Week 3 football storylines: Palo Verde eyes 3-0; North vs. South battles

Week 3 football storylines: Palo Verde eyes 3‑0; North vs. South battles It is still August, but after Friday only about two months remain in the high school football season for most teams, including the 30 independent Clark County High School programs. The Week 3 slate features 35 games involving Southern Nevada squads. This is a pivotal moment for teams as they enter the full swing of the season. They will face prime out‑of‑state and nonleague opponents to prepare for league play and a run at a state title or the CCSD Superintendents Cup. Three storylines merit attention during Week 3 of the high school football season around Southern Nevada. **1. Palo Verde going for 3‑0** Palo Verde’s football squad could not have asked for a better start to the season after finishing 3‑7 a year ago. Under first‑year head coach Dru Smith — only the third coach in the school’s history — the Panthers have a chance to match last year’s win total this week. The Panthers (2‑0), ranked No. 10 in the Review‑Journal’s Southern Nevada football rankings and leading in boys’ soccer, host No. 9 Desert Oasis at 6 p.m. Friday. “It’s a testament to them,” Smith said. “They’ve been grinding since January … and they’ve wholly bought in and worked their butts off and they’re seeing the results of all the hard work.” Smith said he wanted to test his squad from the outset. Palo Verde, which competes in Division II of the CCSD independent teams, pulled away in the fourth quarter to defeat Desert Pines (Division I) 34‑18 on Aug. 14. The following week the Panthers overcame a slow start to hold off Legacy 28‑26 in a clash of two of the top Division II teams. “They don’t have any quit … nobody ever batted an eye, they just kept grinding and believing,” Smith said. “Good things happen when teams think like that.” Now comes another test with Desert Oasis, a Division I opponent. Palo Verde boasts one of the nation’s top receivers, X’Zavier McZeal (nine catches, 271 receiving yards and four touchdowns in two games), who will be a play‑maker on Friday alongside linebacker Christian Bell, two‑way athlete Beau Gardineer and the backfield duo of Dillon Carroll and Cooper Roberts. **2. North vs. South battles** Several Southern Nevada teams will continue the recent trend of squaring off against Northern Nevada opponents. The marquee matchup pits Foothill against defending 5A state champion Spanish Springs at 7 p.m. Friday. The two teams were at the center of the wild HRM football playoff controversy last year. After multiple adjustments to the original playoff bracket, Foothill was placed into the four‑team Open Division state tournament, where the Falcons lost to Bishop Gorman 56‑6. Meanwhile, Spanish Springs went 13‑0 and captured the 5A state title. The Cougars were regarded as the fourth‑best 5A team in the state, but 5A Northern Nevada schools opted not to participate in the Open Division during the realignment cycle after the 2024 season. “We’re excited about it,” Foothill head coach Vernon Brown said. “We ended up being in the Open Division. We felt we had a shot at it to try and get to the (5A state) title game. This year was an opportunity to play them to see where we are as a program. They’re a top‑notch program, so this trip is going to be really good for us.” Foothill running back Ryder Dobbs threw for 324 yards and four touchdowns as the Falcons downed rival Basic 42‑8 the previous week. Spanish Springs appears to have reloaded after losing several starters from last year’s squad, with the Cougars rolling to a 35‑7 victory over Carson on Saturday. “Special teams is going to be a key for us (against Spanish Springs) and defensively, we’re looking to be a bit more physical,” Brown said. “Last week we were kind of bend‑but‑don’t‑break. We had some key stops, but when you’re playing a team like Spanish Springs you need to be hitting on all cylinders.” Two additional North vs. South contests will take place in Las Vegas on Friday. Legacy hosts Reed and Losee welcomes Douglas, both kicking off at 7 p.m. Legacy senior running back Cameron Turner rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns in the Longhorns’ narrow loss to Palo Verde. Reed fell to defending 3A state champion Churchill County 14‑13 the previous week. Losee dropped a close game to Barstow (California) 19‑16 the prior week, while Clark outlasted Douglas 39‑35 up north. **3. Out‑of‑state opponents** The biggest game on the Week 3 slate sees Bishop Gorman take on Columbus (Florida) on Saturday, but the Gaels are expected to face out‑of‑state competition throughout the season. Even with the CCSD teams’ move to independent status, several squads continue to schedule high‑profile out‑of‑state foes. Two of the leading contenders for the Superintendents Cup in Division I — Centennial and Liberty — will host out‑of‑state opponents. Centennial meets Burbank (California) at 7 p.m. Friday, and Liberty faces Tafuna (American Samoa) at the same time. Las Vegas High will travel to Mountain View, MaxPreps’ eighth‑ranked team in its Arizona state rankings, at 6 p.m. Friday, while Shadow Ridge heads to Simi Valley at 7 p.m. Friday. Centennial comes off a 52‑49 shootout loss to Cathedral Catholic (California), where quarterback Blake Nadler threw for 400 yards and seven touchdowns and Minnesota commit Jayden Thomas hauled in 13 catches for 215 yards and three scores. Liberty enjoyed a bye but previously played on Aug. 14 at Mililani (Hawaii), leading 24‑14 at halftime before falling 31‑24. Southern Nevada high school football Week 3 schedule Week 3 schedule All games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted Friday Desert Oasis at Palo Verde, 6 p.m. Muir (California) at Sloan Canyon, 6 p.m. Las Vegas High at Mountain View (Arizona), 6 p.m. Spring Valley at Bonanza, 6 p.m. Cimarron‑Memorial at Silverado, 6 p.m. Pahrump Valley at Durango, 6 p.m. Valley at Rancho, 6 p.m. Western at Chaparral, 6 p.m. Tafuna (American Samoa) at Liberty Canyon Springs at Coronado Burbank (California) at Centennial Foothill at Spanish Springs Faith Lutheran at Valor Christian (Colorado) Desert Pines at Cheyenne Shadow Ridge at Simi Valley (California) Reed at Legacy Sierra Vista at Basic Victor Valley (California) at Mater East Mojave at Moapa Valley Valley View (California) vs. SLAM! Nevada at Bishop Gorman Clark at Virgin Valley Douglas at Losee Eldorado at Boulder City CIVICA Academy at Shadow Ridge (Arizona) GV Christian at The Meadows Lincoln County at Cadence American Leadership Academy at White Pine Pahranagat Valley at Eureka Spring Mountain at Laughlin Sandy Valley at Beaver Dam Pyramid Lake at Indian Springs Round Mountain at Tonopah Saturday Bishop Gorman at Columbus (Florida), 11 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas HS Monument Valley (Arizona) vs. Needles, noon at Northern Arizona University Providence (Utah) at Lake Mead Academy