What does the Nevada high school football playoff picture look like?
Desert Oasis’ football team was the only Class 5A Southern Region team in the top 12 of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association’s HRM rankings that did not play last week.
That didn’t stop the Diamondbacks from moving up.
Desert Oasis was at No. 5 in the first set of rankings, just outside of the top four spots that qualify a team for the new Open Division state tournament. The Diamondbacks are No. 4 this week.
“Every coach is probably looking at it and wants to see how things play out and wants to see where they end up,” Desert Oasis coach Matt Rosdahl said. “In the rankings, at the end of the day, all that matters is how you play on the field.”
The Diamondbacks (4-2, 2-0 5A Lake League) can solidify their spot in the top four this week. They’ll visit Liberty (6-1, 2-0), No. 2 in the HRM rankings, at 7 p.m. Friday.
“We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing Liberty,” Rosdahl said. “Coming into the year, we looked at this three-game stretch — having Coronado, Faith Lutheran and Liberty all back-to-back-to-back — and saw that as kind of a chance to prove ourselves and show that we belong with that category of team.”
Who gets in the Open?
The playoff picture is slowly becoming clearer with three weeks left in the regular season. Bishop Gorman (1.3333 HRM score), Liberty (1.6667), Shadow Ridge (3.6667) and Desert Oasis (4.6667) occupy the top four spots in the rankings, which are determined by the average of a team’s Harbin Points, MaxPreps’ state ranking and NIAA rubric points.
Harbin Points reward teams for wins and gives them bonus points depending on the number of wins their opponents have.
Shadow Ridge plays Gorman on Oct. 24, but the Mustangs likely won’t fall out of the top four. Gorman and Liberty, as long as the Patriots win out, should also qualify for the Open Division state tournament.
Las Vegas High (5.3333) was No. 3 in the first HRM rankings, but dropped to No. 5 following a close 14-7 win over Canyon Springs on Oct. 3. The Wildcats (7-0) are No. 16 in MaxPreps’ state rankings, which lowers their HRM score.
The wildcard in the mix is Arbor View, which is No. 6 in the rankings with an HRM score of 6. The Aggies (5-2) lost nonleague games to Mililani (Hawaii) and Lincoln (California) and did not receive Harbin Points for their forfeited win over Millard South (Nebraska).
Arbor View hosts No. 8 Green Valley on Friday and closes out the regular season at No. 9 Desert Pines and Las Vegas. The Aggies could get enough Harbin Points to vault into the top four if they win out.
“We know Arbor View is probably going to climb up and going to bump somebody out of that top four if they take care of business,” Rosdahl said. “But at the same time, we know if we take care of business, we’re going to end up there.”
No. 10 Centennial (10) hosts No. 12 Palo Verde (12) in another key game Friday. The winner will likely create enough cushion to make the 5A Southern Region playoffs, which will consist of teams ranked No. 5 through No. 12.
Diamondbacks clicking
Desert Oasis opened league play with wins over Coronado and Faith Lutheran. It also has a close win over Green Valley. The Diamondbacks won two playoff games last season and reached the 5A Division III Southern League title game.
Rosdahl is in his second year at Desert Oasis. He credits some of the team’s success to a secondary that’s stepped up despite being hit hard by graduation. He also praised his staff for getting the Diamondbacks ready to play quality 5A opponents. But much of Desert Oasis’ success starts on offense.
Third-year starting quarterback Vincent Hales has been steady, with seven touchdown passes in the team’s last two wins. The Diamondbacks also have a strong pass catchers in wide receiver Anthony Sarracino and tight ends Andrew Richmond and Joshua Delespinasse.
Hales has “played a lot of big games last year, we won a couple playoff games that he led us in,” Rosdahl said. “Our offense in general kind of started the year slow, but the last few weeks, they’ve really picked it up. He’s been the catalyst for that.”
A look at 4A
Sloan Canyon is having a Gorman-esque dominant season in the Class 4A Southern Region. The Pirates have outscored opponents 286-54 and are a firm No. 1 in the NIAA’s 4A HRM rankings.
Sierra Vista, which gave Sloan Canyon one of its closest games in a 16-0 defeat last week, is No. 2. The Mountain Lions close out the regular season by hosting Spring Valley, No. 4 in the 4A HRM rankings, on Oct. 17.
No. 3 Silverado (3 HRM score) has a key game at 7 p.m. Friday against No. 5 Mater East (5). A win will keep Silverado at No. 3.
SLAM! Nevada (7 HRM score) moved up to No. 6 following a 13-7 win over Bonanza last week. Clark (7.6667) and Bonanza (7.6667) are seventh and eighth, respectively. The top eight teams will advance to the 4A Southern Region playoffs.
Valley dropped from No. 6 to No. 9 following a 29-6 loss to Spring Valley last week. The Vikings (9.3333 HRM score) will need some help to jump Clark or Bonanza.
Class 3A
With defending state champion SLAM! Nevada now in 4A, Moapa Valley is back to being the favorite in the 3A Southern League. The league title will likely be decided when Moapa Valley hosts Virgin Valley in the “Hammer Game” on Oct. 24.
The 3A Southern League playoffs are determined by the league standings.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
