Former UNLV offensive lineman Nate Oishi and some of his Rebels teammates could put together a handbook on what it takes to build a high school football program.

Oishi and his coaching staff did that at Lake Mead Academy , which culminated in winning the Class 2A state title in 2023.

Now they’re doing it at Sloan Canyon, a small charter school in Henderson that opened in August 2019.

You wouldn’t know that Sloan Canyon is in its third season playing football. The Pirates, in Oishi’s second season leading the program, are one of the surprises of the season by dominating 4A and some 5A opponents.

“I don’t like looking ahead myself,” Oishi said. “I like taking it one day at a time. In the preseason, people would ask me how we think we’ll be this year, and I’ll be like, ‘If we don’t win on

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