The Las Vegas Review-Journal has created a new way to measure high school athletic success across Southern Nevada: the RJ Cup. The competition awards points to schools based on state and region championships and runner-up finishes, as well as individual state titles, across all sports.
Schools are divided into three divisions based on their primary NIAA classification. Division I includes schools that mostly compete in Class 5A, Division II covers Class 4A, and Division III encompasses Classes 3A, 2A, and 1A. Points are awarded separately for boys and girls sports, leading to six RJ Cup champions at the end of the school year.
“We have extraordinary competition here in Southern Nevada, across so many sports in our high schools, that we thought it would be fun to create another competition that measures the success of schools across all of their teams,” said Review-Journal Executive Editor Glenn Cook.
A state championship is worth 10 points, a state runner-up finish earns seven points, a region championship is five points, and a region runner-up finish is three points. Teams also receive one additional point for any individual state championship in sports like cross country, golf, tennis, swimming and diving, track and field, bowling, and wrestling. In track and swimming, only individual events count, not relays.
Cook emphasized that every sport is valued equally. “What makes the RJ Cup special is that every sport is treated the same. A state championship in bowling is worth the same amount of points as a state championship in football or basketball. We wanted to recognize that every state title or every great season for a school’s team has incredible value for those students, coaches, the schools, their families.”
A team earns points only for its highest finish. For example, Bishop Gorman’s girls golf team won the 5A Southern Region title and finished second at state, so they received seven points for the state runner-up finish and no additional points for the region title. Because each sport has its own NIAA classification, multiple teams in the same RJ Cup division can earn state championship points. In Division I girls golf, Coronado got 10 points for the 5A team state title, and Desert Oasis also got 10 points for the 4A team state title.
Point totals will be updated after each season: fall, winter, and spring. Current standings include all fall postseason results. Winter results will be added after the season ends Feb. 21. The final day of spring sports is May 16, with the RJ Cup standings updated the following week to determine the six champions.
“When we get to the spring sports season, which will decide the winners of the RJ Cup, we will have so many individual state titles awarded in track and swimming that those individual champions have the potential to swing the results,” Cook said.
If there is a tie for first place at the end of the year, the first tiebreaker is the total number of team state championships won, followed by state runner-up finishes, region titles, and region runner-up finishes.
Division I
Arbor View, Bishop Gorman, Centennial, Coronado, Desert Oasis, Faith Lutheran, Green Valley, Foothill, Liberty, Palo Verde, Shadow Ridge
Division II
Amplus Academy, Basic, Bonanza, Cadence, Canyon Springs, Chaparral, Cheyenne, Cimarron-Memorial, Clark, Del Sol, Desert Pines, Doral Academy, Durango, Eldorado, Las Vegas, Legacy, Losee, Mater East, Mojave, Rancho, SECTA, Sierra Vista, Silverado, Sky Pointe, SLAM! Nevada, Sloan Canyon, Spring Valley, Sunrise Mountain, Valley, Western
Division III
The Adelson School, American Heritage, Awaken Christian, Boulder City, CIVICA Academy, Coral Academy, Cristo Rey, Democracy Prep, Equipo Academy, Founders Academy, GV Christian, Indian Springs, Lake Mead Christian, Laughlin, Liberty Baptist, Lincoln County, The Meadows, Moapa Valley, Mountain View, Needles, Pahranagat Valley, Pahrump Valley, Sandy Valley, Spring Mountain, Virgin Valley, Word of Life
