Spring Mountain stumbles as Pahranagat Valley’s streak continues

Spring Mountain senior quarterback Eric Brooks’ unwavering confidence was unbroken, even after a 36-18 home loss to defending small-school state champion Pahranagat Valley on Friday afternoon.

Brooks reaffirmed to his teammates after the game that they can hang with their opposition. That they weren’t overmatched. That they can beat the seemingly unbeatable.

And he “100 percent” expects the Golden Eagles to be ready for a possible rematch.

Spring Mountain wasn’t quite ready for Pahranagat Valley on Friday, though.

The Panthers, who have won 97 consecutive games, a national record for eight-man teams, scored a touchdown on their opening drive and nursed their lead into the second half before overpowering the undermanned Golden Eagles, who were without three starters.

Pahranagat Valley senior quarterback Tabor Maxwell passed for two scores, ran for two more, and the Panthers’ defense limited Spring Mountain’s explosive offense for most of the game.

Spring Mountain fell to 1-2. Pahranagat Valley improved to 4-0.

“The huge difference is our experience,” Golden Eagles coach Aaron Masden said. “Our inexperience at this point in time versus their extreme experience. This a good program that they run, from the starters on down to their young guys.

“If we run into them or anybody else down the road, we’re going to be a completely different team.”

Both schools have been two of the top programs in their respective class and could meet again in the playoffs. Masden said his team, which features just one returning player, will be much improved for the potential rematch at the end of the season.

And they certainly have a lot of room for growth.

The talent on the roster is obvious, but Spring Mountain made too many mistakes to compete with Pahranagat Valley this time around.

Brooks’ receivers dropped a combined six passes, the Golden Eagles botched an exchange on a key fourth down play and they were undisciplined defensively, biting too often on Maxwell’s play-action fakes.

Maxwell marched the Panthers down the field on their opening drive and capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Brooks countered in the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Michael Scott, but Maxwell threw a touchdown pass to 6-foot-9-inch tight end Culen Highbe on the ensuing drive for a 14-6 halftime lead.

“We were able to establish the run early up the middle,” Panthers associate head coach Brett Hansen said. “Do things that we wanted to do. That opened some passes and things.”

Hansen said he thought Pahranagat Valley’s running game started to wear down the Golden Eagles in the second half, and the Panthers scored 22 unanswered points in the second half.

Brooks led two late touchdown drives, but the outcome already was a formality.

Still, Brooks felt like the Golden Eagles had a strong showing and was encouraged by the competitive first half.

“That’s probably the best team we’re ever going to face in our football career,” Brooks said. “That was a good job, to me.”