DON McDERMOTT / PVT As he is swarmed over by Tonopah tacklers, Pahranagat Valley Alamo punter Brady Whipple laterals the football to quarterback Taylor Poulsen early in the fourth quarter of the Nevada Class A Eight-Man championship game Saturday at Arbor View High School. The Panthers scored five plays later and won 22-18 for their third title in four years. Advertisement

LAS VEGAS -- There was no question about it. The two best Class A Eight-Man football teams in Nevada battled -- fiercely and with passion -- for the state championship here Saturday. So, it figured that one critical decision, one play, one ad lib play would decide who won.

Pahranagat Valley Alamo edged defending champion Tonopah 22-18 for the 2008 title on the artificial turf of Arbor View High School, in a game dominated by the defenses.

The game-breaking play was executed by the Panthers early in the fourth quarter.

On 4th-and-6 at the Tonopah 45 with 10 minutes left in the game and Alamo ahead 14-12, the Panthers' Brady Whipple dropped back into punt formation.

Whipple faked the punt, but instead of running right, he moved left and was met by a swarm of Mucker tacklers at midfield. Just as it appeared Whipple was going down, the senior halfback pitched the ball back to quarterback Taylor Poulsen, who had seen that his teammate and longtime friend was in trouble.

Poulsen avoided a couple tacklers and before he was stopped, Alamo had a first down at the Tonopah 30.

Five plays later, Poulsen threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Whipple, giving Alamo a 20-12 lead. The Panthers added the points after on a run by Whipple and with 7:05 left, Alamo led 22-12.

"That's the kind of impromtu play they've been making since they were in the second grade," said Ken Higbee, the Alamo coach. "We would be coaching at practice or during a game and we would look down the field and those two boys would be playing together.

"That's the beauty of small schools," said Higbee, who now has 102 career victories at Alamo. "Kids grow up playing together"

Alamo needed that touchdown, because Tonopah did score again. On a clutch fourth-down-and 10 play from the 20, quarterback Scott Thibodeaux connected with Denver Otteson in the end zone for the touchdown.

Unfortunately, the extra-point play failed, as it had after the Muckers' two previous touchdowns -- a seven-yard run by Thibodeaux and a 63-yard blast by Otteson in the third quarter. A subsequent on-side kick didn't work and the Panthers ran out the clock.

Back to the play that, in essence, decided the game.

"We looked at each other, he tossed me the ball, and I took off running," Poulsen said of the play of the game. Said Whipple of the lateral: "Really, I was getting tackled ... it was kind of desperation."

One week after setting a national eight-man scoring record in a 128-74 semifinal win over Coleville (Calif.), Pahranagat Valley was forced to play a much different game against the Muckers, who had advanced to their third consecutive title game with a 71-30 rout of previously undefeated Carlin.

The Panthers, who finished 12-0 and achieved their third undefeated season in four years, rushed for 155 yards, led by senior quarterback Poulsen (96 yards, two touchdowns) and Whipple (53 yards).

"We played good football," Tonopah coach Curt McElroy said. "We shut down their running game. There were a couple pass plays that hurt us, but all in all, there was not going to be a 128-74 result.

"What can I say about my kids?" said McElroy, whose team won last year's state title, Tonopah's first in football. "Some of these kids have been with me for the 11 years I have been in Tonopah.

"They worked hard throughout the season and it's going to be tough losing them," said McElroy, "but with the kids we have returning, we could be back here again next season."

Otteson, who is likely to be the Muckers' quarterback next season, was a defensive standout Saturday. The junior linebacker was in on 14 tackles, including seven solo stops. He recovered a fumble and forced another.

Dolfin had 12 tackles and had a sack; Ermilo Arias had 11 tackles, including five solos. Getting key defensive stops, too, were Jose Arias, Rene Martinez, Roberto Miramontez and Chase Gibson.

Graduating in spring 2009 will be Thibodeaux, who made the switch from halfback to quarterback in Tonopah's Pistol-spread offense in 2007, directing the team to 19 wins in 24 starts. Also leaving will be Josh Harris, Dolfin, Brice Woodworth, Miramontez, Sergio Perez, Jeffery Blackburn and Gibson.

Tonopah (8-4) trailed 14-0 at halftime, before the Muckers got those third-quarter touchdowns from Thibodeaux and Otteson.

Thibodeaux carried 17 times for 134 yards and one score. The senior also threw for 91 yards and one TD and intercepted his seventh pass of the season on defense. Thibodeaux scored 35 touchdowns this season.

With its 12th title regardless of class, Pahranagat Valley moved into fifth all-time in state history.

"When Tonopah scored those two touchdowns, I thought we might be in for another game like we had with Coleville, but that didn't happen,'" said a relieved Higbee.

"We played against a solid team, a team bigger, more physical, more athletic team than us," Higbee said, "But ... we made just enough plays to win the game."

Tonopah is 8-4 in playoff games, with three of the losses to Alamo, now 10-1 in the post season since 2005. Alamo eliminated the Muckers 26-6 in 2004 and 56-14 in the 2006 finals, also played at Arbor View. Alamo's loss in the last four playoffs was 26-24 to Carlin in the 2007 state semifinals.