Football games of the week — Week 3

THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS GAME

Las Vegas at Cimarron-Memorial — Two of Southern Nevada’s top running backs face off for the second consecutive season.

Elijah Hicks, who is coming off a season in which he ran for 1,001 yards and 13 touchdowns, and the Wildcats defeated the Spartans 37-19 at home on Sept. 18, 2015. Look for another big outing from the standout junior.

Cimarron’s Tyree Riley ran for 1,439 yards and six scores last season. In the game against Las Vegas, the senior had 34 carries for 181 yards and a touchdown. What will he do for an encore?

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Foothill at Arbor View — The Falcons, who finished as the Southeast League’s No. 3 seed last season, lost quarterback Devon Mueller and running back Justice Jackson to graduation but return senior wide receiver Brandon Hargis and junior safety Jared Ables.

Hargis caught 28 passes for 613 yards and six touchdowns a season ago, and Ables led the team in tackles with 70.

Arbor View brings back a ton of talent on both sides of the ball, and will have a daunting home crowd.

Green Valley at Palo Verde — The Gators defeated the Panthers in a shootout last season, 42-35.

Palo Verde, which got bounced in the first round of the playoffs last season, will look to get back to form. The Panthers’ junior varsity team went undefeated last season — even beating Bishop Gorman — and most of those players have moved up to the varsity squad.

Senior tight end/linebacker Tyler Thornton is a veteran who will make a large impact.

“We’ve gone back and forth the last three years,” Palo Verde coach Joe Aznarez said of the rivalry with Green Valley. “We’ve got them at home this year and the home team has kind of dominated (the series). We hope that continues for us.”

The Gators, who were the Southeast League’s No. 2 seed last season, lost to Liberty 46-35 in the Sunrise Region semifinals and return standout players on both sides of the ball.