The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Board of Control voted 7-5 Tuesday to reverse its November decision on football realignment, restoring the Harbin Rating Method (HRM) system and eliminating the 10-team Open Division that threatened Bishop Gorman’s national championship ambitions.
The vote, taken at the NIAA’s winter board meetings in Reno, rescinds the controversial midcycle realignment that had been pushed by Clark County School District principals. Under the revived HRM system, Southern Nevada teams will again be ranked to determine Class 5A and 4A playoff berths, with the top four 5A teams qualifying for the Open Division state tournament.
Bishop Gorman, which has won four national championships, stood to lose its ability to compete for national titles under the 10-team Open Division, which would have limited the Gaels to one nonleague game per season. The archdiocese of Las Vegas had threatened legal action, claiming the NIAA board violated state laws and its own regulations during the November meeting.
“The reason we’re talking about rescission is because of the fact that perhaps there was a violation of the NIAA regulations with respect to the vote that took place in November of 2025,” NIAA legal counsel Paul Anderson said at the meeting.
The archdiocese’s letters, summarized by Anderson, stated that Bishop Gorman believed the board’s November action violated its own regulation and that the school was prepared to file a lawsuit if the realignment proceeded.
CCSD principals, who had championed the Open Division plan, expressed outrage at Tuesday’s decision. In a unified letter signed by 28 schools, they accused the board of capitulating to “legal bullying tactics” and warned that schools might leave the NIAA.
“Please be advised that if the previous actions are rescinded, we as principals, representing our students and families, would all be forced to explore all of our options, including a necessary and thorough review of our continued involvement in football with the NIAA,” the letter read.
Cimarron-Memorial principal and Board of Control member Colin McNaught outlined three possible paths for dissatisfied schools: remain in the HRM system, declare football independent status, or withdraw entirely from the NIAA. Schools that do not fulfill league obligations face sanctions and fines, according to NIAA executive director Tim Jackson.
The HRM system uses Harbin Points, NIAA rubric points and MaxPreps state rankings to generate a score. The top four 5A teams enter the Open Division state tournament, with the next eight playing in the 5A Southern Region playoffs. The top eight 4A teams make the 4A Southern Region playoffs. The system allows Southern Nevada teams to schedule up to five nonleague games, restoring flexibility for programs like Bishop Gorman to pursue national competition.
