Trojans Game Night
Who: Del Sol (4-3, 1-1 Class 3A Sunset) vs. Pahrump Valley (3-3, 2-0).
When/where: 7 p.m. today, Oct. 5, Del Sol Academy for the Performing Arts, Las Vegas.
Last week: Del Sol lost to Democracy Prep 9-7; Pahrump Valley defeated Cheyenne 38-12.
Last season: Did not play.
Next week: Del Sol vs. Valley; Western at Pahrump Valley.
About the Dragons: Second-year coach Mike Valenzuela trashed the Dragons’ double wing last season and installed a more modern offense to take advantage of quarterback Andre Nevarez’s skills. Has it paid off? Nevarez leads Southern Nevada with 1,709 passing yards with 14 touchdowns, but he has thrown 11 interceptions. Favorite target Markell Turner has caught 34 passes for 656 yards and six touchdowns, while Maalik Flowers has 24 catches for 411 yards and four scores. On the ground, Trey Alexander ranks eighth in Southern Nevada with 726 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Dragons had been playing very well since an opening loss to Desert Oasis, averaging 42 points in winning four of five. But that run came to a stunning halt last week against Democracy Prep. Playing a team Pahrump Valley put up 48 points on, the Dragons managed just one score in a 9-7 loss. Nevarez completed 12 of 23 passes for 154 yards but was intercepted twice. While Del Sol’s offense showed its flaws in that game, the defense definitely did not.
Democracy Prep, which scored on a kickoff return to start the game, managed just 71 yards of offense. This is the same Blue Knights offense that scorched Pahrump Valley for more than 250 yards in one half. So the basic questions are these: Can Pahrump Valley’s pass defense slow down the best passing attack in the region, and can Del Sol’s rush defense repeat what it did to Democracy Prep against a Trojan team that had three backs hit 100 yards rushing last week?
Coach Clayton says: “Del Sol obviously likes to pass, so we are prepared to be aggressive to the ball. Run or pass, they are going to see lots of bodies defensively. Offensively, the train doesn’t stop. We average 300 yards a game. Here we come!”