LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Nevada drivers are feeling the sting at the pump as gas prices hover around the $5 mark, forcing some families in the Las Vegas area to make tough choices and pushing others to look for alternatives such as e-bikes.

According to AAA, the cost of a regular gallon of gas in Nevada is a little more than $5. In Las Vegas, the average is $5.05 a gallon.

In North Las Vegas, parents Cheliese Mossett and Avigail Puente stopped for gas near Lake Mead and Losee, where prices significantly under $5 a gallon are hard to come by.

“They need to go down. Absolutely. Right now,” Mossett said.

Puente said, “I do not know what crisis is going on but they should lower them.”

Mossett, a medical courier who drives a minivan, said she can only spend $40 at a time and never quite fills her tank because she needs what is left to pay for her kids’ care. “It was already hard before. Now, it is getting ridiculous,” she said. Mossett also said it is time for the U.S. to pull out of Iran to drop prices back down.

Puente described weighing everyday purchases against the cost of fuel to get her child to school.

“I mean, it is over whether I want to buy my son a toy or a Happy Meal to where, well, those five or ten dollars could go in my car to get him to and from school so it is pretty outrageous,” Puente said.

7 Eleven Station in North Las Vegas (KSNV)

As some families struggle with fuel costs, an e-bike shop owner said he is seeing more customers trying to save money by riding instead of driving.

“We have had a big uptick in 20, 30, 40 year-olds that are looking to save money,” said Eric Olsen, owner of Epic E-Bike Adventures.

Olsen said he launched his business recently and has reported some of his best sales in the last month, which he tied to when the U.S. began its war with Iran. He said this month’s sales are 50% better than the month before. The bikes cost between $1,000 and $2,000.

Epic E-Bike Adventures (KSNV)

Olsen said his customer base has increased beyond retirees looking for recreational trail rides.

“We get a lot of people that are starting to use them for Uber Eats in that 20, 30, 40 year-old demographic,” Olsen said.

Olsen said he stopped using a car a few years ago and found the costs added up quickly.

“I was paying car payments, insurance, gas, maintenance all of it. Within a month its about the same price as a bike. Most of our bikes are below $2,000. Very low maintenance and so it is just a great alternative. I throw Uber in there if I am going out. And all around, I am saving 500-600 a month just riding my bike,” Olsen said.

Olsen said e-bikes are also drawing hospitality workers and others looking for a quick way to cut commuting costs. He said most of the bikes in his shop get about a 50- to 80-mile range, and described one rider’s commute between Boulder Station and Mandalay Bay.

“Most of our bikes get about a 50 to 80 mile range. So I know one guy yesterday was talking. He goes from Boulder Station to Mandalay Bay and back. And the battery will make it the full round trip. And he still has 20 to 30 percent on his battery,” Olsen said.

E-bikes may not work for everyone, particularly parents who need to pick up young children from school and may face challenges related to passenger seating and time.

Olsen said the bikes are street legal and max out at 28 miles per hour. He adds they come with a two-year warranty that covers just about everything except brakes and tires. Olsen also said his store will not repair e-bikes that have been modified to go faster.

As a rule, first-year sports programs are not expected to be competitive. It can take time to build an administration, coaching staff and team capable of competing with the best.

Nevada State University’s fledgling flag football team threw that rule out the window this year.

The Scorpions just finished an undefeated inaugural season in which they won eight of 13 games by shutout while outscoring opponents by an average of 42 points. They built such a reputation that their final two opponents canceled games that would have been played this week.

“How our season has gone, teams don’t want to come out here to lose,” said coach Brandon Pappillion, who coached at Bishop Gorman before taking over at NSU. “It was very disappointing. One canceled, then the next day the other called to cancel.”

The Scorpions surprised opponents, but they did not surprise themselves.

“Going undefeated was our goal from the beginning,” Pappillion said.

But there were no playoff wins. Though the Scorpions have applied to join the NAIA next year, they were unaffiliated this season and were ineligible for postseason play. The NAIA is a similar to the NCAA but consists of many smaller and private universities.

Pappillion said he can wait, as he is confident he’ll have another dominant squad next year.

Easy to recruit

Unlike coaches of most first-year programs, Pappillion was able to recruit many of the top players in the country. He didn’t have to look very far, as Clark County has become the country’s hotbed for flag football talent. All 15 of his players came from Southern Nevada high schools.

Former Liberty standout Kaylie Phillips, a quarterback and defensive back, said she knew from the start that the team would be competitive in its first season.

“I knew we’d do really good, but to go undefeated with all the shutouts was the surprising part,” the freshman said. “But I never thought we’d lose, even in the close games.”

There weren’t many of those. The Scorpions defeated Arizona State 21-12 and Arizona Christian 28-26. The remainder of the victories could be classified as blowouts, including last month’s 83-0 trouncing of USC.

The Scorpions gained so much attention that Phillips and teammate Brooklin Hill recently were named to the 24-player US Women’s National Team roster. Training camp begins this month, with the IFAF World Championship scheduled for this summer in Germany.

Elite athletes

Hill, a former Desert Oasis standout, played her freshman season at the University of St. Mary in Kansas before returning home for her sophomore year. She said her homecoming has been a welcome step up.

“(St. Mary) was a good learning experience,” said Hill, who jumped on the offer to transfer to NSU’s first-year program. “I was able to get something out of it. But with the coaches and the players here, we have a winning culture and we believe we have to be the best.”

Pappillion said that culture did not come by accident.

“I think Nevada has the best talent across the country,” he said. “We’ve been doing this longer than anybody else because we were one of the first states to start flag football. We have a little advantage.”

If all goes as planned, the Scorpions will qualify for postseason play next year.

“The girls knew that this year was a chance to get their feet wet,” Pappillion said. “But they all want to play for a championship. That has always been their goal.”

Contact Jeff Wollard at jwollard@reviewjournal.com.