Pahrump Valley cross-country sweeps regional titles, advances to state

Pahrump Valley’s cross country teams are heading to state with two Southern Region championships, earned through a narrow boys victory and a decisive girls performance Friday, Oct. 30, in Boulder City.

The Trojan boys edged Moapa Valley 40-44, while the girls scored 23 points to finish comfortably ahead of Moapa Valley’s 44 at Veterans Memorial Park. Both teams qualified for the Class 3A state championships Saturday, Nov. 7, at the same park.

The boys state race is scheduled for 12:10 p.m., followed by the girls at 12:45 p.m.

At regionals, Pahrump’s boys put five runners among the first 12 finishers to overcome a Moapa Valley team led by individual champion BJ Robison.

Senior Joaquin Flores paced the Trojans in third place, completing the 5-kilometer course in 17 minutes, 35.9 seconds. He finished just four-tenths of a second behind runner-up Tyzin Broderick of Virgin Valley. Robison won in 17:22.9.

Logan Tilley followed Flores in fourth place at 17:41.9, giving Pahrump two runners near the front of the 48-runner field.

The Trojans’ next three finishers supplied the points that secured the championship. Junior Azel Machuca placed 10th in 18:36.6, junior Joshua Gent finished 11th in 18:37.4 and freshman Zander Thompson took 12th in 18:47.2.

Pahrump’s five scoring runners finished within 1 minute, 11.3 seconds of one another. Moapa Valley had three runners among the top seven, but its fourth and fifth scorers placed 15th and 16th.

Joshua Flores added a 13th-place finish in 18:51.0, and Daniel Thompson placed 18th in 19:22.4, putting all seven Trojans among the top 18.

Virgin Valley finished third with 91 points and Boulder City fourth with 94. Both also qualified for state.

In cross country, the lowest team score wins. Teams add the finishing-place points of their first five runners. Runners from schools with fewer than five finishers are excluded from team scoring, so an athlete’s scoring place can differ from the overall finish.

That distinction was particularly important in the girls’ race, where Pahrump finished second, third and fourth overall but earned the first three scoring positions.

Senior Sophie Romero led the Trojans in 21:25.5, followed by juniors Adelin Nelsen in 21:41.0 and Ava Bowers in 21:49.8. The trio finished within 24.3 seconds of one another.

Coral Academy of Science’s Alexandra Herchik won the race in 20:25.7. Coral Academy had four finishers, leaving it short of the five needed for a team score.

Seniors Alexis Clouser and Rosie Miller completed Pahrump’s scoring lineup. Clouser placed 12th overall in 24:17.8, worth eight team points, and Miller finished 13th in 24:32.0 for nine points. Combined with the leading trio’s six points, those finishes produced the Trojans’ winning total of 23.

Anjolina Mercado placed 15th in 25:07.4, and Kimberly Trejo finished 16th in 26:12.8. All seven Pahrump girls finished among the top 16 in the 31-runner field.

Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley, which scored 65 points, joined Pahrump as qualifying girls teams.

Saturday’s state meet will bring the Trojans back to the site of their regional sweep, with a statewide field providing the next test.

For the boys, Friday’s four-point margin underscored the importance of the runners behind the leaders. Pahrump’s consecutive finishes in 10th through 13th helped turn two top-four performances into a team championship.

The girls enter state with a closely grouped front three and a regional title built on contributions throughout the scoring lineup. Both teams now have an opportunity to carry that depth into the season’s final championship race.

Contact Bill Evans at wevans@pvtimes.com.