Arbor View, Las Vegas meet in final week of Nevada high school football

The high school football playoffs don’t start until Oct. 30, but many games Friday night will have a postseason feel.

The new Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association HRM rankings create a wild final week of the regular season for most Class 5A and 4A Southern Region teams.

At least 10 games Friday could impact the NIAA’s HRM rankings, which determine the 5A and 4A Southern Region playoffs. The top four 5A teams will play in the new Open Division state tournament.

One of this week’s most important matchups is Las Vegas High’s meeting with Arbor View at 7 p.m. Friday. The visiting Aggies (7-2, 4-0 5A Mountain League) are ranked No. 3 in the NIAA’s HRM rankings. The Wildcats (9-0, 4-0) are No. 6.

An Arbor View win would put the Aggies into the Open Division state tournament with No. 1 Bishop Gorman and No. 2 Liberty. A Las Vegas win would create intrigue around the No. 3 and No. 4 spots before the NIAA releases the final rankings at noon Sunday.

Both Arbor View coach Sam Norris and Las Vegas coach Jose Cerriteno said they haven’t paid much attention to the rankings over the last few weeks.

“Honestly, I haven’t looked at (the rankings) since the initial one that came out,” Cerriteno said. “I know some of our staff is up to date (on the rankings). I really just try to stay in the moment, in the now, because none of the stuff matters right now. What’s most important is Arbor View.”

Norris agreed.

“Those things are out of your control, so I don’t really focus on that stuff,” Norris said. “If our guys play well and continue to do what we’re capable of doing, that stuff will take care of itself. Wherever we end up is wherever we end up.”

‘High expectations’

Arbor View was No. 6 in the NIAA’s initial rankings in September, while Las Vegas was No. 3. The Aggies moved up thanks to a six-game winning streak against Southern Nevada teams, though they survived a scare last week in a 56-55 overtime win at Desert Pines.

“This group has faced some adversity. Whether it was some injuries or playing tough games or having tough situations, they continue to show some resilience and grit,” Norris said. “The thing that we’re most proud of as a staff is this group is pretty good at handling adversity and perseveres to stand together.”

Las Vegas has passed every test on its schedule. It has still dropped in the rankings, which are determined by the average of a team’s Harbin Points, MaxPreps’ state ranking and NIAA rubric points.

Harbin Points reward teams for wins and give them bonus points depending on the number of wins their opponents have.

A win Friday would give the Wildcats a major boost.

“If I’d be honest, we set out with some high expectations for our group just because of how much we believe in them,” Cerriteno said. “We’re in the position of where we’re at because of the hard work and the commitment and dedication that the kids have put in this year, and most importantly the assistant coaches.”

Talented QBs

The game will feature two of the state’s top quarterbacks: Arbor View’s Thaddeus Thatcher, a Utah commit, and Las Vegas’ Tanner Vibabul, a three-star recruit.

Thatcher, a junior, has completed 71.8 percent of his passes for 1,938 yards with 21 touchdowns. He also has seven rushing scores.

“I’m excited,” Norris said. “Vegas has been playing well and it’s always exciting to go into a game against a quality opponent and to really gauge to see where your guys are at. I’m excited to see how our guys respond on Friday night.”

Vibabul has thrown for 1,807 yards and 24 touchdowns to go with nine rushing scores. A win, even if it doesn’t move Las Vegas into the top four, could give it a higher seed in the 5A Southern Region playoffs, where the teams ranked No. 5 through No. 12 will land.

Cerriteno said Arbor View is the best team Las Vegas has faced thus far. He told his team to embrace playing one of the top teams in the state.

“They’re a program that you want to emulate in the sense of the success that they’ve had,” Cerriteno said. “When you go out and compete versus teams like that, you have the opportunity to compete with the best. (That’s) really what it’s about. Our kids need to be excited and they need to understand the challenge that this team presents.”

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