Nevada high school football: Sloan Canyon, SLAM! Nevada advance

The Sloan Canyon football team’s incredible season will continue into the Class 4A Southern Region championship game.

Sloan Canyon (11-0) kept its perfect season intact Friday night as the No. 1-seeded Pirates defeated No. 5 Mater East 50-22 in a 4A Southern Region semifinal at Sloan Canyon.

“I was proud of the boys. … We went down by a couple points, but the kids never got discouraged or never backed down,” Sloan Canyon coach Nate Oishi said. “They just took it one play at a time. We just kept stacking and then when we looked up, we liked the outcome at the end of the day.”

Sloan Canyon hosts No. 6 SLAM! Nevada at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, for the 4A Southern Region title. SLAM! Nevada held off No. 7 Clark 28-21 in the other region semifinal Friday night at Basic. The winner will play the 4A Northern champion for the 4A state title on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at Allegiant Stadium.

Mater East (7-4) gave Sloan Canyon a challenge in the first half. The Knights held a 16-14 lead late in the second quarter, but Sloan Canyon got on the board before halftime to take a 20-16 lead into the break. The Pirates didn’t stop in the second half, outscoring the Knights 30-6 to roll to the win.

Junior running back Jermaine Wilson Jr. rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. Junior quarterback Cade Hoshino completed 14 of 21 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing score.

With Mater East zoning in on Sloan Canyon’s top receiver, Brandon Quaglio, senior Christian Rhodes stepped up with seven catches for 104 yards and three touchdowns. The Pirates’ defense had two interceptions and 10 tackles for loss.

“Different guys stepped up,” Oishi said. “A lot of times our offense is Cade to Brandon, but tonight Jermaine stepped up and Christian did. They both had unreal games.

“It says a lot about the boys. They’re not worried about things they can’t control. They just come to work every day and do their job on every play. And when they do that, good things happen. I’m proud of them.”

Next Sloan Canyon will face SLAM! Nevada, the defending 3A state champion. On Friday, Mark Schramm threw three touchdown passes for SLAM! Nevada. His second touchdown to Pablo Cruz Lara gave the Bulls a 28-21 lead after a two-point conversion.

SLAM! Nevada stopped Clark (7-4) at the goal line on the final play to secure its seventh straight win.

The Pirates are in their third season as a football program and their first year in 4A. Oishi and his staff, made up of his former UNLV football teammates, are in their second year leading the team after building Lake Mead Academy into the 2023 2A state championship.

Oishi said he doesn’t like to think too far ahead, like getting back to Allegiant Stadium, where Lake Mead won its 2023 title. That approach could be key against a quality SLAM! Nevada program that has played in the last three 3A title games.

“SLAM!’s a great program and coach (Mike) Cofer is a great coach,” Oishi said. “We’re excited for the opportunity and we’re just going to take it one day at a time.”

Still fighting

Centennial and Faith Lutheran’s football teams have shown their seeding in the 5A Southern Region playoffs and NIAA HRM rankings were irrelevant.

Both teams continued their upset-filled postseason runs in Friday’s 5A Southern Region semifinals. No. 8 Centennial won a 55-26 shootout at No. 5 Green Valley, while No. 6 Faith Lutheran topped No. 2 Las Vegas High 17-7 on the road.

Faith Lutheran (5-7) will host Centennial (7-4) at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, for the 5A Southern Region title. The winner will play the Northern Region champion for the 5A state title at Allegiant Stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

“We’ve embraced the underdog role, especially being the last seed of the playoffs,” Centennial coach DJ Campbell said. “When we’re in the playoffs, I don’t know what happens with us in the playoffs, but we flip a switch and we’re dangerous.”

So is Faith Lutheran. The Crusaders won a must-win game over Foothill in their regular-season finale to get into the playoffs. The Crusaders, who have played in the last two 5A Division II title games, have leaned on their strong defense to hold their two playoff opponents to a combined 15 points.

“Our goal has always been to build better, more resilient young men,” first-year Faith Lutheran coach Jay Staggs said. “We truly believe that God’s going to take care of the scoreboard. In the moment right now, I guess we’re the proof in the pudding. We don’t play the game for other people’s approval. We need to continue to stay on that track. It’s a 1-0 mentality.”

Break’s over

It’s been a long break for the four Southern Nevada teams in the Open Division state tournament: Bishop Gorman, Liberty, Arbor View and Foothill.

All four teams ended the regular season Oct. 24. They will get their playoffs started Friday, Nov. 14.

No. 1 Gorman (9-1) hosts No. 4 Foothill (7-3) at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, in a state semifinal. No. 2 Liberty (9-1) hosts No. 3 Arbor View (8-2) at 6 p.m. in the other semifinal the same day.

The Open Division state title game is Tuesday, Nov. 25, at Allegiant Stadium.

Up next

In other playoff action, Virgin Valley, as the top remaining 3A Southern seed, hosts Churchill County in a 3A state semifinal at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15. Moapa Valley travels to Elko for the other state semifinal at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15.

The 3A and 1A state title games are tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22, at UNR’s Mackay Stadium. Allegiant Stadium will also host the 2A state title game on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

The 2A and 1A state semifinals are all scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15. Needles will host Battle Mountain in a 2A state semifinal, while Lincoln County travels to Pershing County for the other semifinal.

Tonopah, after putting up 90 points in a 90-12 win over Indian Springs, will play either Wells or Carlin in a 1A state semifinal, while defending 1A state champion Pahranagat Valley travels to Mineral County for the other semifinal.

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