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With high school fall sports shut down in Nevada, some athletes are traveling to Utah to play

Posted at 6:56 AM, Aug 10, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-10 23:41:47-04

SALT LAKE CITY — Some high school athletes from Nevada are coming to Utah to play sports, because there are fewer restrictions here.

The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association pushed back high school fall sports to February and condensed the season.

FOX 5 Las Vegas reports some students are driving to Utah for club games.

It`s only about an hour for people who live in Clark County in southern Nevada.

Some families say the option to drive across state lines helps competitive high school athletes, especially seniors.

It could be their last chance to get noticed and play at the next level.

Dallas Larsen, Moapa Valley High School Athletic Director, told FOX 5 some families are considering taking an even bigger step.

"Sell your home in Nevada and move to Utah to make that work,” Larsen said. “When families ask me, you've got to do what's best for your family. For some, sports are a big part of that."

Riley Jensen is a mental performance coach who coaches for Mountain West Elite.

He’s talked to several football coaches across the state and on average, they have at least two to three out-of-state transfers, with more coming.

He worries the influx will hurt local talent.

“If you hadn’t had a chance to start as a sophomore or junior and you worked your whole life to see that maybe it wasn’t going to happen and now it’s going to happen but a California kid who has been recruited by 15 different schools moves into the state I think it causes some difficult problems,” Jensen said.

When it comes to transfer guidelines for out-of-state families, the Utah High School Activities Association says families must provide proof of a terminated lease or sale of an out-of-state residence, and proof of a new property rental or purchase within the school's boundaries.