FIELDER’S CHOICES: Fielder Five ponder postseason from afar
Football rankings often stir passionate debate, from the double standards of the Bowl Championship Series to Moapa Valley being unranked in the Southern Nevada Football Coaches Poll.
Another poll debuted this season, with the Fielder Five rankings of the top five teams in town. The poll returns this week, but with the twist of ranking teams in town that missed the postseason:
No. 1: Las Vegas Locomotives — The players aren’t getting paid, so they’re eligible to be ranked.
No. 2: UNLV — First the Rebels ranked behind Bishop Gorman, and now they trail the Locos. UNLV is locked into my No. 2 spot.
No. 3: Bonanza — Last year’s coach, Shawn Dupris, walked onto the playoff stage with Damonte Ranch.
No. 4: Cimarron-Memorial — Last year’s quarterback, Gerard Martinez, walked on to Notre Dame.
No. 5: Del Sol — The Dragons can claim the No. 3 spot with a win at Eldorado tonight.
A hat trick of bad beats sunk my morale last week, as my three losses against the spread were by a total of 4½ points. But I’m back with Week 11 picks.
Legacy at Palo Verde — The Longhorns are a great story, but Cinderella’s carriage will turn into a pumpkin days after Halloween. … Palo Verde by 4.
Durango at Centennial — Centennial routed Durango 31-0 during the regular season, but the Bulldogs were clinging to a 10-0 lead in the fourth quarter.
This could be a grind-it-out game, which is why I’ll take Toby Lopez, Austin Horton and the rest of the Bulldogs’ stellar defense. … Centennial by 18½.
Desert Oasis at Arbor View — The 9-0 Aggies should eclipse their over/under of 450 rushing yards, while the 2-7 Diamondbacks are plus-450 on the money line. … Arbor View by 41½.
Shadow Ridge at Bishop Gorman — The Gaels have used brute force along the line of scrimmage to smoke every local opponent in their path, and that trend should continue tonight.
Shadow Ridge’s Bakari Smith is one of the area’s most exciting quarterbacks, but opening the playoffs at Gorman is a tough pill to swallow. … Gorman by 56.
Boulder City at Cheyenne — Cheyenne opened as a two-point favorite, but the line quickly moved after the sharps pounced on the Desert Shields.
I’m not sure Boulder City is getting enough respect for a 9-1 team, but the Eagles did allow Chaparral and Faith Lutheran to score a combined 60 points the past two weeks. … Cheyenne by 5.
Mojave at Moapa Valley — Moapa Valley has won its past 10 games by a combined score of 541-76.
The Pirates outgained their past three opponents in rushing yards by a total of 1,048-74.
The next time you’re on Moapa Valley’s campus, stop in the quad and admire the trophy case. It’s about to have more bling. … Moapa Valley by 21.
Basic at Coronado — Picking against the Cougars has been risky business, but expect the Wolves to wrap up second place in the Southeast League with a bounce-back effort. … Basic by 5.
Las Vegas at Canyon Springs — Canyon Springs’ losses to Palo Verde, Liberty and Green Valley came by a total of seven points, but all that means is the Pioneers will enter the playoffs angry and under the radar. … Canyon Springs by 8.
Green Valley at Silverado — Both teams are locked into playoff seedings, so this could be like a preseason game.
Still, the Gators don’t want to slide into the postseason. They’d rather have an undefeated league record. … Green Valley by 11.
Needles at Mountain View — The Saints should go marching into the state semifinals. … Mountain View by 35.
Laughlin at Lincoln County — The Cougars can hang around a little bit, but it will be hard to slow the Lynx ground game. … Lincoln County by 22.
Tonopah at Pahranagat Valley — The Panthers drilled the Muckers 84-0 in last year’s playoff opener, but this one shouldn’t be as bad. … Pahranagat by 48.
Round Mountain at Spring Mountain — The total is set at 106, both for points scored and rushing yards for Eagles quarterback Marcus Thomas. … Spring Mountain by 32.
Last week: 8-0, 5-3 with points
Season: 48-12, 35-24-1 with points
