Pahrump Valley beats Virgin Valley 21–14 in football league opener

Toby Henry built Pahrump Valley’s nonleague schedule to prepare his football team for nights like this.

On Friday in Mesquite, the Trojans offered a pretty convincing argument that it worked as they bested a team that had beat them three years running.

Pahrump Valley turned a goal-line stand into a 98-yard touchdown drive, kept steady pressure on Virgin Valley’s quarterback and answered a third-quarter tie with the winning score to spoil the Bulldogs’ homecoming, 21–14.

The league-opening victory lifted the Trojans to 4–3 overall and ended a three-game losing streak against Virgin Valley. The Bulldogs dropped to 0–6, though there was little about this one that suggested an easy assignment for the visitors.

Asked afterward whether this was the kind of moment his demanding early schedule was meant to prepare the team for, Henry was direct.

“Yes, the kids played hard and were ready for that moment.”

Turning point comes early

Sophomore quarterback Wyatt Cross threw two touchdown passes to Lucas Gavenda, including the 10-yard strike that broke a 14–14 tie just five seconds into the fourth quarter. Preston Dockter supplied a touchdown and a series of tackle-breaking runs that helped keep the Trojans moving.

But the defense had plenty to say about the outcome.

Virgin Valley’s opening possession took a difficult turn when starting quarterback Krew Perry absorbed a hard — but legal — tackle on a fourth-down keeper. Perry remained down for a substantial period of time before being helped off the field, appearing unable to put weight on his left leg.

The Bulldogs turned to backup Kade Overman, who also handled kicking duties, and continued the drive. Pahrump Valley ended it with a fourth-down stop and fumble recovery at its own 16.

The quarterback change mattered. So did what the Trojans did afterward.

Pahrump Valley’s defensive front repeatedly crowded the pocket, forcing Overman to pull the ball down and try to escape. Some scrambles gained ground. Others ended behind the line, including a sack by Paul Walker. Even when the rush did not produce a sack, it gave the Bulldogs little time to let passing plays develop.

Virgin Valley still had Drew Dixon.

VV’s offensive weapon

On the Bulldogs’ next possession, Dixon broke multiple tackles and raced 61 yards down the home sideline for a touchdown with 6:14 left in the first quarter. The score brought a blast from the cannon fired after Virgin Valley touchdowns. Pahrump Valley blocked the extra point, leaving the Bulldogs ahead 6–0.

The Trojans later lost a fumble on a sack, and Virgin Valley threatened to turn that mistake into a two-score lead.

Instead, Pahrump Valley made the stop that changed the first half.

After the Bulldogs reached the 2-yard line, the Trojans stopped a fourth-down quarterback keeper and took possession with 1:23 remaining in the opening quarter.

Ninety-eight yards separated them from the opposite end zone.

Cross found Ryan Hamlin for a 25-yard gain on third down to get the Trojans out of the shadow of their goal posts. Completions to Angel Ware and Gavenda carried the possession into Bulldog territory as the game moved into the second quarter.

A holding penalty threatened to undo the progress. Pahrump Valley eventually faced fourth-and-20 at the Virgin Valley 33.

A calculated gamble

Henry kept the offense on the field, which became clearly the right move as Cross found Gavenda for the touchdown.

The extra point gave Pahrump Valley its first lead, 7–6, with 10:22 remaining before halftime. In just over three minutes of game time, the Trojans had gone from defending their own goal line to scoring at the other end.

There were opportunities to make the margin larger. A later drive reached the Virgin Valley 6 before a loss and two incompletions led to a missed field goal. A muffed punt gave the Bulldogs another possession, but the defense kept the lead intact heading into halftime.

Another long drive

The drive from Pahrump to Mesquite was not the only notable distance of the night. (The visitor-side stands were full despite the 160-mile distance between the two schools.) Pahrump Valley’s second touchdown drive covered 80 yards midway through the third quarter.

Back-to-back completions to Walker helped move the Trojans across midfield. A 40-yard completion put them at the 5, and Dockter finished the possession with a touchdown run. The extra point made it 14–6 with 5:01 remaining.

Virgin Valley answered with some deception. On fourth-and-3, Dixon took a handoff and threw to Overman to help extend a drive that also benefited from penalties against Pahrump Valley (which the assembled parents and boosters were loudly unhappy about). Dixon finished it with a 14-yard touchdown run, and the Bulldogs added a two-point conversion to tie the game with 3:12 left in the third.

But the Trojans responded again.

Dockter converted a third-and-3 with a run up the middle, then broke multiple tackles on a 21-yard gain. A pass-interference penalty helped move Pahrump Valley deeper into Bulldog territory.

The quarter ended with the Trojans facing third-and-8 at the Virgin Valley 10.

On the first play of the fourth, Cross delivered a quick touchdown pass to Gavenda. Another successful extra point made it 21–14.

That left nearly an entire quarter for the defense to protect the lead.

Too tricky?

The Trojans intercepted another Dixon trick-play pass and repeatedly kept Virgin Valley from establishing a sustained passing attack. Pahrump Valley’s own penalties helped stall a chance to put the game away, but its defense continued to answer.

Virgin Valley’s final possession began at its own 35 with 2:32 remaining and no timeouts. A quarterback run lost 2 yards, a handoff to Dixon gained only 1, and two incomplete passes ended the Bulldogs’ last chance.

Cross took over with 1:42 left and knelt out the remaining time.

It was not a mistake-free night. It was a night when the Trojans made enough plays to overcome those mistakes—and when the preparation Henry had talked about became a league victory.

NOTE: The Trojans have bye weeks Oct. 2 and Oct. 16. Football coverage will resume on Oct. 9 with a preview of Pahrump Valley’s home game against Moapa Valley.

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