SNGCA honors four Trojans on 1st and 2nd All-Southern Nevada teams

Over the weekend, multiple members of Pahrump Valley High School’s boys golf program were selected to the 2026 All-Southern Nevada First and Second Teams.

Leading the pack for the Trojans this season was first-year golfer Aaron Rily, who stepped away from baseball after last season to pursue golf more seriously.

“He’s been great. He didn’t play golf with us ‘til this year,” Trojans head coach Bob Hopkins said. “I mean, he played golf, but he mainly was a baseball player.”

Rily represented Pahrump Valley as the Trojans’ sole selection to the All-Southern Nevada First Team.

The junior shot a regular season best of 83 (+11) twice this year — first at Boulder Creek Golf Club on March 11 and later at home at Mountain Falls Golf Club on April 6.

At regionals in his backyard at Mountain Falls on May 6 and 7, Rily opened the tournament with an 82 (+10) on day 1 before finishing day 2 with an 84 (+12).

His success carried over to the state tournament at Boulder Creek, where Rily led the Trojans on day 1 with a tournament personal-best 77 (+5), placing seventh individually through 18 holes.

Rily wrapped up the event by retaining his seventh-place overall position in the Class 3A state standings.

“I did better than I thought I would do and I really improved from the start of the season to the end,” Rily said. “Of course I wanted to do great but I mainly tried to keep expectations to a minimum and just play golf.”

Travis Floyd

Rily’s partner on the green, junior Travis Floyd, headlines the Trojans selected to the NIAA All-Southern Nevada Second Team.

Floyd recorded Pahrump’s regular season low round of 81 (+9), which he shot on April 6 at Mountain Falls Golf Course during league match No. 4.

After a tougher outing of 99 (+20) at Coyote Springs in Mesquite on April 22, Floyd regrouped at the Class 3A Regionals, shooting an 89 (+17) on day 1 and an 85 (+13) on day 2 as the Trojans finished third overall.

Floyd recorded his lowest score of the year on day 1 of the Class 3A State Tournament, shooting a 78 (+6) to help give the Trojans a second-place finish after the opening round. He closed day 2 and the 2026 season on May 13 with an 87 (+15).

“I’m very happy with the outcome of my season. I definitely feel like I had a couple of tournaments that I could have played better in, but I also had some great and very consistent rounds,” Floyd said. “I feel like Aaron and I both proved what we are capable of at state, playing through difficult conditions and hitting new personal records. I am planning on putting in a lot of offseason work and having an even greater season next year.”

Cayden Cowley

Many around town know him from his soccer days as the “Pink Panther,” but Cayden Cowley earned a new nickname on the golf course this season: the “Barefoot Bandit.”

Often spotted grounding himself on the grass in just his socks, the laid-back senior played a consistent role in the Trojans’ success this season.

Averaging an 87.8 during the regular season, Cowley posted his best round at Boulder Creek on March 11, finishing with an 84 (+12).

After shooting a 92 (+20) on day 1 and a 96 (+24) during regionals at Mountain Falls Golf Club in Pahrump, Cowley bounced back with a stronger performance at state.

The soon-to-be graduate regrouped on day 1 of the state tournament, shooting an 84 (+12) to tie his season best before finishing day 2 with an 86 (+14).

“Truly, I have no clue how I made it all. All I can do is absolutely crush the ball — my farthest drive at state was 340 yards, so I think that’s the only reason,” Cowley jokingly said. “I think it went good this season. There was so much pressure on me for the second day of state, and I truly feel like everyone felt that going into day 2.”

Brody Myers

One of the biggest surprises of the season came from freshman Brody Myers.

The young, strong-driving golfer was extremely consistent during the regional tournament, shooting an 86 (+14) on both day 1 and day 2.

Myers also tied the team’s regular season low score of 81 (+9) on April 1 at Casablanca Golf Club.

“I tell people all the time, I don’t want to quit coaching. I don’t want to just sit around and do nothing, either, because it seems like you don’t last very long when that happens,” Hopkins said with a playful laugh.

Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com.

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