5A D-II Northern Championship: Players to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Previewing the x-factors and players to watch in Nevada's 5A D-II Northern championship this Friday at Bishop Manogue. The two teams met in early October in a high-scoring affair with Bishop Manogue coming out on top 42-35. The Northern champion will advance to play the winner of #1-Faith Lutheran and #3-Shadow Ridge in the 5A D-II state championship on Saturday, November 23rd. </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#1-Bishop Manogue (8-3)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bishop Manogue comes into the league championship riding a six-game winning streak with their only three losses on the season coming from out-of-state opponents. Junior transfer QB [player_tooltip player_id='281928' first='Brandon' last='Mann'] has found his rhythm down the stretch in his first season with the offense, throwing for over 1,300 yards and and 20 TDs with 0 INTs in the Miners' past six wins. He's an athletic passer that can move the pocket and delivers accurate balls with smooth, efficient mechanics. Breakout freshman WR [player_tooltip player_id='1557706' first='Demari' last='Stacker'] has established himself as Mann's favorite target with his combination of speed, separation ability, and body control downfield. Stacker's caught 55 passes for 619 yards and 5 TDs on the season. Senior wideout [player_tooltip player_id='1557710' first='Dulin' last='Hukari'] is another playmaking WR for this explosive offense- he's scored a receiving TD in his past six games with a total of 10 on the season. Leading rusher [player_tooltip player_id='1327307' first='Pele' last='Masina'] has broken out as an offensive playmaker since leading the team in INTs as a junior (3). He's a physical player on both sides of the ball that runs with power behind his pads and can get downhill between the OTs. Masina rushed for nearly 200 yards and 2 TDs in their previous matchup vs. Reed in early October. Junior RB/FS [player_tooltip player_id='1557711' first='Nathan' last='Shannon'] rushed for 124 yards and 2 TDs on just five carries in the Miners' semifinal win over Reno last week.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Breakout junior LB [player_tooltip player_id='1556291' first='Marley' last='Spuhler'] leads the defense in tackles (77 total), sacks (5), and TFLs (16.5) this season. Spuhler's a physical ILB that's highly effective at getting downhill between the OTs and looks a step ahead as a read-and-react defender. He'll be a new addition to PRZ NV's 2026 rankings in the upcoming update. Two-way starter, [player_tooltip player_id='1321320' first='Kole' last='Cronin'], has been a strong contributor at DE with 5 sacks and 8.5 TFLs on the season. He's a lengthy player (6'5"/245) with plus-side athleticism and has shown promising upside at both OT and DE positions- he's currently the #8-OL prospect in PRZ NV's 2026 rankings. Junior DB [player_tooltip player_id='1557724' first='Joey' last='Thomas III'] has been a standout in the secondary with a team-leading 3 INTs since transferring in from Washington. He's a lanky perimeter defender that can stick to WRs in man coverage and shows high-level instincts and anticipation in zone. Thomas holds seven offers including BYU, Colorado, Tulsa, and Cal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2-Reed (8-2)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reed was able to overcome losing starting QB [player_tooltip player_id='1112324' first='Nishaan' last='Bajwa'] in the first half of their semifinal win with junior backup <strong>Daxon</strong> <strong>Drayton</strong> stepping up to lead the offense to 31 points. Bajwa's shown great development from his junior to senior season, looking stronger in his downfield arm strength and more athletic making plays with his legs. Missing Bajwa for the championship game would undoubtedly be a big absence for the Reed offense, but Drayton showed some promise in his first real opportunity last week. The 5'11"/195 junior looked sharp in the RPO game and made some nice throws to the short-intermediate areas in the win. It remains to be seen who will be leading the offense on Friday. Junior RB [player_tooltip player_id='854252' first='Bronwyn' last='Rios'] has continued to be a leading playmaker out of the backfield as he nears 1,200 rushing yards on the season with 16 TDs. Rios showed his power and contact balance rushing for over 1,300 yards as a sophomore and has looked more explosive in his speed and twitch with the ball in his hands this season. The offense will need a big game from the junior RB, especially if they're without their starting QB- Rios rushed for 195 yards and totaled two TDs in the the teams' first meeting in October. Senior wideout <strong>Ezekiel</strong> <strong>McKay</strong> leads the team with 451 receiving yards and 4 TDs on 20 catches this season. He's a strong-handed pass catcher with useful length to his 6'2"/170 frame and has shown some saviness with the ball in hands on the perimeter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Reed's front-seven is led by two breakout defenders in senior OLB [player_tooltip player_id='1557739' first='Hunter' last='Erwin'] and junior DE [player_tooltip player_id='876717' first='Raymond' last='Maveni']. Erwin's a physical athlete at 6'1"/175 that's shown his ability to play in space, tackle around the edge of the box, and cover ground closing on the ball. Erwin's one of the more underrated OLB prospects in Nevada's 2025 class and will be worth a look for the upcoming rankings update- he leads the team in total tackles with 80 on the season and also has 5 sacks, 2 INTs, and 10.5 TFLs. Maveni's proven his rank as the #5-DL prospect in PRZ NV's 2026 rankings with his ability to disrupt and create negative plays off the edge. The 6'2"/250 junior leads the team in sacks (10.5) and TFLs (13.5) and just posted one of his best performances of the season with 9 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4 TFLs in the semifinal win over Reno. Another strong performance will be needed from Maveni in order to slow down the explosive offense of Bishop Manogue. Other defenders to keep an eye on are<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1598513' first='Oscar' last='Casarez']</strong> (LB, 2027) and <strong>Shaysan</strong> <strong>Rivero</strong> (LB, 2025).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Analysis</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These two teams showed how evenly matched they are in a seven-point victory for Bishop Manogue back in early October. Both teams have improved throughout the season, but Bishop Manogue has overwhelmed in-state opponents with their explosive offense since losing three straight to some of Northern California's powerhouse programs. Reed's playing great ball down the stretch and have proven their ability to hang points in bunches with creative playcalling and a well-executed scheme on offense. I see this championship matchup finishing similarly to their first meeting with a close, high-scoring game. The health/availability of Reed's QB1 [player_tooltip player_id='1112324' first='Nishaan' last='Bajwa'] will be a big factor, but I see Bishop Manogue advancing to the state final with the firepower and athletes they have on both sides of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->