Pahrump Valley didn’t lose to any team in the Class 3A Southern League Football Playoffs semifinals game, they lost to the state champion.
The Trojans’ postseason came to an end at the hands of SLAM Academy on Nov. 8. SLAM and Virgin Valley would represent the Southern league as they headed into the state playoffs, where the Bulls were the only southern team to make the state championship game. And on Tuesday afternoon, the new kid on the block won their first state championship.
“At this point in my life, this is way better than winning the Super Bowl,” SLAM head coach Mike Cofer said.
This isn’t the first time the Bulls and the Truckee Wolverines faced off in the state championship. Last year the two faced off in the Mackay Stadium in Reno where the Wolverines took off in the second quarter to secure a big lead. And the two teams have done this for the third year in a row.
This year the Bulls took the win with a 34-30 score for their first state championship after entering the league just a few years ago.
Truckee’s first half
The Wolverines had a strong first play after receiving the ball, where Ivan Esparza (24) took the ball to the 50. In less than two plays Truckee was up 6-0 after Colby Jitloff (32) scored.
And slowly, the Bulls would respond with a touchdown of their own by Mark Shramm (18). The two teams would go back and forth until the second quarter, where on a Truckee pass SLAM’s Dylan Tondreau (17) was able to intercept the ball on the Wolverines side for a first and 2.
The Bulls would take the lead 20-13 with over five minutes left in the first half.
Then Truckee would get a break after the Bulls were unable to pick up a yard on a fourth and 1 play. The ball was turned over at the 50-yard line and the game was tied at 20.
After SLAM received, the Wolverines’ Ryder Crezee (4) was able to pick up a potentially game-changing interception. Truckee would use every second to inch closer and closer to the end zone until the last seven seconds.
The Wolverines’ quarterback threw to Jackson Wick (0), who scored the touchdown to take the lead and into the second half 27-20.
SLAM interception
As the Wolverines were up by the start of the fourth quarter 30-27 it was anyone’s game.
But as SLAM had the ball, quarterback Alaijah Young (2) ran 53 yards to get the ball four yards away from the end zone. Then Young would run it across the line for a touchdown for a 34-30 lead.
But with over seven minutes to go, Truckee had all the time to score. The Wolverines would throw an interception that SLAM would pick up, but Truckee’s defense would be in full swing.
The Wolverines were able to hold off SLAM and they got the ball back with three minutes to spare.
On a fourth down and over a minute to go, Truckee would make their biggest mistake of the night, and that was throwing the ball to SLAM’s Gregory Waters (24) at their 26-yard line.
SLAM would win their first state championship 34-30.
Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.