3 storylines to watch on opening week of high school football

The talk of the new-look high school football season around Southern Nevada will take a back seat when games begin on Friday night.

The official start of the fall sports season was Thursday, but it will feel like the real deal on Friday night with 21 games involving teams from Southern Nevada.

Thirty Clark County School District teams have opted for independent status and will not be eligible to play for an NIAA-sanctioned state championship but instead will compete for the Superintendents Cup.

That leaves a total of seven remaining Class 5A and 4A Southern Region teams to compete for the Open Division, 5A and 4A state titles. That includes Bishop Gorman, which is also looking for a fifth mythical national championship.

Aside from the offseason changes, opening night will present an opportunity for teams to get their seasons started on the right foot.

Here are three things to watch for on the opening week of high school football around Southern Nevada:

1. Out-of-state challenges

CCSD’s move to independence didn’t stop Arbor View and Liberty from scheduling top out-of-state opponents.

Liberty opens its season at Hawaii power Mililani on Friday, while Arbor View will play at West (Utah) on Friday. Liberty’s nonleague schedule includes games with Skyridge (Utah) and Tafuna (American Samoa). Arbor View has Carlsbad (California), Hamilton (Arizona) and Lincoln (California) on its nonleague schedule.

Another top team that’s staying in the NIAA, Sloan Canyon, opens its season at home against Central East (California). The Pirates’ opponent is ranked No. 89 nationally by MaxPreps and No. 12 in California’s rankings.

2. New coaching debuts

A handful of teams will debut new coaches this fall. The top game with new head coaches is Palo Verde (Dru Smith) and Desert Pines (Rob Robles) at 7 p.m. at Desert Pines.

Smith is a former Bishop Gorman assistant and is just the third head coach in Palo Verde history (Darwin Rost and Joe Aznarez are the other two) as the school celebrates 30 years. Robles is the fourth Desert Pines coach in as many seasons and will look to keep the Jaguars competitive in Division I of the CCSD independent groups.

Other notable first-time head coaches debuting Friday include Brandon Harton (Green Valley, which plays at Foothill), Mandel Anderson (Durango, which hosts Spring Valley), Jeremy Stiles (Bonanza, which plays at Chaparral) and Oscar Loza Hoyos (Western, which hosts Sunrise Mountain).

3. Looking for statement wins

One of the top games Friday night is Faith Lutheran hosting Mater East at 7 p.m.

Faith Lutheran has appeared in three consecutive state title games, but Mater East is looking to be a challenger to Sloan Canyon in the 4A Southern Region. The Knights will get an opening-night test against a solid Faith Lutheran squad.

Mater East lost to Sloan Canyon 50-22 in last year’s 4A Southern Region playoffs. The Knights are led by Desert Pines graduate and former UNLV defensive back Tim Hough, and the team brought in several highly touted transfers that should help the team contend in 4A.

A few other teams are looking for statement wins, including Coronado, which finished 3-7 last year and missed the 5A Southern Region playoffs. Coronado plays at Centennial at 7 p.m. Friday, against a Bulldogs team with several Division I prospectswho won state titles in 2023 and 2024 and reached the 5A Southern Region title game last year.

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

Southern Nevada Week 1 prep football schedule

All games at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted

Friday

Green Valley at Foothill, 6 p.m.

Central East (California) at Sloan Canyon, 6 p.m.

Sierra Vista at Desert Oasis, 6 p.m.

Spring Valley at Durango, 6 p.m.

Bonanza at Chaparral, 6 p.m.

Boulder City at Valley, 6 p.m.

Sunrise Mountain at Western, 6 p.m.

Providence Hall (Utah) at Pahrump Valley, 6 p.m.

Arbor View at West (Utah), 6 p.m. PST/7 p.m. MST

Losee at Bishop Gorman

Mater East at Faith Lutheran

Coronado at Centennial

Palo Verde at Desert Pines

Silverado at Legacy

Eldorado at Las Vegas High

Beaver (Utah) at Moapa Valley

Hurricane (Utah) at Virgin Valley

Cadence at The Meadows

Judge Memorial Catholic (Utah) at CIVICA Academy

Parowan (Utah) at Lincoln County

Pahranagat Valley at Indian Springs

Liberty at Mililani (Hawaii) 10 p.m. PST/7 p.m. HST

Saturday

View Point (California) at Lake Mead Academy