FIELDER’S CHOICES: Where’s the love for Moapa Valley?

Things are not always what they seem.

Take, for instance, that Drake album set to be released next week. Sure, the Degrassi High alumnus and Canadian recording artist dropped a line about our local university — “Sittin’ Gucci Row like they say up at UNLV” — in his song “Tuscan Leather.” But have you heard the rest of the record? It sounds like a whiny love letter written to a former girlfriend.

Then there’s the latest Southern Nevada Football Coaches Poll. At first glance, it seems fine with all the usual suspects near the top. Take a closer look, though, and you’ll find three ranked teams with 1-2 records. Moapa Valley, which is 3-0 and giving up an average of 46 yards rushing per game, can’t crack the top 10.

That injustice (no, I don’t go to school in Overton) inspired me to bring back my rankings of the top teams in town. In case you forgot, we call it the Fielder Five:

No. 1: UNLV — The Rebels top the F5 for the first time ever. It’s just too bad they don’t have a steady senior to play at quarterback the rest of the season. Am I right?

No. 2: Bishop Gorman — No such controversies in Summerlin, where Randall Cunningham is starting to resemble a QB rather than a high jumper wearing pads and a helmet.

No. 3: Arbor View — Remember back in the day when playing the Aggies was like a bye week? Arbor View has won 20 of its past 24 games, and two of those losses came against Gorman.

No. 4: Las Vegas — I was going to choose that adult kickball team in pink T-shirts that’s always at Desert Breeze Park, but the Wildcats have scored 117 points in two games. Zoinks!

No. 5: Palo Verde — The Panthers threw for 320 yards in their season-opening win over Legacy. That’s more than they did in coach Darwin Rost’s first 10 years combined.

I bounced back with a solid week picking against the spread. Let’s see if I can do it again.

■ Palo Verde at Green Valley — Despite a slow start in their opener, the Panthers were pretty much what we thought they’d be. The Gators, on the other hand, have been one of those Winston Churchill riddles wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma through three games.

The only certainty in this matchup is plenty of points. Hopefully, the Hot Dog on a Stick across the street from campus will stay open late. …Palo Verde by 5.

■ Arbor View at Coronado — The Aggies’ defense deserves some love after it forced four turnovers and scored two touchdowns in a season-opening win over Centennial. Same goes for the Cougars’ D, which has 10 takeaways in the past two weeks and made me look pretty foolish for choosing Green Valley as a double-digit road favorite.

Uncle Lefty likes under the total of 45 here. I like the team with the stronger ground game. … Arbor View by 8.

■ Hamilton (Ariz.) at Liberty — The Patriots take another stab at a team from Arizona after getting walloped in the Sollenberger Classic last month by Salpointe Catholic. At least on paper, this appears to be an even more daunting task.

The Huskies are the defending Arizona Division I state champions and ranked in almost every major national poll. Liberty has improved since the season-opening debacle but will have a tough time keeping up with a team that is 95-5 under coach Steve Belles. … Hamilton by 14.

■ Bonanza at Desert Pines — These teams are a combined 5-0, which I’m guessing hasn’t happened in, like, ever. That said, this represents a stiff test for the Bengals (2-0) and speedster Jayveon Taylor.

The Jaguars haven’t scored fewer than 41 points in any of their three victories and appear to be legit contenders in the Division I-A Sunrise League. I’m done sleeping on Tico Rodriguez’s team. … Desert Pines by 10.

■ Shadow Ridge at Centennial — The Mustangs have shown improvement but are actually a welcome sight for Centennial, which has suffered two blowout losses and faces Palo Verde next week.

I don’t need Jon Gruden to help break down this one. The Bulldogs were OK against the run in a loss to Arbor View and must contain a Shadow Ridge ground game that produced more than 300 yards last week. Pretty simple, right? … Centennial by 11.

■ Canyon Springs at Basic — From the R-J stats and info department: The Northeast League is 5-3 against teams from the Southeast League heading into this week’s action.

The Wolves have given up 114 points against Northeast teams Green Valley and Las Vegas and are probably sick of seeing teams from that league. It doesn’t get much easier against RB Zaviontay Stevenson and the Pioneers. … Canyon Springs by 3.

■ Virgin Valley at Clark — This is the Game of the Week in Division I-A. No, really, it is.

Coach Chris Sawyers’ preseason prediction that his Bulldogs would be “100 percent” better this season appears to be accurate as Virgin Valley is unbeaten through three games. This is the Chargers’ chance to show they’re also a playoff contender. … Virgin Valley by 7.

■ Boulder City at Faith Lutheran — There isn’t much on the line in this contest, but it still will be interesting to see how these Division I-A playoff contenders stack up against each other since they appear to be so closely matched.

Both teams own modest two-game winning streaks and solid running games. That means it’s probably going to come down to turnovers and special teams. Coaches love those types of games. … Boulder City by 1.

Last week: 6-2, 6-2 (with points)

Season: 18-6, 15-9 (with points)