Coach urges separate public and private titles

Bishop Gorman football coach Brent Browner believes the current playoff structure should be replaced with separate public and private school championships.

The Gaels host Faith Lutheran at 7 p.m. Friday for an Open Division state semifinal. The two teams will meet because 30 Clark County School District programs were moved to independent status, a change that made them ineligible for the standard Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association state title. This move created the Superintendents Cup format for the public schools.

Because of CCSD’s independence, the NIAA adopted a unique playoff format for the remaining teams. The loser of the Friday game between Gorman and Faith Lutheran will not be eliminated. Instead, that team will play the 5A Northern Region champion for the 5A state title. The winner of the Friday matchup will face third-place Losee for the Open Division state title.

Browner said he hopes his team reaches 13 games this season. He noted that students from other local schools have attended Gorman games recently, a situation he believes would have been avoided with a different structure. He suggested that public schools should play for their own championship and private and charter schools should play for their own, with the two winners meeting in a final contest.

Browner pointed to the previous two seasons as an example of this potential model. In those years, Arbor View finished as the top public school in the state and then played Gorman for the Open Division championship. Browner stated that a similar end-of-year game could have been established to determine the best team in the division.

The NIAA realignment committee is scheduled to meet in early 2027 to discuss alignment structures and playoff formats for all sports. CCSD representatives are expected to push for a separation between public and private or charter schools during that meeting. They will also decide whether CCSD will return to the NIAA or remain independent.

Browner warned that if CCSD schools stay independent, it could affect high school football in Southern Nevada. He said other schools, such as IMG Academy or teams from California, might recruit top local talent. He also noted that CCSD players who are not playing this time of year lose opportunities to create film and impress college recruiters in person.

Browner said his goal as a coach is to prepare players for college. He stated that not playing against hard talent does not fully prepare a student for the demands of collegiate football. He believes that a structure allowing for more competitive games would benefit the athletes in the valley.