VVHS Gets Ready For Homecoming Festivities

By TYRA LUDVIGSON

The Progress

Virgin Valley High School is gearing up for its 2022 Homecoming festivities. Homecoming week this year takes place next week, October 3-8. There is a full slate of school and community activities.

On Monday October 3, homecoming week will be kicked off with a “Pink Out” themed volleyball and girls soccer game at 6 pm in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

Wednesday has two major homecoming events: the Homecoming Parade at 5 pm on Mesquite Blvd, and the annual Powderpuff football game at 7 pm in the VVHS football stadium. Both events are open to the public.

On Thursday, the Bulldogs will host a blackout boys soccer game at 6 pm.

Friday reaches the height of the week as the Dawgs face Valley High School at 7 pm. Prior to the football game, VVHS student council and administration will host a community tailgate in the quad area at the HS from 5:30 pm to game time. The event is open for all supporters of the Dawgs and will feature free grub.

The Homecoming dance will be held at VVHS from 7-10pm on Saturday October 8.

One of the most beloved traditions is the celebration of a Grand Marshall in the Homecoming Parade.

This year Grand Marshall is local couple Charles “Charlie” Hurley and his wife Sharon.
Charlie grew up in West Virginia where he attended his first three years of college before being drafted into the U.S. Navy. He served overseas in Vietnam for four years.

It was during his service that he met and married his sweetheart Sharon who grew up Las Vegas and attended Valley High School for her first three years. Sharon graduated at rival Moapa Valley High School.

Charlie graduated college from the currently named Southern Utah University and chose to student teach at Virgin Valley. He was quickly hooked on the tight-knit community. So Charlie and Sharon made the move to Mesquite in 1979.

The loving community of Virgin Valley was quick to welcome the Hurleys.
“It helped that we beat Moapa (in football) the first year we were here,” Charlie recalls.
Charlie first started teaching as a 5th grade teacher at the then K-12 Virgin Valley school.
Unfortunately, he found that the children in his class were failing almost every spelling test. Upon further examination, the students were spelling the words in the manner that Hurley’s West Virginia accent said them. “Pants” became “paints,” “miles” turned into “mile,” and “walking” transformed into “walkin.”

Neighboring teacher, Dixie Bowler, finally saved the day. She would trade classes briefly with Mr. Hurley to give the students their spelling tests. Grades improved.

Hurley served an impressive 41 years teaching in CCSD. Sharon matched his employment in CCSD with 41 years of her own.

Charlie also managed to coach a myriad of sports. He has spent 24 years coaching boys basketball, 16 years of girls basketball, 21 years of softball, 7 years of baseball, 5 years of soccer, and 16 years of football. Charlie also served as athletic director for 23 years. He was inducted into the NIAA Hall of Fame in 2017.

One of Charlie’s most memorable moments in coaching happened in a 1993 home football game. In the middle of a play a desert tortoise meandered its way onto the field. The referees called a timeout and began to wait patiently for the animal to exit the field.

Eventually, Coach Hurley attempted to go pick up and move the old boy off the field. Hurley’s hands crept down, about to make contact with the shell when a thundering voice boomed out, “Hurley, Don’t touch the damn turtle!” It was the local game warden hollering at Hurley from the crowd.

The tortoise eventually sauntered off the field, only to return two more times during the game. Since then, Virgin Valley has become a closed campus and built a chainlink fence around the football field to prevent intruders like this.

Sharon Hurley commented on how the community had always accepted them. “Even though we were different, they have always made us feel like we were a part of them,” she said. “They took us in and loved us.”

The Hurleys will lead the 2022 Homecoming parade on Wednesday October 5 at 5 pm. Excitement fills the air as the Dawgs prepare for homecoming week!