Moapa Valley lost a deep and talented senior class after last year’s 12-0 season and state championship but is still No. 1 to open the season.
Jason Orts
Jason Orts is a born-and-raised Texan who has more than a decade of experience covering high school sports there. The last six of those came as the high school sports coordinator at the Waco Tribune-Herald, where he also covered a myriad of Baylor University sports. Orts was the sports editor of the University Star at Texas State University prior to beginning his professional career.
Bishop Gorman begins the season No. 1 in the Class 5A rankings and will embark on a difficult slate of nonleague games against out-of-state foes beginning Friday.
Silverado has a talented group of returning players from last year’s team that went 12-0 and cruised to its first state championship.
Trinity Buchanan, Xayla Black and Milan Cordone return to lead a talented Coronado team that has its sights set on a second straight Class 5A state championship.
Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley have established themselves as the top programs in the Class 3A Southern Region, but charter and inner-city schools are improving.
Moapa Valley doesn’t have much varsity experience back after a senior-laden team ran to an undefeated season and the Class 3A state championship last year.
Running back Landon Wrzesinski is one of the few returners from Moapa Valley’s state title team, and he’ll be called upon to lead the offense this season.
Yuval Cohen, who scored 40 goals last season and won Gatorade State Player of the Year honors for Palo Verde, has had tryouts with MLS clubs and won’t play for the Panthers.
Pahranagat Valley lost 11 seniors off last year’s team, which won its second straight Class 1A state football title, but hopes its young team grows up quickly.
Morgan Macek hit a game-winning, two-run home run, and Georgetown (Michigan) stunned South Summerlin in nine innings in the Junior League World Series semifinals.
Many high school football teams in the valley were more concerned about taking care of issues off the field instead of what they could accomplish on it Monday.
High school football practice throughout the valley begins Monday, with the first two days slated for heat acclimation and non-contact drills.
The Polynesian Football Classic will take place in the valley over two weekends, featuring three games and involving teams from Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii.
Here are the high school coaches’ all-league teams for baseball and softball.
Basic’s baseball team got hot late in the season and rode that wave to the Class 5A state championship and earn Nevada Preps All-Southern Nevada Team of the Year honors.