FIELDER’S CHOICES: Numbers help tell story of season

The prep football season is winding down, and for the Division I-A teams, this is the final week of the regular season.

Here's a look at what's happened through eight weeks, by the numbers:

2,776 — Total yards on offense by Centennial, tops in the Division I Northwest League.

3 — Consecutive shutouts by Cheyenne, which hasn't allowed a point since the fourth quarter of its 50-6 win over Sierra Vista on Sept. 25, a span of 151 minutes, 23 seconds.

13.8 — Yards per carry by Desert Pines running back Isaiah Morris.

8 — Interceptions made by Foothill defensive back Sean Hamilton, the area leader. Nobody else has more than four.

867 — Yards gained by Sandy Valley in its 112-84 Division IV Southern League loss to Beaver Dam (Ariz.) on Oct. 16.

949 — Passing yards by Western's Gregory Castenada, the most by a Warriors quarterback since 2012 (Larry Jennings, 1,409).

4 — Interceptions thrown by Bishop Gorman quarterback Tate Martell this season.

2 — Interceptions thrown by Martell last season.

144 — Points scored by Utah commit R.J. Hubert of Moapa Valley, seven more than Cimarron-Memorial and Valley combined.

My hot streak continued last week, though a 4-3-1 record on over/under totals was a bit humbling. Let's see what happens this week with an even trickier slate of games.

Basic at Foothill — This is Thursday night must-see TV, kind of like in the mid-'90s when Mom and Dad watched "Friends" and "Seinfeld." The winner of this game will have the inside track to the Southeast League title, and Basic can reduce its magic number to one with a victory.

The Wolves have relied on a punishing defense through their first seven games, while Foothill is averaging 49.2 points when you toss out its Week 1 loss at Desert Hills (Utah). The Falcons have routed five straight teams, so let's see how they react in a four-quarter game. ... Basic by 2.

Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) at Bishop Gorman — The Ironmen (great nickname, by the way) won the mythical national title in 2009 and 2011 and have knocked off several big-name teams over the years. This season alone, they own victories over teams from Louisiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

This is the last chance for the top-ranked Gaels to impress the national pollsters, not to mention the pesky USA Today computer that dropped Gorman this week. Based on the Gaels' brief history against teams from the Garden State, I think they could struggle. But I don't think Bosco has the "secret code" to pull off the upset. ... Gorman by 3½.

Chaparral at Moapa Valley — Dear Desert Pines: Thank you for forfeiting two victories and making our regular-season finale a Division I-A Sunrise League title game. Signed, the Cowboys and Pirates. PS: Please go easy on the winner in the second round of the playoffs.

Chaparral's only state title came in 1977, which is the year the first "Star Wars" movie came out. In case you haven't heard, there's another "Star Wars" movie coming out in December. May the Force be with you, Cowboys. ... Moapa Valley by 13.

Desert Oasis at Centennial — This appears to be a mismatch, despite the glowing records that each team possesses. The Diamondbacks' six wins have come against opponents with a combined record of 7-38, while Centennial is a top-five team in the coaches poll.

But upon closer inspection, these teams have two common opponents (Bonanza and Cimarron-Memorial) and won by nearly identical scores. Plus, the Bulldogs have been pretty average stopping the run against several sub-.500 teams, so I'm making this my three-star upset special. ... Desert Oasis by 4.

Liberty at Silverado — This game looks good on paper, seeing as both teams are undefeated in the Northeast League. That leftover pizza from a couple of days ago looked good, too, but you can probably guess how that turned out.

The Patriots hung 74 points on Valley last week — most of that came in the first quarter — surpassing the 70-point mark for the second time this season. Remember when Liberty used to run 50 times a game and was boring to watch? Yeah, those days are long gone.

The Skyhawks are coming off a bye and should score points against Liberty's defense. Just not enough to win. ... Liberty by 16.

Legacy at Palo Verde — These teams play in the Southwest League with Gorman, so a league title is out of the question. But there's still a lot on the line since the winner is practically assured of finishing second and hosting in the opening round of the Sunset Region playoffs.

Longhorns running back Naim Geeslin has 1,077 yards rushing, fourth among Division I players in Southern Nevada. But Palo Verde can get back to .500 with a win and set up a first-place, ahem, showdown with Gorman next week. That's a powerful motivator. ... Palo Verde by 5.

Sunrise Mountain at Desert Pines — My condolences to the Miners, who don't stand a chance in this battle for the No. 3 seed in the Division I-A Sunrise League.

Boy, the team that really made out thanks to Desert Pines' two forfeits is Faith Lutheran. The Crusaders will likely open the playoffs against Sunrise Mountain and shouldn't see the Jaguars until the state title game, if at all. ... Desert Pines by 43.

Durango at Shadow Ridge — Two winless teams enter. One team leaves with a playoff berth. In the immortal words of "Celebrity Deathmatch" announcer Johnny Gomez, "Good fight, good night." ... Shadow Ridge by 6.

Pahrump Valley at Sierra Vista — I decided to add a bonus game to this week's card because we have a situation developing in the Sunset League — again! — and this game should have major implications on the No. 4 seed.

Currently, Spring Valley is in fourth place at 3-3, while Clark, Pahrump Valley and Sierra Vista are knotted at 2-4. Here is what I think will happen:

Spring Valley is going to lose to Faith Lutheran, putting the Grizzlies at 3-4. Clark will be eliminated from postseason contention with a loss to Cheyenne, and Sierra Vista will ride Daniel Godfrey past the Trojans. Sierra Vista beat Spring Valley last week, and voila, Mountain Lions make the playoffs.

Just don't ask me what happens if three teams end up 3-4. I don't have the energy to figure out that tiebreaker. ... Sierra Vista by 5.

Last week: 7-1, 6-2 (with points)

Season: 49-17, 43-19-1 (with points)

Contact Fielder at Fielder@nevadapreps.com. Follow him: @FielderNVP.