Nevada high school football rivalry games still have meaning

Arbor View has one of the best offenses in the state and is trying to challenge Class 5A Division I powers Bishop Gorman and Liberty.

Legacy won the 5A Division III state title last season and is trying to repeat after moving up to 5A Division II.

But what’s just as important for both football programs is winning their “Battle of the Bulls” showdown.

The teams will renew their rivalry Friday when Arbor View (1-0), No. 3 in the Review-Journal’s Class 5A rankings, hosts No. 6 Legacy (1-1) at 6 p.m. The game was first played in 2006, the year Legacy opened.

“It’s always great to be a part of a rivalry game, especially when the schools are about 15 minutes apart,” new Arbor View coach Marlon Barnett said. “A lot of the players know each other. My staff and I know a couple of guys on their staff. We’re going to go to battle and compete (on Friday).”

That isn’t the only rivalry game Friday. Rancho will host Las Vegas High in the 66th edition of “The Bone Game,” Nevada’s oldest high school football rivalry. Bonanza will host Spring Valley in the “Banner Game.”

Even though the current alignment has 5A split into three divisions, getting rid of the geographical divisions that created so many rivalries, many long-standing rivalry games are still going strong.

“The energy is up around campus,” Bonanza coach Keith Jones said. “All the clubs are gearing up, and the student body is ready to come out. This is the one game per year we all get ready for, so everybody’s excited. The players are excited, everything is amped up around campus, which is a good thing.”

‘Super fun environment’

Legacy coach Zach Monticelli said the rivalry with Arbor View is in a “good spot” and envisions the game will always be played.

The Longhorns are trying to win “The Horns” trophy for the first time since 2013. Monticelli said the community support from North Las Vegas around Legacy makes the rivalry special.

“It’s crazy the difference in communities that both schools have,” Monticelli said. “The pride that both communities have, to me, makes it one of the most unique rivalries in town. It’s big for community involvement and putting on for the people that we live with and see every day. … Even though we aren’t that far from Arbor View, it sure feels like we are.”

First-year Las Vegas coach Jose Cerriteno won “Sir Herkimer’s Bone” twice as a player. Now leading his alma mater, the game has a different meaning for Cerriteno.

“As a player, you think you understand it with all the festivities and pageantry, you get a good feeling for what it means when you go out there and see those big crowds,” Cerriteno said. “As a coach, now you’re fostering that next group. You’re almost the caretaker of ensuring that the kids really go about this the correct way.”

Las Vegas has dominated “The Bone Game” recently, winning 26 straight. But Cerriteno said that doesn’t change how important his team takes the game, which has been played since 1958.

“We got kids running fundraisers here through our football program, and you got people who are showing up that graduated years ago saying, ‘Keep the Bone home,’ and asking if we still have the bone and telling the kids their stories,” Cerriteno said. “You see how much it means to the community when people come up and say these things.”

Spring Valley opened in 2004 less than 10 minutes from Bonanza, creating a rivalry between the schools. Even though Spring Valley has dominated recently while Bonanza has been rebuilding, Jones said the players still get excited about the game.

“We had some former players pop in (Tuesday) to talk to the guys,” Jones said. “… Having that rivalry, competition in general, is something that kind of bridges gaps between us and schools like Spring Valley. It makes it a super fun environment to be a part of.”

Realignment hopes

A way to help revive some rivalry games could come during the upcoming realignment process.

A football proposal from the Southern Nevada Football Coaches Association would combine all three divisions of 5A into one classification. The 20 5A Southern teams would be split into four geographical divisions.

“If the (rivalry) games were division games, it would mean a lot more,” Jones said. “You want to win the rivalry, but you’re actually playing for playoff seeding. That adds excitement to the whole situation.”

Jones said the Henderson rivalries — like Basic and Green Valley in the “Henderson Bowl” and Foothill and Basic in the “Battle for Boulder Highway — are strong and keep those communities “thriving.” He said meaningful games like these can help with participation.

While some rivalries are created by meeting in the playoffs — like Bishop Gorman and Liberty — Monticelli said a realignment structure based on geography can help not just rivalry games, but many high school programs.

“The whole family can come out and support, you get more people in the stands, kids feel more supported, and more money is going to the concession stands for the program so they can all get better,” Monticelli said. “… There are so many factors as to why geographical realignment is the way to go that I hope that’s the decision that is made.”

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