Coronado-Arbor View football game outshines Bishop Gorman-Liberty

14 Oct 2023

Every time Bishop Gorman and Liberty face off, the meeting between the state’s top two high school football programs is hands-down the best game on that week’s schedule.

This year is an exception.

Coronado hosts Arbor View at 6 p.m. Friday in a game that could determine the No. 2 seed in Class 5A Division I state playoffs and give the winner a better chance to play at Allegiant Stadium in the state title game.

On Friday, Arbor View (4-0, 1-0 5A Division I), No. 2 in the Review-Journal’s rankings, remained perfect with a 35-7 home win against Basic.

But No. 4 Coronado (3-1, 1-0) arguably had the performance of the year thus far with a 47-7 drubbing of No. 3 Liberty, which has been the top public school program in Southern Nevada for the past decade and the only local team that could challenge Bishop Gorman.

“You always hope for that kind of score because it makes things a little bit easier, but you never expect anything like that,” Coronado coach Shawn Dupris said. “If you take care of the business, take care of the football, the defense was flying around, and good things happen. Good things happened all night.”

The Cougars forced five turnovers, returning three for touchdowns, and limited Liberty to 162 yards of offense. It’s the first win for the Cougars against their Henderson rival since 2007, snapping a 16-game losing streak.

Friday’s game was dubbed the “St. Rose Bowl,” the first official rivalry game between the schools that are separated by St. Rose Parkway.

“We’ve been preparing for this for the past year, and we wanted this so we worked our butts off every day,” said Derek Hurley, who had a rushing touchdown and returned two fumbles for scores. “I can’t say I was surprised, but we came out and did what we did. The culture had definitely changed for Coronado.”

Dupris is in his second year leading Coronado after spending the previous decade up north coaching at Damonte Ranch. After being in 4A in 2021 and 2022, the Cougars were thrust into 5A Division I with Gorman, Liberty and Arbor View.

“It’s been a roller coaster,” Dupris said. “Last year had some ups and downs, but we finished really strong, which I think gave us some momentum into this season. This year I put together a really tough schedule, but based on our league, we have to do that in order to prepare for these teams.”

Dupris credited the leadership of the team’s 25 seniors, led by quarterback Aiden Krause. Krause, a Georgetown commit, threw three touchdown passes against Liberty. Seniors Hurley, Utah commit JJ Buchanan and Scott Holper all scored touchdowns and played both ways Friday.

“I give all my respect to Coach Dupris,” Krause said. “He’s brought everything, and he’s trusted me in the offense, and he’s been able to grow me. I’ve learned so much from him, and I’ve never had a coach that believed in me so much.”

Now Coronado gets another shot at another top team. The Cougars lost to Arbor View 38-0 last season, and the Aggies are averaging 42.75 points per game and have allowed just 14 points in their past three games.

“Arbor View, they have a bunch of guys, Thaddeus Thatcher, their quarterback and (wide receiver) Damani (Warren),” Krause said. “They’re great players, and I give them all my respect. We just got to come out and do what we do. If we can play like we did (against Liberty) and play for each other, it’s going to be a great game.”

Around the area

Here’s a look at where things stand in the other divisions with league play getting underway:

— 5A Division II: Faith Lutheran (5-0, 2-0) remained perfect with a 35-0 rout of Silverado. The Crusaders, last year’s 5A Division II state runners-up, are outscoring opponents 155-57. Green Valley (3-1, 1-0) is in second and next hosts Palo Verde coming off a bye this week. Legacy, Sierra Vista and Shadow Ridge are all 1-1 in league play.

— 5A Division III: Las Vegas High (4-1, 1-0) opened league play with a 42-22 win over Clark. Desert Oasis (4-1, 1-0) and Durango (4-2, 1-0) are also atop the league and look to be contenders. Centennial (1-4, 1-1) claimed its first win of the season, 45-26 over Sunrise Mountain (0-5, 0-2), in a rematch of last year’s 4A state title game.

— 4A: No one has been able to push Losee (5-1, 2-0) in the Desert League. The Lions are averaging 341.3 rushing yards per game. Mojave (4-1, 2-0) could be the only challenger to the Lions. Spring Valley (4-1, 2-0) has control of the Mountain League.

— 3A: SLAM Academy (3-3, 2-0) took control of the Southern League with a 16-14 win over Moapa Valley (4-1, 0-1). SLAM Academy lost its first three games but appears to be back in form as it looks to reach its third straight 3A state title game. Virgin Valley (4-2, 1-1) could be another contender in 3A.

Up next

Next week could be another rough outing for Liberty, as it hosts Bishop Gorman at 6 p.m. Friday. The Gaels, ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps, are coming off a bye.

Desert Oasis hosts Las Vegas High at 6 p.m. in a game that will have 5A Division III Southern League implications. Other games to watch are Green Valley at Palo Verde, Faith Lutheran at Sierra Vista and Basic at Desert Pines.

Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.

Week 6 scores

Arbor View 35, Basic 7

Coronado 47, Liberty 7

Shadow Ridge 49, Palo Verde 28

Faith Lutheran 35, Silverado 0

Foothill 27, Desert Pines 0

Las Vegas 42, Clark 22

Legacy 29, Sierra Vista 22

Centennial 45, Sunrise Mountain 26

Durango 19, Boulder City 0

Canyon Springs 14, Eldorado 6