Pahrump Valley beats Virgin Valley 30–29 on late touchdown, two-point conversion

Toby Henry had already made the decision.

If Pahrump Valley got into the end zone, the Trojans were going for two. For the lead. For another week of football.

“There was no question that we were going for two points after we scored at the end,” Henry said. “Our 2-point coordinator had the perfect play dialed up and our kids executed it to perfection. I just told them, ‘Let’s go win this thing!’”

They did.

Preston Dockter scored a touchdown with 35 seconds remaining Friday, Nov. 6, then carried in the two-point conversion that put Pahrump Valley ahead of Virgin Valley 30–29. The defense finished the job with a sack and fumble recovery on the Bulldogs’ final possession, sending the Trojans into the next round of the playoffs.

And the next round is state.

There were turnovers, costly penalties, a trick-play touchdown and a field goal that hit the crossbar. There were enough changes in direction to make any declaration of a “turning point” seem premature.

Until the last one.

“This game was probably my favorite win of my career as a head coach and an assistant coach,” Henry said. “I just wanted our kids to beat Virgin Valley again.”

One more chance

The Trojans had beaten the Bulldogs 21–14 in September. With 4:07 remaining in the rematch, they faced a seven-point deficit and the possibility that their season was about to end.

Harvey Hurtado’s rushing touchdown and Virgin Valley’s successful two-point conversion made it 29–22. Pahrump Valley recovered the ensuing onside kick and began its answer at its own 43.

A 27-yard completion moved the Trojans to the Bulldog 30. Later, Evan Strain found Paul Walker for a first down at the 20. Dockter carried twice, moving the ball to the 14 as the clock ran below two minutes.

Then the drive nearly unraveled.

A holding penalty pushed Pahrump Valley into third-and-15. A pass was intercepted in the end zone, but a personal foul against Virgin Valley kept the Trojans’ possession alive.

Given another chance, Pahrump Valley finished. Dockter helped move the ball into a first-and-goal situation, then scored with 35 seconds left.

The touchdown made it 29–28, Virgin Valley.

A kick could tie it. Henry wanted the lead.

“We have been working on two-point plays all season,” he said. “We have a package that we trust and a group of guys that we trust on our two-point team.”

Virgin Valley called timeout before the conversion. When play resumed, Dockter got in.

The Trojans had a one-point lead. Now they needed a stop.

Nine seconds

Virgin Valley recovered Pahrump Valley’s onside kick and took possession at its own 40 with 30 seconds remaining.

A five-yard completion and timeout left 26 seconds. A deep pass fell incomplete. Another completion under heavy pressure gained nothing.

Fourth-and-5. Nine seconds.

“We just told our defense to play sound and not give up anything deep in that situation,” Henry said.

The Trojans got to the quarterback. The ball came loose. Pahrump Valley recovered.

“When we got the sack, our sideline erupted,” Henry said.

It was the final answer from a defense that had spent much of the night trying to contain Drew Dixon and Dresden Gutierrez.

Gutierrez, wearing the same No. 2 as Dockter, had been a problem almost immediately. After Virgin Valley returned the opening kickoff to the Trojan 35, he scored around the end with 11:03 left in the first quarter. He also intercepted a pass on Pahrump Valley’s opening possession and repeatedly supplied substantial gains.

But the Trojans kept answering.

A little deception

Dockter’s 14-yard touchdown run finished an 83-yard drive and tied the game at 6. The two-point attempt failed.

An end-zone interception later gave Pahrump Valley the ball at its own 20. Strain ran for 12 yards, then the Trojans reached into the playbook.

Strain threw laterally to Ryan Hamlin, who launched a pass downfield to Lucas Gavenda for a 68-yard touchdown. A successful two-point conversion made it 14–6 with 11:18 left in the second quarter.

Virgin Valley responded with a touchdown and a two-point pass to Gutierrez, tying the game at 14. After stopping Pahrump Valley on downs, the Bulldogs drove 74 yards and scored on a pass to Hurtado with just 4.3 seconds left before halftime.

The extra point put the Trojans behind 21–14.

They would spend much of the second half working their way out of trouble.

An interception ended Pahrump Valley’s opening possession of the third quarter. The defense held, and Virgin Valley’s field-goal attempt struck the crossbar and bounced away.

Later, the Bulldogs muffed a Strain punt. Pahrump Valley recovered at the Virgin Valley 11 and converted that opportunity into a short rushing touchdown. The two-point conversion gave the Trojans a 22–21 lead with 2:46 left in the third.

Another defensive stand, including a group sack that left Virgin Valley facing fourth-and-24, protected that advantage early in the fourth.

The Bulldogs eventually reclaimed the lead. The Trojans reclaimed it when it mattered most.

Still playing

“It was awesome to see the determination from our guys,” Henry said. “They never gave up and had to overcome a ton in that game. Our seniors kept the team together and they have been doing that all year. Staying positive and never giving up.”

Pahrump Valley now turns its attention to Churchill County. Henry has little interest in draining the emotion out of a finish like Friday’s.

“I would like to ride the momentum from last week,” he said. “I want our guys playing with the most confidence and determination. Our guys know if they play well, we can compete with anyone.”

On Friday, they played through enough mistakes to lose.

Then made the plays they needed to win.

Contact Bill Evans at wevans@pvtimes.com.