Nevada high school football teams battle for playoff spots

The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association’s new HRM rankings have thrown in a lot of new wrinkles for this season.

By having the rankings released weekly the past few weeks, it has given teams a snapshot of where they are in relation to making the playoffs for the Open Division and the 5A and 4A Southern Region playoffs.

That’s made the final weeks of the regular season feel like the playoffs for teams trying to hold onto their spots or move into the top 12 for the 5A rankings.

Mojave and Coronado entered Friday night with postseason hopes on the line and improved their chances with key wins as the regular season nears its end.

Coronado, No. 12 in the NIAA’s 5A rankings last Monday, defeated No. 11 Faith Lutheran 14-7 at Coronado on Friday night. Mojave, on the outside looking in at No. 14, defeated No. 7 Centennial 27-16 on Friday at Centennial.

“It’s interesting. You no longer worry about your league any more … (just) wins matter,” Mojave coach Wes Pacheco said. “It’s fun because it puts a little spin on it and you follow (the rankings). The stakes are higher. It’s doing what it’s supposed to do and makes it feel like college football where every game matters.”

Coronado (3-6, 2-2 5A Lake League) has likely locked up a spot in the 5A Southern Region playoffs. In 5A, the top four teams qualify for the new four-team Open Division state tournament. Teams ranked No. 5 through No. 12 will play in the 5A Southern Region playoffs.

Coronado had an HRM score of 12.6667 and Faith Lutheran’s was 11. The win will give the Cougars more Harbin and rubric points, and likely move them up in MaxPreps’ rankings to improve their HRM score and jump Faith Lutheran with one week left in the regular season.

For Coronado on Friday, quarterback Jackson Humphries had a rushing touchdown and picked up two interceptions on defense. The Cougars play at Liberty at 7 p.m. this Friday.

Mojave moving up

The past few weeks have been “must-win” games for Mojave, which won the 4A state title last year and moved up to 5A this year. The Rattlers (4-5, 2-2 5A Desert League) delivered what many on the outside considered an upset with a 27-16 win over Centennial.

“A great program win for us,” Pacheco said. “It’s a step forward because we want to be in 5A. We’re not afraid, we want to win. We want to dispel the notion that we’re here and we shouldn’t be here.”

S’Marion Coleman had 170 receiving yards and two touchdown catches and quarterback Ra’Jahn Butler rushed for two TDs. Pacheco credited Coleman and the defense and saw moments in the previous week’s 58-0 loss to Bishop Gorman as a “confidence builder.”

“Defensively, I thought we played terrific,” Pacheco said. “Our defense has actually been improving and getting better every week. Last week was a confidence builder for us. We played 18 minutes of even football against Gorman so we’re kind of riding that momentum a little bit.”

Mojave has a pair of close losses — 34-28 to Foothill and 35-29 to Desert Pines — that could have given the Rattlers a more comfortable playoff standing, but now this Friday’s game against No. 13 Palo Verde could be a play-in game.

“People expect teams like us to seesaw up and down (between 5A and 4A). … We don’t want to do that,” Pacheco said. “Let’s break the mold, let’s break the stereotype. This season is special. This season means more than even last year, with us overcoming adversity and continuing to work. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys.”

Looking at 4A

The 4A playoff picture is getting a lot cleaner. Sloan Canyon, which had a bye Friday, and Silverado, a 54-6 winner at Sunrise Mountain on Thursday night, are No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the 4A HRM rankings.

But there could be some jumbling in the rankings behind them. It started when No. 4 Spring Valley (6-2, 4-1 4A Lake) edged No. 3 Sierra Vista 14-7 behind King Kahalewai’s touchdown catch and two interceptions on defense.

That could help the Grizzlies (HRM score of 5) jump to No. 3 and ahead of Sierra Vista (3 HRM), which could help avoid Sloan Canyon until the 4A Southern Region title game.

The 4A picture got wilder when No. 6 SLAM! Nevada outlasted No. 7 Clark 40-37 in overtime at Basic on a game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Mark Schramm to Malakai Boykin. Schramm threw four TDs to four receivers, and AJ Edwards rushed for 134 yards.

The Bulls (5-4, 4-0 4A Desert) won the 3A state title last year and after being outside the top eight of the NIAA’s 4A HRM rankings on Sept. 29, have solidified their place in the postseason.

Playoff bubble

SLAM! Nevada plays at No. 11 Durango at 6 p.m. this Friday as the Trailblazers (10 HRM score) have an outside chance to make the playoffs.

