Nevada Preps football report card: Bishop Gorman still team to beat
Now that just about all of the area’s football teams have started league play, it’s time to take a look at the top players, teams and games of the season thus far.
Best team
Bishop Gorman
The Gaels aren’t going to compete for a national title this season, but they still have the talent to be favored to win a 10th consecutive state championship. The rest of the field might be closer to catching up, though.
Class 3A: Moapa Valley
— —
Best team not named Bishop Gorman
Arbor View
The Aggies went 2-1 against out-of-state competition and have had little trouble against local foes in opening the season 6-1, including 3-0 in the Northwest League. Arbor View has outscored its opponents 258-95. The Aggies have outscored local teams 164-45
Honorable mention: Foothill, Liberty
— —
Top offensive player
Kyle Graham, Arbor View
The transition from complementary fullback to go-to player has been a smooth one for Graham. He’s second in the area in rushing with 1,121 yards, 3 yards behind Cimarron-Memorial’s Jordan Norwood, who has 43 more carries. Graham has averaged 8.8 yards per carry and has 11 rushing TDs.
Class 3A: Andre Nevarez, Del Sol
Honorable mention: Koy Riggin, Foothill; Norwood; Wyatt Delano, Virgin Valley; Thorsten Balmer, Boulder City
— —
Top defensive player
Jayden Nersinger, Durango
Nersinger leads the area in sacks with 11 and has recorded 34 tackles for the Trailblazers. He leads a defense that has allowed an average of 11 points and has posted two consecutive shutouts.
Class 3A: Jessup Lake, Moapa Valley
Honorable mention: Gabriel Lopez, Desert Pines; Luke Toomalatai, Liberty; Atoa Pili-Eskeets, Centennial; Mitch Jacobs, Green Valley; Rudy Cannon, Virgin Valley
— —
Breakout star
Christian Vaughn, Desert Oasis
Vaughn, who averaged 4.4 yards per carry as a sophomore, has rushed for 969 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, averaging 7.9 yards per carry. He’s rushed for 100 yards in all five games and has topped 200 yards three times. Vaughn has helped the Diamondbacks to a 4-1 start after going 0-9 last season.
Class 3A: Andre Nevarez, Del Sol
Honorable mention: Jordan Norwood, Cimarron-Memorial; Jayden Maiava, Sierra Vista; Jarrett Zibert, Valley; Wyatt Delano, Virgin Valley
— —
Most efficient player
Koy Riggin, Foothill
The junior quarterback has completed 66.7 percent of his passes and has nine TD passes with no interceptions. He’s passed for 1,090 yards, and the Falcons are the area’s final undefeated team in Class 4A or 3A.
Class 3A: Meb Hollingshead, Virgin Valley
Honorable mention: Garrett Castro, Green Valley; Logan Bollinger, Arbor View; Luke Bennett, Moapa Valley
— —
Biggest surprise
Centennial
The Bulldogs went 1-7 last season, but have tripled that output this fall with wins over Sierra Vista, Legacy and Coronado. Centennial still has work to do to make the playoffs, however, after losing games to Northwest League favorites Arbor View and Faith Lutheran to begin league play.
Class 3A: Pahrump Valley
Honorable mention: Palo Verde, Desert Oasis, Boulder City
— —
Biggest disappointment
Fights
Two games have been ruled double forfeits this season because of in-game fights and players leaving the bench. It’s not quite an epidemic, but it’s a disappointing trend that has happened three times in the past two seasons.
Honorable mention: Bishop Gorman’s 1-3 start.
— —
Game of the year
Sierra Vista at Centennial
The visiting Mountain Lions took a 19-0 lead before Centennial rallied for a 32-26 win. The Bulldogs forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown in the final minute to pull out the victory.
Honorable mention: Cimarron 41, Mojave 38, OT
More preps: Follow all of our Nevada Preps coverage online at nevadapreps.com and @NevadaPreps on Twitter.
