Surging Liberty should oust Green Valley in Sunrise quarterfinals
November has arrived, and with it comes two of my least favorite things: Movember mustaches and pimples caused by eating too much Halloween candy.
But November also means the prep football playoffs are here, and this week is the only time it’s acceptable for me to recycle my impersonation of Jim Mora.
“Playoffs?! You kidding me? Playoffs?!”
The Division I Sunrise and Sunset region quarterfinals begin Friday, while the Division I-A playoffs are down to the state quarterfinals. Personally, I’m looking forward to the action in the Sunrise Region, where five or six teams could win the title and the right to then get pounded by top-ranked Bishop Gorman in the state semifinals on Nov. 29.
Hey, I’m not trying to be snarky. Just pointing out facts.
I’ve been on a good run with my picks, posting a 6-2 record against the spread each of the past two weeks. And I’m feeling pretty solid about this week’s schedule considering I’ve seen nearly every team that’s still playing, so watch out. Be sure to visit Nevadapreps.com for more of my picks.
Green Valley at Liberty — I was looking forward to this game taking place in the Sunrise Region semifinals, not the opening round. Instead, the Gators gave up 58 points to Foothill in the regular-season finale and blew their shot at the Southeast League’s No. 1 seed, so here we are. Just when I thought I had Green Valley all figured out, too.
Surging Liberty racked up 615 yards of total offense last week against Las Vegas — most of it through the air — but the defense deserves credit for keeping the Patriots close despite being on a short field for the majority of the first quarter. See that, Gators? You can have a potent offense and still stop people, too. … Liberty by 5.
Las Vegas at Foothill — Watching these teams go at it will be like watching the Bella twins wrestle each other for the WWE Divas Championship belt. They both have 5-4 records and run almost identical spread offenses, which means the defenses at least had an easy week of preparation.
It’s tough to know where the Wildcats are mentally after seeing a 17-0 lead and their Northeast League title hopes disappear against Liberty. Foothill is in a much better mental state right now, and unlike Las Vegas, none of its players has quit the team lately. But the Wildcats’ cupboard is far from bare. … Las Vegas by 3.
Legacy at Centennial — Someone sent me a picture of a T-shirt that listed Centennial’s five core values for this season, and one of them was to “Annahilate Arbor View.” Spell-check? At least it’s not as bad as the “CowboysUK” hashtag the NFL team had to stop using ahead of Sunday’s game in London.
There is a massive drop-off after the top four teams in the Sunset Region, and the Bulldogs beat Legacy by 34 points when they met in September. I wonder if anyone will complain about recruiting and unfair advantages when this score ends up lopsided. Probably not many since it involves two public schools. … Centennial by 21.
Desert Pines at Faith Lutheran — This is the matchup I’ve been waiting for since the Division I-A Southern Region brackets were finalized. Faith Lutheran’s 48-41 victory over the Jaguars last year at this stage of the postseason was an instant classic, and this state quarterfinal also has “Game of the Year” potential.
On paper, these teams appear evenly matched. But to paraphrase Coach Finstock in the movie “Teen Wolf”: Never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger; and never pick against Crusaders coach Vernon Fox in the postseason. … Faith Lutheran by 1.
Last week: 6-2, 6-2 (with points)
Season: 52-27, 45-32-1 (with points)
Contact Fielder at Fielder@nevadapreps.com. Follow @FielderNVP on Twitter.
