DON McDERMOTT / PVT Shane Ervine, left, runs for Pahrump Valley in a football scrimmage at Las Vegas The Meadows Saturday. The Mustangs prevailed three touchdowns to one in the two-hour workout on their newly installed artificial turf field. Pahrump Valley football (SS - Sunset Region game) Sept. 4 -- At Western (SS), 7 p.m. Sept. 11 -- Bishop Gorman (SS), 7 p.m. Sept. 18 -- At Mojave, 7 p.m. Sept. 25 -- Bonanza (SS), Hall of Fame Game, 7 p.m. Oct. 2 -- Durango (SS), 7 p.m. Oct. 9 -- At Spring Valley (SS), 7 p.m. Oct. 16 -- Desert Oasis (SS), Homecoming, 7 p.m. Oct. 23 -- At Clark (SS), 7 p.m. Oct. 29 -- At Sierra Vista (SS), 7 p.m. Advertisement

Before the 2008-2009 school year began, Clark County bus drivers drove to the Pahrump Valley High School campus, without passengers and with a unique purpose, according to one Trojan coach.

"We were at football practice ... one day, we see a Clark County bus drive through the campus," said Leo Verzilli. "The next day, we saw another, with three, maybe four bus drivers riding along. We thought maybe they believed Pahrump was on Mars and they were on a discovery mission." What they were doing was figuring out how long it would take them to travel from the concrete jungle of Las Vegas, through the Spring Mountains and down a straight, but treacherous Highway 160 to get to the reconstructed Pahrump Valley high school stadium.

Pahrump Valley, after more than a decade competing as a member of the Southern Nevada Class 3-A League, had been moved into the Sunset Region Southwest Class 4-A Division by the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association in September 2007, effective with the 2008-2009 school year.

While the Trojans' athletic teams had mixed success in their first 4-A campaigns, it was football that absorbed some horrific beatings (62-12 to Durango ... 55-0 to Bishop Gorman ... 54-0 to Spring Valley) enroute to a 1-9 season that included seven consecutive losses without a win in division games.

"We had some terrific kids, but I think we had a target on our backs all season," said Verzilli, who for 10 years in the 1990s and early 2000s was the head coach at Rosemary Clarke Middle School in Pahrump).

"No (Las Vegas) team wanted to be the first to lose to Pahrump Valley. But we know that Vegas teams all have speed, with two or three backs who can go the 40 (meter dash) in 4.4 ... 4.5.

"But I love us being in 4-A ... it's a fast, tough level," said Verzilli, "but our goal this season is to win. We have some athletic talent and the kids know how to play the game. We have to do things right ... block and tackle and try to be better than the other teams at doing those things."

The Trojans worked on conditioning all summer, spending endless hours in the weight room in preparation for the season, which begins Sept. 4 in a division game at Western. The following week, the Trojans are at home against Bishop Gorman, the Southwest champion last season. The new lighting system will get its football debut.

"Getting back to Vegas teams coming out here," said Verzilli. "We had five home games last season and to a team, they loved the atmosphere we had here ... the crowd, the facilities and the atmopshere. One Friday night, we had a full house and across town, the (annual Pahrump) fall festival was going on." The festival attracts thousands of people over a three-day stretch in either late September or early October, with a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo the feature event.

"We're looking for a turnaround this year ... we're relatively young," said Verzilli, who had 11 seniors, 11 juniors, four sophomores and a freshman on the varsity roster as of Monday afternoon. "We had more than 25 freshmen on our roster last season, but (academic) ineligibility and other problems reduced the 10th-grade class to just four players.

The sophomores are defensive back Brandon Murphy, fullback/linebacker Jon Mitchell and offensive linemen Brandon Corbett and Kory Daffer.

The freshman is offensive lineman Steven Rencher, a 6-foot-5, 310-pounder who will play with the varsity. The brother of former state shot put champion Ashley Rencher, Steven has shown considerable promise in preseason workouts.

The seniors include quarterback Nick Murphy, who missed almost all of the 2008 season after sustaining a knee injury in the Trojans' lone victory, a 23-18 conquest of Class 2-A Las Vegas Mountain View Christian.

Others from the Class of 2010 are Maverick Manning (FB/LB), Leo McCormick (DE), Ken Sager (TE/LB), Kyle Taylor (RB/LB), Greg Shippee (RB/LB), Robin Grandell (DL), Curtis Weir (DL), Tyler Lepley (WR), Daniel Carter (DE) and Gary Walker (PK).

The juniors are Alex McGuire (QB), Dajhan Celius (RB), Shane Ervine (RB), Romero Galindo (RB), Eli Cline (OL), Dillon Nicola (OL), Kenny Hockett (DL), Ty Thomas (DE), Travis Smith (OL), Adrian Aguilar (OL), Dillon Perreira (WR) and Chad Shropshire (OL).

Andy Schneider (JVs), Craig Rieger (B-team), Joe Clayton, Tom Fay (offensive coordinator) and Keith Smith will be the assistants for Verzilli, who will be the defensive coordinator).

"What we're trying to do here is build a program," said Verzilli, quite aware that in the last three seasons, PVHS has produced only four wins, against 24 losses and a tie; in 36 seasons, the Trojans have won only 102 games.

"What the kids and the parents are going to have to realize is that football at Pahrump Valley High School is going to become a year-round deal," said Verzilli. "Being in 4-A is what it is ... that is where we have to take our game and make it become competitive."