Three Clark County School District principals confirmed Monday that 30 public high school football programs will play as independents for the 2026 and 2027 seasons, severing ties with the Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association and ensuring they will not face powerhouse Bishop Gorman.
Cimarron-Memorial principal Colin McNaught, Centennial principal Keith Wipperman and Eldorado principal Christina Brockett spoke in an online meeting with the Review-Journal about the decision, which stems from years of frustration over competitive imbalance.
“The decision was made by individual principals who believed the current system is broken,” McNaught said. “Everyone must play by the same rules, both on and off the field.”
The move affects schools in the Open Division, Class 5A and Class 4A. By declaring independence from the NIAA, none of these programs will be eligible for postseason play over the next two years.
Kevin McPartlin, CCSD’s education services division associate superintendent, released a statement backing the principals: “The Clark County School District supports the decision … Principals made this decision to stand up for their student-athletes who were playing at a disadvantage.”
Bishop Gorman has won 16 of the past 17 large-school state titles, a dominance public school leaders attribute to the private school’s ability to recruit players across Southern Nevada, while public schools are bound by zoning restrictions. Principals also cited problems with the NIAA’s HRM points ranking system, which McNaught called overly complicated.
“With that HRM system, you needed calculus to figure out who was playing who,” he said.
Wipperman echoed the frustration: “It’s been pretty frustrating. We feel like this has been a problem for a long time. We wanted fairness and equity in the rules, and that was just falling on deaf ears.”
Brockett said Gorman’s threat to sue the NIAA over a format proposal was not a factor in the principals’ decision. “That was not even a talking point amongst the principals,” she said.
The NIAA released a final format last week for the seven remaining private and charter schools. Gorman, ranked No. 6 nationally, has nearly finalized a schedule of elite out-of-state opponents for 2026. Public school principals plan to release their schedules within the next two days.
“Right now we are working out some last-second tweeks,” Wipperman said.
McNaught expressed confidence in the path forward. “We’ve had great support from the community. It seems like the public is behind us and I feel that support for sure.”
When asked about a return to the NIAA in 2028, Brockett said, “Within the next couple of years, I hope to see a competitive balance when schedules are created.”
