Grieving Panthers take aim at state record for consecutive wins

Pahranagat Valley’s football team has been on the verge of making state history for a while now.

Yet the Panthers have had their minds on something much more important in recent weeks.

Pahranagat Valley (7-0, 4-0) visits Beatty (3-3, 2-3) in a Class 1A Southern League game at 7 p.m. Friday with a chance to win its 42nd straight game, which would break the state record for consecutive victories set by The Meadows from 1998 to 2001.

But all that has been put in perspective by a tragedy that struck the close-knit school in Alamo earlier this month.

Garrett Canning, a former offensive and defensive lineman for the Panthers, died Oct. 7 after a one-vehicle accident on a mountain road while on a hunting trip in Nye County, according to the Lincoln County Record.

Canning, 17, had helped Pahranagat Valley win its third straight state title last year before pursuing other activities as a senior this fall. His father, 50-year-old Darin Canning, also was killed in the accident.

“Garrett was the kindest young man with the softest heart of any kid I’ve been around,” Panthers coach Ken Higbee said, fighting back tears. “Garrett just wanted to please coaches and teachers, and he was a remarkable young man, just a special kid.”

The Panthers are honoring the memory of the Cannings by wearing decals on the back of their helmets — a “DC” for Darin Canning on the left and a “GC” for Garrett Canning on the right.

Darin Canning played left guard on the Panthers’ first state title team in 1978, and the tragedy has hit the Alamo community and the Panthers’ coaching staff especially hard.

“In this valley, there are generations of families who have been here. This town is a generational town, and fathers and sons have grown up playing football,” Higbee said. “If you go through this program, you’re always part of this program.”

An on-campus memorial service for the Cannings was held Saturday.

A scholarship fund in Darin and Garrett Canning’s name has been established at the Pahranagat Valley Federal Credit Union in Alamo.

“It really has put it in perspective,” Higbee said. “You never know how fleeting things are. You can be driving down the road and gone, so you have to really soak up these moments.”

Pahranagat Valley is coming off a 72-6 win at rival Tonopah, and Beatty is the final opponent standing between the Panthers and a showdown with Spring Mountain (7-0, 5-0) in the regular-season finale Oct. 27 in Alamo.

The Panthers have been buoyed all season by junior quarterback Austin Poulsen, who has become one of the most productive players in the state.

Poulsen has passed for 966 yards and 16 touchdowns with only four interceptions, and leads the Panthers with 668 yards and 20 touchdowns rushing.

Tyler Higbee and Jeffery Jones have keyed a power running game, and a dominant defensive line has helped the Panthers yield a total of 23 points in four league games.

“The kids have done a good job preparing, and there just hasn’t been a lot of thought about (the streak),” Ken Higbee said. “It will be good to get through it and move on so we can get to the real important things.”