5A D-II and 5A D-III League Previews and Predictions
By: J. Ray Dockter
League Previews, and Season Predictions
In this article I will be providing the links of my team previews for the squads competing in the 5A-II, 5A-III and 3A in Northern Nevada. This is part one of a two-part preview, with the 3A coming out in the next couple days.
If a team preview has not yet been accomplished, I will update this article once the preview is live. I will also provide my thoughts on projected order of finish for each league. As always, these articles are intended to create conversation within our community and hopefully motivate teams that we are “sleeping” on.
Without further ado here goes the previews and predictions.
Class 5A, Division-II Team Previews
Bishop Manogue Miners
Douglas Tigers
McQueen Lancers
Reed Raiders
Reno Huskies
Preview will be released in the next few days since the Huskies begin their season next week on Aug. 24th.
Spanish Springs Cougars
Class 5A, Division-II Predicted Order of Finish
Bishop Manogue Miners: Before last season I said that the Miners had proven that they were the ‘Kings of Northern Nevada.’ I anticipated that they would go undefeated in league and deliver Coach Howren his long-awaited first State Championship. They took that one step further and both of those things proved to be true. Although Bishop Manogue must replace a plethora of talent from last year’s special squad (QB Philip Jacobs, WR Ben Scolari, DE Salesi Manu, and LB Marrio Williams Jr. to name a few), they have reloaded effectively for this coming season. Look for QB Brandon Mann, TE Vince Clark, OL Jackson Ramsey, DL/LS Cian Stack and LB Marley Spuhler to break out this season. Don’t be surprised if they win Coach Howren’s 12th Regional Championship and second consecutive State Championship this season. As Coach Howren stated in my interview with him last month, “If you think we have arrived, we haven’t, see us in five years.” With a new hungry group of Miners, I expect them to get it done once again this season.
Spanish Springs Cougars: For the second consecutive season the Spanish Springs Cougars finished runner-up to the Bishop Manogue Miners during the regular season and in the regional playoffs. The Cougars continue to trend upward as a program, and it is likely that they will be at the top or near the top again this season. Coach Hummel believes that he has a group of players, specifically juniors (including his ‘Jack-of-all-Trades’ son Brady Hummel, and Star MLB Kyler Depaepe), who are going to take the Cougars over the top this coming season. The Cougars lower levels have had a run of dominance in the last few seasons, so the future is bright for ‘The Springs.’
Reed Raiders: The Reed Raiders begin this season looking to breakthrough for their first regional championship game appearance in over five years. With a great group of offensive linemen who have gotten bigger, faster and stronger; they will be the key to the Raiders success. Pair that with key returners at the skill positions and the Raiders seem poised to make a lot of noise this coming season. Look for Nevada commit OL/DL Mataio Aiono to set the tone in the trenches, while blocking for returning star QB Nishaan Bajwa and RB Bron Rios this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if they challenged for the first or second seed come playoff time, which comes with the always valuable first-round playoff bye.
Reno Huskies: After losing two league games by a total of six points the Huskies were fortunate to nail down the fourth seed in last season’s playoffs thanks to tiebreakers. Unfortunately, for Huskies fans, they were defeated by McQueen at home, 21-6, in the first round of the playoffs last season. This result helped to springboard the Huskies into the off-season as head coach CJ Wintch decided to make some changes to the offensive side of the ball and hired former Nevada quarterback Carson Strong to run his version of the ‘Air Raid’ offense this season. I anticipate Strong’s detailed knowledge and skills within the ‘Air Raid’ will put the Huskies in strong consideration to finish the season in the top half of the standings in the foreseeable future.
McQueen Lancers: Since winning the League and Regional Championships in 2021 and undergoing a coaching change the McQueen Lancers have not had the results that they have come to expect over the past four decades. Coach Matt Marner and his crew have had an emphasis this off-season on teaching and simplifying things for their players in the hope of having better production this coming season. If the Lancers can display the ‘Right Mental Attitude’ and great ‘Football Intelligence’ they are always a threat to be a contender come the end of the season. They are starting their fifth different quarterback in five seasons this year.
Douglas Tigers: Head Coach Kyle Mays (Douglas ’99) and the Tigers broke through last season with the implementation of the Northern 5A D-III league in its inaugural season. After capturing the regular season league championship, the Tigers rolled the North Valleys Panthers 47-0 in the regional semi-finals. After winning the program’s first playoff game in quite some time the Tigers looked unstoppable, that was until the following week when the Galena Grizzlies surprisingly defeated them 18-7 ending their season. To rub salt in the wound of a tough ending to the season the Tigers were promoted to the 5A D-II for this upcoming season. Coach Mays and his team will “compete every week” but it’s hard to imagine them replicating the success that they had from last season after graduating a large portion of their playmakers this past spring.
