Top 5 high school football games for Week 9

Two weeks remain in the regular season for Southern Nevada high school football teams. The playoff picture will be much clearer after Friday.

Highlighting a loaded Week 9 schedule are matchups for first place in the 5A Division II and III Southern Leagues and 4A Desert and Mountain Leagues. In 5A Division I, four of the state’s top teams will play each other with seeding in the playoffs on the line.

Here are the top five games on the Week 9 schedule. All games are at 6 p.m. Friday unless otherwise noted.

Liberty at Arbor View

Arbor View (3-4, 2-2 Class 5A Division I) rolled Legacy 42-18 last week in its return after the Aggies had to forfeit their previous game against Bishop Gorman as punishment for a postgame bench-clearing incident with Desert Pines on Sept. 22.

The Aggies’ young running backs have stepped up after a season-ending injury to quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher. Freshman Kamareion Bell rushed for 131 yards and two scores, and sophomore Nylen Johnson had 135 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Liberty (6-2, 3-1) blanked Silverado 35-0 last week. The Patriots’ defense has been stout, allowing 18.6 points per game, led by a trio of UNLV commits — senior linebackers Kahekili Paaoao, Jae Beasley and Andre Porter.

Liberty has ended Arbor View’s season the last two years in the 5A Southern Region semifinals. The Patriots won a 2021 regular-season meeting. Friday could be the first of two possible meetings between the teams with the No. 2 seed in the 5A Division I playoffs on the line Friday.

Bishop Gorman at Desert Pines

Last season, Desert Pines ended Gorman’s six-game shutout streak against local teams in last year’s 5A Southern Region semifinals. The Gaels (8-0, 4-0 5A Division I) allowed a few scores in their 48-17 win at Shadow Ridge last week, where they only led 7-3 at halftime after having just one first-half possession.

Gorman, ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps and USA Today, plays just Southern Nevada opponents the rest of the season, unless the Gaels play in a postseason bowl game like they did last year. Their national championship hopes could improve this week as top-ranked Mater Dei hosts No. 9 St. John Bosco on Friday. All four of Mater Dei’s losses since 2016 have been to St. John Bosco.

Desert Pines (3-4, 2-3) returned to the field last Thursday routing Coronado 48-7 after having to forfeit its game against Liberty as punishment for a postgame incident with Arbor View. The Jaguars have the skill position players to match Gorman — led by UNLV commit Greg Burrell and sophomores Massiah Mingo and Treyshaun Jackson — but lack the depth that the Gaels have used to their advantage against many Nevada opponents.

Palo Verde at Legacy

First place in the 5A Division III Southern League will be on the line when the Longhorns host the Panthers. Both teams played challenging nonleague schedules featuring other top teams in the city and it has paid off in league play. Palo Verde and Legacy have outscored league opponents 131-21 and 124-16, respectively, this season.

Both teams will rely on their talented running backs on Friday. Palo Verde’s Bryant Johnson has averaged 103.4 rushing yards per game, and Legacy’s Phoenix Jennings has 10 rushing touchdowns. With only six teams in the league, the top two seeds, in addition to moving up to 5A Division II for the following season, will have a bye to the region semifinals.

Sunrise Mountain at Canyon Springs

Canyon Springs (6-0, 4-0 4A Mountain League) needed five turnovers to outlast Chaparral 21-13 last week, giving the Cowboys their first league loss. The Pioneers face another challenge at Sunrise Mountain (5-1, 4-0) this week with first place in the league on the line.

Canyon Springs has outscored opponents 169-47 this season and has found success running the football, with 15 rushing scores and averaging 154.2 rushing yards per game. Sunrise Mountain has a talented running back in Auhsoj Cunningham, who averages 124 rushing yards per game and has 10 rushing touchdowns.

Foothill at Faith Lutheran, 7 p.m.

No 5A Division II Southern League team has been able to beat Foothill or Faith Lutheran this season. The teams meet, highlighting a Friday slate with four matchups that will determine league titles, with first place in the league on the line and a first-round bye in the region playoffs.

Stopping Foothill’s dynamic offense will be the ultimate test for Faith Lutheran’s defense. The Crusaders (5-2, 4-0) have held opponents to 132.3 passing yards per game and given up eight passing touchdowns.

Foothill (7-1, 4-0) quarterback Mason Dew has thrown for 29 touchdowns, including five last week in a 34-21 win over Green Valley last week, while averaging 307.8 passing yards per game. The Falcons’ defense has been just as impressive with 10 interceptions and 10 forced fumbles.

Alex Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal