The Muckers will not be coming home with the Class 1A state championship trophy as the Pahranagat Valley Panthers held their lead up until the end.
It was a tight game in the second half; the Muckers and Panthers were tied at six, but after the Panthers lost their last state championship game, Pahranagat Valley wanted the win more this time around.
“Every day we don’t ever set our sights on the state championship, we just thought about raising our standards every day and getting better every day,” Panthers head coach Brett Hansen said. “These guys came and competed, but it’s nice to end with a win.”
Previously the Panthers were on a three-state championship winning streak, until Eureka took that fourth win from them.
In preparation for the big game, the Panthers watched a lot of film, the coach said, where nothing really surprised them. This led to many profitable turnovers for Pahranagat Valley and what Muckers’ head coach Duffy Otteson said cost the team the game.
But Hansen approached the first-quarter boxer in the first round – with caution. The team would poke and prod at the Muckers to see what would work. He also knew what the Muckers were capable of this season, since they were also undefeated in the conference season.
“We knew they were going to be coached very well, and coach Otteson has been there forever,” Hansen said. “He does a heck of a job with his program and getting [players] where they need to be.”
And coach Otteson got his kids to the state championship game, something that hasn’t been done since 2018.
Competitive first half
Neither team scored in the first quarter but Pahranagat Valley did something differently with their time. While Tonopah used their muscle to stop the Panthers in their tracks, Pahranagat Valley set up their second quarter.
With just over three minutes left in the first quarter, the Muckers were given a personal foul call and then a false start, Tonopah gave the Panthers 15 yards, and that gave the Panthers what they needed to have a successful second quarter.
Within a few minutes, the Panthers would get their first touchdown but missed their chances with a conversion. The Muckers would later respond with their own touchdown to tie at 6.
The Muckers were under a lot of pressure from the Panthers, which resulted in a fumble, where Pahranagat Valley would recover the ball.
With over a minute on the clock, Pahranagat Valley would take the lead 12-6. But Tonopah wasn’t done yet.
The Muckers were able to get to the Panthers’ 15-yard line with just five seconds left on the clock on a fourth down. On the last play of the first half, Muckers quarterback Dustin Otteson, who was being chased around the field, could not find a single opportunity to throw the ball at his receivers and ended up being sacked after the clock ran out of time.
Second-half finisher
The Muckers were overwhelmed leading into the second half after not being able to score a 15-yard touchdown.
As the Muckers were receiving the ball, Tonopah would fumble the ball and it would end up in the Panthers’ hands at the 21-yard line. The Panthers would then throw a touchdown pass and a conversion for a 20-6 lead.
And to seal the Muckers fate, on a Pahranagat Valley play, the team confused Tonopah’s defense. This allowed for a 72-yard rushing touchdown and a conversion for a final score of 28-6.
Contact Jimmy Romo at jromo@pvtimes.com. Follow @JimmyRomo.News on Instagram.