Class 5A, Division-III Team Previews
Carson Senators
Damonte Ranch Mustangs
Preview will be released in the next few days with the Mustangs beginning their season on Aug. 16th.
Galena Grizzlies
Hug Hawks
Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, I don’t know if the Hug Hawks will have a preview this season as I have been unable to nail down a time to interview their new coach. As I stated in my article “Dockter: Five Things I’m looking forward to this high school football season,” all previews are contingent on me being able to get in touch with all of the coaches. This also comes down to availability and completing my interview before I can ever write an article.
North Valleys Panthers
Wooster Colts
Preview will be released in the next few days with the Colts beginning their season on Aug. 16th.
Class 5A, Division-III Predicted Order of Finish
Damonte Ranch Mustangs: The Mustangs begin this season under the leadership of new head coach JJ Milan. Milan is a former Wooster and Nevada standout who spent time in the NFL with the Raiders, Bears, and Colts. Milan has had a ton of success coaching youth football in Northern Nevada over the last half decade, telling me “[My] team hasn’t lost a game to a Nevada opponent ever.” Milan has surrounded himself with many former Nevada football players who have played at the next level including LB Josh Mauga and TE Adam Bishop to name a few. After a decade of success under former coach Shawn Dupris the Mustangs have backslid the past two seasons under former head coach Ty Gregg, culminating in them being relegated to the 5A D-III for this season. The Mustangs will look to make a name for themselves once again as they try to prove the last few years was the exception to the norm for their program. Don’t be surprised if they have added motivation headed into this season. I believe they will go undefeated in league and make a run towards the school’s first State Championship this season.
Galena Grizzlies: After years of struggling with participation numbers and turning around the Grizzlies program Coach Cook, and his staff broke through last season when they won their first regional championship in over a decade and a half. The expectation for the ‘Grizz’ this season is to build upon that success and take the next step towards the school’s first State Championship this season. The biggest object in the path of a Grizzlies repeat this season is their South Reno rival Damonte Ranch Mustangs being in the same league as them once again. If the Grizzlies are able to win against the Mustangs this season, they’ll have a great shot of becoming State Champions this November.
North Valleys Panthers: From everything I’ve heard this offseason, it seems like the Panthers are for real. Now entering their third year under the guidance of head coach Brad Rose the Panthers have created the culture they want moving forward. They have also added to their coaching staff via subtraction; what do I mean by all of this? Well, as Coach Rose put it, his squad was “not performing offensively the way that he had hoped.” Problem was that he was the ‘Offensive Play Caller,’ so he found himself in a ‘Catch-22’ after last season that ultimately led to him relinquishing play calling duties this offseason and hiring Hank Roberts as his team’s Offensive Coordinator. Roberts, coming off a State Championship with Bishop Manogue as their WRs coach, was already on campus as a weight’s teacher at North Valleys so it seemed like the logical move to make for Rose. Roberts, who also has head coaching experience at Galena and Santa Clara (Calif.) HS’s, has implemented an ‘Air Raid’ system for the Panthers this season. Only time will tell if this takes the Panthers to the next level.
Wooster Colts: Back-to-back playoff appearances for the Colts has created a renewed interest in the Wooster program as of late. After making the playoffs during their last season in the 3A during the 2022 season, the Colts followed up that season by hosting their first home playoff game in a number of years with the creation of the Northern 5A, D-II. Coach Sellers is optimistic that his program will continue to move in the right direction this season. I believe that they could once again sneak into the top half of these standings by season’s end.
Carson Senators: The Senators, led by third year head coach Ryan Boshard, will try to once again be contenders in the Northern 5A D-III this coming season. If the Senators come together and ‘buy in’ they could push to host another home playoff game this season. Look for Ethan Hendee, Jake Weninger, Christian Rey and JT Heaton to be leaders on the field for the Senators this season. Coach Boshard believes this group can do some special things this season.
Hug Hawks: Last season did not go according to plan for the Hawks, and I have heard rumblings that numbers are down for them this season. Consistency at the top has been a tough ‘go of it for the Hawks over the last decade and they have had three different head coaches in the last ten months so I anticipate that this will be a tough season for the Hawks.
J. Ray Dockter is a proud 2004 alum of North Valleys High School and has been covering high school sports in Northern Nevada since 2022. If you have a story worth telling let him know via Twitter @J_RayDoc.
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