Fielder gets geography lesson as out-of-state teams visit Las Vegas

There’s been a lot of talk in the news lately about borders and walls. It’s probably because of the way prep football schedules continue to spread across state lines.

Interstate prep football games were all over the TV last weekend, and of the 20 games this Friday involving teams in the Review-Journal’s coverage area, nearly half include a team from out of state.

Agassi Prep, Arbor View, Foothill and Moapa Valley host teams from Utah, while Beatty and Desert Oasis face schools from California. Also, Liberty travels to Texas for the first time, while Bishop Gorman hosts a Florida power.

And if you want to get technical, there’s the game between Needles and Mohave (Arizona) Accelerated, neither of which are even from Nevada.

For many years, local schools didn’t need to venture outside of their own backyard to play, and few out-of-state teams visited the area. But all that’s changed recently.

And in this case, change is good.

I got off to a good start last week with my picks, nearly going 100 percent straight-up in my debut. I don’t know much about the out-of-state teams, but I’ll do my best. Be sure to visit Nevadapreps.com for more of my selections.

Cocoa (Florida) at Bishop Gorman — This is the home opener for the nation’s new No. 1 team, and they welcome O.T. Genasis’ favorite school to Las Vegas. “I’m in love with the Cocoa … ” No, not that Co— ? Oh, never mind.

Gorman is 0-2 vs. Florida teams on the field, losing to Miami’s Booker T. Washington in 2013 (28-12) and Seffner Armwood in 2011 (20-17), a game that was later forfeited. But this Gaels team is better than those two. More specifically, this Gaels defense is better. … Gorman by 10.

Chaparral at Basic — My dad said when he was going to high school, this was one of the big rivalries. Everybody on the east side of the valley would pile into a buddy’s car and head to the game, then blast Thin Lizzy in the parking lot when it was over. I bet they had cool sideburns, too.

These teams haven’t met since a 35-28 Chaparral win on Sept. 12, 2008. I was starting first grade then, so a lot’s changed. Basic scored 55 points in its opener, and this is a big step up for the Cowboys. … Basic by 20.

Liberty at Westlake (Texas) — The entire Lone Star State still is smarting from last week’s thumping handed out by Gorman, and now the Patriots arrive in Austin, Texas, to face the state’s new No. 1 team. Not the best timing.

Liberty caught a bit of a break as Chaparrals quarterback Sam Ehlinger, a Texas commit, is sidelined after undergoing knee surgery this week. Then again, Westlake is the alma mater of Drew Brees and Nick Foles and probably has some 13-year-old QB prodigy waiting in the wings. … Westlake by 14.

Cheyenne at Canyon Springs — This has developed into, um, actually a pretty nice little rivalry, to paraphrase Will Ferrell in “Old School.” The Desert Shields might disagree, of course, since they’re 0-4 against Canyon Springs dating back to 2012.

The Pioneers pitched a 6-0 shutout in the opener and cost me a perfect week of straight-up picks. I don’t expect much scoring in this one, either. … Canyon Springs by 3.

Last week: 7-1, 6-2 (with points)

Season: 7-1, 6-2 (with points)

Contact Fielder at Fielder@nevadapreps.com. Follow him: @FielderNVP