Pahrump Valley looks to carry Durango comeback into Chaparral game

For one half last Friday, Pahrump Valley showed how quickly its offense can change a game.

The problem was that the Trojans waited until they were 27 points behind to do it.

Pahrump Valley scored 34 points after halftime and twice pulled within one possession before falling 42-34 at Durango. Now the Trojans will try to carry that second-half surge into a complete performance when they visit Chaparral at 6 p.m. Friday.

Pahrump Valley enters at 1-2 after opening with a 29-6 win over Providence Hall before losses to Galena and Durango. MaxPreps lists Chaparral at 1-1 after the Cowboys followed a two-point loss to Cheyenne with a 51-0 rout of Western.

Pahrump Valley coach Toby Henry reduced the assignment to two essentials.

“The game plan is to take what the defense gives us on offense, and on defense, we need to eliminate big plays,” Henry said.

That second priority is not difficult to trace. Durango repeatedly turned turnovers and explosive plays into short fields while building its 27-0 halftime lead. Pahrump Valley committed four first-half turnovers — two interceptions and two lost fumbles — before reversing the direction of the game after halftime.

The comeback did not produce a victory, but it gave the Trojans something tangible to bring home from Las Vegas. They found production through the air, forced turnovers of their own and kept pressure on Durango until the closing seconds.

More than one way to move the ball

Ryan Hamlin started at quarterback against Durango, giving Pahrump Valley another running threat. Sophomore Evan Strain entered after the Trojans fell behind and helped ignite the passing game.

Henry has not said how the two will be used against Chaparral, but the Trojans have shown they can attack in more than one way.

Through three games, MaxPreps credits Strain with 488 passing yards and four touchdowns. Senior Preston Dockter has carried 43 times for 198 yards and two touchdowns while also scoring once as a receiver.

Senior receiver Lucas Gavenda has turned six catches into 136 yards and a touchdown. He also returned an interception for a score at Durango, part of the second-half charge that changed what had appeared headed toward another lopsided defeat.

Pahrump Valley is averaging 295.7 yards per game, including 174.3 through the air. Those figures come with a warning, however: Much of the Trojans’ production at Durango came after the first half had left them with almost no room for error.

Friday offers a chance to show that production can arrive before the outcome begins slipping away.

Chaparral runs through Taylor

Chaparral’s offense presents a different problem, beginning with junior quarterback Louis Taylor.

The 5-foot-5, 160-pound quarterback has rushed for 349 yards through two games while throwing for another 174. In Chaparral’s victory over Western, Taylor ran for three touchdowns and threw for another as the Cowboys earned their first win.

MaxPreps lists Chaparral at 271 rushing yards and 358 total yards per game. That makes containing Taylor — without allowing him to create openings for teammates — the central test for a Pahrump Valley defense that has surrendered 89 points over the past two weeks.

Those numbers do not tell the entire story. Turnovers repeatedly placed the defense in difficult situations against Durango, and Gavenda’s interception return demonstrated that the unit can create game-changing plays of its own.

Still, the Cowboys’ ability to score 51 points a week after losing by two suggests their opening defeat did not define them.

Pahrump Valley dominated last year’s meeting 56-14 in Pahrump, piling up 482 yards behind a senior-heavy offense. That result offers background, but little protection Friday. The Trojans have a new head coach, a new primary quarterback and several players filling larger roles. Chaparral has changed as well.

At 1-2, Pahrump Valley does not need another encouraging half. It needs the team that scored 34 points at Durango to arrive at kickoff — and remain for four quarters.

Contact sports reporter Bill Evans at wevans@pvtimes.com.