Stephen Sylvanie
Published Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 | 6:30 p.m.
Updated Friday, Aug. 31, 2012 | 12:26 a.m.
Prep Sports Now
Nevada teams hold it down nationally
Bishop Gorman and Faith Lutheran pulled off upsets against out-of-state opponents last week. Can Liberty follow suit when it travels to Southern California to challenge Crespi Saturday night? Gorman's got another televised contest, too — against Saint Louis in Hawaii. Las Vegas Sun sports reporters Ray Brewer and Case Keefer break down these contests and more on this edition of Prep Sports Now.
Related coverage
It’s safe to assume this game has been circled on the calendars of the The Centennial High football players since the schedule was released.
The Bulldogs opened the season Friday by hosting rival Palo Verde High, the same team that knocked them out of the playoffs last fall in the Sunset Regional semifinals. Centennial led the entire game, but Palo Verde scored with 38 seconds remaining to steal the victory and end the Bulldogs’ season.
Earlier in the season last year, Palo Verde topped Centennial, 49-12. While Centennial is ranked in the top 5 of the Sun’s preseason poll, coach Leon Evans knows taking the next step in his program’s progression starts against Palo Verde.
Centennial is led by senior Trajan Pili at defensive end and tight end, Austin Turley at quarterback and Coby Newton at running back. The three seniors have never beat Palo Verde.
“If you’re going to be the best, you’ve got to figure out a way to get over that hump and finish the ball game,” Evans told the Sun this week.
Palo Verde is looking to rebound after losing its season opener two weeks ago at the Sollenberger Classic in Arizona. The Panthers were solid defensively, but struggled in the passing game and committed a few untimely personal fouls in falling to Desert Vista.
They, however, could be considered one step ahead of Centennial because they won’t have to deal with the mistakes every team endures in a first game.
There are several other interesting games on tonight’s schedule.
Foothill travels to Canyon Springs in a battle of two of the Sunrise Region’s top programs. Arbor View hosts Desert Oasis in a game of two playoff qualifiers from last year.
Check back later tonight as the scores become final. We’ll keep you posted.
Stories about other high school football games around the valley:
• Arbor View dominant in season-opener, drops Desert Oasis 46-0
• Durango runs past Bonanza for big opening night win, 54-6
• Boulder City continues hot start with big win over Faith Lutheran
• Moapa Valley records shutout in easily beating Clark
• New attitude pays off in major way as Mojave upsets Desert Pines
• Shadow Ridge uses five touchdowns from Bakari Smith to snap 11-game losing streak
• Virgin Valley defense paves way to 41-8 victory over Pahrump Valley
• Cheyenne wins rivalry game with Cimarron-Memorial
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy