Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
Published Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 | 7 p.m.
Updated Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014 | 2:04 a.m.
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This is the last dress rehearsal for Southern Nevada high school football teams in the Division I-A.
Tonight — yes, games are on Saturday this week — is the last week of nonleague games before the chase for the playoffs begins. It’s the last chance to grab a confidence-building victory or to work on mastering the playbook.
One day after five-time defending state champion Bishop Gorman (6-0) closed its nonleague schedule undefeated with a win against No. 1 ranked St. John Bosco of California, the Las Vegas teams challenging Gorman for supremacy starting next week will have the Saturday spotlight to themselves.
Palo Verde (2-1) travels to Liberty for a matchup of teams ranked in the Sun’s top 10 in one of the more attractive games of the night. Each of Palo Verde’s four nonleague opponents has been ranked locally, giving the perennial power Panthers the tough games it needs to be tested for Southwest League play.
Liberty might be the best team Palo Verde has faced. The No. 2 Patriots lost last week at Hamilton High of Arizona, but its defense was strong all night against the regional powers. And Liberty has just two defeats against local teams in the past five years — each to Gorman in the state playoffs.
Arbor View, ranked No. 3, also faces a top-10 opponent when it hosts No. 6 Coronado. The last time it played a ranked opponent, Arbor View beat Canyon Springs by 30 points in making its case as the city’s best team behind Gorman.
And in the third game featuring ranked teams, No. 4 Centennial looks to remain undefeated against host Las Vegas High. Last week, Las Vegas was shut out by Palo Verde and desperately needs to show improvement on the attack this week.
We’ll keep everyone posted all night as scores become final. Send fan photos and game information on Twitter using #sunstandout and #702hsfb.
• • •
Stories from games across the valley:
• Silverado’s McKinney has 4 TDs against Bonanza
• Canyon Springs downs Eldorado, looks ahead to showdown with Liberty
• Hail Mary lifts Faith Lutheran to wild win over Mojave
• Basic’s rushing game does damage against Durango
• Arbor View survives triple-OT thriller against Coronado, 37-31
• Desert Pines finds offense in second half, hangs on to beat Boulder City
• Walker, defense help Legacy rout Cimarron
• Emerging sophomore quarterback guides Clark past Pahrump Valley
• Centennial QB throws two touchdowns in win against Las Vegas
• Chaparral rides strong second half to 2-1 start in league play
• Shadow Ridge routs Valley, turns focus to Bishop Gorman
• Sierra Vista returns two kickoffs for TDs, beats Cheyenne
• Goal line stand is the difference for Liberty in win against Palo Verde
• Tasi, Spring Valley roll to shutout of Western
• Paongo leads Virgin Valley to victory on emotional day
• Hymas helps Moapa Valley hammer Rancho, 54-0
Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21
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