Top 5 high school football games to watch in Southern Nevada this week
All games at 6 p.m. Friday unless otherwise noted
Arbor View at Desert Pines
Arbor View (6-2, 3-0 5A Mountain) is one of several teams jockeying for playoff position with two weeks left in the regular season.
The Aggies, No. 3 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, will try to stay perfect heading into their final-week showdown with No. 5 Las Vegas.
No. 10 Desert Pines (3-4, 1-2) is capable of pulling off an upset Friday, however. The Jaguars are averaging 166 rushing yards per game behind running back Marcus Williams (10 touchdowns).
Arbor View quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher (15 passing touchdowns) will try to outscore Desert Pines with an aerial assault featuring wide receivers Kai Cypher and Jayden Williams.
Desert Oasis at Foothill
No. 6 Foothill (6-2, 2-1 Lake) could win this one with its edge in the passing game, but No. 8 Desert Oasis (4-3, 2-1) is dangerous.
Falcons quarterbacks Ryder Dobbs and Ayden Waier combined for 330 passing yards and three touchdowns in last week’s comeback win over Coronado. Foothill is also no slouch on the ground behind running back Anthony Taylor.
The Diamondbacks will hope quarterback Vincent Hales (14 passing TDs) and wide receiver Anthony Sarracino can keep pace with the Falcons’ attack.
Shadow Ridge at Palo Verde
No. 4 Shadow Ridge (7-1, 3-0 5A Desert) has won seven straight. The Mustangs will present a major challenge for Palo Verde (3-5, 1-2).
Running back Trevin Young averages 113 yards per game for Shadow Ridge and has 11 touchdowns. Quarterback Isaiah Ruiz is another rushing threat.
The Mustangs’ defense is also stingy. It’s allowed more than 20 points just twice in eight games.
The Panthers will need a big night from quarterback Stockton Baird (13 TD passes) and wide receiver X’Zavier McZeal (11 TDs) to pull out a win.
Spring Valley at Sierra Vista
This is a battle between two teams trying to secure the No. 2 seed in the 4A Southern Region playoffs.
No. 2 Sierra Vista (6-3, 4-1 4A Lake) relies on its ground game. No. 5 Spring Valley (5-2, 3-1) leans more on its passing attack.
The Mountain Lions’ offense is rolling, as it scored 56 points in last week’s win over Cadence.
The Grizzlies have won four of their last five thanks to the connection between quarterback Antwan Osborne (16 touchdown passes) and wide receiver King Kahalewai.
Spring Valley has the personnel to keep the score close, but Sierra Vista may have the edge at home.
Clark vs. SLAM! Nevada, 7 p.m. at Basic
No. 4 Clark (5-2, 3-0 4A Desert) and SLAM! Nevada (4-4, 3-0) are two evenly matched teams.
The Chargers are strong on offense, while the Bulls are solid on defense.
Clark has averaged 44 points per game in its five wins behind running back Felix Romero. Quarterback Aaron McCrary and wide receiver Andres Pollard also contribute to an offense that’s hard to stop.
SLAM! Nevada is coming off impressive wins over Western, Bonanza and Cimarron-Memorial. The Bulls are led by linebacker Logan Taylor on defense. Running back Greg Cortez will try to power the team to an upset on offense.
Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.