Clark (5-3, 3-1 4A Desert) could drop a spot and make next week’s game at No. 10 Bonanza (9.6667 HRM score) a play-in game for the postseason.

Eldorado (5-3, 3-1 4A Mountain) debuted inside the top eight last week at No. 8, and the Firehawks rolled past Rancho 58-0 on Friday night behind Edwin Zavala’s two rushing touchdowns and more than 120 rushing yards, and Jaylen Brown Conway’s two interceptions, one of which was returned for a score.

Eldorado (8.6667 HRM score) entered Friday in the bubble with Valley (9) right behind at No. 9. The Firehawks play at No. 5 Mater East this Friday. Valley has a tough test at Sloan Canyon on Friday.

Regardless of Friday’s result, Valley (5-3, 3-2 4A Lake) is having an incredible turnaround season after going 0-11 last year, and combining for five wins between 2021-2023.

The Vikings defeated Del Sol 36-6 on Friday. Van Graves had three total touchdowns, freshman quarterback Nah’Lage Butler threw for two TDs and rushed for another and Ashton Johnson led a defense that had four interceptions.

“We knew we were going to have a special season because of the young men we had coming back and the young guys we added,” first-year Valley coach Rodney Harris said. “We have a great mix of young and old talent.”

Football highlights

* Still Liberty: It appears we could be on a collision course for Bishop Gorman and Liberty for the Open Division state championship game on Nov. 25 at Allegiant Stadium. Liberty rolled again Friday night, defeating Basic 49-7. Anthony Alberro had three rushing touchdowns and the Patriots had two interception returns for scores.

Selby Greigo threw TD passes to Kellen Iwamuro and Jawushawn Crayton for Liberty (8-1, 4-0 5A Lake). The Patriots have allowed only 53 points in five games against Southern Nevada opponents.

*Wildcats at 9-0: Senior quarterback Tanner Vibabul threw two touchdown passes and ran for two more scores in Las Vegas High’s 28-7 road win at Legacy. That keeps the Wildcats (9-0, 4-0 5A Mountain) perfect heading into a showdown this Friday against Arbor View, with the winner likely getting into the top four and playing for the Open Division state title.

Regardless of the result, 2025 is a season that will never be forgotten at Las Vegas High. There’s plenty of football history at the city’s first high school, dating back to the 1920s. Vibabul’s run at quarterback leading the team is making the 1944 Wildcats (that didn’t allow a single point or consecutive first downs all season) and other successful teams in the school’s history proud.

Bringing the hammer: One of the state’s greatest rivalry games will decide the 3A Southern League title, again. Moapa Valley will host Virgin Valley at 7 p.m. this Friday in Overton for the league title. The winner will get the No. 1 seed in the Southern League playoffs and be in a prime position to host a 3A state semifinal against a Northern opponent.

On Friday night, Moapa Valley (6-3, 4-0 3A Southern League) shut out Democracy Prep 42-0, and Virgin Valley (6-3, 4-0) rolled past Boulder City 56-20.

Up next

Arbor View (7-2, 4-0 5A Mountain League) outlasted Desert Pines 56-55 in overtime to keep the luster on its game next week against Las Vegas High. The Aggies play at Las Vegas at 7 p.m. Friday, with the winner likely getting into the Open Division playoff.

Arbor View is ranked No. 3 and Las Vegas is No. 5 in the NIAA’s HRM rankings.

Depending on the number of points and HRM schools in the NIAA’s updated rankings on Monday, the loser could fall into the 5A Southern Region playoffs.

Liberty has a rivalry game against Coronado at 7 p.m. Friday at Liberty. The two teams will play for the St. Rose Bowl trophy. Last year, Coronado rolled to a stunning 47-7 defeat over the Patriots, its first win over its Henderson rival since 2007.

Bishop Gorman, No. 1 in the 5A HRM rankings, plays at No. 4 Shadow Ridge at 6 p.m. this Friday in what could be a preview of a possible Open Division state semifinal.

Mojave hosts Palo Verde (3-6, 1-3 5A Desert) at 6 p.m. Friday, with the winner possibly getting into the 5A Southern Region playoffs. Faith Lutheran (2-7, 1-3 5A Lake) could keep its playoff hopes alive if it beats Foothill at 7 p.m. Friday at Faith Lutheran.

There are a handful of 4A games with playoff implications: Sloan Canyon hosts Valley at 6 p.m. Friday, with the Vikings trying to get into the 4A Southern Region playoffs. Also at 6 p.m. Friday, Clark hosts Bonanza and SLAM! Nevada plays at Durango as the Trailblazers try to get into the playoffs.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.