Members of the Desert Pines High School football team are pictured during the Las Vegas Sun’s high school football media day at the Red Rock Resort on July 24, 2019. They include, from left, Blaze Homalon, Elijah Wade, Joe Brown and Gabriel Lopez.
Published Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019 | 4:25 p.m.
Updated Friday, Oct. 25, 2019 | 12:32 a.m.
The high school football playoff picture will be partially decided tonight for many Las Vegas-area leagues.
Yes, tonight. All games will be played today this week, as Nevada Day will be celebrated Friday.
It’s the final week of games in the class 3A, where the Sunrise League title can be won by either Boulder City, Moapa Valley or Virgin Valley. Moapa Valley hosts Virgin Valley in the Hammer Game, needing a victory by five or more points for the league crown on a tiebreaker.
If Moapa Valley wins by less than five points, Boulder City would be the league champs, but only if the Eagles beat visiting Sunrise Mountain. If Boulder City loses, Sunrise Mountain would sneak into the postseason. So, Boulder City could either win the league or turn in their pads tonight. Fun times.
In the 3A Sunset League, the winner of the Cheyenne-Del Sol game is the league champion. But a Del Sol defeat, and Valley win at Pahrump, could end the Del Sol season.
In the 4A Southeast League, Chaparral travels to Coronado for a playoff elimination game. The winner will grab the No. 4 seed from the division, opening the playoffs in two weeks at 10-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman.
Also in the Southeast, Green Valley and Foothill are playing for the No. 2 playoff seed from the league, which comes with a home postseason game.
In the Southwest League, Desert Oasis has to beat Clark tonight to setup a showdown with Silverado next week for the No. 2 seed and a home playoff game. Gorman, of course, has already clinched the league crown.
With three weeks to play in the Northwest and Northeast leagues, much will also be decided tonight. Faith Lutheran can secure a playoff berth by beating Shadow Ridge, which needs a victory to keep its playoff hopes alive. Also, Palo Verde and Centennial are playing for first-place in the league, which could have four teams — Arbor View, Centennial, Palo Verde and Faith Lutheran — with just one defeat after tonight.
In the Northeast League, the game of the night featured the high-powered offensive attacks of Legacy and Desert Pines. Desert Pines, with as many as 10 Division I recruits, is undefeated — and unchallenged — on the season. Legacy has the state’s top passer in Evan Olaes and standout receiver Aaron Holloway. Also in the Northeast, Las Vegas puts its undefeated recorded on the line at Eldorado.
We’ll keep everyone posted on the playoff picture as scores become final. Send game information on Twitter using #sunstandout.
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
