcats

Coach: Joseph Tate

2023 record: 1-7

Playoffs: Lost to Lake Mead Academy in 2A state quarterfinals

Breakdown: Tate is in his first season at White Pine, but he’ll have one of the school’s deepest teams in years, with 15 returning players. Tate said Bryant O’Flaherty, Tucker Maestes, Marshall Miller, Danny Highline, Maddox Sedlacek and Ryder Loveless will be key players.

Independents

Laughlin Cougars

Coach: Aaron Schellie

2023 record: 1-7

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: Laughlin is playing an independent schedule for the second season. All of its games will be against 1A opponents at the eight-man football level. Schellie said the Cougars are strong at linebacker and on the offensive line. Gavin Addington, Anthony Celi-Brookins, Delwin Finley and Bobby Deboard are all expected to contribute this season.

The Meadows Mustangs

Coach: Jack Concannon

2023 record: 1-7

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: The Meadows will play as an independent this season after being in 3A last year. Concannon said he likes the youth and speed on the team and is looking for his players to gain experience to build the program back up. The Mustangs will lean on sophomore quarterback Cameron Pereira. They’ll also be counting on two-way player Connor McGill and wide receivers Mekyle Mir and Aidan Moses.

Sloan Canyon Pirates

Coach: Nate Oishi

2023 record: 0-4

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: Oishi is taking on a new challenge at Sloan Canyon after winning the 2A state title with Lake Mead Academy last season. The Pirates are in their second year as a football program. They will play as an independent, facing off against 4A, 3A and 2A teams, with a plan to move up to 4A in 2025. Sloan Canyon has 55 players listed on its MaxPreps roster.

Class 1A

CENTRAL LEAGUE

Beatty Hornets

Coach: Max Taylor

2023 record: 2-5

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: Taylor is entering his first season in charge of Beatty after serving as an assistant the past two seasons. The Beatty graduate said the Hornets will lean on their 13 returning players this year. He said Derek Mendoza, Yudiel Gutierrez, Mario Rivera, Osvaldo Contreras and Reese Taylor will be key contributors for the team.

Indian Springs Thunderbirds

Coach: Sope Faga

2023 record: 4-3

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: Indian Springs won its first four games last season then lost its last three, all within the league, to miss the playoffs. The Thunderbirds allowed at least 54 points in each of the losses.

Round Mountain Knights

Coach: John Larsen

2023 record: 5-4

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: The Knights just missed the playoffs last season after losing to league champion Tonopah and second-place Spring Mountain.

Spring Mountain Golden Eagles

Coach: Troy Higgins

2023 record: 5-4

Playoffs: Lost in 1A state quarterfinals to Pahranagat Valley

Breakdown: Higgins will have an entirely new team in his third season with the program. He said he is looking forward to getting to know his players and creating an environment for them to thrive in.

Tonopah Muckers

Coach: Duffy Otteson

2023 record: 8-3

Playoffs: Lost in 1A state semifinals to Eureka

Breakdown: The Muckers rolled through the Central League last season, scoring at least 62 points in all four of their league wins.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE

Beaver Dam Diamondbacks

Coach: Bryan Schmersal

2023 record: 3-4

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: Beaver Dam was outscored by its opponents 236-170 last season and was 1-3 at home. The Diamondbacks won two of their final three games, but lost their regular-season finale to Sandy Valley and missed the postseason.

Pahranagat Valley Panthers

Coach: Brett Hansen

2023 record: 8-3

Playoffs: Lost in 1A state title game to Eureka

Breakdown: Two of Pahranagat Valley’s three losses last season came to Eureka, which Pahranagat Valley opens the season against Aug. 23. The Panthers return several key players, including Jesse Stewart, A.J. Thornton, Ryder Pearson and Boogie Lewis.

Sandy Valley Sidewinders

Coach: Brett Kramer

2023 record: 6-4

Playoffs: Lost in 1A state quarterfinals to Tonopah

Breakdown: Sandy Valley will look to take another step forward after a promising 2023 campaign. The Sidewinders had a five-game winning streak in the middle of the season and went 5-1 at home on a new field at the school.

Word of Life Eagles

Coach: Devon Catchings

2023 record: 0-6

Playoffs: None

Breakdown: Word of Life is entering its third football season. The Eagles scored just 18 points last year and allowed 223.

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