Pahrump Valley rolls past Chaparral 56-8 behind 42-point second quarter

A week earlier, the Pahrump Valley Trojans needed a furious second-half rally to discover how much offense they could produce. Friday at Chaparral, they gave a considerably less stressful demonstration.

The Trojans scored 42 points in the second quarter, pairing a productive offense with a defense that supplied two touchdowns of its own, and rolled to a 56-8 victory at Jack Mannion Stadium in Las Vegas.

The win snapped a two-game losing streak and brought Pahrump Valley back to 2-2. More than the final score, though, it was the way the Trojans arrived there that connected Friday’s performance to the previous week’s comeback at Durango.

Against Durango, PVHS scored 34 points after falling behind 27-0 at halftime, ultimately losing 42-34. Against Chaparral, the offense and defense took turns building a lead the Cowboys never seriously threatened.

Tristan Schumacher scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, while Preston Dockter supplied tough yards between the tackles and quarterback Evan Strain found receivers downfield. On the other side of the ball, repeated pressure disrupted Chaparral’s passing game and helped produce three first-half fumble recoveries.

Schumacher finished with 111 rushing yards on 11 carries, while Dockter added 88 yards on another 11 attempts.

A quarter that changed everything

Pahrump Valley led 7-0 after the first quarter. Less than three minutes into the second, that advantage had grown to 22-0.

Strain helped move the Trojans into scoring position with a keeper through traffic, with a face-mask penalty against Chaparral advancing the drive. He then delivered an underhanded toss to Dockter, who carried it into the end zone with 10:53 remaining in the half.

The defense followed almost immediately.

With Chaparral backed up near its goal line, the Trojans pressured quarterback Louis Taylor, and a fumble became a PVHS touchdown. After a Cowboys penalty on the extra-point attempt, Dockter added a two-point conversion. Just one minute had elapsed between the two touchdowns.

“I was very happy about how our defense played,” Henry said. “Coach Colucci put in a game plan and our guys ran it to perfection.”

Assistant coach Mike Colucci also gives his defenders an incentive to do more than stop an opponent.

“Anytime our boys score on defense Coach Colucci feeds them, so those boys are eating good,” Henry said.

Pahrump Valley did it without Iyan Bosket, who sat out Friday. Henry said Bosket would be ready for the next game.

The Trojans were not mistake-free. Another recovered fumble put the offense at the Chaparral 35, but that opportunity ended with PVHS losing the ball near the goal line.

The defense limited the damage, forcing the Cowboys to punt from their own end zone. Dockter then ran for a first down before Schumacher broke through the middle for a 28-yard touchdown and a 29-0 lead.

Chaparral answered with its lone scoring drive, finishing with a long touchdown pass and a successful two-point conversion with 3:58 left in the half.

Pahrump Valley responded with 20 more points before intermission.

Angel Ware recovered Chaparral’s onside kick at midfield. A deep Strain completion to Ware helped set up Schumacher’s next touchdown, and a PVHS recovery on the ensuing kickoff gave the offense another opportunity. Strain connected with Lucas Gavenda before Schumacher scored again.

Kain Johnson supplied the final touchdown of the half, collecting a Chaparral fumble and returning it for a score. The Trojans went to the break ahead 49-8.

Finishing the job

Pahrump Valley opened the third quarter with another sustained drive. Dockter and Schumacher handled most of the carries, while Strain connected with John Wydick for a first down inside the Chaparral 15.

Dockter finished the possession with a 9-yard touchdown run with 7:25 remaining in the quarter. The extra point made it 56-8, and neither team scored again.

With a running clock shortening the second half, Angel Tepale took on much of the rushing work during the Trojans’ final possession. Carry after carry moved PVHS into scoring position, but Chaparral held near its goal line and took over on downs at its own 2 with 4:29 remaining.

The Cowboys produced a long completion on their last possession, but their final pass into the end zone fell incomplete.

A week earlier, the Trojans had left Durango with a loss and evidence of what they could do when their offense found its rhythm. At Chaparral, they paired that production with a defense that repeatedly turned pressure into points, leaving with a victory that brought their record back to even.

“Our guys found out what they are capable of last week,” head coach Toby Henry said. “This week they had a lot more confidence.”

Contact sports reporter Bill Evans at wevans@pvtimes.com