DON McDERMOTT / PVT Brian Hug, right, and Wiley Meade, left, discuss strategy as the Pahrump Valley High School football team gets ready to play the Maroon-Gold intrasquad game Saturday at Rosemary Clarke Middle School. More than 400 fans turned out for the 90-minute scrimmage that involved more than 100 players, including Daniel Miller and Chris DeMille. Advertisement

The Brian Hug era in Pahrump Valley High School athletics -- football in particular -- began Saturday.

It was a highly successful intrasquad scrimmage that attracted more than 400 of the Trojan faithful, newcomers and the just plain curious to Rosemary Clarke Middle School, where 104 boys went through a rigorous 90-minute workout.

"I think things went well," said Hug, who is also the PVHS athletics director and had to be happy with not only how the team competed, but how many people showed up just to watch. "It gave us a chance to get kids into game-type situations ... to let us know what we have to work on."

The first-team offense, with assistant coach Wiley Meade the offensive coordinator and led primarily by quarterback Steve Kelley, had the football for 25 plays and generated 200 yards in total offense and five touchdowns. The first-team defense, going up against a scout team that had quarterback Travis Ott in charge, surrendered two touchdowns and 105 yards. Kelley was the starting quarterback for five games in 2004, after T.R. Plummer was injured; Ott moved in from Iowa last year and took over the No. 1 quarterback's role.

"One of those touchdowns was scored because of a big play," said Hug, who will be the Trojans' defensive coordinator when the season begins Sept. 1 at Las Vegas Chaparral. "Big plays are going to happen; they happen at every level. It's how teams respond after such a play that is important." The big play was a 38-yard run to the 2-yard line. "That we gave up a touchdown on the next play was not the way I would expect the defense to react. But the quarterback (Ott) made the right read; he's got to get the credit for that."

That Kelley, Mike Colucci and Rocky Spencer were back in action Saturday was a positive. Each was affected adversely by injuries during the 2005-2006 school year. On the roster -- now at 105 players -- are 20 seniors.

Friday: A closer look at the 2006 Trojans.