Prep football

Mesquite Virgin Valley has taken over as Nevada's No. 1-ranked Class 3-A high school football team, in the Pahrump Valley Times ratings this week.

The Bulldogs moved to 3-1 with a 48-0 rout of Winnemucca Lowry in a non-league game last week.

Fernley, previously ranked No. 1, fell to No. 2 after a 32-21 conquest of Lassen, Calif., in an interstate game.

Overton Moapa Valley shelled injury-plagued Spring Creek 28-0 and is now at No. 3. Spring Creek, which had its top two running backs injured in the first quarter against the Pirates, fell out of the ratings.

The top six 3-A teams now include Sparks, Las Vegas Faith Lutheran and Truckee, Calif.

Pahrump Valley, idle this week, will open its Southern 3-A League season at home Oct. 5 against Virgin Valley.

In Class A (eight-man football), Pahranagat Valley Alamo and Tonopah remained 1-2. Tonopah, 3-1, has been the only Nye County team ranked this season.

Yerington and Pershing County Lovelock are ranked first and second, respectively, in the 2-A ratings, which have Las Vegas The Meadows and Lincoln County at Nos. 3 and 4.

In Class 4-A, Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, which has been beating up out-of-state opponents all season, is at No. 1. The Gaels begin their Sunset Region Southwest Division schedule at Bonanza tonight.

In fact, all of Bishop Gorman's division games are on the road -- at Durango Oct. 5, at Spring Valley Oct. 12, at Clark Oct. 19, at Sierra Vista Oct. 25 and at Western Nov. 2.

Gorman is in the division that will include Pahrump Valley, starting in the 2008-2009 school year.

The ratings

The Pahrump Valley Times Nevada High School football ratings. The final ratings will be published Nov. 2.

CLASS 4-A

1. Bishop Gorman 4-0

2. Reno Galena 4-0

3. LV Palo Verde 4-0

4. Reno McQueen 4-1

5. Douglas Minden 4-1

6. LV Silverado 5-0

7. Sparks Reed 3-2

8. Reno 3-2

9. LV Del Sol 4-0

10. Las Vegas 3-2

CLASS 3-A

1. Virgin Valley 3-1

2. Fernley 4-0

3. Moapa Valley 3-2

4. Sparks 3-1

5. Faith Lutheran 4-1

6. Truckee, Calif. 3-1

CLASS 2-A

1. Yerington 4-0

2. Lovelock 4-0

3. The Meadows 3-1

4. Lincoln County 3-1

5. Rite of Passage 3-2

6. Needles, Calif. 3-1

Tie -- Battle Mountain 3-1

CLASS A

(Eight-Man Football)

1. Alamo 4-1

2. Tonopah 3-1

3. LV Calvary Chapel 3-0

4. Coleville, Calif. 5-0

5. Carlin 3-2

6. Wells 3-2

7. MV Christian 4-1

8. Virginia City 3-2