HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Leo Verzilli is the 12th head coach of Pahrump Valley High School. His debut is at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, when the Trojans play at Las Vegas Mountain View Christian. Advertisement

At first, Leo Verzilli thought Las Vegas Mountain View Christian just wanted to scrimmage the Pahrump Valley football team he coaches.

"But when I found out they wanted to play a game, I was excited and so was the team," said Verzilli, who will take the Trojans to Las Vegas Saturday to play the Class 2-A Saints in a Nevada Athletics Hall of Fame Game. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. at the school located at 3900 E. Bonanza in east Las Vegas. "We want to hit somebody else."

What Verzilli -- who had 10 years as a successful coach at Rosemary Clarke Middle School in Pahrump -- wants Saturday is "for the kids to execute.

"We want to limit mistakes ... turnovers ... and get some sort of measurement of where this team is," said Verzilli, before the Trojans worked out Wednesday afternoon. "And the biggest thing is ... we want to stay healthy."

Only 22 players are on the traveling squad for the game against the Saints, who were a Nevada Class A Eight-Man football power for several years. Mountain View was the only team to beat eventual state 1-A champion Tonopah in 2007, scoring a 16-0 victory on a hot Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas in September.

Going to Vegas will be:

* Conner White, 6 feet, 180 pound junior lineman;

* Joey Colucci, 6 feet, 200 senior lineman;

* Gueran Fenicle, 5-10, 1609 senior halfback;

* Robert Akers, 5-5, 180 senior lineman;

* Ryan Holt, 6, 195 senior lineman;

* Travis Linsday, 5-10, 175, senior halfback;

* Stephen Fildes, 5-10, 170 senior lineman;

* Taylor Gourley, 6, 200 senior lineman;

* Vince Bluthart, 5-5, 195, senior lineman;

* Mavrick Manning, 5-8, 175 junior halfback;

* Kyle Taylor, 5-10, 150 junior halfback;

* Dajhan Celius, 5-10, 170 sophomore halfback;

* Ande Floyd, 5-11, 180 senior fullback-linebacker;

* Daniel Carter, 6-1, 195 junior lineman;

* Garrett Darr, 6-1, 250 junior lineman;

* Dillon Ward, 6-2, 240 senior lineman;

* Jim Bluthart, 5-5, 195 senior lineman;

* Eli Cline, 5-10, 200 junior lineman;

* Steven Schmidt, 6-2, 195 senior lineman;

* Nick Murphy, 5-10, 150 junior quarterback;

* Chase Williams, 6, 195 senior quarterback;

* Sveinlung Loefaldi, 5-10, 150 junior placekicker.

Greg Shippee, Anthony Cafeo, Sam Fields, Lance Litzenberger and Galindo Ramiro are junior varsity players who are scheduled to make the trip.

Verzilli's coaching staff includes offensive coordinator Joe Clayton, defensive coordinator Preston Dockter and assistants Andy Schneider, Craig Rieger, Leo Miller, Mike Colucci and C.J. Moore.

"The boys have been upbeat (throughout the preseason)," said Verzilli. "They've been working pretty hard and they're in good shape ... and they're going to have to be in shape."

The Trojans' home opener is Sept. 5, with Desert Oasis, a new Las Vegas high school, the opposition in a non-Sunset Region Southwest Division Class 4-A game. On Sept. 12, the Trojans are in Las Vegas again to play former Southern 3-A League rival Faith Lutheran.