Preseason top 10: Las Vegas high school football rankings for a season like no other

A precocious schoolhouse shot play similar nary different kicks disconnected this month.

Most Clark County School District programs person opted to play an autarkic docket this year, meaning they’ll vie against each different alternatively than the area’s backstage and charter schools. It besides means they’re giving up a changeable astatine a authorities title done the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

The docket for CCSD schools is structured truthful the last 2 weeks of games won’t beryllium locked successful until October, mounting up the anticipation for games involving schools that are arsenic matched. That, of course, could see the apical teams facing off.

The remainder of the operation is inactive being worked done — aft all, this is the archetypal twelvemonth of the caller normal.

Meanwhile, lone 3 Southern Nevada teams stay successful Class 5A of the NIAA: Bishop Gorman, Faith Lutheran and Somerset Losee. And each 3 volition play successful a authorities rubric game.

No, that’s not a typo.

The No. 1 and No. 3 seeds volition conscionable for the Open Division championship, portion the No. 2 effect takes connected the Northern Region champion retired of Reno for the Class 5A authorities title.

Confusing? Sure. But erstwhile Aug. 15 arrives, each that matters is the enactment connected the gridiron.

Here’s our preseason apical 10.

Bishop Gorman

Gorman is loaded — hence the No. 2 nationalist ranking by MaxPreps successful the preseason. The Gaels are led by elder antiaircraft backmost Hayden Stepp, a five-star imaginable committed to Oregon. The defence besides includes elder linebacker Tamatoa Gaoteote, who had 117 tackles past season, including 17 for a loss, and elder antiaircraft backmost Kamil Loud, a Cal commit. Four of the city’s apical 5 players successful the recruiting rankings for the Class of 2027 are from Gorman, including elder backmost Chance Thomas, who is committed to Kansas. He’ll beryllium throwing to inferior Zyren Menor, who had 14 touchdown receptions past season. Gorman’s out-of-state docket is ambitious, including hosting St. John Bosco of Bellflower, Calif., connected Aug. 21 successful a conflict of 2 of the nation’s apical teams. The adjacent week, the Gaels are successful Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to look Columbus, the precocious schoolhouse that produced Raiders No. 1 wide draught prime Fernando Mendoza. It’s the archetypal of 3 consecutive roadworthy games for Gorman, including a Sept. 18 showdown astatine Mater Dei of Santa Ana, Calif. Mater Dei handed Gorman its lone nonaccomplishment of 2025, keeping it from a nationalist championship.

Arbor View

Arbor View’s skill-position players are arguably the champion successful the authorities — yes, adjacent amended than Gorman’s. That radical is led by wide receivers Damani Warren (Texas A&M) and Kai Cypher (UNLV), and choky extremity Zac Fares (UCLA). Quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher (Oregon State) is simply a four-year varsity starter who passed for 2,600 yards and 29 touchdowns past season. The moving crippled is led by elder Kamareion Bell, who rushed for six touchdowns past season. Arbor View has played successful the past 2 authorities title games. Making different tally volition beryllium contingent connected however rapidly the inexperienced violative and antiaircraft lines develop.

Liberty

Liberty didn’t person the violative playmakers past play to bent with Arbor View due to the fact that of injuries to its apical 2 moving backs. Senior tailback Ezra Sanelivi is acceptable to spell this play — and that’s troublesome for Liberty’s opponents. The BYU perpetrate is simply a four-year starter, entering the play with 1,640 vocation rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. The Liberty violative enactment is anchored by different veteran, elder tackle Braiden Armstrong (6-foot-2, 280 pounds). The passing crippled volition beryllium led by elder backmost Selby Griego, who threw for 1,628 yards and 17 touchdowns past season. Division I imaginable Rysen Dacosin-Arcala, who had six interceptions past season, anchors the defense. Liberty opens the play astatine Mililani of Hawaii, sticking to its mantra of playing a challenging out-of-state schedule.

Foothill

Foothill has 1 of the valley’s apical passing attacks and isn’t acrophobic to aerial it out. The violative portion is led by inferior backmost Ryder Dobbs, who passed for 1,846 yards and 24 touchdowns past season. Dobbs’ apical returning receiver is Nixon Gasperosky, who hauled successful 35 catches for 605 yards and 4 touchdowns past season. Bryce Rodriguez, who had 20 catches for 233 yards past season, besides returns. Marshall Siler (6-foot-3, 270 pounds) volition pb the mode connected some sides of the line, portion Ayden Soto is simply a cardinal returner connected defense. Foothill has momentum from reaching the Open Division playoffs past play arsenic 1 of the state’s apical 4 teams. The Falcons are assured astir playing a meaningful crippled successful the apical bracket of the caller CCSD format this season.

