Southern Nevada’s top football teams chasing Bishop Gorman, Liberty

When the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association created a Class 5A, it included the top 11 football programs in Southern Nevada.

But until somebody else can break through, there are two that stand above the rest.

Bishop Gorman won 10 straight state championships and 115 games in a row against in-state opponents before Liberty ended those runs with a 30-24 win in the 2019 Class 4A Desert Region final. The Patriots went on to win their first state championship.

“Right now, they’re equal, and then there’s a dropoff between a lot of teams and them,” said Matt Gerber, whose Arbor View team will open Friday on the road at Liberty. “It’s going to be exciting to go against their program.”

Gorman’s run wasn’t only unique because of the number of games or titles it won in a row. It was the fact that nobody was close.

Only three years prior to Liberty ascending to the top, it dropped the 2016 state championship game to the Gaels 84-8.

With the NIAA’s new playoff format, however, the latest the Gaels and Patriots could meet is the state semifinals. The winner of the Southern Region semifinal will meet the Northern Region champion for the crown.

The rest of the southern teams are determined to make that state semifinal more than an annual Gorman-Liberty Invitational.

“They’re definitely in the lead right now,” Desert Pines coach Tico Rodriguez said. “But every year is a new year. I think we’ll compete with whomever. They’re both excellent programs, and we’re excited for the chance to play them.”

Gorman’s advantages as a private school are well documented. But the fact that Liberty — a Clark County School District public school — built its program to the level it has is encouraging for others who would like to do the same.

Liberty built its program much in the Gorman mold, playing quality out-of-state opponents, upgrading its strength and conditioning program, going to camps and playing in 7-on-7 leagues. Essentially, football has become a year-round sport, at least for teams interested in competing for state titles.

“I think we all get the stigma of Gorman,” said Centennial coach Dustin Forshee, whose team lost 50-7 to Liberty in the 2019 state championship game. “But what people don’t realize is they’ve worked their butts off to get to where they are. You’re starting to see more programs that have upped their level.”

Desert Pines, which won 3A state championships in 2016 and 2017 and finished 11-1 after a 20-7 loss in the 4A state semifinals to Centennial in 2019, appears to be the team most likely to challenge Gorman and Liberty.

The Jaguars’ top players are on par with anyone in the valley, but the question is whether they have enough depth to sustain their level for four quarters.

With only the valley’s top teams in 5A, it figures to be a weekly grind.

“It’s going to be a better challenge, and I think there are going to be more competitive games,” Forshee said. “You’re possibly going to get some upsets because it’s going to be tough week to week. But until somebody really dethrones them, it’s going to be (Gorman and Liberty). That’s what we’re working for.”

Contact Jason Orts at jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts on Twitter.