Trojans drop nail-biter against Bulldogs

The Pahrump Valley football team dropped their matchup on Friday night against the Virgin Valley Bulldogs by a score of 14-6.

The Trojans came into their game fresh off their blowout 50-8 win over the Western Warriors to open the season.

This game was very different from not just week one of this season, but different from previous matchups between these two teams.

Last year, the Bulldogs and the Trojans combined to score 95 points in their two games.

In this defensive battle, junior cornerback Brennen Benedict was the player of the game for the Trojans. He finished the game with 11 total tackles, including eight solo tackles.

Benedict was the only Trojan to score a touchdown in the game with his 8-yard scoring run in the second quarter.

The Trojans trailed 8-6 going into halftime after giving up a safety in the first quarter.

Senior quarterback Scott Oscarson completed just 27% of his passes, going 5-18 in the game. He threw for 45 yards and threw an interception.

His only interception came on the last play of the game as Pahrump Valley was driving, trying to tie the game.

Senior running back Cole Venturo led the team in total yards. He finished the game with 61 rushing yards and 22 receiving yards.

Tristan Church added 27 rushing yards of his own on three attempts, including the biggest play for the Pahrump Valley offense with a 20-yard run.

On the flip-side of the field, the Trojans were facing their former starting quarterback in Gunner Cortez.

Cortez started the first three games for Pahrump Valley last season before being replaced midway through his third start against Boulder City.

In Friday’s game against the Trojans, Cortez completed 17 of his 32 pass attempts for 194 yards. He also threw one touchdown and one interception.

Senior running back Isaiah Frieling led the Bulldogs in the rushing department with six carries for 44 yards and a touchdown, while his teammate, Martin Jordan, led the game with nine catches for 87 yards.

After coming up short in their game on Friday, the Trojans’ record moved to 1-1 on the season. The Bulldogs improved their season record to 3-0.

Pahrump Valley is set to take on the Rancho Rams this Friday, Sept. 9, at home.

This will be the first meeting between these two teams since the Trojans came away with a 24-0 win in the 2017 season.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m.

Contact sports writer/editor Danny Smyth at dsmyth@pvtimes.com. Follow @the_dannysmyth on Twitter.