The Pahrump Valley High School Trojans took to their home field Friday night, September 5, for a clash against the Spring Valley Grizzlies that turned into a fight down to the final seconds. The Trojans led most of the way, playing with intensity on both sides of the ball, before a dramatic fourth-quarter rally by the Grizzlies stole a 28-24 victory.
The opening drive set the tone as quarterback Kayne Horibe marched the Trojans downfield with a series of keepers, short passes, and a critical leap for a first down. A defensive encroachment and strong runs by Angel Ware and Austin Alvarez put Pahrump in scoring position. Horibe then connected with Alvarez, who powered his way into the end zone for the first touchdown of the night. Josh Slusher’s extra point made it 7-0 midway through the first quarter.
Spring Valley threatened on the ensuing possession, but the Trojan defense held strong. Gideon Wydick and Alejandro Rayas shut down the run, while Ashton McClard forced a fourth-down stop at the 28-yard line. Horibe kept the offense rolling with passes to Alvarez and Slusher, along with a big scramble to extend the drive. Although a long pass attempt was intercepted deep in Grizzly territory, Pahrump’s defense again responded with pressure from McClard and a pass breakup by Jace Wulfenstein to close the quarter with a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, the Trojans’ ground game dominated. Alvarez picked up steady yardage before Slusher pounded his way through defenders for a series of first downs. After a big completion to Ryan Hamlin that brought the ball to the 6-yard line, Slusher carried it to the doorstep, and a line push across the goal line gave Pahrump its second touchdown. Slusher’s PAT stretched the lead to 14-0. On defense, Iyan Bosket, Billy Sparks, and Lucas Gavenda kept Spring Valley from advancing with critical stops. But the Grizzlies capitalized on a late interception, scoring on a long pass with less than a minute in the half to trim the lead to 14-7.
The Trojans came out after halftime looking to build on their advantage. With Hamlin stepping in at quarterback, Slusher carried the ball across midfield, breaking tackles and keeping the offense moving. Hamlin’s sneak fell just short of a first down, but Slusher converted on the next play to keep the drive alive at the 22-yard line. The push stalled, however, when Hamlin was sacked on third down and later intercepted in the end zone. On defense, Bosket, Wydick, and Jack Walker made key tackles, and Gavenda forced a receiver out of bounds to end a Spring Valley drive. The third quarter ended with Horibe back at quarterback and a big pass to Hamlin across midfield that reignited the Trojans’ momentum.
Early in the fourth, the Trojans marched to the 15-yard line after Horibe’s keeper and a completion to Ware. Though a false start and overthrown pass halted the drive, Slusher nailed a field goal to extend the lead to 17-7 with 8:34 left. Spring Valley answered quickly with a touchdown to pull within three. The Trojans responded with one of their most electrifying plays of the night: Horibe lateraled to Hamlin, who fired a deep pass downfield to Gavenda. Gavenda sprinted the rest of the way for a 60-yard touchdown, and Slusher’s PAT put the Trojans up 24-14 with under two minutes to go.
The Grizzlies, however, mounted a furious comeback. A long touchdown pass cut the lead to 24-21, and they recovered the onside kick to seize momentum. Despite a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, Spring Valley marched downfield, aided by a facemask penalty, and scored the go-ahead touchdown with just 31 seconds remaining. Down 28-24, the Trojans tried to rally. Hamlin returned the kickoff to the 42-yard line, and Horibe hit Gavenda for a short gain, but consecutive sacks derailed the drive. A final pass attempt fell incomplete, and Horibe’s keeper was forced out of bounds as the clock ran out.
Statistically, the Trojans had a strong night despite the turnovers. Slusher powered the offense with over 120 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown, and a field goal. Alvarez added more than 70 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown, while Gavenda hauled in multiple receptions, including the late-game touchdown. Hamlin contributed on both sides of the ball with a 40-yard reception, a touchdown pass, and several key defensive stops. Defensively, Bosket recorded multiple tackles for loss, McClard and Sparks disrupted plays at the line of scrimmage, and Wulfenstein broke up passes in critical moments.
Head Coach Thomas Walker reflected on the effort and what needs improvement. “544 total offensive yards, 296 rushing. 3 picks, 2 lost fumbles, for 5 turnovers. 100% on me, I have to do better to not have sloppy play. The team played well we just need to clean up the fumbles and turnovers. As I said it’s not on them as I have to be better at preparing them. I know we will not have another game like this. 7 fumbles 2 lost and 3 interception is not Trojan football. In a game where we dominated time of possession and had great numbers.” Walker added, “Ryan Hamlin had a great game on both sides of the ball. Our line on both sides was great as well. We played great defense for three and a half quarters but the turnovers took us out of our game.”
Offensive Coordinator Toby Henry praised the team’s production. “Was a good job offensively, we had nearly 300 yards rushing and 240 passing. Now we have to take care of the football. If we can have that many yards every game, we will win a lot. Over the next two weeks we will work on just cleaning things up. The bye week will give us a chance to heal up a little.”
Defensive Coordinator Mike Colucci was proud of the effort despite the tough finish. “Our boys played their tails off on Friday against a quality team. The defense played really physical and came up big in some crucial situations. We just made a few critical mistakes in big moments in the game. Those are situations we will review and get fixed. We are very proud of the effort the boys played with and we will get better because of this loss.”
Though the final score favored Spring Valley, the Trojans showed their ability to compete with a quality opponent and left the field knowing that with fewer mistakes, their potential can carry them far this season.
The Trojans will return to action on Friday, September 19th at Cheyenne High School, with kickoff at 6p.m.
