DON McDERMOTT / PVT Steve Kelley, 21, stiff-arms a defender as he runs for a first down, in Pahrump Valley's 36-7 loss at Mesquite Virgin Valley Friday. The Trojans go to Las Vegas Faith Lutheran for another Southern Nevada Class 3-A League game Friday. DON McDERMOTT / PVT Rocky Spencer, 30, of Pahrump Valley rushed for 176 on 25 carries and scored the Trojans’ touchdown, in a 36-7 loss to homestanding Mesquite Virgin Valley Friday, in Southern Nevada Class 3-A League football. The Trojans play at Las Vegas Faith Lutheran Friday at 7 p.m. Advertisement

Figure this is the thinking in the football camps at Pahrump Valley and Las Vegas Faith Lutheran High Schools this week.

Which team will show up for us Friday night against the Crusaders, Brian Hug, the Pahrump Valley coach, may be wondering. Will it be the team that generated 57 points in five quarters in victories against Yucca Valley, Calif., and Las Vegas Legacy?

Or will it be the team that surrendered 439 yards and gained only 212 -- including 175 yards on 26 rushes by senior tailback Rocky Spencer -- in a 36-7 Southern Nevada Class 3-A League loss at Mesquite Virgin Valley?

At Las Vegas, coach Jason Kothe could be thinking about how his team could beat Virgin Valley 31-15 one Friday, and then lost 37-20 to Overton Moapa Valley the next?

Those questions, and others, will be answered Friday night, when the Trojans (2-4 in all games, 0-1 in the league) and Crusaders (1-1, 2-4) collide at Faith Lutheran. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

"The winner of the game Friday will be the one who's the best mentally prepared," said Hug, in an interview Monday, about 48 hours after he had a chance to review the tape of the Trojans' loss at Mesquite. "We weren't Friday, and I say, it was my fault. It won't happen again."

The Bulldogs used the cutback running of Casimoro Zarate, a 5-foot-9, 165-pound senior wingback, to punish Trojan defenders. He gained 217 yards on 22 carries and scored on runs of 7, 45, and 27 yards as the Bulldogs rolled up 317 yards on the ground on just 32 attempts.

J.P. Parker, another 160-pound senior, caused havoc with his speed. He rushed for 72 yards on just six attempts, including a 47-yard TD run. He also turned a short pass from quarterback Doug Hafen into a 43-yard touchdown. Hafen finished 8-for-10 for 122 yards and that touchdown, without an interception.

Spencer was the only offensive player to consistently hurt the Bulldogs. His 69-yard touchdown run with 2:26 left in the first period helped reduce what had been a 15-point deficit into a 15-7 game at the end of the first period.

In the second period, however, came Parker's touchdown catch and Zarate's 45-yard scoring run. On both plays, the Bulldog attackers cut back against the flow of the play to get into the open, where they outran the pursuit.

"That was a case of where the defense didn't do what we asked and went out on its own," said Hug. "In the second half, when they did what they were instructed to do, we held Virgin Valley to seven points (on Zarate's 27-yard run with 8:26 left in the game)."

It was Virgin Valley's 15th win in its last 16 starts against Pahrump Valley. The Bulldogs' lone loss was a 39-33 overtime setback inflicted by the Trojans in the 2005 league opener. In that game, quarterback Travis Ott was able to throw the football effectively. The winning touchdown was a six-yard pass to Spencer in overtime.

Friday, Ott was under constant pressure from the Bulldogs as he completed 2 of 9 passes for just 12 yards and an interception. He was sacked twice for minus-13 yards. Senior fullback Steve Kelley was able to shake loose for 39 yards on eight rushes, with his last three attempts producing first downs.

Pahrump Valley is at home Oct. 20 for Homecoming, with Moapa Valley the opposition. On Oct. 26, Boulder City is at PVHS for the regular-season finale. It's possible there can be even more discussion in the PVHS camp next week, considering the Trojans lost 28-14 to Moapa Valley and had to overcome a 16-0 deficit to beat Boulder City 32-16.

GAME STATISTICS

Virgin Valley 36, Pahrump Valley 7, in a Southern Nevada Class 3-A League football game Friday, at Mesquite.

The scoring:

PVHS 7 0 0 0 -- 7

VValley 15 14 0 7 -- 36

First Quarter

VV -- Casimoro Zarate 7 run (Spencer Zarate kick), 7-0, 5:50.

VV -- J.P. Parker 47 run (C. Zarate run), 15-0, 3:16.

PV -- Rocky Spencer 69 run (Kody Daffer kick), 15-7, 2:26.

Second Quarter

VV -- Parker 43 pass from Doug Hafen (S. Zarate kick), 22-7, 11:39.

VV -- C. Zarate 45 run (S. Zarate kick), 29-7, 3:12.

Fourth Quarter

VV -- C. Zarate 27 run (S. Zarate kick), 36-7, 8:26.

Individuals

Rushing -- PVHS: Rocky Spencer 26 rushes, 175 yards, 1 TD; Steve Kelley 8-29; Travis Ott 4-minus 13. VVHS -- Casimoro Zarate 22-231, 3 TDs; Parker 6-72, 1 TD; Hafen 4-14.

Passing -- PVHS: Ott 2 completions, 9 attempts, 12 yards, 1 interception. VVHS -- Hafen 8 completions, 10 attempts, 1 TD, 122 yards.

Receptions -- PVHS: Vandale Wright, 2 catches, 12 yards. VVHS -- Parker 3-53, 1 TD; Goff 2-43; C. Zarate 2-18.