FIELDER’S CHOICES: Sunset sorting itself out, and it’s about time

The Division I-A Sunset League concludes its regular season, and I, for one, can’t be happier. The league beat me up for nearly two months. It eroded my confidence, gave me bouts of insomnia and did all sorts of damage to my record against the spread.

Kick rocks, Sunset League.

Right now, the league’s standings are more tangled than Russell Brand’s hair with four teams (Cheyenne, Faith Lutheran, Sierra Vista and Spring Valley) tied for first at 4-2. Two more teams (Clark and Mojave) are on the outside looking in at 3-3.

Statistics guru Nate Silver would have a difficult time figuring out all the postseason tiebreaker scenarios for the Sunset League, but Skeet managed to do it during his chemistry class. Assuming Mojave beats Western — that’s a pretty safe assumption — there are eight possible outcomes, and they all include Spring Valley as one of the four seeds.

So, congrats, Grizzlies fans. It looks like you’re in.

As for the rest of the teams, it’s basically “human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together … mass hysteria!”

Cheyenne, Faith Lutheran and Sierra Vista control their own destiny and qualify for the playoffs with a victory. Mojave needs help from Pahrump Valley (vs. Sierra Vista), while Clark needs a win over Cheyenne plus victories by Sierra Vista and Spring Valley.

Got all that? Good, because there will probably be a pop quiz on Monday once the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association sorts out everything.

■ Faith Lutheran at Spring Valley — The defending Division I-A state champion Crusaders are in the best position of any team in the Sunset League, aside from Spring Valley. Faith Lutheran is guaranteed a home playoff game with a victory over the Grizzlies and still can reach the postseason even with a loss. In fact, the only way the Crusaders miss the postseason is if Clark makes it.

Faith Lutheran has won four straight and is unbeaten in October (7-0) under second-year coach Vernon Fox. That’s enough to convince me. … Faith Lutheran by 3.

■ Coronado at Foothill — This is easily the best game in Division I, which should tell you how crummy this week’s schedule is. A win by the Cougars would almost assure them of a home playoff game, while Foothill can seal a top-two seed and set up a first-place showdown next week with Green Valley. So, there’s that.

Foothill is riding a three-game winning streak yet doesn’t have a player in the top 20 of the Southern Nevada rushing or receiving leaders. Its defense is allowing 26.4 points per game. That has to catch up to the Falcons eventually, right? … Coronado by 6.

■ Moapa Valley at Chaparral — Most of the attention in Division I-A has been on the Sunset League, but first place in the Sunrise League is on the line here. No, that’s not a misprint. Chaparral is playing for a potential league title.

The Cowboys have won four straight and already clinched their first playoff berth since 2007. Life is dandy right now on Annie Oakley Drive. But Eric will get a girlfriend before Chaparral wins a league title in football over the Pirates. … Moapa Valley by 10.

■ Cimarron-Memorial at Arbor View — This is the Admiral Ackbar game of the week. “It’s a trap!” The Aggies take on Centennial next week in an all-out brawl for the Northwest League crown. Shoot, even I’m looking ahead to that game. … Arbor View by 21.

■ Clark at Cheyenne — We’ll end our magical mystery tour of the Sunset League here, and thank goodness because I’m nearly out of things to write about. As noted above, the Chargers have only one avenue to the postseason, and they need help to get there. Clark has alternated wins and losses all season, and it’s due for a win this week, so at least the Chargers have that going for them.

The Desert Shields will earn the No. 1 seed with a victory and a Sierra Vista loss. They also can end up the No. 2 or 3 seed with a win, depending on the result of the Faith Lutheran-Spring Valley game. I’ll leave it at that before I get a nose bleed from thinking about this too much. … Cheyenne by 5.

■ Las Vegas at Silverado — Credit Wildcats coach James Thurman and his staff for one of the best adjustments of the season. Two weeks ago, Thurman moved Brigham Young commit Elias Miller from running back to slot receiver and put Las Vegas’ running game in the hands of freshman Elijah Hicks. The move appears to have ignited the Wildcats’ offense, and a win over the Skyhawks would set up a battle for the Northeast League title next week against Liberty.

The Skyhawks have lost two straight, and are smack-dab in the middle of another “Silverado Slide.” Want proof? Last week they gave up 21 points to Liberty in — get this — an 18-second span. Slide, slide, slippity-slide. … Las Vegas by 12.

■ Shadow Ridge at Durango — “One of these (games) is not like the others, one of these (games) just doesn’t belong. Can you tell which (game) is not like the others, by the time I finish my song?” These teams are a combined 0-5 in the Southwest League, but the winner is almost assured of a playoff spot, so there’s plenty at stake.

The Mustangs’ best offense this season has been returning kickoffs. Unfortunately for Shadow Ridge, the Trailblazers don’t figure to kick off a lot. … Shadow Ridge by 7.

■ Virgin Valley at Boulder City — There’s only one playoff spot up for grabs in the Sunrise League, and it will be decided by the outcome of this game. The Bulldogs will earn the No. 4 seed if they win by 13 points or more and allow 35 points or fewer. Boulder City makes the playoffs with a victory or a loss by 12 points or fewer.

Meanwhile, Del Sol will be watching this result closely. If Virgin Valley wins by at least 13 points but allows 36 points or more against the Eagles, then Del Sol will make the playoffs. And you thought the Sunset League was confusing. … Boulder City by 4.

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

Season: 40-23, 33-28-1 (with points)

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