Coronado

Coronado took a plaything past season, scheduling a who’s-who of out-of-state opponents, including nationally known IMG Academy. The ambitious slate resulted successful a three-win play and a missed playoff berth. Still, it’s just to accidental this isn’t a losing programme — thing the Cougars purpose to beryllium this season. Senior moving backmost Matthias Rantissi, who was mislaid for the play to wounded aft Week 1 successful 2025, returns to pb the offense. Ezekiel Rivera, who plays connected some the violative and antiaircraft lines, and linebacker Rocco Casella are three-year varsity starters — the benignant of acquisition different schools lack. Rivera led the squad with 7.5 sacks past season. Layton Bachhuber and Bradley Starr are primed for beardown seasons astatine wide receiver and antiaircraft back.

Sloan Canyon

Sloan Canyon, successful its 4th twelvemonth of existence, has rapidly developed into 1 of the valley’s apical programs. The Pirates went 12-1 past season, outscoring opponents 557-121, though they were upset by McQueen successful the Class 4A authorities title game. Those who accidental Sloan Canyon’s emergence was the merchandise of playing a lower-classification docket could beryllium mistaken. The Pirates convincingly bushed Foothill — 1 of the state’s apical 4 teams successful the apical classification — by 3 touchdowns. Sloan Canyon returns galore cardinal contributors, including backmost Cade Hoshino and wide receiver Brandon Quaglio. Hoshino passed for 3,146 yards and 44 touchdowns past season; Quaglio had 1,300 yards and 23 scores. At moving back, 1,000-yard rusher Jermaine Wilson returns for his elder season. Linebacker Tyson Sawyer-Mahoe (50 tackles successful 2025) and antiaircraft backmost Kahiau Kipapa pb the defense.

Mater East

The improvement of Mater East’s programme includes a challenging docket successful 2026, 1 players and coaches are assured volition bring success. That includes games against 2 teams successful the preseason apical 10, Bishop Gorman and Sloan Canyon. This is the seventh play the charter schoolhouse has fielded a varsity team. The discourtesy includes elder backmost James Monaghan IV, who passed for 3,120 yards and 37 touchdowns past season. Junior wide receiver Justin McCullah, who has assistance offers from the likes of Arizona and Georgia, is coming disconnected a 1,110-yard, 13-touchdown season. Desert Pines transportation Mike Taylor, a choky extremity with assistance offers from Arizona State, BYU, Florida and others, volition besides beryllium a cardinal people successful the passing game. The defence is expected to beryllium improved aft giving up 50 points to Sloan Canyon successful past season’s playoffs. It volition beryllium led by elder antiaircraft backmost Demichael Burks, a BYU commit. Other players of enactment see Marcus Williams, S’Marion Coleman and Rajahn Butler, arsenic the programme has beefed up its roster for what it feels volition beryllium a tally astatine the Class 4A authorities title.

Centennial

Many presume Arbor View and Liberty are destined to conscionable successful the last crippled of the season. Centennial has different ideas — and the Bulldogs person the roster to bash damage. Centennial is led by 2 seniors verbally committed to the University of Minnesota: information Maxwell Miles and wide receiver Jayden Thomas. Thomas had 32 receptions for 610 yards and 11 touchdowns past season. The discourtesy got a boost successful the offseason erstwhile Blake Nadler, a three-star quarterback, transferred successful from California. Laseth Bryant, a 6-foot-5 tackle committed to UNLV, anchors the violative line. Linebacker Kolten Silbernagel, who had 83 tackles past season, leads the defense.

Faith Lutheran

There is simply a batch to similar astir the Crusaders — particularly the past crippled they’ll play this season. Faith Lutheran is locked successful arsenic a authorities rubric crippled qualifier for the 4th consecutive season, and aft falling abbreviated the archetypal 3 times, this mightiness beryllium the breakthrough year. Senior Trey Fox and sophomore Ace Brimmer harvester to signifier 1 of the area’s apical secondaries. Senior backmost Dominick Folino, who passed for 1,200 yards and 9 touchdowns successful 2025, returns to pb the offense. Additionally, Liam Radke is the unquestioned apical kicker successful the state. And the Crusaders person momentum connected their broadside aft a four-game winning streak past play carried them to the authorities rubric game.

Moapa Valley

Moapa Valley, a schoolhouse of astir 550 students successful Class 3A, plays bully shot twelvemonth aft year. The Pirates would bushed a bulk of Las Vegas schools — and periodically person done so. Moapa Valley went 8-5 past season, losing its archetypal 3 games and falling to rival Virgin Valley, earlier getting blistery successful the postseason and reaching the authorities rubric game. That tally was up of schedule, a feat accomplished by a halfway radical of younger players — galore of whom instrumentality this season, making Moapa Valley a authorities favorite.

That radical is led by elder moving backmost Briggs Hickman, who rushed for 1,370 yards and 17 touchdowns past season. The veteran-led squad besides includes elder backmost Kamden Drosos, elder antiaircraft extremity Ryker Katich and elder linebacker Stetson Houston. Houston led the squad with 86 tackles past season; Katich had 48 tackles and added 395 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns astatine choky end. Junior Felix Ramirez volition anchor some sides of the line.