Pahrump Valley football runs past Providence Hall 29-6 in season opener

“We wanted Providence Hall to tackle our physical runners for four quarters to wear them down,” Pahrump Valley coach Toby Henry said.

That was the plan Friday night, and Henry thought the result was apparent by the end.

“PH ran out of gas at the end of the game,” he said.

By halftime, Pahrump Valley had built a 15-0 lead. The Trojans added two more touchdowns after the break and kept Providence Hall out of the end zone until the final play of the game in a 29-6 season-opening victory at Pahrump Valley High School.

Pahrump did all of its first-half scoring in the second quarter. Evan Strain connected with Preston Dockter for one touchdown and added a rushing score of his own as the Trojans took a 15-0 advantage into halftime.

But establishing the running game remained the priority.

“The first half we wanted to establish our run game and wear PH down,” Henry said. “We wanted to test the waters and see how tough they were.”

Patriots not unfamiliar opponents

Pahrump Valley and Providence Hall, a charter school from Herriman, Utah, met during a football camp at Southern Utah University in July 2025. Pahrump scored six times in that controlled scrimmage while its defense kept Providence Hall out of the end zone.

In this latest outing, what the Patriots lacked in size compared with Pahrump, they often compensated for with speed. Providence Hall operated almost exclusively from the shotgun and showed early in the second half that it could move the ball on the ground, particularly outside and on quarterback keepers.

But the Trojans repeatedly prevented those drives from becoming points.

Pahrump took possession at its own 38 following a short Providence punt early in the third quarter and went back to the approach Henry had emphasized.

Dockter and Tristan Schumacher carried the ball as the Trojans worked their way into Providence territory. A completion to John Wydick moved Pahrump inside the Patriots’ 10-yard line before Dockter advanced the ball to around the 7.

Iyan Bosket finished the drive with a touchdown, and the extra point gave the Trojans a 22-0 lead with 5:58 remaining in the third quarter.

Providence responded with one of its best possessions of the night.

The Patriots began at their own 41 and broke a run of roughly 20 yards around the left side. Quarterback Ethan Griffith also found room on a keeper, while Gary Grayson contributed on the ground as Providence moved into Pahrump territory.

The drive reached the Trojans’ 24-yard line, but Bosket helped Pahrump push the Patriots backward with a tackle for a loss. On fourth-and-9, Griffith was pressured by multiple Trojans and his deep pass fell incomplete.

Grinding it out

“Our defense played outstanding,” Henry said. “We didn’t give up much. I was proud of how they flew around the field and played very sound.”

Pahrump again went to the ground on its next possession. Dockter, Schumacher and Bosket all carried the ball as the Trojans moved from their own 24 into Providence territory, including a fourth-and-1 conversion straight up the middle.

A fumble eventually ended the drive, but the Patriots could not take advantage.

After Providence was backed up by a false start, the Trojans recorded a third-down sack. Pahrump then blocked the Patriots’ punt and took possession at the Providence 35.

That was when Henry decided to take a shot.

“We thought it was a perfect time to try to strike with a trick play,” Henry said. “Our guys executed it well. We wanted to end PH at that point.”

After an incomplete pass, the Trojans used a handoff before Aaron Rily pulled up and threw downfield to Lucas Gavenda for a completion. A roughing-the-passer penalty against Providence on the play put Pahrump in a first-and-goal situation.

Dockter then took the ball around the right side for the touchdown. The extra point made it 29-0.

Henry credited the offensive line with allowing Pahrump to stay committed to the running game throughout the night.

“Our game plan was to run the ball on PH,” Henry said. “Our guys did that well. Our line played extremely well and played very physical.”

The numbers backed up that approach. Pahrump Valley finished with 365 yards of offense, including 220 on the ground and 145 through the air.

Dockter carried 20 times for 118 yards and added three catches for 47 yards, scoring once rushing and once receiving. Strain completed 12 of 19 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown and also scored on the ground. Bosket added 70 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Cade Wulfenstein led Pahrump with nine tackles, while Paul Walker was credited with a sack.

One last shot

Providence mounted one final drive behind Griffith, Grayson and Mason Uchala. A Pahrump pass-interference penalty helped the Patriots reach the red zone, and Griffith eventually kept the ball around the right side for a touchdown on the final play of the game.

It spoiled the shutout but little else.

“I was proud that we pretty much shut them out and how physical we played,” Henry said. “I always worry about what kind of game shape we are gonna be in at the beginning of the season, and we were in a lot better shape than PH.

“We just need to clean a couple of things up and get better every week.”

Pahrump Valley is scheduled to remain at home Friday against Galena.

Contact sports reporter Bill Evans at wevans@pvtimes.com