Banner ceremony highlights PVHS legacy

Pahrump Valley High School held a banner ceremony to commemorate the achievements of multiple athletic teams from the 2019-20 school year through the fall of the 2021-22 school year on Wednesday evening.

Due to the COVID-19 virus, the 2019-20 and 2020-21 teams weren’t able to have ceremonies for the championships that they won.

A total of seven teams were recognized for their accomplishments — some had multiple championships.

Three teams were honored from the 2019-20 school year: girls golf, girls basketball and girls soccer.

The girls golf team received recognition for their league championship, their regional championship and their state runner-up finish in the fall of 2019.

At the time, this was Pahrump Valley’s second consecutive year receiving all three of those honors. The golf team defeated Boulder City by 20 strokes to win the regional championship.

The following week, the Trojans fell short in the state tournament and finished 34 strokes behind the champions, Elko. Breanne Nygaard finished in second place with a score of +10 for the two-day tournament. She finished just 11 strokes behind the top individual performer of the tournament.

The girls soccer team received recognition for their league championship during the fall of 2019. That year, the Trojans finished the season with an overall record of 17-3-3 and went undefeated in league play.

Unfortunately, Pahrump Valley came up short in the regional playoffs as they were knocked out in the second round by eventual regional champions Virgin Valley.

Junior forward Kaylee Mendoza led the Trojans in points (90) and goals (38). She finished tied for third in the state for total points and tied for second in the state for goals scored.

The girls basketball team was honored for their league championship for the 2019-20 season. That year they finished the season with an overall record of 30-4 and finished league play with a perfect record of 12-0.

“It was great,” girls basketball and golf head coach Bob Hopkins said of having three teams be recognized on the night. “It was awesome. Not getting to play basketball last year, that hurt, but we’re having a good year this year.”

The Trojans were led that year by then sophomore guard Tayla Wombaker. She finished the season averaging 11.4 points per game, 3.1 assists per game and 3.9 steals per game. Wombaker and her teammate, Kate Daffer, both finished in the top 10 in scoring in the Nevada 3A division that season.

After winning the league, Pahrump Valley went on to play in the regional and state tournaments. The Trojans came up just short in the regional championship game to Moapa Valley, losing by just two points, and they were knocked out of the state tournament in the first round by Fernley, 57-51.

Because of the COVID-19 virus, all sports were canceled for the spring of 2020, the fall of 2020 and the winter of 2020/21.

Despite all of those seasons being canceled, Pahrump Valley was able to participate in sports during the spring of 2021.

That year, Pahrump Valley’s softball team won their league title. That year, the Trojans finished with an overall record of 12-6 and a league record of 6-1.

The Trojans went all the way to the regional championships. Unfortunately, they came up just short and were defeated by the Virgin Valley Bulldogs.

Normally, the two teams that play in the regional championships would also make it to the state tournament. However, in 2021, Nevada did not hold a softball state tournament.

Three teams were recognized for their achievements during the fall of 2021 – girls golf, girls soccer and football.

The girls golf team won their third consecutive league and regional championships during this past season. They also finished as the state tournament runner-ups for the third consecutive season.

In the regional tournament, the Trojans were able to get the slightest of victories over Boulder City. The Trojans won the regional tournament by just seven strokes.

In the state tournament, Pahrump Valley finished 42 strokes behind the northern champions, Douglas High School, for their second-place finish.

The Trojans had three golfers finish inside of the top 15 golfers of the tournament. Alana Zuniga had the best score for Pahrump, shooting a +36 over the two-day tournament.

During the fall of 2021, Pahrump Valley’s football program won their first league title since the 2018 season.

The Trojans finished the year with a 4-4 overall record and a 3-1 league record, earning themselves a first-round bye in the regional playoffs.

Unfortunately, the Trojans came up short in their second-round matchup to the eventual state runner-ups, the Virgin Valley Bulldogs.

The biggest honor of the night was revealed for the fall 2021 girls soccer team. This past season they had arguably the greatest season in Pahrump Valley soccer history.

Not only did the girls soccer team win their league title, they also won the regional championship and they won the state championship, which was played on their home field.

The Trojans finished the season with an overall record of 19-1 and went undefeated in league play with a record of 10-0. The Trojans’ only loss came in the opening game of the season when they played against Faith Lutheran, a Nevada 5A team.

The Pahrump Valley girls soccer team was led by junior forward Adryanaa Avena, who finished first in the state in both goals scored (39) and total points (98). She was awarded Nevada Player of the Week twice during the season.

Sophomore goalkeeper Avery Moore led the state with 15 shutouts, including the playoffs. At one point in the season, the Trojans didn’t allow a single goal for nine consecutive games.

Pahrump Valley’s winter sports this year should be getting some more years added to their banners.

The wrestling team was just crowned league champions after completing their league schedule with a perfect 9-0 record. They’ll be heading to the regional tournament on Saturday, Feb. 12, which begins at 9 a.m. at Virgin Valley High School.

Following the regional tournament, any wrestlers who come out victorious will have a shot at the state title on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Boulder City High School.

The girls basketball team is also in prime position to receive some accolades for the season they’re putting together this year. The team is currently 21-1 on the season, with a league record of 7-0, and they are sitting in first place for the southern region.

The Nevada 3A basketball playoffs will start on Monday, Feb. 14, with the regional championships taking place on Friday, Feb. 18, for the boys and Saturday, Feb. 19, for the girls. The state championship will follow those up the following week on Saturday, Feb. 26.