Palo Verde tries to survive, thrive between private football powers

Palo Verde sits in what could be considered the Southern Nevada high school football version of the Bermuda Triangle.

Roughly a five-minute drive away is Faith Lutheran, and Bishop Gorman is about 15 minutes by car, putting Palo Verde in between two private high schools that don’t have the hassle of being confined to zones and are a combined 13-2.

Gorman, in particular, is almost destined for another state championship.

Palo Verde coach Joe Aznarez said he loses the top five percent of his players to Gorman each year and another handful to Faith Lutheran.

“I think kids and parents have fallen in love with the illusion of being a member on a football team as opposed to being a player on a football team,” Aznarez said, speaking of the lure of Bishop Gorman. “They’re a national program; they’re not a local program by any means. I think parents and kids believe that’s going to get them exposure to get them to the next level, but it limits their football experience to being a bystander rather than a player.”

Palo Verde (4-4, 2-1 Class 5A Desert League) gets to see Gorman (7-1, 3-0) up close at 6 p.m. Friday when the Gaels visit.

Panthers junior wide receiver/free safety Furious Hoskins played at Gorman the previous two seasons, but then enrolled in Palo Verde.

“I was never a private-school kid,” Hoskins said. “It was my first time going to a private school, so I had to leave my friends I had known my whole life. Coming back here to Palo is like reuniting with them and being able to play with them one last time before they go off to college.”

Hoskins, obviously, is the exception, choosing to go from a private school such as Gorman to a public one.

Junior tight end/defensive end Jake Fields said playing aganst players he grew up playing with, which happens when PaloVerde plays nearby Faith Lutheran, fuels the Panthers. PaloVerde does not play Faith Lutheran this season, but they could meet in the playoffs.

“Looking at who Faith has had this year, they’ve got a good record and it seems like they’re bringing their program around, but I don’t think it’s anything we can’t take,” Fields said.

Palo Verde once was the team that was on top, winning the state championship in 2004 and appearing in the title game in 2008. Aznarez was an assistant coach on both teams, so he knows firsthand what that experience is like.

But it’s been nearly a decade since the Panthers were in the regular conversation as a state contender, roughly coinciding with Gorman’s rise. The Gaels are going for their 12th state championship since 2009.

Aznarez said Palo Verde’s location between the two private schools makes his players an inviting target for both schools. A change in scenery helped energize Gorman when it moved from Maryland Parkway to more scenic Summerlin in 2007.

That’s not the only change from that time.

“I think the national coverage of high school football has really increased,” Aznarez said. “I don’t remember ESPN showing that many high school games. This talk of national championship in high school wasn’t a thing back then as it is now. I don’t even know if it’s a thing now. It’s something Maxpreps or whatever crowns them.”

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.