Top 5 high school football playoff games for Week 11
All games at 6 p.m. Thursday
Shadow Ridge at Arbor View
A lot has changed for Arbor View since it played Shadow Ridge on Sept. 8. The Aggies rolled to a 45-28 victory, but then lost starting quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher, who threw four touchdowns against the Mustangs, with a broken collarbone later in the season.
Arbor View (4-5, 3-3 5A Division I) has scored just 23 points in its last two games as the Aggies have struggled to find consistency at the quarterback position. The Aggies will need to rely on running backs Kamareion Bell, Makhai Donaldson and Nylen Johnson.
Shadow Ridge (5-4, 2-4) gave Liberty and Gorman fits the last two weeks. Liberty held on for a 35-32 win last Thursday and Gorman only scored seven points in the first half before rolling in the second half. The Mustangs have been relegated to 5A Division II next season, but have many players who appeared in the last two 4A state title games, including starting quarterback Coen Coloma.
Coronado at Desert Pines
The good news for Desert Pines and Coronado is that tiebreakers helped them clinch the No. 4 and 5 seeds, respectively, in the Division I playoffs and avoid relegation to 5A Division II next season. The bad news is that the winner gets to play the No. 1 team in the country, Bishop Gorman, next week.
Desert Pines crushed Coronado 48-7 in a regular-season meeting Oct. 5. Desert Pines (4-5, 2-4) has won two of its last three games after having to forfeit its game against Liberty as punishment for a postgame fight with Arbor View. UNLV commit Greg Burrell, and sophomores Massiah Mingo and Treyshaun Jackson lead a talented group for the Jaguars at their skill positions.
Coronado (4-5, 2-4) moved up to the top division after spending the last two seasons in 4A. First-year coach Shawn Dupris, who built Damonte Ranch into one of the top teams in Reno, has kept the Cougars competitive against the other top teams in the state.
Sierra Vista at Green Valley
Many opening-round playoff games are rematches from last week. Sierra Vista and Green Valley will get a second look at one another in less than a week after the Gators won 26-13.
A defensive touchdown and kickoff return for a touchdown helped the Gators (3-6, 3-3 5A Division II Southern League) pull out that win. Defensive end Herbert Ware is second in the state with 11 sacks, and the Gators, the No. 4 seed, have compiled 34 sacks this season.
Sierra Vista (4-4, 2-4) has given the top teams in 5A Division II Southern League tough games. The Mountain Lions, the No. 5 seed, lost to Basic by one point, Foothill by nine and Faith Lutheran by 10 (in a 10-0 defeat). Omari Evans has helped lead Sierra Vista’s ground attack, and Genesis Ali is third in the state with 10 sacks.
Cimarron-Memorial at Clark
The regular-season meeting between Cimarron-Memorial and Clark went down to the wire, with the Chargers winning on a last-second field goal. Cimarron-Memorial (4-5, 1-3 5A Division III Southern League) has lost three straight games to fall to the No. 5 seed in the league playoffs.
Clark (2-5, 2-3) needed all the luck it could get last week, as sophomore Brenden Banks-Speed, who had never played quarterback in a game, came in and threw two touchdown passes to lead the Chargers a 21-20 win over Spring Valley to clinch the No. 4 seed.
Cadence at Eldorado
Cadence and Eldorado just played Friday, with the Sundevils coming away with a 40-33 win. Eldorado (4-4, 3-3 4A Mountain League), the No. 4 seed in the Mountain playoffs, has won three straight.
Cadence (4-5, 2-4), in its fourth year playing football, has relied heavily on underclassmen. Sophomore quarterback Kellon Trubey has 16 touchdown passes, 10 to freshman Nixon Gasperosky.
Alex Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal