By Breven Honda

The Virgin Valley High School football team is primed and ready for the 2025 season.

Despite players graduating at some key positions, head coach Matt Woods has the opportunity for returning players to seize those roles for the upcoming season.

“It’s always fun to see who’s going to step up and take that,” Woods said on July 23. “We told them when we started practicing the summer, ‘Pretty much every position is open this year.’

“We made it a competition like, ‘Who wants it? Who’s going to earn it? Who’s going to show up in the summer.’ We’ve got a pretty good response for it. It still might slightly change the next few weeks, going into the first game. We have a few spots that we still haven’t decided 100% who’s going to be in that spot.”

There are three roles that are pretty much set in stone in senior quarterback Koby Perry, junior running back Drew Dixon and senior offensive and defensive lineman Jayden Healey.

Last year, Healey was team’s leading sack leader among the underclassmen. In addition, Perry and Dixon were top performers in the 3A Southern League at their respective positions.

Perry ranked third in the league with 1,676 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Dixon was second in the entire Division 3A with 1,454 rushing yards with 18 touchdowns and no fumbles.

“Kobe and Drew will be very good,” Woods said. “Drew led the league in rushing last year. Kobe was right up there in passing. They are only going to improve this year. Up front, we’re going to be really good. We got probably the best lineman in the state in Jayden Healey up front coming back as the offense/defensive lineman. He’s always in the weight room. He’s going to be a stud.”

Woods has some returning players that are also looking to make a difference in a bigger role. Senior Dallin Moeai can play both sides of the ball at tight end and linebacker. Another senior in Parker Jensen can spell Dixon if he needs a break and also play linebacker. 

A third senior Woods expect to lead the way in the receiving room is senior Elian Pinto.

“In order for us to be successful, him and junior Harvey Hurtado all got to have big years catching the ball for us,” the Bulldogs head coach said. “Our success is going to be up front. If we can figure out blocking and figure out running the ball, that’s going to open up the passing. We got some guys that can make plays on the outside too, if they get in open space.”

As the players began their first practice on July 28, the first kickoff to the new season will be right around the corner. Virgin Valley has five non-league games, with the hopes of preparing them for a difficult league schedule.

The Bulldogs begin the season taking on Hurricane High of Utah, a team that Woods believe is at their best for the first time in 10 years. Virgin Valley also takes on three teams from the 4A Division, including last year’s 3A state champions, Sports Leadership and Management in Henderson, who were in the same league as the Bulldogs. 

Woods also scheduled a team from the 3A Northern Division in Spring Creek, who will be coming to Mesquite on Sept. 5. In the fourth game of the season, that will give Woods and the rest of the team the opportunity to see where they are at against similar competition.

“Our goal is to schedule teams that are going to push us,” Woods said of the non-league slate. “They’re going to make us better. I don’t want to play a team that we might beat by 40, because it does us no good. I want to play a team that that’s going to be a coin toss and who shows up and who wins.

“We want teams that are going to make us better, even in a loss. A tough team will make you better than beating a team by 50, in my opinion. I like that competition. It will make us better, and we need that with our young group.”

Virgin Valley’s 3A South league schedule begins with two league games at Pahrump Valley and at the Meadows School on Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, respectively.

Woods said those will be two tough games as it will be in middle of a span of 27 days without a home game.

“Anytime you travel to Pahrump, it’s like different world. It’s always tough playing Pahrump. Pahrump is as good this year as they’ve been in a long time. Some people are picking Pahrump to win the 3A this year. So it’s going to be a tough game.”

As the season begins this month, the opportunity to have a good season will be there as long as the players buy in and are able to maximize their roles.

“I think it’ll be a fun season. I’m excited about it,” Woods said. “I’m excited about the kids we got. I’m excited about our physicality. We have an opportunity, and it’s going to be fun to watch it play out.”

 

Schedule

Aug. 15
@ Hurricane (UT) 7 p.m.

Aug. 22 vs. SLMHS 7 p.m.

Aug. 29
@ MAELV 7 p.m.

Sept. 5 vs. Spring Creek 7 p.m.

Sept. 12 vs, Cimarron-Memorial 7 p.m.

Sept. 19 BYE/OPEN

Sept. 26
@ Pahrump Valley* 7 p.m.

Oct. 3 @ The Meadows School* 7 p.m.

Oct. 10 vs. DPAC* 7 p.m.

Oct. 17 vs. Boulder City* 7 p.m.

Oct. 24 @ Moapa Valley* 7 p.m.

(*Denotes 3A Southern League game)