Trojans girls flag football launches inaugural season with spirited tryouts — PHOTOS
Marking the official start of the winter sports season last Saturday, the Pahrump Valley High School girls flag football team braved the elements for its first-ever tryouts.
Under a steady afternoon rain, roughly 35 athletes spent three and a half hours grinding through timed stations, route-running sessions, receiving drills and evaluations — all hoping to earn a spot on the program’s inaugural roster.
Head coach Jeff Corbett said the turnout was strong enough to field both varsity and junior varsity squads.
“We didn’t get enough freshman players to come out,” Corbett said. “But we did have some surprises. After 10 weeks of preseason conditioning, it paid off.”
Corbett, who launched the program from scratch in January, called the build-up a rewarding work-in-progress. He’s joined on staff by veteran coach Edward Rankin — a 27-year coaching mainstay and current JV football assistant — along with Jessica VanderWal, a former women’s professional football player with the Rocky Mountain ThunderKatz.
Drawing a large interest from the community during the Pahrump Fall Festival on Sept. 27, the program fundraised over $2,100 to assist with season costs while reeling in some new talent.
Folks’ experiences will differ slightly from traditional football, with varsity competing in 12-minute quarters and JV in eight-minute frames.
The Trojans will run a seven-on-seven format with no physical tackling allowed, rather being marked down by a pulled flag.
While the schedule awaits final confirmation from the Clark County School District regarding a potential Dec. 11 trip to Las Vegas High School, PVHS anticipates a 13-game slate — with the possibility of a 14th on the horizon.
Their season kicks off on Dec. 2 in a road game against Doral Academy Red Rock, with JV scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and varsity at 4:30 p.m.
“My whole goal is to grow the program. Let’s have fun, and let’s get girls out there,” Corbett said. “I’m not going to bench anybody, you’re playing. I don’t care how bad you are. I want you to get better. We have three more weeks and Thanksgiving break in between to get ready for the season opener.”
As for the offensive identity, Corbett said the Trojans will keep things simple early on.
The Trojans will compete in the Class 4A Mountain League with the likes of Durango, Spring Valley, Western, Democracy Prep, Clark, and Amplus Academy.
“We’re going as simple as possible with our play calling to keep consistent verbiage so we’re all on the same page,” he said. “We’ll have a couple of different formations, but they’ll all play off one another — a piggyback role.”
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
