Trojans Game Night: Pahrump Valley at Coronado
■ Who: Pahrump Valley (1-3) vs. Coronado (2-1).
■ When/where: 7 p.m. today, Sept. 20, Coronado H.S., Henderson.
■ Series history: Coronado leads 1-0.
■ Next week: Pahrump Valley is off.
■ Outlook: Coronado has not had a winning season since 2014 and two since 2008, but the numbers game could prove tough here.
The 60-man Coronado roster lists only a handful of freshmen and sophomores. Coached by Fred Biletnikoff Jr., son of the former Raiders wide receiver, the Cougars scored 58 of their 74 points against Sunrise Mountain but struggled mightily to score in a 9-8 win over Moapa Valley and a 27-7 loss to Foothill.
Senior quarterback Keegan Tharp has completed 24 of 52 passes for 411 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, with 250 of those yards on 10 passes to senior Andrew Montez. Chris Avila, one of the few sophomores on Coronado’s varsity roster, has been by far the top rusher. The 5-foot-5, 145-pounder, who did little against Foothill and Moapa Valley, gained 110 yards on just 5 carries against Sunrise Mountain, numbers unlikely to be matched against the Trojans’ defense.
■ Did you know?: In the only other game between Coronado and Pahrump Valley, the Trojans won 16-15 in 2001 but later forfeited the game for using an ineligible player.
■ Coach Clayton says: “Coronado has the numbers. They’re coached well. They have some size. They run the ball with size up front, and we’re prepared to make those adjustments defensively to stop the run. We don’t see that too often. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
