Pahrump Valley Trojans Defeat The Meadows 57-26 on Senior Night Behind Horibe’s Huge Game

In an emotional last regular-season home game, for some of the seniors’ moms in the stands, the Trojans were able to give the town something special to remember Friday night.

In a huge bounce-back win, an explosive 28-point first quarter would prove to be overpowering for The Meadows as they were steamrolled 57-26 on Pahrump’s senior night.

Before kickoff, multiple senior athletes from the program as well as other fall sports athletes in volleyball, soccer, tennis and golf were given flowers and recognition for the hard work, dedication and sacrifice they’ve put into their teams the last four years.

Starting the game in true Trojans (5-3, 2-2 3A Southern League) football fashion, a perfectly placed on-side kick by senior Joshua Slusher was called back by the refs despite head coach Thom Walker rightfully arguing for possession of the ball.

To no avail, that would be the beginning of a funky contest as the Trojans defense gave up a 56-yard pass from Cameron Pereira to The Meadows senior wideout Ryan Kirk down the sideline putting, The Meadows up early 6-0.

The Mustangs (2-6, 0-4 3A Southern League) opted for an on-side kick immediately following their first drive, but were unsuccessful.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, the Trojans marched the ball down the field, capped off by a 42-yard touchdown on a QB keeper/halfback fake draw from senior Kayne Horibe. Following a successful PAT by Slusher, the Trojans were right where they wanted to be.

A lot could be said about junior co-captain Billy Sparks but I’ll keep it brief: the kid is a dog.

Following a fumble on the snap on the Mustangs’ following drive, Sparks was quick to scoop the ball up and used his high football IQ to immediately curl into a ball to avoid any contact from the offense.

Continuing to pound the rock - a game plan that has proved crucial for the Trojans in opening up the passing game this season - worked perfectly as senior co-captain Austin Alvarez drove the ball up field and capped off the drive with a 35-yard rip, breaking multiple tackles for the score.

Alvarez wasn’t finished as he hammered the ball in for a successful tw0-point conversion to give the Trojans a 15-6 lead.

Last Friday the senior went on to mount a season-best 19 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown while reeling in a reception for 32 yards.

The Meadows would cough up the ball over once again, this time on four-and-out that set the Trojans to run away with the game.

With four minutes left in the first quarter, the Trojans completed a 65-yard drive that was rounded out by, you guessed it - a QB keeper for 23 yards from Horibe for his second rushing touchdown of the night to put the boys up 21-6 following Slusher’s blocked PAT.

Forced to find an answer to avoid the running clock from starting in the second half, The Meadows would find luck with a 19-yard pass that connected to Kirk once again for his second receiving TD of the evening, drawing the score to 21-12.

In a hit that was heard all the way in Las Vegas, Trojans crucial junior linebacker Iyan Bosket was ejected from the game for helmet-to-helmet contact on a hit to Pereira. With the ejection, the Trojans will be without the help of Bosket heading into their last league game of the season on the road against Boulder City.

“The targeting call… I mean, he hit the kid in the shoulder. There was maybe a little bit of head contact, but it definitely didn’t warrant an ejection,” head coach Thom Walker said. “So yeah, we’ll send it in, appeal it, and hopefully he’ll be cleared to play next week. He’s a big part of what we do.”

Making quick work of the defense, Horibe connected on 57-yard bomb that wideout junior Angel Ware got up for to pull down the perfect spiral for a touchdown 28-12.

The Mustangs finished their next long drive with an eight-yard QB keeper by Pereira to draw the score to 28-18 before Horibe would return a kickoff for 81 yards that sent the crowd into a frenzy to put the Trojans up 35-26 before half.

At halftime, multiple performances by the Pahrump Valley High School dance and cheer team were held after the ceremony honoring the fall programs’ senior athletes.

Trojans defense shut out the Mustangs in the third quarter while the offense picked up 15 more points in the fourth quarter.

Following a Horibe touchdown pass on an RPO to junior Paul Walker, for his first receiving touchdown of the year. Having some fun on senior night, Horibe lined up as a wideout and reeled in a 14-yard catch from Lucas Gavenda filling in at quarterback for the play.

The recent Ottawa University Arizona (OUAZ) offer finished the night with a stat line for the ages: four of six passed for 96 yards and two touchdowns, six carries on the ground for 99 yards with three touchdowns and special team return ball for 81 yards and a touchdown.

“This was obviously a big game for me, I grew up watching those Friday night games and dreaming about playing so it was very sentimental for me,” Horibe said catching up this week. “I am very thankful for God and my family that supports me through my journey.”

Slusher sneaked in the end zone late to complete the senior rushing touchdown trifecta against the Mustangs for a 57-26 victory.

“We had Slush score, and then we got Jack a two-point conversion,” Walker said. “But no, it’s awesome. And the boys are playing like that together and sacrificing for each other. It’s amazing for all five of my sons to be at the same field and them supporting their younger brother and older brother. It’s awesome. You can’t beat that ever.”

With one game left in the season on the road against rival Boulder City, the Trojans sit in a great place in third in the 3A Southern League standings before playoffs.

“Whoever shows up here in two weeks? That part doesn’t mean anything to me,” Walker said. “We’ve got to do what we do.”

Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.