Pahrump Valley High will be in Class 4-A in the 2008-2009 school year. Which irritates Trojan athletics director Brian Hug in one way, yet energizes him in another.

"I don't like it, because we will have problems being competitive in most sports," said Hug, in his second year as PVHS's AD. He was reacting to the decision by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association's realignment committee to deny the school's petition to remain in Class 3-A.

Hug was reacting to that news, while also preparing the PVHS football team (0-3) he coaches for today's game at home against Spring Creek, 1-1. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Because the projected 2008-2009 figures have more than 1,201 students slated to enroll at PVHS, the NIAA disallowed the school's petition. Pahrump Valley will be in the Sunset Region Southwest Division, along with Bonanza, Clark, Durango, Sierra Vista, Spring Valley, and Western. Bishop Gorman's request to remain in Class 4-A, so it's likely the Gaels will be in that division as well.

"We will move up next year, so we have to start thinking about several things."

That thinking process, said Hug, begins with the Nye County School District board considering several projects, the most important of which is to consider whether it wants to build a second high school or a new state-of-the-art building that would accommodate bigger enrollment?

"Upgrading facilities, like lighting our baseball, softball and soccer fields and putting artificial turf down on all of them, should be a priority now, as well as increasing the capacity of the stands at our (football) field," said Hug.

"Being in Class 4-A would give our athletes more exposure; say we're playing Bishop Gorman in a game. A scout sees one of our athletes and wonders who he or she is and recuits them as well," said Hug. "But winning championships? We won't have as many opportunities as we have had being in Class 3-A."

Since 2001, Pahrump Valley has won 11 state championships -- three in fast-pitch softball and girls golf, two in girls basketball, and one in track, as well as titles in drill and cheerleading.

Pahrump Valley won a Southern Nevada Class 3-A League regular-season title in football in 2005; that was the first championship for the Trojans in that sport since 1993.

Wrestling has become a dominant sport for PVHS boys, who have won the last three regional titles and last season, finished second in the state 3-A tournament, a feat duplicated by the Trojans in baseball.

"Two of the four league schools voted against us when asked whether we should remain in Class 3-A," said Hug, who added. "Virgin Valley and Moapa Valley voted against us. I guess I should call the Virgin Valley athletics director and tell him his school should forfeit to us in every sport, since we are so tough.

"One thing I know is, we cannot wait for four years to start work on our facilities," said Hug, also noting that the district "will have to consider increasing the athletics department budget, so that when it comes time to hiring coaches, there will be adequate funds to pay one who wants to work at a 4-A school."

Another alternative, said Hug, is "we could consider becoming an independent school and play anyone we want.

"Of course," said Hug, "Pahrump Valley would not be eligible for regional and state tournaments. How fair would that be to our athletes?"

"When I first heard about the decision, I was angry," said Hug, "but then I realized that it is going to happen, and we have to start getting to work -- now."

Nine schools petitioned the NIAA to switch classifications beginning next fall. Five schools petitioned to move up to a higher classification and play schools with larger enrollments; they had their petitions granted.

The schools wanting to move down had their petitions denied.

Bret Walter, the athletics director at Faith Lutheran, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there has been some discussion at his school of petitioning to move to 4-A. Walter said he would look into NIAA regulations to find out when the school could petition if it decides to do so.

"A four-team league? Maybe the other schools in the league are fond of that, but I'm not," Walter told the R-J. "Obviously we weren't real fond of playing in an even smaller league. As a school, we're going to have to decide where we need to go for the future."