Trojans capture Southern Region soccer crown

Pahrump Valley entered the Class 3A Southern Region boys soccer tournament as the third seed.

The Trojans will leave for state as Southern Region champions.

PVHS defeated top-seeded Virgin Valley 5-2 Saturday, Oct. 31, at Pahrump Valley High School, winning the rubber match between the two teams and earning the South’s No. 1 seed in this week’s state tournament.

TC Hone scored twice for the Trojans. Leonel Ceniceros, Lorenzo Montaño and Omar Becerra Gastelum each added a goal, while goalkeeper Jessie Barajas-Roman finished with 18 saves.

The victory improved Pahrump Valley to 9-5-1 and completed a postseason run that included three consecutive wins. The Trojans defeated Cristo Rey and Equipo Academy by identical 3-1 scores before putting up five goals against Virgin Valley in the regional championship.

For coach Trenton Curtis, the difference Saturday began with the way his players approached the game.

“The only true difference was our attitude toward this game,” Curtis said. “The young men knew that it was going to be a fight and they could not let up in any way.”

PVHS and Virgin Valley had split their two regular-season meetings. The Trojans won 3-0 at home Sept. 8 before the Bulldogs answered with a 4-2 victory in Mesquite Oct. 5.

That made Saturday’s championship the deciding match between two teams that had changed considerably since their first meeting.

Before the final, Curtis said Virgin Valley was still finding its rhythm when PVHS won the opener. By the second meeting, the Trojans were the team trying to establish a new identity.

In the third meeting, Curtis believed both teams were playing their best soccer.

“I am happy it is us versus them,” Curtis said before the championship. “This is the matchup we wanted and predicted from the beginning of the year.”

The familiarity between the teams did not produce one single tactical key that Curtis could identify before the match. Instead, he said the Trojans would have to maintain the level of play they had established during their first two postseason victories.

“I don’t think there is one thing that matters more than any other in this game,” Curtis said. “I think our team will need to play as well as we have been, and I trust they will.”

That trust was rewarded with Pahrump Valley’s highest-scoring performance since a 6-0 win over The Meadows on Oct. 1.

PVHS also entered the final healthier and with several players back in important roles. Barajas-Roman returned in goal, Ryan Nunez Manzo moved to defense and Becerra Gastelum was healthy again.

But the championship required more than personnel changes.

Curtis said the players understood that mistakes, bad breaks and unexpected situations could occur. They prepared to change formations depending on how Virgin Valley lined up and knew that every player on the bench had to be ready when called.

“Our boys did everything that was asked of them during our prep for Virgin Valley,” Curtis said. “Character and adaptability have been their strong suit throughout this year and postseason.”

Those two qualities have become defining characteristics of the Trojans’ run.

Pahrump Valley did not enter the postseason with the easiest route to state. Finishing third meant the Trojans had to play a regional quarterfinal while Virgin Valley and second-seeded Equipo received first-round byes.

PVHS opened with a 3-1 victory over Cristo Rey and then faced an Equipo team that had beaten the Trojans 3-1 in the regular-season finale only one week earlier.

This time, Pahrump Valley reversed the result, beating Equipo 3-1 to secure its place in the regional final and state tournament.

The Trojans then repeated the formula against Virgin Valley, turning their earlier 4-2 loss into a three-goal championship victory.

Curtis said the team’s ability to make changes during matches gives him confidence as the Trojans prepare to face the best teams in the state.

“They can listen to any game tactic or adjustment and follow through with it at any point of a game,” Curtis said. “This team has complete buy-in and focus when it comes to working for a win.”

Both Pahrump Valley and Virgin Valley had already secured state berths by reaching the regional final, but Saturday’s result still mattered.

Looking ahead

By winning the South, PVHS avoided Northern Region champion South Tahoe in the state semifinals. Instead, the Trojans will face Northern runner-up Truckee at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at Reed High School in Sparks.

Truckee enters the semifinal 17-5-1 after falling 4-3 to South Tahoe in the Northern Region championship.

Virgin Valley will face South Tahoe in Friday’s other semifinal at 4 p.m. The winners meet for the Class 3A state championship at noon Saturday, Nov. 7, at Reed.

Curtis also made clear that Pahrump Valley’s respect for Virgin Valley did not end with Saturday’s victory. He described the Bulldogs’ coach as “an amazing person and fantastic coach” and said the regional final featured two strong teams playing at their best.

Now the Trojans will take that same approach north.

Curtis said moving from the regional tournament to the state’s final four will not change what PVHS asks of its players.

“We know that anything can happen,” Curtis said. “We focus and don’t fear, and we try to do all the little things right. That is what makes this team so great.”

For Curtis, those little things extend beyond any formation or individual performance. He pointed to the standards the players have maintained and their willingness to play for one another.

“Their level of character is what motivates them to play for and with each other throughout this year and postseason,” Curtis said. “I can’t thank them enough for their character, grit and willingness to strive to get better at every little aspect on and off the field.”

Contact Bill Evans at wevans@pvtimes.com.