Midseason report: How are high school football races shaping up?

By Alex Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal

2 months ago

Legacy quarterback Aidan Crawford (9) hands the ball to halfback Zaione Henderson (5) during th ... — Legacy quarterback Aidan Crawford (9) hands the ball to halfback Zaione Henderson (5) during the Class 5A high school ‘Battle of the Bulls’ football game against Arbor View at Arbor View High School, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Shadow Ridge senior Tyrell Craven (32) runs the ball during the high school football game against Faith Lutheran at Shadow Ridge High School, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Shadow Ridge players watch a punt come to a stop during the high school football game against Faith Lutheran at Shadow Ridge High School, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Shadow Ridge quarterback Ula Cox (3) competes during the high school football game against Faith Lutheran at Shadow Ridge High School, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Legacy quarterback Aidan Crawford (9) fakes a handoff to halfback Zaione Henderson (5) during the Class 5A high school ‘Battle of the Bulls’ football game against Arbor View at Arbor View High School, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Legacy senior Dominic Oliver (1) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the Class 5A high school ‘Battle of the Bulls’ football game against Arbor View at Arbor View High School, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Daniel Jacobi II/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Shadow Ridge and Legacy, despite dropping their 5A Division II Southern League openers last month, still have a slight chance at a league title.

Their paths to a potential No. 1 seed in wide-open 5A Division II begin Saturday when the Longhorns host the Mustangs at 6 p.m. All high school football games will be played on Saturday this week because of the Rosh Hashanah holiday.

“The 5A Division II is probably one of the most entertaining conferences in the state of Nevada,” Legacy coach Zach Monticelli said. “It’s a lot of fun to be in it with all these teams that are pretty evenly matched. … A lot of people can honestly say they don’t know how our (league) is going to end.”

Legacy (4-3, 2-1 5A Division II Southern League) lost 38-35 in overtime to Green Valley in its league opener Sept. 13. Shadow Ridge (4-2, 1-1) fell 35-20 to Faith Lutheran the same day.

Two-way standout senior Dominic Oliver leads the way for Legacy, who won the 5A Division III state title last season and moved up to 5A Division II. Oliver has 10 touchdown catches on offense and five interceptions on defense. The three-star athlete recently picked up an offer from Iowa State.

“It can become infections when (Oliver) is making (big plays),” Monticelli said. “He’s going to be there with his best every Friday night and what we’ve noticed is how good of a teammate he is. He’s going to block, tackle and do all the little things.”

Oliver is the top target for quarterback Aidan Crawford, who is third in the state with 1,508 passing yards. Running back Zaione Henderson has also contributed for the Longhorns with seven rushing touchdowns.

Shadow Ridge’s offense is powered by running back Tyrell Craven. The senior rushed for 205 yards and five touchdowns on nine carries in the Mustangs’ 48-21 win over Citrus Valley (Calif.) last week.

“It’s a massive game and … (Shadow Ridge does) a really good job of running their triple-option offense,” Monticelli said. “So having the extra day to prepare for them benefits us.”

While Legacy-Shadow Ridge should be an interesting matchup, Faith Lutheran (6-0, 3-0) and Green Valley (4-1, 2-0) remain the top two teams in the standings.

Here is how things are shaping up in other classifications:

5A Division I: Bishop Gorman is still the team to beat. The Gaels (4-1, 1-0 5A Division) host Foothill (5-0, 1-0) at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Arbor View (5-0, 2-0) has emerged as a new challenger to Gorman. The Aggies host Desert Pines at 1 p.m. Saturday before hosting the Gaels on Oct. 10.

5A Division III: Las Vegas (5-1, 2-0 5A Division III Southern League) is tied with Durango (5-2, 2-0) atop the league standings. The two teams teams play Oct. 18 at Las Vegas.

Las Vegas, in its first year under new coach Jose Cerriteno, has been led by quarterback Tanner Vibabul, who has thrown 11 touchdown passes and rushed for seven scores.

Oklahoma baseball commit Alexander Mercurius has stepped in at quarterback for Durango. The Trailblazers have won five straight games.

Class 4A

Losee (6-1, 3-0 4A Desert League) has been heads and shoulders above the rest of the 4A competition thus far. Kieran Daniel ranks third in the state in rushing yards with 860.

Mojave (5-1, 2-0) appears to be Losee’s biggest threat in the Desert League. Losee hosts Mojave on Oct. 24 in both teams’ regular-season finale. The Rattlers are outscoring opponents 201-50 thus far.

Spring Valley (5-1, 3-0) is atop the Mountain League. The Grizzlies will get tested their final two games when they host Canyon Springs (2-4, 1-1) on Oct. 18 and play at Chaparral (3-2, 2-0) on Oct. 24.

Class 3A

SLAM Academy has been on a roll since beginning 3A Southern League play. The Bulls (4-3, 3-0) lost their first three games, all against out-of-state opponents, but have won four straight since. Damien Nevil leads the state with 16 total touchdowns and ranks second in the state in rushing yards with 900.

SLAM Academy held off fellow 3A power Moapa Valley 16-14 on Sept. 20. Virgin Valley (4-2, 1-1) is another 3A contender. The Bulldogs host SLAM Academy on Oct. 10 and Moapa Valley (5-1, 1-1) on Oct. 25 in the “Hammer Game.”

Two-time defending 3A state champion Truckee (6-0) is the top team up North and still the team to beat for the state title.

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