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PHOTOS: 5 Trojans commit to play at colleges on National Signing Day

Pahrump Valley High School hosted a signing day for several of their student-athletes to sign their letters of intent to pursue their sport at the college level next year.

Five players across three sports signed their letters for the Trojans on Wednesday morning.

Adryanna Avena:

Avena, the only female Trojan who signed on Wednesday, will be continuing her soccer career at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada.

“Adryanna is a strong, confident player,” said Pahrump Valley girls head coach Julie Carrington. “I believe she’ll be a huge asset to any college she goes to. She knows her strengths and can adapt on the field to cover any areas in need.”

The Lizards play in the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) as part of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

In the 2022 season, Truckee Meadows finished with a record of 7-5-2 overall and 5-4-2 in conference play.

In her last two years at Pahrump Valley, Avena finished her career with a 40-3-2 record, including 20-0-1 in league play.

She scored 93 goals and had 34 assists in her final two years for the Lady Trojans. Avena won the Golden Boot award both years, finishing as the state’s leading scorer in the 3A division. She scored a career-high 54 goals in her senior year.

During her junior year, Avena helped lead the Trojans to the Nevada 3A state title under Carrington.

Scott Oscarson:

Oscarson will be continuing his football career at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin to play for the Red Hawks under newly appointed head coach Jake Marshall.

“It’s a dream come true,” Oscarson said of officially signing. “They were really excited for me, they have great intentions for me. It felt great, I felt at home. And I was like, ‘You know what, I’m going to go there.’”

The Red Hawks play in the Midwest Conference in Division III. They went 9-1 during the 2022 season, finishing the year in seventh place of Region V.

Oscarson played in 17 games for the Trojans. He took over the starting quarterback position midway through his junior season and remained the starter throughout his senior year.

Scott threw for 1,183 total yards and scored 16 total touchdowns between passing and rushing. He ran for 479 yards during his time with the Trojans.

Kyle McDaniel:

McDaniel will be continuing his baseball career at Utah Tech University, formerly known as Dixie State University, in St. George, Utah.

“It felt relieving,” McDaniel said about signing. “I felt like the pressure of where I’m going to go, what’s going to happen, it was relieving. But, it’s also, like, a new beginning now. I have a new school, new plans, new goals set for me. A whole bunch of emotions came over me.”

The Utah Tech Trailblazers play in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) as part of Division I college baseball.

The Trailblazers are set to begin their 2023 schedule on Friday, Feb. 17 against the Portland Pilots. Last season, Utah Tech went 22-33 on the year, finishing fourth in the western division of the WAC conference standings.

McDaniel plays shortstop and pitcher for the Trojans and was the team leader last season in nearly every statistic for hitting.

He led the everyday players in batting average with a .548 average while getting 51 hits and recording 41 runs batted in.

He was tied for second on the team with three wins as a pitcher in his nine appearances. McDaniel pitched 31.2 innings, giving up 33 runs on 28 hits while striking out a team-high 52 batters.

Makoa Batongbacal:

On Wednesday, Makoa signed his letter of intent to continue his football career at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin.

The Green Knights are part of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) in Division III.

Last season, St. Norbert went 7-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play.

Batongbacal played on both sides of the ball for the Trojans playing running back and linebacker.

In his senior year, Makoa had 15 touches for 135 yards between rushing and receiving and finished with one touchdown.

On the defensive side of the ball, he had 56 total tackles over the last two years, including 21 in his senior season. He also had one interception this past fall.

James Metscher:

Metscher signed his letter of intent on Wednesday to continue his baseball career with the Mesa Community College Thunderbirds in Mesa, Arizona.

The Thunderbirds play in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) as part of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

In the 2022 season, the Thunderbirds finished with a 26-29 overall record and a 12-26 record in conference play.

Metscher is a two-position player with the Trojans.

He played in the outfield and was one of Pahrump’s starting pitchers in the rotation.

Metscher ended his junior season with the second highest batting average among everyday players with a .455 average.

He scored a team-high 55 runs while getting 35 hits and batting in 18 runs.

On the mound, Metscher finished with a 3-1 record in his eight appearances. He pitched 15.2 innings while giving up 16 runs on 23 hits and striking out 10 batters.

Thom Walker, head coach of Pahrump Valley’s football team and assistant coach of their baseball team, had some kind words for his players going on to play at the next level.

“These are four great young men,” said Walker. “They all have a great work ethic and take time to help their teammates. I know they will have success at the next level. It has been my honor to coach them. I’m extremely proud of all four of them.”

While Oscarson’s football career may be over at Pahrump, he still has his golf season coming up this spring.

Avena and Batongbacal are currently members of the girls and boys basketball teams.

Their regular seasons will be winding down over the next week before they begin their postseason run in the playoffs toward state championships.

McDaniel and Metscher are entering their senior years under head baseball coach Roy Uyeno in just a couple of weeks. They’re hoping to carry the Trojans deep into the playoffs.

Contact sports writer/editor Danny Smyth at dsmyth@pvtimes.com. Follow @the_dannysmyth on Twitter.

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