Pahrump Valley High School celebrated six additions to its Hall of Fame during Homecoming weekend, honoring a class whose connections to the school brought together former athletes, coaches, families and longtime members of the Trojan community.
Jeremy Albertson, Fred Schmidt, Jackie Stobbe, Morgan White, Dave Harris and Jill Harris were introduced during the Homecoming football game on Friday, Oct. 9, before being formally honored and inducted at a dinner at Steel Bound on Saturday, Oct. 10. Their induction brings the PVHS Hall of Fame to 98 members.
Steel Bound donated the space for the celebration, while the booster club paid for the meal, helping provide an evening for inductees and their families to gather with those who have helped shape the school’s history.
Larry Goins reflected on that history during the ceremony, describing the Hall of Fame as a way to preserve the stories and values associated with Pahrump Valley High School. The inaugural class was inducted in 2007, and this year’s group represents the 14th class. No induction was held in 2020.
Past inductees were recognized throughout the evening, and the gathering also remembered the 12 Hall of Fame members who have died. The ceremony connected those earlier generations of Trojans with the newest members through a tradition requiring Hall of Fame inductees to introduce incoming honorees.
Trina Daffer introduced Dave and Jill Harris, while Coach Hopkins introduced Stobbe. In recalling Stobbe’s high school years, Hopkins highlighted her victory in the Virgin Valley tournament as a junior, sharing a memory from a coaching career that included 500 victories.
Joe Clayton introduced Schmidt, recalling both his coaching accomplishments and the memorable sayings familiar to those who knew him. Among them were “No line, no shine” and “It ain’t the whistle that pulls the train.” The remarks brought Schmidt’s personality into the celebration alongside recognition of his work coaching two state champion track and field athletes.
Schmidt, in turn, introduced Albertson and White, sharing stories of their development as athletes and the work they put into their years at PVHS.
For Albertson, a 2018 graduate, that work produced accomplishments across football, wrestling and track and field. He earned varsity letters in track all four years and steadily climbed the state discus standings, finishing fourth during the 2015–16 school year, second in 2016–17 and winning the state championship in 2017–18. He also earned zone championships during his junior and senior years.
Albertson placed fourth at state in wrestling at 195 pounds. On the football field, he earned second-team All-State recognition as a junior and first-team All-State honors at guard as a senior.
Schmidt illustrated Albertson’s contribution to the football team with a story about an extended stretch of running the same play to the right side. While the running backs rotated to stay fresh, Albertson remained at guard, pulling and blocking on each repetition. The team ran the play 17 consecutive times, and Schmidt remembered Albertson continuing to get downfield and complete his assignment throughout the sequence.
Schmidt noted that Albertson’s work ethic remains evident today as he works with his father driving a gravel truck. Although Albertson was unable to attend the induction celebration, his family had another reason to celebrate that weekend: he welcomed a son at 5:15 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 9.
In introducing White, Schmidt recalled the changes he saw from White’s freshman year through graduation. He credited White’s hard work, clear goals and support from his mother and grandparents as important parts of his development.
White’s track and field accomplishments included a second-place finish in the shot put and third place in the discus. Schmidt also spoke about his contributions in football, remembering an athlete who continued to develop throughout high school.
As the evening concluded, Goins reflected on the school’s deep community connections. Having moved to Pahrump 41 years ago, he described seeing the children of former students he had taught and coached—a reminder that the school’s history continues through successive generations.
For Albertson, Schmidt, Stobbe, White and the Harrises, the weekend made their place in that history official. Their names now join the Hall of Fame’s growing record of people whose accomplishments and contributions remain part of the Trojan community.
