Playoff format produces all-Las Vegas state title game

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

Las Vegas area high schools Bishop Gorman and Del Sol are located roughly 17 miles apart.

And come Saturday, they will meet for Nevada’s state football crown.

While most states have title games featuring schools from opposite ends of the state, Nevada’s unique three-region format in the large-school classification often produces an all-Las Vegas championship.

It’s the best way to handle the near-double number of schools in Southern Nevada in comparison to the Reno area, said Donnie Nelson, assistant director of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

The champion of each region — Sunrise and Sunset in the Las Vegas Valley and Northern for Reno — advances to the state semifinals.

That leaves one open semifinal spot, which is filled by one of the region’s title games doubling as the other state semifinal.

The region that feeds the state title game rotates annually. So, this year’s Sunrise title game between Basic and Del Sol was also a state semifinal, with Del Sol winning 20-19 to advance to this week’s state final.

Next year, the Sunset title game will also serve as a state semifinal. In 2011, it will be the Northern Region’s turn.

“Don’t look at Southern Nevada as being its own area,” Nelson said. “It’s two (Sunrise and Sunset) different areas.”

While the format might seem odd to some outsiders, it’s an upgrade from past seasons. Until 2006, the fourth spot was awarded — on a similar rotating basis — to the loser of one region’s title game.

So, a team could have lost in the regional title game and still won the state championship.

And, in 2002, that nearly happened.

Reno’s McQueen High beat Wooster in the Northern Regional title game, but Wooster still advanced to the semifinals. They wound up meeting in the state title game, a contest won by McQueen.

“Everyone likes this better than the double-elimination thing we had a few years back,” Del Sol coach Preston Goroff said. “You shouldn’t get another opportunity after losing a playoff game.”

The state title game is set for 12:07 p.m. at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@lasvegassun.com.