HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Football returns to Pahrump Valley High School at 8 a.m. Thursday, when the Brian Hug-coached Trojans begin preseason workouts. Advertisement

Football practice starts Thursday. Can fall be far behind?

Nye County schools Pahrump Valley, Beatty, Tonopah and Round Mountain will start preseason workouts Thursday, in preparation for their openers.

Pahrump Valley, with Brian Hug its coach, starts at 8 a.m. The Class 3-A Trojans' opener is Aug. 24 at Phoenix, Ariz., Christian;

Beatty's Hornets, coached by Gus Sullivan, begin workouts at 6 p.m. The Class A Central Division team is at home against Laughlin Aug. 24;

The Muckers of Tonopah begin preseason drills at 7 p.m. Thursday at the high school field under the direction of coach Curt McElroy. The three-time defending Central Division champion and 2006 state 1-A runnerup Muckers launch their season Aug. 31 at home against Diamond Ranch, Utah;

Round Mountain, another 1-A Central Division team and coached by Jim Swigart, has two-a-days (7 a.m.-9 a.m. and 4 p.m.-6 p.m.) starting Thursday. The Knights' opener is Aug. 25 at Coleville, Calif.

In the 2006 season, Pahrump Valley was 1-3 in the Southern League and 3-7 in all games, including a 20-10 loss to regular-season champion Overton Moapa Valley in the first round of the 3-A state playoffs.

The Trojans' 2007 schedule is arguably the toughest in school history. Pahrump Valley plays its first three games on the road.

Phoenix Christian, a member of the private school-dominated Class 2-A Metro League, was 11-2 and outscored its opponents 447-100 in 2006.

San Diego Torrey Pines won the Palomar League championship, finishing 9-2 and outpointing its rivals 382-190. In the Palomar League are Carlsbad LaCosta Canyon, Poway, San Diego Mt. Carmel, San Diego Rancho Bernardo, and San Diego Westview.

Chino, Calif., Don Lugo was 5-6, including a 48-3 conquest of Pahrump Valley, in 2006. Don Lugo is in the Mt. Baldy League, along with Ontario Colony, Ontario Chaffey, Montclair, Ontario and Pomona Garey.

Yucca Valley was 3-7 in all games, including a 34-30 loss to the Trojans. In that game, PVHS rallied from a 30-6 deficit in the fourth quarter to triumph. Big Bear, Twentynine Palms, Desert Hot Springs and Thermal Desert Mirage are in the De Anza League, along with Yucca Valley.

Spring Creek was 7-3 and finished third (behind Dayton and Sparks) in the Northern 3-A League. The Spartans have won the first three games in their current series with Pahrump Valley.

Southern 3-A rival Mesquite Virgin Valley won the state championship, edging Moapa Valley 10-7 in the title game on Spencer Zarate's late field goal.

Las Vegas Faith Lutheran finished 5-5, including a 31-17 conquest of Pahrump Valley. Boulder City was 1-8.

Tonopah (10-2), Beatty (4-4) and Round Mountain (3-7) finished 1-2-5, respectively, in the Central Division in 2006. The Muckers are 13-0 in three Central Division games since 2004 and are 3-3 in state playoff starts.

NOTES -- Amy Braach Hart will be the new volleyball coach at Pahrump Valley High School, replacing Richard Barker, who resigned after one season .... The Lady Trojans, as do all Nevada volleyball teams, start preseason workouts Monday ... Pahrump Valley will open the season Aug. 24-25 in the prestigious Las Vegas Invitational, then return home Aug. 31-Sept. 1 to host its own invitational ... Tonopah and Beatty will be in the PVHS tourney .... Round Mountain's volleyball team opens at Coleville Aug. 25 ... Pahrump Valley boys and girls soccer, girls golf, and boys and girls cross country will also start preseason drills Monday ... Watch for an announcement soon on league affiliations for the 2008-2009 school year ... Teams petitioning the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association for changes in their classifications effective that year must have their requests in by Monday. ... Pahrump Valley will petition to remain in Class 3-A; the Trojans are tentatively assigned to the Sunset Region Southwest Division in Class 4-A.