Dan Lindgren, former assistant principal at J.G. Johnson Elementary School, has been named as Pahrump Valley High School's new assistant principal and athletic director.

Given that this is the first year Pahrump Valley High School students will be competing in Division 4-A, Lindgren knows he has his work cut out for him. However, he's confident that the Trojans will manage to hold their own against teams with larger coaching staffs in a higher level of competition.

"I knew before going into this it was going to be a challenge," Lindgren said. "In a lot of sports, I think we're going to compete. There are definitely some schools in sports that are in a level by themselves, but that's going to happen when you have a greater population."

Academics are just as important to Lindgren as athletics.

"We have student-athletes," Lindgren stressed. "Our students know the importance of academics."

Although in most Division 4-A schools the athletic director is separate from the assistant principle, Lindgren is comfortable playing the dual administrative role.

"I don't think the dual position is going to damper anything," Lindgren said. "It's not going to affect what our kids do."

Lindgren, who will be starting his 13th year with the Nye County School District, has three children in Nye County schools and another who just graduated from PVHS.

"I have a very viable interest in what happens in this district athletically and academically," Lindgren said. "But if you put what's in the best interest of the kids first, I believe you always do the right thing.

"I'm kind of excited to see what happens," he said.