The Pahrump Valley High School boys’ cross country team raced to victory at the Class 3A Southern Region Championships on Friday, October 31, at Veterans Memorial Park in Boulder City, capturing the Regional Championship for the first time since 2017.
Leading the way for the Trojans was Joaquin Flores, who finished second overall and first for the team with a time of 18:05.1. Josh Gent followed close behind, finishing fifth overall in 18:32.1, with both runners earning podium medals for their efforts. Logan Tilley (8th, 19:01.2), Aydon Veloz (9th, 19:13.5), Timmy Stutzman (10th, 19:19.1), Ben De Santiago (11th, 19:26.7), and Josh Flores (13th, 19:33.8) rounded out the strong finish for the Trojans.
Pahrump Valley clinched the team championship with a score of 34 points, followed by Moapa Valley with 56, Virgin Valley with 100, and SLAM Academy with 102. All four teams will advance to the State Championships along with the top seven individual runners.
Head Coach Erik Odegard praised the team’s preparation and performance, noting the significance of this year’s achievement. “I’m just so happy for our kids,” he said. “They have put so much work into improving this season on both the boys and girls teams. The boys started this summer with the goal of being the Regional champs, and several of them had one of their best races all season today. Their time might not show that, but this was a more complex course, and at the end of the day it was just about racing—and they did that.”
Odegard highlighted the team’s growth and maturity since last season. “The boys team this year built off the experience they got last year,” he explained. “We were very young, but with good leadership these boys gained a lot of confidence and they used that coming into this year. They worked together and built a solid core. We have a group of 1–8 that we’re never sure who our top seven are going to be, and that’s a great place to be in this sport. They’ve pushed each other all year to put us in this spot.”
He credited Flores for his late-season surge. “Joaquin may have saved his best running for the end of the season,” Odegard said. “He wasn’t just running today—he was racing, and that’s what you need this time of year.”
The team’s consistency was also a key to success. “Josh Gent and Logan Tilley have been working together since summer conditioning,” Odegard noted. “They both ran well today and didn’t even have their best races. I look for them to do even better next week. Both of these boys have really started to put a complete race together and are just getting stronger.”
Odegard praised Veloz and Stutzman for their steady improvement and leadership. “Aydon came back to XC this year and has had to play catch-up, but it has really worked in his favor as each week he has gotten better,” he said. “This week he moved up another spot on the team and is peaking at just the right time. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sets a new PR in his last high school race. Timmy has silently just improved all four years with us. And just like Aydon, I think he’s going to go out on a high note and run his best race ever.”
For Odegard, the day carried extra meaning, as both the boys’ and girls’ teams took home Regional titles—a first in program history. “Having both teams bring home the Regional title at the same time for the first time ever was so much fun,” he shared. “But I told the team we have the opportunity to make a little more history and bring home a trophy from Reno, so we just need that focus for a little longer.”
Preparation for the postseason has been a season-long effort. “We knew that state was going to be in Reno, and not only do they have strong teams up north, but the elevation is always something that gets the southern kids,” Odegard explained. “So we planned ahead. We’ve been going up the mountain weekly and running at about 5,700 feet all year. We also made a trip to run in Flagstaff, Arizona—not only is there strong competition there, but you’re running at around 7,000 feet, giving these kids the experience of knowing what it was going to be like at the state meet.”
With the regional title reclaimed and momentum on their side, the Trojans now turn their attention to the Nevada State Championships, set to take place at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno on Saturday, November 8.
