■ Who: Pahrump Valley (1-2) vs. Virgin Valley (1-2).
■ When/where: 7 p.m. Friday/Trojan Field, Pahrump.
■ Series history: Virgin Valley leads 44-7.
■ Last Pahrump Valley win: 12-0 in 1993.
■ Last Virgin Valley win: 14-6 on March 26, 2021.
■ Outlook: There is nothing wrong with your sets, ladies and gentlemen. This really is Virgin Valley coming back for a second time this season. Given the choice, there are some teams the Trojans would rather see twice in four weeks. The Bulldogs own a ridiculous edge in this series that dates to 1973, but there is some reason for optimism. Despite being outscored 34-6 in the past two meetings against the Bulldogs, the games were hard-fought, physical contests which were partially decided by injuries (2019, when top lineman Armani McGhee and top running back Tony Margiotta were helped off the field) and turnovers (two weeks ago, when the Trojans had more difficulty getting the ball from center to quarterback than they did getting it from quarterback to receiver). It will take a bit more than not fumbling to turn the tables on Virgin Valley — it’s not as if the Bulldogs’ defense is suddenly going to fall to pieces without getting turnovers — but the Trojans’ offense got into a rhythm in last week’s win over SLAM that they had not been in during their opening defeats, compiling 284 rushing yards in the process. If they can carry that over into tonight’s game, expect another slugfest and, possibly, a different outcome.
■ Did you know?: The Bulldogs and Trojans have played each other twice in a season 10 times, but only two of those seasons included playoff games. Those were won each time by the Bulldogs: 44-21 in 2001 and 26-7 in 2005.
■ Coach Clayton says: “We had them beat if we hadn’t fumbled the ball. They are physical; it’s always a physical game. We didn’t block very well. Not only did we cough the ball up, we did not block very well up front. We made some of those adjustments and modifications leading into tonight’s game (against SLAM), and we did a better job at some of those thigns. I see us doing a lot better offensively.”