Richard Barker, the new volleyball coach at Pahrump Valley High School, greeted more than three dozen girls at the first day of fall practice Monday. Steve Coleman, above, has returned as the Lady Trojans' soccer coach, and Gene Smith, below, a 1997 PVHS graduate, is the boys' soccer coach. One of the biggest problems each faced on the first day was paperwork; many of the athletes either had not registered properly, did not have insurance, or had undergone the required physical examination. Advertisement

A first-day fall sports chronology ...

Andy Anderson had cross country team hopefuls at practice at 6 a.m. Monday at Pahrump Valley High School.

At 9 a.m. at Mountain Falls, Julie Floyd greeted players who want to help the Lady Trojans defend their Nevada Class 3-A State golf championship.

At 2:30 p.m., more than three dozen girls were at a volleyball practice directed by new coach Richard Barker.

At 3 p.m., Steve Coleman, back as the PVHS girls' soccer coach, was taping ankles as the team waited to start its preseason drills.

At the same time, Gene Smith, hired just last week as the Trojans' boys' soccer coach, was talking with players who have one objective: at least duplicate what PVHS did in the 2005 season when they won the Southern 3-A regionals and advanced to the state finals before bowing to Truckee, Calif.

The Pahrump Valley football squad, with 94 players in camp, was in its fourth day of workouts; they went through conditioning drills Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Monday at 8 a.m., the first of four consecutive two-a-day sessions began, with the Trojans preparing for the Maroon-and-Gold intrasquad game Saturday morning.

A common concern for all of the coaches is the completion of paper work.

Every athlete has to register with the proper forms, including proof of insurance and completion of a physical examination. Athletes in Nye County are now required to have a physical each year they compete in either middle school or high school athletics.

Failure to be properly registered means an athlete cannot work out with his or her respective team until it is done. And to be eligible for the first interscholastic event, an athlete must have completed 10 practice sessions.

The first cross country meet of the season for the Trojans will be Sept. 6, in a mid-week meet at Sierra Vista High School in southwest Las Vegas.

The girls golf team will open its season at 11 a.m. Aug. 24 at Falcon Ridge in Mesquite against their Southern Nevada 3-A league rivals Boulder City, Las Vegas Faith Lutheran, Mesquite Virgin Valley, and Overton Moapa Valley.

Volleyball starts Aug. 25, with the Trojans playing in the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational that concludes Aug. 26. On Sept. 1-2, Pahrump Valley hosts its own tournament, with Lake Mead Christian Academy, Tonopah, Las Vegas Mountain View Christian, The Meadows, Trinity Christian, Las Vegas Shadow Ridge, Pahranagat Valley Alamo, Las Vegas Calvary Chapel, Vo-Tech, and the PVHS junior varsity entered.

The Trojan soccer teams have their own Gold Cup Shootout slated Sept. 1-2.

Football's 2006 season opener is Sept. 1, with the Trojans traveling to Las Vegas to take on Class 4-A Chaparral.

The Rosemary Clarke Middle School volleyball camp, which starts today, has been moved to the Ninth Grade Academy gym because of a technical problem in the Sharks' gym. The camp runs from 4 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. today; times for Thursday and Friday will be given at the camp.

Susan Toomer is directing the camp, which helps decide who will play for the Lady Sharks this fall.

Meanwhile, Leo Verzilli is working with the RCMS football team, preparing it for the 2006 campaign.