Bulldogs Defeat Pahrump, 14-6

By BOB SNELL

The Progress

After having to face 5A power Faith Lutheran in its opener, the Virgin Valley High School Football team was happy to see a familiar face in its second week of play.

The Bulldogs squared off against fellow 3A school Pahrump Valley and played much better than the previous week.

Virgin Valley rolled into Pahrump Friday night and left town a 14-6 winner, while evening its spring record at 1-1 and keeping the host Trojans winless at 0-2.

“We played a lot better than last week,” Virgin Valley head coach Matt Woods said. “We still made some mistakes, but I thought the kids played hard and gutted it out. It was a good win.”

While no one will compare Pahrump Valley to Faith Lutheran, the Bulldogs showed improvement and will gladly take the win.
“It was a good win considering the past couple of weeks have been a crash course for some of these kids having to play new positions,” Woods said. “I’m proud of the kids.”

One player who has adapted well to his new position is senior quarterback Will Barnum. The former wide receiver completed six-of-13 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also added a rushing score and made a crucial conversion on a fake punt late in the game, diving to pick up a first down that helped ice the victory.

“Will made an athletic play on the fake punt,” Woods said. “I thought he played well overall. He’s taking a leadership role with this team.”

The Bulldogs opened the scoring after senior linebacker Camron Noel recovered a Trojan fumble on the Pahrump Valley 32-yard line. Five plays later, Barnum hooked up with senior Rafael Guzman on a 15-yard scoring pass. Junior Ethan Workman ran in the two-point conversion to give Virgin Valley an 8-0 advantage with 4:30 to go in the first half.

Barnum scored on a two-yard sneak to cap an eight-play 49-yard drive and put the Bulldogs up 14-0 with 4:20 left in the third quarter.

After Pahrump Valley scored to cut Virgin Valley’s lead to 14-6 with 8:01 remaining, the Trojans never got the ball back as the Bulldogs ate up the remaining time on the clock with a methodical 14-play drive.

Virgin Valley converted on two fourth downs during the drive – Barnum’s fake punt and Workman’s three-yard run – along with a nine-yard pass from Barnum to Guzman on third down with under a minute to play.

“We just told the kids before that last drive let’s run the clock down and get out of here,” Woods said.
Workman led Virgin Valley in rushing with 58 yards on 19 carries while Guzman was the leading receiver with three catches for 37 yards.

The Bulldogs will now set their sights on the Rivalry Game with Moapa Valley on Good Friday. The game will be played at the Mesquite Sports and Events Complex with kickoff set for 7 p.m.

“It’s always fun to play Moapa,” Woods said. “They’re a good team. They throw the ball well and have a solid running game.”

Virgin Valley will close out its spring season with a return trip to Pahrump on April 9.