Leo Verzilli, who for years coached the highly successful Rosemary Clarke Middle School football team and operated the landmark restaurant, Archie's Famous Hamburgers, at the same time, is the new football coach at Pahrump Valley High School.

Verzilli takes over a program that produced only three victories and a tie in 19 games in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The Trojans move into the Class 4-A Sunset Region Southwest Division in fall 2008. That division, incidentally, includes state 4-A football champion Las Vegas Bishop Gorman.

The Trojans were 0-8-1 (0-4 Southern Nevada 3-A League) in 2007, a season complicated by as many off-the-field problems as there were in competition. Then head coach and athletics director, Brian Hug, was replaced at mid-season by varsity assistant Roy Goodell.

Verzilli's major objective now is to find a staff of assistant coaches who can help him build a respectable football program.

There was another positive report coming out of PVHS.

Construction on the $500,000 stadium that will seat 1,700 is underway. Fans can expect to start seeing elevation of construction later this week; the project deadline is March 10. The next day, PVHS hosts a multi-team mid-week track meet.