The Pahrump Valley High School junior varsity football team built a 16-point halftime advantage and continued finding the end zone throughout an action-packed game against Valley High School on Thursday, Sept. 17, before the hosts rallied late for a 58-50 victory.
The Trojans made an immediate impact on defense after Valley recovered the opening kickoff near its own 35-yard line. Erick Aguilar Zuniga tackled a runner behind the line for a 5-yard loss, and the Pahrump defense followed with another stop in the backfield. Nathan Elliott forced the quarterback out of bounds on another play, helping create a fourth-and-long situation.
A high snap on the ensuing play allowed the Trojans to bring down the ball carrier near midfield and take possession. Quarterback Evan Strain capitalized immediately, faking a handoff before keeping the ball and racing up the left sideline for the game’s first touchdown. Jayden McMahon ran up the middle for the two-point conversion, giving Pahrump an 8-0 lead.
Valley moved the ball on its next possession, but pressure from Lucas Silva and tackles by Ashton Toole, Silva and Aguilar Zuniga helped the Trojans force another turnover on downs.
Pahrump’s offense then went back to work. Landon Holzer made a reception on the right side for a first down, and McMahon gained additional yardage before a late-hit penalty moved the Trojans deep into Valley territory. Strain carried the ball to the 6-yard line, and after several attempts near the goal line, he connected with Elliott in the front-right corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
Strain then drew the defense toward him on the conversion attempt before passing to Max Voegele, extending Pahrump’s lead to 16-0.
The Trojans’ defense continued coming up with stops during the second quarter. Pahrump halted another Valley drive on fourth down, giving the offense possession near midfield.
Strain completed a deep pass along the right sideline to Cade Castaneda and followed with another completion to the left. Connor Witherell finished the drive with a touchdown reception in the back-left corner of the end zone, putting the Trojans ahead 22-0 with 9:43 remaining in the first half.
Valley again turned the ball over on downs following another defensive stand, but the hosts intercepted a Pahrump pass on the next possession. The Trojans prevented Valley from capitalizing, however. Silva quickly brought down a runner for a 2-yard loss, and a deep pass fell incomplete before Valley punted.
Kelan Sheppard helped the Trojans move away from their own goal line with a first-down reception near the 30. Valley’s defense then created a turnover and returned it for a touchdown, adding the conversion to cut Pahrump’s advantage to 22-8.
Valley scored again late in the half, but the Trojans answered quickly. Pahrump returned the kickoff to the Valley 35-yard line, and Strain rolled to his right before finding a wide-open Castaneda for a long completion that moved the ball close to the goal line.
Strain later faked a handoff and rolled left before connecting with Castaneda in the front corner of the end zone. A conversion pass to Holzer increased the Trojans’ lead to 30-14 with 1:04 remaining, and the defense made one final stop to preserve that advantage at halftime.
Pahrump recovered a Valley fumble early in the third quarter, with the defense taking possession at its own 37-yard line. Although the Trojans were unable to turn that takeaway into points, Esteban Chavez pressured the Valley quarterback into an incomplete pass on the following series, while Brody Small added a tackle against the run.
Valley scored with 2:02 remaining in the third quarter but was stopped on the conversion attempt, keeping Pahrump in front 30-20.
Strain responded with one of the Trojans’ biggest plays of the game, racing more than half the length of the field for a touchdown that increased the lead to 36-20. Valley returned the ensuing kickoff for a score, then added another touchdown and two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter to pull within 36-34.
The Trojans answered once more. Sheppard returned the kickoff to the Valley 45-yard line, and Strain broke a long run to the 12. McMahon carried the ball to the 1-yard line before Strain used a quick snap and quarterback keeper to cross the goal line. Holzer caught the conversion pass just inside the end zone, giving Pahrump a 44-34 advantage with 9:48 remaining.
Valley returned the next kickoff for a touchdown but was unable to complete the conversion after the Trojans intercepted the pass. The hosts later blocked a Pahrump punt and scored on the resulting possession, taking their first lead of the game at 46-44.
Pahrump remained composed and put together another scoring drive. Sheppard delivered a long kickoff return, McMahon carried the ball twice to help the Trojans reach the Valley 15, and Strain faked a handoff before running to the right for his fourth rushing touchdown of the night. Pahrump was stopped short on the conversion attempt but regained the lead, 50-46, with 2:28 remaining.
Valley responded with a kickoff return for a touchdown to move ahead 52-50. The Trojans stopped the two-point attempt and received the ball with 2:12 left, still needing only a score to reclaim the lead.
Strain ran up the left sideline to midfield and helped Pahrump advance into Valley territory, but a deep pass was intercepted with 1:48 remaining. Valley added a final touchdown on the return possession, although the Trojans again denied the conversion.
Pahrump mounted one last drive, returning the kickoff to the Valley 44 and reaching the 25-yard line before another interception allowed the hosts to kneel out the remaining seconds.
The Trojans left Valley with valuable experience from a game that required them to respond to repeated momentum changes and execute in pressure-filled situations. Pahrump will look to build on those lessons as the junior varsity season continues.
*These photos and more are available at pvcnphotos.com.
