PHOTOS: Small, but mighty: Pahranagat Valley wins it all

By JOHN LOCHER LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

11 years ago

Sydney Mallory, left, and Taylor Sawyer hold the flag during the national anthem before the start of the Division IV state championship football game in Indian Springs on Nov. 23. At stake was Pahranagat Valley’s win streak, the longest in the nation at 68 games, as the Panthers took on the Spring Mountain Golden Eagles. The Panthers won 36-8. (John Locher/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Christopher Sanchez of Spring Mountain reacts to a call during the Division IV championship. The Golden Eagles, 7-3, lead at halftime 8-6, but were scoreless thereafter.(John Locher/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Pahranagat Valley fans react to a play during the big game. A long trip and inclement weather weren’t enough to spoil the fun. The Panthers, 12-0, only trailed once all season — in the first half of this state championship game.(John Locher/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Pahranagat Valley players walk to the bus during halftime. The bus often serves as a locker room because the small, rural schools don’t have the facilities that large, urban schools consider a matter of course. (John Locher/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Pahranagat Valley players including Christian Higbee (32) cheer after defeating Spring Mountain in the Division IV state championship football game in Indian Springs, Nev. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013. (John Locher/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Spring Mountain fans cheer as their team scores during the Division IV state championship football game in Indian Springs, Nev. Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013. (John Locher/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The rosters may be smaller, the field narrower and the stands shorter, but the action and emotions were just as intense at the Division IV state championship football game.

Fans swaddled in blankets and covered in rain gear filled the wet bleachers in Indian Springs last month. Savvier ones sat beneath pop-up shelters to shield them from the rain. They watched the undefeated Pahranagat Valley Panthers take on the Spring Mountain Golden Eagles in an eight-man football matchup.

As the name suggests, in eight-man football each team has eight players on the field instead of the regular 11. This lineup allows smaller high schools that are unable to field a larger team to participate. Long bus rides are the norm as these smaller schools — Sandy Valley, Round Mountain, Beatty, etc. — are spread out across the Silver State. The amenities can also be sparse — the bus often serves as the locker room. But the football is just as serious. The winners cheer just as loudly and the losers are just as disappointed as the big city schools.