High School Football:

High school football roundup: Green Valley tops Basic in Henderson Bowl

Green Valley player Nazhi Salih pretends to make a birthday cake in the Henderson Bowl trophy for teammates following their win over Basic 42-32 on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014.

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Published Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014 | 7 p.m.

Updated Friday, Oct. 3, 2014 | 1:09 a.m.

About 10 minutes before the start of today’s Henderson Bowl high school football game between Basic and visiting Green Valley, the pageantry begins in what some feel is Nevada’s best rivalry game.

Captains from Green Valley, who have won the past three games in the series, will walk the Henderson Bowl trophy onto the field at Basic’s Don Taylor Stadium. The trophy is placed on a table behind the end zone, giving players a glimpse all game of what they are playing for.

Once the game ends, and likely before players shake hands at midfield, players from the winning team sprint to the end zone to grab the trophy and begin a celebration of a lifetime.

The rivalry, which began in 1991 when Green Valley opened to become Henderson’s second high school, has extra significance because it’s the Southeast League opener for both.

It’s not the most interesting league opener of the night.

In the Northeast League, Canyon Springs travels to Liberty in a battle of teams ranked in the Sun’s top 10. Liberty hasn’t lost to a league opponent in four seasons, but Canyon Springs has given them a close battle. In last year’s Sunrise semifinals, Liberty rallied in the fourth quarter for a three-point victory on its way to winning the region.

Five-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman starts its local schedule tonight with a Southwest League game against Shadow Ridge. Gorman beat six nationally respected programs in consecutive weeks to open the season and grab a No. 1 ranking by USA Today. Last year in a similar spot, Gorman was sluggish against Legacy to open league play, giving Shadow Ridge some added confidence to keep the game respectable.

We’ll keep everyone posted all night as scores become final. Send us fan photos, game updates and final on Twitter using #sunstandout or #702hsfb.

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Stories from games across the valley:

• Palo Verde shuts out another opponent

• Silverado’s McKinney scores 6 TDs in blowout of Valley

• Ailing Arbor View returns kick and punt for touchdowns in win over Desert Oasis

• Backup quarterback called into action, helps Moapa Valley rout Del Sol

• Bianco, Tasi lead Spring Valley to key win over Mojave

• Goal line stand by Pahrump turning point in win against Cheyenne

• Desert Pines never gives Virgin Valley a chance in 42-6 victory

• Sierra Vista’s Maliek Broady torches Clark

• Coronado tops Las Vegas, ends tough nonleague slate 3-2