High School Football Top 10: Two new teams crack the rankings

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Foothill and Faith Lutheran are in. Green Valley and Palo Verde out.

A wild initial three weeks of the high school football season have created a few casualties in our weekly high school football Top 10. Both Green Valley and Palo Verde, constants in the weekly rankings the past few seasons, have 1-2 records against fierce competition to fall out of the rankings.

They are replaced by Division I-A power Faith Lutheran, the two-time Sunset League champions who have won two straight games, and respected Southeast League program Foothill.

Here are the rest of the rankings:

1. Bishop Gorman (3-0): Gorman escaped the meat of its schedule — consecutive road games against out-of-state opponents — with an undefeated record. The Gaels control their own destiny in repeating as mythical national champions because their remaining challenging games are at home. Up next: Friday vs. Long Beach Poly (Calif.)

2. Liberty (1-1): The Patriots play at Centennial Friday in one of the best nonleague games of the season. Good players for both teams on each side of the ball. Up next: Friday at Centennial

3. Desert Pines (3-0): They finally beat Moapa Valley. Now, Desert Pines won’t be challenged until the second round of the playoffs. Up next: Friday vs. Chaparral

4. Centennial (3-0): Centennial isn’t earning many style points with its victories — by one point against Legacy; in overtime against Palo Verde — but at least they are winning. And they still have Greg Rogers, one of the nation’s elite defensive lineman recruits for 2017. Bring on the Patriots. Up next: Friday vs. Liberty

5. Arbor View (2-1): After being embarrassed in its opener, Arbor View has left no doubts the past two weeks that it's a superior team. Up next: Today vs. Shadow Ridge

6. Basic (2-0): Watch out for the Wolf Pack. They could be the last team standing in the Sunrise Region. Up next: Friday vs. Bonanza

7. Canyon Springs (2-0): We’ll find out if Canyon Springs will be a contender this Friday when it faces a tough Coronado squad. Up next: Friday vs. Coronado

8. Foothill (1-1): Palo Verde and Green Valley both have 1-2 records, and each has lost to Top 10 opponents. We’ll replace both schools in the rankings with Foothill, who had a bye last week after handling Silverado 45-22 on Sept. 4. With Justice Jackson running the football, the Falcons will be a tough out come the playoffs. Up next: Today at Durango

9. Faith Lutheran (2-1): The two-time defending Sunset League champions of the Division I-A are new to the rankings. With Christian Marshall at running back and experienced quarterback Brenden Joyce, the Crusaders can score at will. We’ll see next season how they fare against the rest of the city when the school is promoted to Division I. Up next: Friday at Cheyenne

10. Moapa Valley (1-2): The Pirates have a losing record, but we won’t drop them too far in the standings for losing to No. 3 Desert Pines. After all, despite having eight turnovers, Moapa Valley nearly won the game. Up next: Friday at Sunrise Mountain

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21