Top 5 high school football games for Week 3

By Alex Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal

1 year ago

Desert Pines running back Greg Burrell (5) evades tackle from Faith Lutheran fast safety Matthe ... — Desert Pines running back Greg Burrell (5) evades tackle from Faith Lutheran fast safety Matthew Mason (16) during the second half of a high school football game at Faith Lutheran High School on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @ellenschmidttt

All games at 6 p.m. Friday unless otherwise noted.

St. Louis (Hawaii) vs. Desert Pines, 4 p.m.

Desert Pines (1-0) kicks off a full Friday slate early by opening a doubleheader of the Island Classic at Liberty High School against St. Louis (1-2). The Jaguars opened their season with a 38-13 road win over Faith Lutheran.

Three rushing touchdowns from UNLV commit Greg Burrell and a 99-yard kickoff touchdown return from sophomore Massiah Mingo helped the Jaguars pull away, as they only had 35 players dressed. St. Louis lost a thriller to Liberty last Saturday and stayed on the mainland to play its second game of the Island Classic.

Rancho at Las Vegas

Nevada’s oldest high school football rivalry, “The Bone Game,” will officially open the season for both teams after their Week 1 games were canceled due to weather. It’s the 65th edition of the game. Las Vegas has won 25 straight meetings against Rancho.

The two teams play for “Sir Herkimer’s Bone,” which is a cow bone from the butcher’s shop of a Rancho player’s father. The first Bone Game in 1958 ended in a 13-13 tie. Both teams agreed to share the bone for a semester each, but a few Rancho players stole it from Las Vegas during the Wildcats’ turn with the bone.

Silverado at Foothill

Foothill did something no high school football team has done since 2019 by beating 3A power Moapa Valley in Overton last Friday. Falcons (1-1) senior quarterback Mason Dew threw for 423 yards and six touchdowns to four receivers in a 45-7 romp.

Silverado (2-0) battled for a 30-22 home win over Basic while only having 29 players dressed. Senior Marcus Council scored three touchdowns in the second half and added an interception as the Skyhawks won their 26th consecutive game.

Miami Central (Florida) at Bishop Gorman, 7 p.m.

Friday will be Gorman’s biggest game in its non-league schedule in its quest to win a fourth mythical national championship. The Gaels (2-0) are ranked No. 2 nationally by MaxPreps and No. 3 in USA Today’s initial high school football Super 25 rankings. Miami Central is ranked No. 6 by MaxPreps and No. 4 by USA Today.

Gorman hasn’t had a problem putting up points while scoring on 19 of 21 offensive possessions and averaging 578 yards of offense per game. The Gaels won the last time the two teams faced off, a 21-20 win in Naples, Florida, after a Miami Central field goal on the final play hit the crossbar.

Miami Central, which has yet to play this season, boasts a talented defense led by Florida’s top Class of 2025 recruit, Armondo Blount. The Rockets went 14-0 last season on their way to the Florida 2M state championship.

Campbell (Hawaii) at Liberty, 7 p.m.

Liberty (1-1) won a back-and-forth contest against St. Louis last Saturday. Senior wide receiver Jayden Robertson had 10 catches for 245 yards and three touchdowns as the Patriots rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit for a 34-30 home win.

Liberty’s defense will have its hands full with Campbell (3-0). The Sabers have outscored their opponents 171-41 and have already scored more than 60 points twice this season.

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