Arbor View football faces Bishop Gorman for Nevada state title

Playing in your first high school football state championship game, especially at Allegiant Stadium, could be a little overwhelming.

Arbor View reached its first state title game last year and lost 69-7 to Bishop Gorman in the 5A Division I championship game.

Aggies coach Sam Norris is hopeful his team can use that experience to “handle the moment” this time around.

No. 3-seeded Arbor View (9-2) will face No. 1 Bishop Gorman (10-1) in a rematch of last year’s game for the inaugural Open Division state title at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Allegiant Stadium.

“The guys that were there last year experienced the atmosphere itself and the magnitude of that game,” Norris said. “Hopefully, from that standpoint, things slow down a little bit for them this year. But it’s still a big game versus a great opponent. We have an opportunity to do something great.”

Allegiant Stadium will host four state title games Tuesday, starting with the Class 2A showdown between Pershing County and Needles at 9 a.m.

Sloan Canyon plays McQueen for the 4A crown at 12:20 p.m. Faith Lutheran faces Spanish Springs for the 5A title at 3:40 p.m.

‘Another step’

Arbor View’s offense gets a lot of praise. It boasts a dynamic attack led by quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher, running back Kamareion Bell and pass catchers Zac Fares, Damani Warren and Jayden Williams.

But the Aggies defense stole the show in the team’s 41-28 victory over Liberty in an Open Division state semifinal Nov. 14. Arbor View forced six turnovers, including five interceptions, to defeat the Patriots for the second straight season.

“It’s tough to win during this time of year, so I’m proud that they were able to win a very good football game versus a good football team,” Norris said of the Liberty win. “It’s another step in the process to the things that we’re trying to do and accomplish as a group. … They handled adversity well during that game.”

Arbor View’s offense is averaging 41 points per game and most of its contributors were on last year’s team. But the defense has made huge strides this season after graduating several starters from last year’s team.

“Coach Keelen Flores, our (defensive) coordinator, is real good at preparation,” Norris said. “I just couldn’t be more proud of how the defensive staff has continued to fight and keep those guys prepared.”

‘Opportunity to compete’

Arbor View started 0-3 after losing to out of state opponents Mililani (Hawaii), Millard South (Nebraska) and Lincoln (California). The loss to Millard South was later reversed due to a rules violation. The Aggies then won their next eight games, all against Southern Nevada opponents.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys giving ourselves an opportunity to compete for another state championship,” Norris said. “That’s the goal, year in and year out, in regards to football, to be in a position to do that. (I’m) very confident in the way our guys have worked this last week.”

Bishop Gorman is the four-time defending state champion and beat Arbor View twice last year — 49-10 in the regular season and again in the state title game. The Gaels defeated Foothill 56-6 in their Open Division state semifinal Nov. 14. The Falcons’ six points were the most Gorman has allowed to a Nevada opponent this season.

Norris is in his first year leading Arbor View after being the Aggies’ offensive line coach last year. His message to the team leading up to Tuesday has been to play for one another.

“If you try to do more than what you normally do, you’re not going to do well at all,” Norris said. “So (it’s) just trying to keep the kids in the mindset that who we are is more than enough to be successful. It’s just a matter of going out there and trying to play a great game versus a great football team and see what happens.”

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