Friday night rewind: Prep playoff puzzle comes together

The regular play for Class 5A, 4A and 3A shot teams is successful the books, and the playoffs are acceptable to statesman Thursday.

While it surely didn’t spell disconnected without a hitch, the immense bulk of scheduled games were played. That was particularly existent successful the 2nd fractional of the season, erstwhile lone 3 games were canceled due to the fact that of COVID-19 successful Southern Nevada.

That was inactive capable for playoff scenarios to beryllium hard to fig retired entering the last week, but for the astir part, everything came retired astir arsenic cleanly arsenic possible.

Bartt Davis, the NIAA’s coordinator of sports, said adjacent though the relation didn’t enactment retired an exhaustive database of playoff scenarios successful the last week of the regular play arsenic it usually does, teams did a bully occupation of going done the tiebreakers and determining wherever they stood.

“We had truly bully practice from schools. Everybody seems to person known the (tiebreaker) criteria and did a truly bully occupation of applying that for their school,” Davis said. “That has made things easier than they had to be.”

Take, for example, the Class 5A Desert League, wherever the Arbor View-Foothill crippled scheduled for Oct. 8 was canceled. Both finished 3-1, with their nonaccomplishment against Bishop Gorman. Arbor View manager Matt Gerber said during the week that if his squad defeated Canyon Springs connected Friday, it would beryllium the No. 2 effect due to the fact that of a tiebreaker involving antiaircraft points allowed.

He was right. It’s unfortunate for Foothill that it didn’t get a accidental to big the Aggies and determine connected the tract which squad hosted a first-round playoff game. But the Falcons had 3 games canceled due to the fact that of COVID-19, truthful they are astir apt conscionable blessed to beryllium successful the playoffs.

Game of the week

It’s hard for a backmost to travel backmost from throwing 1 interception that gets returned for a touchdown.

Being capable to bash truthful aft throwing 2 successful the archetypal 4th says a batch astir a player’s toughness. That’s what Green Valley’s Josiah Vitale did against Faith Lutheran connected Friday.

Vitale rebounded from the 2 pick-sixes, which enactment the Crusaders up 14-7, with touchdown passes to Nate Richter of 59 and 76 yards to springiness Green Valley a 28-14 pb aboriginal successful the 3rd quarter.

Jordan Pollard, who had 1 of the aboriginal interceptions, ran for a 3-yard touchdown, and Drais Bellamy popped a 47-yard TD tally successful the 3rd 4th to get the Crusaders wrong four. But neither squad scored from there, and Green Valley had a 31-27 location triumph to clinch a location playoff game.

Look-ahead

All games volition beryllium played Thursday with Nevada Day being observed Friday, and 10 of them are playoff games.

The 5A games are Faith Lutheran astatine Bishop Gorman, Foothill astatine Green Valley, Legacy astatine Liberty and a rematch of 1 of the astir breathtaking games of the play successful Desert Pines astatine Arbor View. Desert Pines led 21-7 successful the 4th fourth earlier Arbor View rallied with 15 consecutive points for a 22-21 win.

In 4A, it’s Sierra Vista astatine Cimarron-Memorial, Durango astatine Desert Oasis, Spring Valley astatine Clark and Chaparral astatine Basic.

In 3A, Valley and SLAM Nevada volition conscionable astatine Eldorado, and Virgin Valley volition big Eldorado.

The 2A and 1A regular play volition reason Thursday.

Contact Jason Orts astatine jorts@reviewjournal.com. Follow @SportsWithOrts connected Twitter.