The Pahrump Valley High School Trojans boys’ soccer team battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw against the Cristo Rey Royals at home on Thursday, September 11, in a match filled with near-goals, dramatic saves, and physical play.
From the opening whistle, both teams pressed forward. Early in the first half, Cristo Rey earned back-to-back corner kicks, but the Trojans nearly turned the tide on a breakaway chance that rolled just left of the post. At the 27-minute mark, a powerful strike from Henry Nunez Manzo smashed off the top bar, rattling the Royals’ defense. Cristo Rey answered minutes later, lofting a shot that slipped past keeper Cayden Cowley’s outstretched hands to put the Royals up 1-0.
The action stayed intense. Cowley was called on to make a diving save on a dangerous header at the 14-minute mark, then tipped another shot over the bar just before halftime. Offensively, Omar Becerra Gastelum fired wide from distance, and Sam Mendoza put two shots on frame late in the half, both turned away, sending the Trojans into the break trailing 1-0.
The second half opened with more close calls. TC Hone rattled the crossbar again at the 37-minute mark, then drew a penalty moments later after being bodied in the box. His shot from the spot in the 33rd minute found the back of the net to level the score 1-1.
Pahrump continued to push, with Mendoza firing a hard shot that was deflected and later drawing another foul that left Cristo Rey’s sideline arguing. The Royals also tested the Trojans with long shots and set pieces, but Cowley and defender Xavier Leon combined to shut down several dangerous chances. Cowley smothered a rolling shot in the 22nd minute, made a critical stop on a long drive at 16:30, and fell on the ball in the closing minutes to secure the draw.
The game was physical throughout, with both sides trading fouls and penalties, including a collision between Hohn and the Royals’ keeper in the first half and multiple hard challenges as the match wound down. In the final minutes, the Trojans nearly stole a winner when a Cristo Rey defender’s back pass nearly deflected into his own goal, but the Royals cleared under pressure. The whistle blew with the score locked at 1-1.
Head Coach Andrew Norton praised the team’s effort and highlighted the contributions of key players. “TC Hone showed the most tenacity, heart, and hustle out there tonight—he was absolutely fantastic offensively. And defensively, Xavier probably saved us two or three goals. There was no quit in him at all,” Norton said. He added that the Trojans’ season has been a series of razor-thin margins. “Every game has basically been decided by one goal. One goal in four different games is the difference between where we’re at now and being number one in 3A. That’s how competitive this division is.”
The Trojans now look ahead to their next match on Monday at The Meadows, which marks the halfway point of the season. With most of their long road stretch behind them, the team hopes to turn close contests into wins as they enter the second half.
