Nevada high school football: 5A Division II appears wide-open

Only two weeks of high school football have been played in Southern Nevada, but one trend from last year appears to remain true.

The Class 5A Division II Southern League should be the most wide-open league in the state.

State runner-up Faith Lutheran and Green Valley, who played for the Southern League title last season, remained in the league after finishing third and fourth, respectively, in the regular-season standings.

Shadow Ridge played in 5A Division I last season and advanced to the state semifinals, but was relegated to 5A Division II after finishing sixth in the regular-season standings. Legacy, the 5A Division III state champion, moved up a division into the league.

All four teams can make a case to be playing for the Southern League title in November.

Sierra Vista, Palo Verde, which also moved up from 5A Division III, and Silverado, which was relegated from 5A Division I, all have playmakers on both sides of the ball and can’t be ruled out to make a postseason run.

“All of the league is filled with very, very good teams,” Green Valley coach Bill Powell said. “Parity is a good term because there are going to be a lot of competitive games. It’s an old adage, but you do really need to take it one game at a time and you can’t overlook anybody.”

Basic and Foothill, which finished first and second in the league, respectively, last season, moved up to 5A Division I.

Green Valley (1-0) opened its season with a 22-21 win at Herriman (Utah) on Friday. Shadow Ridge (1-0) held off Northern opponent Spanish Springs 28-20, and Faith Lutheran improved to 2-0 after a 19-14 win at Bakersfield Christian (California). Legacy (1-1) lost 21-13 to Highland, the defending 5A Idaho state champion.

“Last year, it was the most competitive division across the state,” Shadow Ridge coach Travis Foster said. “We had Foothill and Basic at the top of the thing, and Faith was playing really good football toward the end, and Green Valley’s got some really good athletes. We’ve got to play well if we want to contend in the division. There’s no easy games any week.”

The Gators lost to Herriman 30-18 last season but battled the Utah 6A school in nearly 5,000 feet of elevation to pull out the win Friday. Quarterback Ben Parker rushed for two scores and hit Theodore Edquilang on a long touchdown pass.

Powell elected to go for the 2-point conversion after Parker’s second rushing touchdown with four minutes left in the fourth quarter. The gamble paid off, as the conversion proved to be the difference. Green Valley’s defense added five sacks.

Green Valley lost to Faith Lutheran 37-0 in last year’s Southern League title game. The Gators return many key players from last year’s team, and Powell said the grit they showed Friday will be impactful as they go through league play.

“What happened last year helped them last night because they got put under some pressure last year in some big games,” Powell said. “Because a lot of our kids played a significant amount in the game, the Faith Lutheran game, that determined who went to the state championship, it gave them some resolve. They had really good poise (Friday).”

Shadow Ridge didn’t have the cleanest game Friday with “unnecessary” turnovers and penalties, Foster said. But the coach credited his defense for making some key stops late.

Sophomore Cole Richter had two sacks, and the Mustangs used seven ball carriers behind a veteran offensive line. Quarterback Ula Cox hit Joseph Darr for a 33-yard touchdown pass on fourth down.

Foster called the close win a “wake-up call,” but said he expects his team to make the necessary adjustments to prepare for Coeur d’Alene in Idaho next week.

“We can’t beat ourselves … and expect to win games,” Foster said. “Our kids did some remarkable things overcoming penalties and keeping their composure in some pretty adverse situations. There’s a lot to build on.”

Up next

Many of the top 5A Division I teams are in action while Bishop Gorman has a bye.

On Saturday, Liberty will host the Ninth Island Classic. Coronado plays Kailua (Hawaii) at 4 p.m., and Liberty faces Mililani (Hawaii) at 7 p.m. Also on Saturday, Desert Pines hosts Ayala (California) at 3 p.m.

Arbor View hosts Legacy at 6 p.m. Friday in the “Battle of the Bulls.” There are other rivalry games on Friday with Las Vegas High playing at Rancho in the “Bone Game,” and Spring Valley hosting Bonanza in the “Banner Game.” Both are at 6 p.m.

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.