Bishop Gorman and Faith Lutheran will meet Friday at 7 p.m. at Fertitta Field in an Open Division state semifinal with an unusual twist: the loser's season continues. Because the departure of 30 Clark County School District programs left only three 5A Southern schools, the NIAA created a format where the top two HRM-rated teams play a semifinal. The winner advances to the Open Division title game on Nov. 20 at Allegiant Stadium against Losee, which received a bye. The loser will face the 5A Northern Region champion — either Spanish Springs or Bishop Manogue, who play Friday — for the 5A state title, also on Nov. 20 at Allegiant Stadium.
The NIAA adopted the never-before-seen format after consulting with the remaining 5A and 4A teams to ensure the top two Southern teams get an extra playoff game and a chance at a championship. The format will remain in place next year, the final year of the three-year realignment cycle, using the HRM system to determine seeds.
In the 4A Southern Region, Mater East and Sloan Canyon will play for the title at 6 p.m. Friday at Mater East. Mater East earned the top seed with a higher HRM score (1.333) over Sloan Canyon (1.667), despite a regular-season win by Mater East turning into a forfeit. "Mater East is a great football team," Sloan Canyon coach Nate Oishi said. "They play hard. We're going to take one day at a time and prepare everything we can control for that game. And it's the most important game, because it's the next. We have to stay within our game and stay focused on the mission. Stay disciplined and play hard, sound football."
Saturday features the 3A state semifinals at 1 p.m. Moapa Valley, the top Southern seed, hosts Spring Creek, while Pahrump Valley travels to face Northern top seed Churchill County. The winners meet Nov. 20 at Allegiant Stadium for the 3A title. Churchill County, which has beaten 5A Northern teams Manogue and Reed, defeated Moapa Valley 21-14 in last year's final, setting up a potential rematch.
In 2A semifinals Saturday, Lake Mead Academy visits Pershing County at 1 p.m., and Lincoln County hosts Coral Academy Reno at noon. In 1A eight-man football, Tonopah hosts Mineral County in a state semifinal.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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