High School Football Picks: Week8

If the high school football playoffs started today, we’d see an unlikely matchup at the top.

Las Vegas High, playing its first season back in the large-school classification, has emerged as one of the top four teams in Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Activities’ point-based playoff seeding system.

The initial rankings on Monday put Bishop Gorman at No. 1, Liberty at No. 2, Las Vegas at No. 3, and Shadow Ridge at No. 4.

The top four teams in the final rankings will compete in the Open Division playoffs. The next eight will battle for the Class 5A title, with the southern champion facing a Northern Nevada opponent in the state championship.

The ranking system factors in game results, strength of schedule, and MaxPreps state rankings. Las Vegas has built its 6-0 record with wins over Class 5A opponents Palo Verde, Basic, Losee, and Green Valley, plus a dominant performance against Rancho in the annual Bone Game.

Arbor View, last year’s championship game runner-up to Gorman, sits at No. 6 despite remaining undefeated against local competition. The Aggies scheduled a challenging slate of national opponents in nonleague play — so challenging, in fact, that they’ve slipped to sixth in the standings.

The silver lining? The upcoming weeks should provide opportunities for Arbor View to climb back into the Open Division picture.

This week’s slate features two rivalry games — plus a matchup that once would’ve been unmissable. We sure do miss those closely-contested battles between Palo Verde and Bishop Gorman.

Last week’s high school picks column delivered an impressive 18-2 record, pushing the season total to 93-40.

Foothill at Basic

Rivalry games are always close, especially the Battle for Boulder Highway. Foothill 33, Basic 30

Legacy at Arbor View

Check that. Rivalry games aren’t always close. Arbor View 49, Legacy 9

Centennial at Shadow Ridge

Shadow Ridge is going to rush for more than 400 yards. Shadow Ridge 39, Centennial 12

Liberty at Faith Lutheran

Liberty should make quick work of Faith Lutheran. Liberty 35, Faith Lutheran 10

Palo Verde at Bishop Gorman

This used to be the game of the year. Now, it’s not even a top-3 game of the week. Gorman 57, Palo Verde 0

Desert Pines at Green Valley

Desert Pines has returned to relevance, and that’s something to get excited about. Desert Pines 32, Green Valley 17

Valley at Spring Valley

Valley is one of the feel-good stories of the season. The Vikes, however, won’t win this week. Spring Valley 26, Valley 16

Cimarron-Memorial at Clark

Clark should enter the playoffs on a six-game winning streak. Clark 44, Cimarron-Memorial 8

Losee at Mojave

Realignment will never be perfect for every school. Yet, it’s a sin to have Losee playing in the top classification, especially later in the season when it will be forced to play Gorman. Mojave 44, Losee 13

Sloan Canyon at Sierra Vista

There will be a meaningful playoff game involving these teams next month. Sloan Canyon 27, Sierra Vista 22

Slam at Bonanza

Bonanza deserves credit for sitting at 3-2 halfway through the season — that’s a winning record worth celebrating. Slam 19, Bonanza 17

Mater East at Rancho

Rancho continues to battle week in and week out. Unfortunately, the scoreboard hasn’t reflected the effort. Mater East 42, Rancho 0

Eldorado at Silverado

A win over Eldorado would guarantee Silverado a winning record — a remarkable turnaround for a program that went winless last season. Silverado 41, Eldorado 23

Canyon Springs at Las Vegas

Take me back to the days when this was for the Northeast League title. Las Vegas 41, Canyon Springs 19

Sunrise Mountain at Cheyenne

Anyone have a coin? Sunrise Mountain 17, Cheyenne 14

San Clemente (Calif.) at Coronado

Coronado and Shadow Ridge took an ambitious approach to scheduling, loading up on out-of-state competition. Those games — wins or losses — should pay dividends down the road. San Clemente 43, Coronado 20

Moapa Valley at Boulder City

Don’t be surprised when Moapa Valley goes undefeated in league games. Moapa Valley 27, Boulder City 22

Democracy Prep at Pahrump Valley

Pahrump Valley will find its footing again. This team has the talent to contend for a state title. Pahrump Valley 34, Democracy Prep 18

Virgin Valley at The Meadows

Speaking of sins in realignment. Can someone explain why The Meadows is in the Class 3A? Virgin Valley 50, The Meadows 0