New points system among 5 things to watch this prep football season

High school football season in Southern Nevada is just around the corner.

Teams across the state begin their first official week of camp this week with heat acclimation periods Monday and Tuesday, when teams practice with helmets in no-contact drills.

Noncontact practices with helmets and shells are allowed beginning Wednesday, and the first official day for fall sports practices and fully padded practices is Saturday. Teams are allowed to participate in scrimmages beginning Aug. 8.

The first official day of regular-season games is Aug. 15, but many teams will opt to start the new season the following week.

There wasn’t a shortage of excitement in the offseason with realignment shuffling the divisions, a reduction in the number of state title games and a new points rating system that will determine playoff teams.

Here are five things to watch for this football season:

1. New points system

A never-before-seen points rating system will be used to determine playoff teams for the Open Division and the 5A and 4A Southern Region playoffs.

The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association will use a rating system that averages a team’s standing in the MaxPreps rankings, the NIAA’s rubric point rankings and the team with the most Harbin points to determine the playoff teams.

Harbin points use a system in which teams earn points for beating an opponent and receive secondary points based on the number of wins their defeated opponents have.

The top four 5A Southern teams in the rating system will qualify for the four-team Open Division state tournament. Northern Nevada schools elected not to participate in the Open Division.

The next eight highest-ranked 5A Southern teams will advance to the 5A Southern Region playoffs. In 4A, the top eight highest-ranked teams will qualify for the 4A Southern Region playoffs.

The regular standings will determine the 5A and 4A Northern League playoffs. 4A had been a Southern-only classification since 2021.

2. One less state title game

There were seven state title games in each of the last two seasons, following the previous alignment that split 5A into three divisions and added two title games.

Now, there will be one less state title game.

Each of the five classifications, 5A through 1A, will have its state title games, and the new Open Division will be the sixth title game. Through an eventful realignment process last offseason, the NIAA Board of Control instructed the Realignment Committee to come up with a format that would have fewer than seven state championships.

The high amount of state title games became an issue last year when the 5A Division III title game had to be played at Bishop Gorman, with five games being played in the South and Allegiant Stadium only being able to host four title games in one day.

This year, the Open, 5A, 4A and 2A state title games are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 25, and likely to be at Allegiant Stadium, though the site hasn’t been determined. The 3A and 1A title games are scheduled to be in Northern Nevada on Saturday, Nov. 22.

3. Gorman eyes national title

Bishop Gorman will be the heavy favorite to win the Open Division state title, but things will be much more challenging if the program wants to contend for its fifth mythical national title.

The Gaels are ranked No. 3 nationally in MaxPreps’ preseason rankings behind defending national champion Mater Dei (California) at No. 1 and second-ranked St. John Bosco (California).

Gorman’s top game is a showdown with Mater Dei on Sept. 19 at Gorman. Mater Dei defeated Gorman 31-15 last season and won at Gorman in 2022. Those are the Gaels’ only two losses since 2022.

The Gaels open their season with Centennial on Aug. 22, then start their nonleague schedule with Lone Peak (Utah), Kahuku (Hawaii) and East St. Louis (Illinois). They finish their nonleague schedule with No. 16 Santa Margarita (California) on Sept. 27.

Gorman graduated its entire stellar offensive line but has quarterback Maika Eugenio returning. On defense, the Gaels have Arizona commit Prince Williams leading the line and five-stars Hayden Stepp, a junior, and Jett Washington, a senior and Oregon commit, anchoring the defensive backs.

4. Can Arbor View repeat?

The battle behind Gorman last year was as close as it’s ever been, with Arbor View coming out on top and facing Gorman in the 5A Division I state title game.

Arbor View won close games against Liberty and Coronado in the regular season, then defeated Coronado in the state semifinals to get a crack at Gorman. The Gaels defeated Arbor View by a combined 97 points in the regular-season meeting and in the title game.

The Aggies welcome new coach Sam Norris, who was the team’s offensive line coach last season. Arbor View returns a dynamic passing attack. Utah commit Thaddeus Thatcher, a junior, will have plenty of targets to throw to.

Juniors Damani Warren, a 6-foot-4-inch wide receiver, and Zac Fares, a 6-5 tight end, are four-star recruits. Warren has notable offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ohio State and Oregon. Fares holds notable offers from Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Texas.

The Aggies also return Jayden Williams, a Sacramento State commit and first-team All-Southern Nevada selection last year, and Kai Cypher, who was a second-team selection on the All-Southern Nevada boys track and field team.

5. Who are the 4?

The top four 5A Southern Region teams in the rating system will play in the new Open Division state tournament. Bishop Gorman and likely Arbor View will find themselves in the top four.

The attention turns to the rest of the 5A Southern Region as to who could also finish in the top four. Liberty and Faith Lutheran are the two early favorites to fill those spots. Faith Lutheran has lost the last two 5A Division II state title games to Northern champion Bishop Manogue.

Coronado was the surprise team last season, defeating Liberty in the regular season and finishing third in 5A Division I behind Gorman and Arbor View. Centennial, Shadow Ridge and Green Valley could find themselves near the cutoff mark between the Open and 5A playoffs.

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