LAS VEGAS -- From the sidelines, looking up the line of scrimmage when Virgin Valley had the football, there appeared to be no backfield operating for the Bulldogs.

The wingbacks are tucked close to the offensive ends and the quarterback is crouched so low, the Bulldogs leave defenders wondering, "Who's going to get the football?"

"It's a great offensive scheme, and it works because we practice hard at running it," said Kirk Hafen, the Bulldogs' veteran coach, the inventor of an offensive lineup that can be dubbed the "Sneaky-T."

The Sneaky T produced a 12-minute, seven-second, 20-play drive that led to a 35-yard field goal by Spencer Zarate that gave Virgin Valley a 10-7 victory against neighborhood rival Moapa Valley in the Nevada Class 3-A state championship football game.

The offense operates out of a double-wing formation, with the running backs so close it appears to be an 11-man front. There is the occasional wingback in motion, with a toss from the quarterback to him, or the counter play using the other H-back or fullback.

The scheme was effective enough to power Virgin Valley to 10 wins in 13 games, including a 15-14 loss to Moapa Valley in the final regular-season game. That decision enabled Moapa Valley to be the No. 1 seed for the Southern League playoffs and relegated Virgin Valley to No. 2. Moapa Valley, 8-4, advanced to the finals by defeating Pahrump Valley 20-10 and Sparks 35-28, while the Bulldogs stopped Las Vegas Faith Lutheran 28-7 and previously undefeated Northern League champion Dayton 21-19.

That 12-minute, 7-second drive came on the first -- and only -- possession of the third quarter.

Bulldogs quarterback Doug Hafen threw only one pass in the quarter -- an eight-yard completion to Austin Goff -- to give Virgin Valley a first down at the Pirates' 32.

Previously, Bulldog runs went for 2, 4, 4, 3, 2, 6, 7, zero, 3, 4, zero, 8, and 5 yards. After the pass, the gains were 7, 4, and 6 before the Bulldogs were assessed a motion penalty.

Hafen gained 2 and Casimoro Zarate, hindered by injuries throughout the playoffs, was stopped for no gain on the final play of the third quarter. The Bulldogs had possession for all 12 minutes of the quarter, gaining 56 yards on 19 plays.

When the fourth quarter began, Spencer Zarate, a 250-pound lineman, with Goff as his holder, lined up for a 35-yard field goal attempt. Kicked the old-fashioned straight-up style, Zarate's boot was straight and comfortably cleared the cross bar.

"Holding the football for a whole quarter ... we've done that a couple times before," said Kirk Hafen, in his 15th season as the coach of the Bulldogs, who won their first state football title since 1994 and the 10th in school history.

The Bulldogs won the six-man football title in 1940, then added 11-man championships in 1970, 1974, 1981-82-83-84-85, and 1987.

Northern domination of the 3-A tournament thus ended. Truckee, Calif., won back-to-back championships in 2004 and 2005, after Reno Bishop Manogue (now in Class 4-A) prevailed in 2002 and 2003. Truckee won in 2001, after Moapa Valley claimed its 13th championship.

Current Southern Nevada 3-A members have 33 football titles; the other 10 are held by Boulder City, which last claimed a championship in 1991.

The field goal gave Virgin Valley a 10-7 lead.

On the final play of the first half, Doug Hafen had thrown a 17-yard touchdown pass to Stewart Planck and Zarate kicked the point after to tie the game at 7-7. Hafen finished 6-for-11 for 81 yards, with Goff snaring three for 52 yards.

Moapa Valley's touchdown had been scored on a Max Jenkins-to-Brad Weiss pass for 35 yards earlier in the second quarter.

"The biggest thing this season was getting our defense straightened out," said Hafen, as hundreds of green-and-white-clad Bulldog fans joined players in a noisy but joyous mid-field celebration. "Coach (Charley) Jarvis came back after working in Las Vegas for a while and helped get the defense in order."

The Bulldogs were especially effective against sophomore halfback Brad Weiss, limiting him to 33 yards on 12 attempts, and putting pressure on Max Jenkins. The sophomore quarterback completed just 10 of 26 passes for 141 yards. Weiss caught three for 64 yards, including that TD pass.

Casimoro Zarate, one of Greater Nevada's leading rushers during the regular season, gained 47 yards on 16 attempts, despite being helped off the field once during the first half and limping on and off the field in the final 24 minutes.

A crowd estimated at 5,000 watched the championship game at the Arbor View High School stadium in northwest Las Vegas. One veteran observer said it was the largest crowd he has ever seen at a state championship game, but who really could have expected anything less.

Virgin Valley and Moapa Valley have been rivals for more than 70 years, competing against each other in six-man football games back in the days long before anyone thought of the Sneaky-T.