kickoff 2017:

Las Vegas, Canyon Springs are contenders in football’s Northeast League

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Christopher DeVargas

Members of the Canyon Springs High School football team, from left, Germaine Carmena, Knylen Miller-Levi, Donavan Wolfe, Diamante Burton, Shaun Greene Jr. and Keyon White pose for a portrait at the Las Vegas Sun’s high school football media day August 2, 2017, at the South Point.

Thu, Aug 24, 2017 (1:46 p.m.)

Las Vegas Sun Prep Football Media Day 2017

Members of the Shadow Ridge High School football team, from left, Kaejin Smith, Aubrey Nellems and Chase Harlaher pose for a portrait at the Las Vegas Sun's high school football media day August 2, 2017, at the South Point. Launch slideshow »
Prep Sports Now

First Football Show

Las Vegas Sun sports editors Ray Brewer and Case Keefer welcome back football season by going through all the leagues, and also touch on major storylines. They also disagree on picks for numerous week 1 games.

High school football divisions in Southern Nevada don’t have championship games. In the five-team Northeast, though, you can argue the league title and No. 1 playoff seed will be determined Oct. 6 when Canyon Springs hosts Las Vegas.

It’s the unofficial championship game.

The league’s other three teams — Eldorado, Rancho and Valley — combined for four wins last season, and each were outscored by more than 300 points. All three are in various stages of rebuilding their programs, with Eldorado slightly ahead of the others.

That leaves Canyon Springs and Las Vegas to again play for league bragging rights. The game has become one of the best rivalries in Southern Nevada, and typically features a close finish.

“They came out and smacked us,” Las Vegas linebacker Jake Bowden said of last year’s game against Canyon Springs. “They came out hitting.”

Canyon Springs returns one of the league’s best players in quarterback Diamante Burton, who passed for 14 touchdowns and rushed for 13 in 2016 to lead the Pioneers to the Northeast League championship. Canyon Springs, which finished with an 8-2 record last season, is ranked fifth in the preseason.

“Very high expectations,” Pioneers coach Gus McNair said. “A lot of the team were juniors last year. They are more mature.”

Las Vegas is led by running back Elijah Hicks, who will be a four-year starter, and quarterback Zach Matlock is a three-year starter. That experience will be invaluable.

“We both know what we are doing on the field,” Matlock said. “It helps the offense run smooth.”

The league features three new coaches — Quincy Burts at Valley, Erick Capetillo at Las Vegas and Gary Maki at Rancho. Maki is a veteran head coach, while Burts and Capetillo — a Las Vegas graduate — are running a program for the first time.

“This is a dream come true,” Capetillo said of coaching his alma mater. “I wake up everyday with a smile on my face.”

While they aren’t expected to compete for a league title, Eldorado, Rancho and Valley will be in contention for a playoff spot. In fact, two of the three teams will have the reward of the postseason, and coaches knows it takes just one victory against Canyon Springs or Las Vegas to host a playoff game.

“This year is really a turning point for us,” Eldorado coach Robert Cutts said. “We can round that corner and become a dominant team in the valley or we can be the same old eldorado. I know these guys have worked their butts off and won’t except that.”

For Rancho and Valley, participation numbers typically determine the outcome of a season. Because both struggle to fill lower-level rosters, an injury to a varsity starter is tough to overcome. That’s something Valley has already experienced with wide receiver Leyland Crawford suffering a season-ending injury. He had two touchdowns in 2016.

Standings

Last year’s finish : Canyon Springs, Las Vegas, Eldorado, Valley, Rancho

Projected 2017 finish : Canyon Springs, Las Vegas, Eldorado, Valley, Rancho

Big 3

Canyon Springs: Quarterback Diamante Burton (1,200 passing yards and 14 TDs, and 13 rushing TDs in 2016), defensive lineman Germaine Carmena (seven sacks) and Keyon White.

Eldorado: Quarterback Jaime Rangel (1,045 passing yards in 2016), linebacker Brian Soto (26 tackles in 2016), defensive end Uriel Garcia-Fierro.

Las Vegas: Running back Elijah Hicks (four-year starter), quarterback Zach Matlock (three-year starter), linebacker Jacob Bowden (70 tackles in 2016).

Rancho: Lineman Adrian Brown (arguably the Rams’ best player), Mauricio Loya (defensive back), Kendrick Nieves (wide receiver).

Valley: Defensive back Trayvon Mack-Escoto (also a track standout), defensive end Anias Brewington.

All-league predictions

Offensive MVP: Canyon Springs’ Burton

Defensive MVP: Las Vegas’ Bowden

Rising Star (best freshman or sophomore): Guillermo Hernandez, Eldorado’s sophomore tight end

Coach of the Year: Eldorado’s Robert Cutts

Game of the Year: Canyon Springs 32, Las Vegas 26

Newcomer of the Year: Chris Bunn, Las Vegas junior wide receiver

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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