The Blue and Gold goes to Washington | Congressman Steven Horsford
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The Blue and Gold goes to Washington

December 9, 2021
The Pirate blue and gold was worn on Capitol Hill today. On Thursday, Dec. 9, Congressman Steven Horsford donned a specially-made Pirate football jersey and wore it in to his office in the Cannon House Office Building.

It was the final settlement on a friendly wager made last month between the Congressman and Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick over the outcome of the NIAA Division 3A State Championship game played on Nov. 18. The game, which was played in Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, pitted the Pirates against their age-old rivals the Virgin Valley Bulldogs.

Kirkpatrick favored the Pirates while Horsford bet on the Bulldogs. Whomever lost vowed to wear the jersey of the opposing team to work.

That is how Horsford came to wear the Blue and Gold on Capitol Hill this week, donning a Pirate jersey with his own last name emblazoned across the back.

In a statement made Thursday, Horsford recognized the accomplishments of both teams in reaching the state championship.

"Reaching the 3A State Championship game is an amazing feat that the Moapa Valley Pirates and the Virgin Valley Bulldogs should be very proud of," Horsford said. "Each team had an incredible season and made their communities very proud. Moapa Valley's 27-14 victory was hard-fought, and I was happy to wear the blue and gold on Capitol Hill."

The jersey was presented earlier in the week to Kirkpatrick by five members of the MVHS Varsity Football squad. The presentation was made during a meeting of the Clark County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning, Dec. 7. Along with Horsford's jersey the boys also presented a similar blue and gold jersey to the Commissioner with Kirkpatrick's last name printed across the back.

"I will wear my jersey, too, just to show solidarity with him," Kirkpatrick said of Horsford during the presentation.

At the same ceremony, the Commission also presented a proclamation in recognition of the State Championship Game between the two rivals.

Kirkpatrick, who had attended the game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, said that she was impressed with the strong community tradition which came with the nearly century-old rivalry, and the strong community support shown by both valleys.

"It was a pretty heated game, and a lot of hard work," Kirkpatrick said. "In the beginning the first quarter was rough for the Pirates. But after half time they came back and blew it all out of the water."

Kirkpatrick expressed appreciation to the Raiders organization which hosted four different State Championship games that day. She noted that more than 9,000 people attended the four games throughout the day. But more than half of that – around 5,000 people – attended the 3A Division game which pitted the Pirates against the Bulldogs.

During the presentation, MVHS quarterback Peyton Neilson expressed gratitude for the team's recognition.

"We just wanted to thank Commissioner Kirkpatrick for her support for our football team," Neilson said. "And thanks to the Raiders for letting us play in the state game there."

Kirkpatrick also presented a trophy to the team on behalf of the Commission, which honored the young athletes' performance in the game. The trophy featured a photograph of the Pirates celebrating their victory in the moments immediately following the game.

"The boys thought that the whole experience was pretty cool," said MVHS Assistant Principal Mitch Ozaki who tagged along with the students to the Commission Chambers on Tuesday. "I think they got a bit nervous when the Commissioner told them they would be on TV. But I think it was really good for the kids and for the community."