‘It means everything’: Shadow Ridge, Coronado bask in surprise wins

Many high school football teams across Nevada went into this season with a feeling of hope to compete for a state championship after avoiding Bishop Gorman in the new realignment structure.

While the same blue-and-orange roadblock remained for a small group of teams in Class 5A Division I, the state’s top division, two of that league’s newest members eliminated a pair of the state’s top teams Thursday on the opening night of the playoffs.

Coronado, the No. 5 seed, upset No. 4 Desert Pines 35-12, and No. 6 Shadow Ridge defeated No. 3 Arbor View 17-14 on the road in a pair of 5A Division I state quarterfinal matchups.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Shadow Ridge coach Travis Foster, a former Arbor View assistant, said Thursday. “I started coaching in Vegas on (the Arbor View) sideline when Arbor wasn’t what it was today. To have the opportunity to come over to Shadow Ridge, build a program and win a playoff game against (Arbor View), it means everything.”

Both teams avenged regular-season defeats: Coronado lost to Desert Pines 48-7 on Oct. 6, and Shadow Ridge lost to Arbor View 45-28 on Sept. 8.

“We felt we didn’t give a good effort the first time we played (Desert Pines),” first-year Coronado coach Shawn Dupris said in a text message. “We’ve been working all year to clean up our mental errors and penalties. The team did a great job of that (Thursday) night.”

Bishop Gorman, the No. 1 team in the country, awaits Coronado in a state semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday, and Shadow Ridge plays at Liberty in the other state semifinal.

“It was a big win for the Coronado football program, the school and the community,” Dupris said. “We’re excited for the future of our program, and we’re looking forward to playing Bishop Gorman in the state semifinals.”

Coronado and Shadow Ridge, which played in 4A the last two seasons, were thrust into 5A Division I, along with Silverado, after an eventful realignment process.

Shadow Ridge and Silverado, which played for the last two 4A state titles, will be relegated to 5A Division II next season after finishing sixth and seventh, respectively, in the regular-season standings. Coronado, which finished fifth, will remain in Division I next season.

“It’s been tough. There’s no easy games anymore,” Foster said. “You got to bring your A-game every week. I’m just proud of these kids for battling. We had murderers’ row at the end of the season, and we played really, really well.”

Shadow Ridge gave Liberty a battle in a 35-32 defeat on Oct. 19 and held Gorman to one offensive possession and seven points in the first half before the Gaels rolled to a 48-17 win on Oct. 6.

“If you told me we were going to beat Desert Pines, beat Arbor View in a playoff game and hang with Liberty, I would have told you that’s been a heck of a season,” Foster said.

In other sports

The regular season has concluded for soccer and girls volleyball teams. Region and state playoffs begin next week. Here’s how those playoffs shape up:

— Girls volleyball: Bishop Gorman (5A Desert League) and Coronado (5A Mountain League) won their respective regular-season league titles and are No. 1 seeds in the Southern Region playoffs, which begin Tuesday. Gorman hosts Arbor View, the Mountain’s No. 4 seed, and Coronado hosts Foothill, the Desert’s No. 4 seed, in region quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Centennial, the No. 2 seed from the Mountain League, hosts Desert No. 3 seed Faith Lutheran, and Desert No. 2 seed Shadow Ridge hosts Mountain No. 3 seed Liberty at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the other quarterfinals. Region semifinals are set for 6 p.m. Thursday, with the two winners qualifying for the 5A state tournament Nov. 10-11 at Sunrise Mountain.

— Girls soccer: Bishop Gorman emerged from a tight four-way battle atop the 5A Southern League standings to earn the league title and No. 1 seed in the state playoffs by one point over Liberty and Faith Lutheran, which tied for second place. Liberty earned the No. 2 seed on a tiebreaker.

Class 5A is a Southern-only classification, and the playoffs begin with quarterfinal matchups Thursday.

The Gaels host No. 8 Shadow Ridge at 4:30 p.m. Reigning state champion and third-seeded Faith Lutheran hosts No. 6 Palo Verde at 4:30 p.m., No. 5 Arbor View plays at No. 4 Coronado at 4:30 p.m., and No. 2 Liberty hosts No. 7 Desert Oasis at 6 p.m.

The winners advance to the state tournament Nov. 10-11 at Coronado.

— Boys soccer: Coronado lost just once in 5A Southern League play to win the regular-season title by six points over second-place Palo Verde. The Southern playoffs begin Monday with quarterfinal action.

The top-seeded Cougars host No. 8 Las Vegas High at 4:30 p.m. No. 2 Palo Verde hosts No. 7 Cimarron-Memorial, No. 6 Eldorado plays at No. 3 Arbor View, and reigning state champion and fifth-seeded Bishop Gorman plays at No. 4 Sunrise Mountain in the other Southern quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. Monday. Semifinals are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, with the winners qualifying for the 5A state tournament Nov. 10-11 in Carson City.

Up next

The 5A Division II Southern League semifinals highlight next week’s football schedule. League champion Basic hosts fourth-seeded Green Valley, and second-seeded Foothill hosts No. 3 Faith Lutheran at 6 p.m. Friday.

The Wolves held on for a 19-17 regular-season win over the Gators in the “Henderson Bowl,” and the Falcons rolled to a 28-17 win at Faith Lutheran on Oct. 13.

The 5A Division III Southern, 4A Desert and Mountain and 3A Southern League semifinals will also be played Friday.

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