Reigning State Champions get shut out in second game of the season

By Harper Wines 

The Eureka Vandals’ 2024 season is off to an up-and-down start. Though they beat Tonopah 42-20 in the first game of the season, they lost last Friday in a faceoff against the Pahranagat Valley Panthers, the team they conquered in the state championship game last November. 

Friday’s game looked rough from the jump. Just halfway through the first quarter, the Vandals were down 14-0, struggling to maintain possession and capitalize on their time with the ball. 

The second quarter didn’t yield any better results. The Panthers earned an interception early on and would go on to score double the Vandals’ points before the end of the half, leaving Eureka down by 38 heading into the second half. 

The Vandals made several strong offensive attempts throughout the rest of the game. Junior Joseph Minoletti, the team’s quarterback, made several solid runs and connected multiple passes to senior Jace Kniefel, one of the team’s only returning starters. 

Eureka maintained a sturdy defense throughout the second half, only suffering one touchdown at the end of the third quarter. 

The Vandals would come within just yards of scoring at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but ultimately left the field with no end zone time. 

The Vandals will face Wells on Friday, Aug. 30, their first league game of the season, giving Head Coach Fred Minoletti and his young team an opportunity to get more experience and exposure to competition under their belt.