By BOB SNELL
The Progress
For not having played football in two years, it hasn’t taken Gavin Brown long to figure things out. That’s good news for the Virgin Valley High School football team. Bad news for opponents.
The senior quarterback completed 14-of-18 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns to help power the Bulldogs to a 47-0 triumph over visiting Eldorado of Las Vegas Friday night, and to christen the new artificial surface field inside Evan Wilson Stadium.
The win improved the Bulldogs to 2-0 on the season and was the first game played on campus in two years. Fans were also allowed back in the facility for the first time since 2019.
“It was good to have fans back in the stands again,” VVHS head coach Matt Woods said. “That makes a huge difference for us.”
The large and enthusiastic crowd had plenty to cheer about.
Brown, who completed passes to six different receivers on the night, flawlessly guided the Bulldogs to touchdowns on five of their six possessions in the first half as Virgin Valley grabbed a commanding 39-0 halftime advantage. The second half was played with a running clock per the NIAA mercy rule.
“Gavin runs our offense well,” Woods said. “He has worked hard in practice and has taken leadership of the offense.”
Brown threw scoring passes of 70 and 31 yards to Benson Leavitt, 17 yards to Jimmy Kelly and 10 yards to Cam Perkins.
“Our skill people stepped up again,” Woods said. “Like I’ve said. They cause matchup problems for defenses.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Virgin Valley defense was just as dominating in pitching its second consecutive shutout to open the season.
The Bulldogs held Eldorado to just three first downs while limiting the Sundevils to 16 yards on the ground. Eldorado completed 7-of-18 passes for 80 yards, half of those in the fourth quarter when the outcome was long decided.
“The defense played really well, again,” Woods said. “I’m very pleased with how our defense is playing. Coach (Charlie) Jarvis always does a great job with our D.”
The Bulldog ground game also chipped in rushing for 135 yards, led by Eathan Workman. The senior ran for 104 yards on just seven carries while ripping off scoring runs of 26 and 28 yards against the Sundevil defense.
All told, Virgin Valley had 375 yards of total offense.
“Our offensive line is starting to come together,” Woods said. “I’m pleased with how they’re playing right now. Overall, I thought the team played well. We had a few guys out, but we had kids that stepped in and played well.”
The Bulldogs will have a bye this week and then go on the road to face Pahrump Valley on Sept. 10 in Pahrump.
“We’ll work on some things this week in practice and then start focusing in on getting ready for Pahrump next Monday (Sept. 6),” Woods said.
