Pahranagat Valley claims back-to-back Class 1A state titles
Most people would assume Bishop Gorman owns the crown for most Nevada state football titles.
The town of Alamo would beg to differ.
From a community of barely 1,500 residents, Pahranagat Valley has built a powerhouse that defies its size.
And on Saturday, the Panthers showed exactly how they’ve turned that small-town foundation into something historic — claiming their record 25th Class 1A state championship with a 32–6 win over Tonopah at Bishop Gorman High School.
For the second straight year, Pahranagat Valley’s defense overwhelmed the Muckers in the title game, setting the tone immediately and never loosening its grip.
“We’re a town of maybe 1,500 people, and there were 300–400 of them in the stands. Our fans are the best — they’ll travel anywhere for us,” Pahranagat Valley’s six-time Class 1A state champion head coach Brett Hansen said. “This isn’t Vegas where you can recruit kids from across the city. What you have is what you’ve got.”
This season, what Hansen had was more than enough.
Pahranagat Valley (12–1) had fallen to Tonopah at home on Sept. 26 — a 26–16 loss complicated by injuries — and the Panthers made sure that would stand as the outlier.
After recovering a fumble punched away from the Muckers junior quarterback Dustin Otteson to begin the game, Panthers senior QB/DB Jesse Stewart danced his way to a 47-yard rushing touchdown.
Opting to go for two right out the gate, the Panthers were successful on the conversion, grabbing an early 8-0 lead.
“I love revenge. I love beating a team you don’t necessarily like. And I love how much everyone hates us because we always win — that’s Panthers football.” Stewart said post game. “Seeing them post about blowing teams out by 90 points really got to us.
The senior quarterback was in the drivers seat from there, leading the Panthers in rushing with 168 rushing yard on 21 carries as well as picking up 42 yards in the air on four-of-nine attempts for a touchdown.
Panthers take 14 point lead with a 13-yard passing touchdown from Jesse Stewart. End of first quarter 14-0 Pahranagat Valley. pic.twitter.com/2MVtxlKocx
— JP (@jaypowers__) November 22, 2025
“We had the right game plan, and it’s so satisfying to execute the plays we drew up — like that first play of the game,” Stewart said. “People count us out every year because we lose seniors, but our coach says, ‘We don’t rebuild, we reload.’ And we came ready to go.”
Connecting with senior Braxten Tsosie for an 11-yard touchdown, Stewart made it happen all night with the help of his friend.
Tsosie served as the perfect complement, pounding out 142 yards on 16 carries, routinely moving the chains and keeping Tonopah’s defense on the field.
On the other side, Otteson — who averaged more than 300 rushing yards per game this season — couldn’t find space. Pahranagat Valley hemmed him in, holding the junior to 167 yards on the ground. His lone score came on a five-yard run with five minutes left, long after the game had tilted beyond reach.
“The brotherhood on this team is unlike anything I’ve ever felt. We were counted out at the beginning of the season — everyone said we wouldn’t make it this far. But deep down, I knew we could,” Otteson said. “It means a lot just to have made it to this point. The outcome isn’t what we wanted, but it is what it is.”
Pahranagat Valley sealed the game with a pair of long, bruising drives in the second half — both stretching into double-digit plays as the Muckers’ defense broke repeatedly on third down.
Senior RB/LB Todd Hansen punched in a two-yard score, and Tsosie added a 21-yard touchdown to put the game away.
Panthers senior RB/LB Todd Hansen rushed in for a two-yard touchdown as well as 21-yard rushing touchdown by Tsosie to keep Tonopah out of reach.
“They came into Alamo earlier this year, and got after us pretty good. They’re a big, strong, physical team. They block really well, and they got good athletes,” Pahranagat Valley defensive coordinator Michael Strong said. “Winning the title is the standard for us so we went back, watched the film, and just tried to make adjustments to put our kids in better positions.”
In capturing his sixth Class 1A state title with the Panthers, Hansen said they’ll enjoy a couple hours in the city and then head home for festivities.
“At home we’ll start the caravan, end at the state-championship bell, and ring it.” Hansen said. ““Any second half, especially against a good team, has to be treated like it’s 0–0. Against Tonopah, nothing is safe. They stepped it up in the second quarter and stopped us a few times, so we knew 14 wasn’t enough.”
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
