Sports

For those clamoring for some football action, the long drought is over. Football is back. The NFL preseason started last week and high school football in the valley is gearing up to start with the first game scheduled against Bonanza on Aug. 29 at home at 7 p.m.

The “GREAT Games” were held in Pahrump at J.G. Johnson Elementary School last week. Each year for the last 17 years GREAT Games has entertained the youth of the valley. During the summer months two Nye County deputies go out and take their anti-gang message on the road. During the games hundreds of kids play, have fun and learn alternative ways to gangs, drugs and violence.

Pahrump has some serious horseshoe players in the valley. Players play at Petrack Park. The park has six pits that actually have some shade on them, which makes it the only pit in the state with shade. The Pahrump horseshoe players are growing in numbers and just had a National tourney at the park on July 12.

With a significant portion of the Trojans offense gone, the Trojans are expecting the defense to step up this season. Sydney Sladek was the lead scorer last season with 75 goals and that amounted to 53 percent of the offense. The next best scorer the Trojans had was Paige Chafee, who is a junior and had 12 goals. She is returning. The Trojans hope to replace the talent lost with new talent coming in, but until that new talent has a chance to adjust to new teammates, the veterans on defense will be the glue that holds the team together.

The Beatty High School football field is often referred to as the “cursed field” because of the past difficulties to get grass to grow on it. During the spring months the field was reseeded once again.

Three high schools in the Nye County School District have new athletic directors. The schools receiving new athletic directors are Tonopah, Pahrump and Beatty High Schools.

This week the sports page is dedicated to award winning photographer Horace Langford Jr. At the Pahrump Valley Times this is an end of an era as the newspaper says goodbye to Horace after almost 14 years. This Week in Sports was started because Horace shot so many great photos and the paper wanted a place to put them.

Adrian Maldonado is one of two team captains for the Pahrump Valley Trojans soccer team. He is excited to start the season, which will be his last year.