Pahrump Valley football hosts Boulder City with league positioning at stake

Pahrump Valley has had two weeks to think about what went wrong against Moapa Valley. Friday brings a chance to do something about it.

The Trojans host Boulder City at 7 p.m. tonight in their regular-season finale, with an opportunity to finish above .500 and strengthen their postseason position.

Coach Toby Henry said the response during the break has been encouraging.

“Our kids had a great week of practice on our bye week,” Henry said. “They know what this game means and that Boulder will give us everything they got.”

Pahrump enters at 4–4 overall and 1–1 in the 3A Southern league. Boulder City is 2–4 overall and 0–2 in league play, coming off a 35–6 loss to Virgin Valley.

Those records give the Trojans an opportunity. Henry’s message is that they still have to earn it.

“Boulder City is a good team and we will have to bring it,” he said.

A chance to respond

Pahrump’s last outing offered a frustrating combination of encouraging moments and costly mistakes.

Preston Dockter scored twice against Moapa, Paul Walker delivered important defensive stops, and the Trojans pulled within 13 points late in the third quarter. But five turnovers helped the Pirates leave with a 37–16 homecoming-ruining victory.

The timing made those mistakes particularly expensive. An interception late in the first half set up a Moapa touchdown. A fumble on the second-half kickoff gave the Pirates another short field and another score before Pahrump’s offense took a snap.

When the Trojans finally trimmed the deficit to 29–16, Moapa quarterback Kamden Drosos answered with a 76-yard touchdown run just 14 seconds of game time later.

Henry’s assessment afterward was direct.

“We have to take care of the ball better,” he said after that game. “That was the difference in the game.”

Friday offers the first opportunity to show that improvement in competition.

Dockter remains a central part of the offense, while sophomore quarterback Wyatt Cross has receiving options in Angel Ware, Ryan Hamlin, Lucas Gavenda and Walker. Against Moapa, Pahrump demonstrated that it could move the ball and create scoring chances. Finishing possessions without giving the ball away will be essential against Boulder City.

An opponent looking for its own answer

The Eagles arrive having lost three straight games, but their season includes victories over Eldorado and Sierra Vista. They also stayed within the combo of a touchdown and a two-point conversion of Durango in a 30–22 loss Oct. 9.

Pahrump knows something about playing the Trailblazers closely. The Trojans lost by the exact same margin — 42–34 — at Durango earlier this season after a substantial second-half rally.

Boulder City has had a tougher time in league play, losing 48–13 to Moapa before last week’s defeat against Virgin Valley.

That gives both teams something to correct and something to prove tonight. Pahrump wants to turn its preparation into cleaner execution. Boulder City is seeking its first league victory and a better finish to the regular season.

Recent meetings favor the Trojans. Pahrump won 14–6 at Boulder City last season and 55–20 at home in 2024. The narrow margin a year ago is a useful reminder that another win is hardly automatic.

Making the work count

The Oct. 16 bye was Pahrump’s second open Friday in three weeks. Henry previously confirmed that the gaps resulted from Democracy Prep and The Meadows folding their football programs.

That has left the Trojans with an unusual October rhythm: a week off, the Moapa game, another week off, and now the finale.

Henry’s report of a productive practice week gives Pahrump something positive to carry into Friday. The next step is making that work hold up when a possession stalls, a penalty pushes the offense backward or Boulder City makes a play.

Even as the homecoming crowd thinned during the Moapa loss, the Trojans continued competing. Henry praised that persistence afterward.

“Our kids never quit and I love that about them,” he said.

Against Boulder City, Pahrump will try to pair that effort with the ball security and execution that were missing too often against the Pirates.

A victory would send the Trojans into the postseason stretch at 5–4, with two wins in their three league games. It would also give them a more satisfying final regular-season performance to build on.

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