Bulldogs Pummel Pahrump in Trojan Stadium

By BOB SNELL

The Progress

Not even a blown bus tire and arriving over an hour late for kickoff could slow down the Virgin Valley High School Football team last week.

On Friday, Sept. 10, the Bulldogs, who were forced to sit on a CCSD bus for almost 90 minutes near Craig Road and I-15 in North Las Vegas while waiting for a tire to be replaced. They arrived at their destination at Pahrump an hour after the scheduled 7 p.m. kickoff time and were given 30 minutes to get dressed and ready to play.

After a somewhat sluggish first half, the Bulldogs managed to shake off their bus lag and went on to post a 42-18 victory over host Pahrump Valley in the Trojan stadium.

The win improved Virgin Valley to 3-0 on the season while Pahrump Valley was playing its first game after having its first two contests canceled because of COVID-19 issues.

“It was a long night, but overall, I thought we played really well considering all we went through to get here,” VVHS head coach Matt Woods said. “We were a little sluggish in the first half, but we settled down and played a lot better in the second half.”

The Bulldogs, who amassed over 450 yards of total offense, got three rushing touchdowns, two through the air, one from the defense and a score from special teams.

“It was good to play a big, physical team like Pahrump,” Woods said. “Overall, I thought we played much tougher. We had too many penalties, but that happens when you play a physical team like Pahrump.”

Virgin Valley opened the scoring with a safety when a bad snap went over the Pahrump punter’s head and through the back of the end zone. Four plays later, junior Kellen Duggan, making his Virgin Valley debut, sprinted around the right side 24 yards for a touchdown.

“It was good to get Kellen on the field,” Woods said of the move-in from Nebraska. “His speed and quickness gives us a different element.”

Ethan Workman followed by scoring the first of his two TDs on the night with a 26-yard run. Quarterback Gavin Brown connected with Jimmy Kelly on a short sideline pass that he turned into an electrifying 64-yard scoring play to put the Bulldogs up 20-0 in the second quarter.

Pahrump Valley came right back, however. The Trojans scored on their final two possessions to close the margin to 20-12 at halftime.

The Trojans received the second-half kickoff, but Virgin Valley’s Martin Jordan quickly ended any hopes of a Pahrump Valley comeback by picking off a Trojan pass and returning it 35 yards for a touchdown. Brown ran in the two-point conversion boosting the Bulldog advantage to 28-12.

“You can’t have enough players like Martin,” Woods said. “He’s the example of what it means to be a team player. He’ll play anywhere. The team comes first with him.”

Workman later scored on a 15-yard run and Brown hooked up with Jared Jensen on a two-yard scoring pass.

Workman rushed for 107 yards on the night with Duggan adding an even 100. Brown had another solid outing completing 17-of-20 passes for 235 yards. Kelly led all receivers with eight catches for 144 yards. Jensen added four catches for 44 yards and Cam Perkins had two for 38.

Virgin Valley will be on the road again this Friday at Boulder City. Kickoff against the 2-1 Eagles is set for 7 p.m.