FIELDER’S CHOICES: Should’ve seen that upset coming, but on to Week 2

Desert Pines struck a mighty blow for prep football’s proverbial Little Guy last week with its shocking 50-14 victory over Arbor View, and though we’re on to Week 2 in the schedule, I can’t stop thinking about the Jaguars’ win.

It was a seminal moment for Southern Nevada high school sports, the little school on East Harris Avenue blowing out the big, bad Aggies, last season’s Division I Sunset Region runner-up.

It was a heroic effort against all odds by Desert Pines, a titanic upset and …

We probably should have seen it coming.

Despite the prevailing opinion that teams from Division I-A can’t compete with the big boys (see: Southern Nevada Football Coaches Poll from the past couple of years), the numbers tell a slightly different story.

Since 2013, I-A teams are 14-9 in games against Division I opponents, including 2-0 this season. Granted, few if any of those wins came against D-I playoff teams, but seven of those losses were by two teams (Cheyenne and Sunrise Mountain). See, I can spin numbers, too.

Not many I-A schools can hang a 50-cent piece on a local power that went 29-5 the past three seasons, and the Jaguars deserve all the credit they’ve received over the past few days for the victory.

But, let’s not patronize Desert Pines and its bretheren from the realignment leagues. They can ball, too.

My first week didn’t go nearly as well as the Jaguars’, and a couple of my upset picks crashed and burned. Thanks a lot, Chandler (Ariz.). Hopefully I can bounce back.

Green Valley at Las Vegas — I’m so excited that this game is back on the schedule, I can’t feel my face. These teams played twice in 2013, and each game resembled a Michael Bay film, with fiery explosions and giant, alien-robot cars falling from the sky. OK, not so much that last part, but both games were action-packed.

The Gators played three quarterbacks in last week’s loss, and like the old saying goes, if you have three QBs, you have none. I have no idea who will be at QB for Las Vegas in its season opener, but he will probably hand off to Elijah Hicks a lot. … Green Valley by 3.

Legacy at Arbor View — This is one of my favorite rivalry games because the “Battle of the Bulls” trophy with its giant horns always makes me hungry for a steak. Medium rare.

According to the stats & info department, the all-time series is knotted 4-4 after the Aggies bullied Legacy in a 35-14 victory last season. But Arbor View looked pretty pedestrian against Desert Pines, especially on defense, and the Longhorns could present similar matchup problems. … Legacy by 2.

Valley at Rancho — Get ready to pop the sparkling apple cider because somebody is going to end a long losing streak. The Vikings haven’t won a game since pulverizing Rancho in the finale of the 2013 season, while the Rams are in the midst of a 30-game losing streak.

Valley put up 74 points when these teams met two years ago. Half that total should be enough for the Vikings this time around. … Valley by 7.

Bishop Gorman at Bingham (Utah) — The Miners nearly derailed Gorman’s national title run in Week 3 last season before falling in overtime. That game featured three successful fake punts by Bingham and, if you’re into Gaels trivia, marked Tate Martell’s first start at QB.

Gorman moved to No. 1 in two major national polls after last week’s impressive win, while the Miners failed to get in the end zone during a 6-0 victory. Let’s hope they were just sandbagging and looking ahead to this one. … Gorman by 6.

Silverado at Foothill — Randall Cunningham was pretty fired up last week that some prognosticators — moi? — picked against the Skyhawks in his debut as coach. That’s probably my cue to hold off on asking the former NFL star to autograph my Fog Bowl photo.

The Victory Bell will be at stake in this one, and the Falcons have won two straight in the rivalry. That should be enough motivation for Silverado, but if it helps, I’ll pick against the Skyhawks again. … Foothill by 3.

Basic at Palo Verde — This has potential to be the best game of the week. The Wolves, who made a surprising run to the Division I Sunrise Region title game last season, have generated a lot of buzz heading into their season opener. So much buzz, in fact, that they dropped from fifth to eighth in the SNFC poll without even playing a game. Sarcasm font.

The Panthers gave up a touchdown on the second play from scrimmage last week and conceeded a nine-minute scoring drive in the fourth quarter. They also allowed a questionable TD at the end of the first half on a play that resembled the “Fail Mary” from the Packers-Seahawks game a couple of years back. Otherwise, the defense played well. Non-sarcasm font. … Palo Verde by 1.

Sierra Vista at Desert Oasis — This is one of four games on this week’s schedule pitting Division I-A vs. Division I and, surprise, it’s a rivalry game. I swear, it seems like every week there’s a bunch of games with a trophy or a bell or, in this case, a Railroad at stake. Someone should start a Google page so I can keep them all straight.

The Mountain Lions picked up their first win in the Railroad Rivalry last season and are now 1-5 against Desert Oasis. I don’t know if the Diamondbacks can avenge that loss, but I’m pretty sure there will be a lot of points scored. … Sierra Vista by 5.

Cimarron-Memorial at Faith Lutheran — Yet another I-A vs. D-I showdown for us to chew on, but more importantly, it’s the Vernon Fox Bowl. The Crusaders’ third-year coach graduated from Cimarron in 1997 before heading off to Fresno State and the NFL, but his first meeting against his alma mater comes under difficult circumstances.

The Spartans have more head coaches (2) than total points (0) so far this season, and Fox’s name is bound to come up for the vacancy at Cimarron. Talk about awkward. … Faith Lutheran by 6.

Last week: 5-3, 4-4 (with points)

Season: 5-3, 4-4 (with points)

Contact Fielder at Fielder@nevadapreps.com. Follow @FielderNVP on Twitter.