Things could have gotten ugly for the Thunder Mountain High School football team.
With an offense in disarray, the Falcons couldn’t produce anything on offense against South Anchorage. Instead, thanks to a no-quit, no-excuses defense, the final result — though still a loss — was much easier to stomach. The Wolverines won 3-0 over the Falcons Saturday in Anchorage.
“Our defense played lights out, that’s all I can say,” TMHS head coach Randy Quinto said in a phone interview after the game. “Our offense put them in bad situations all night and they pulled through.
With the win, South matched their entire win total from last season. The Wolverines scored a field goal in the first quarter and did not add to their lead for the rest of the game.
Quinto said both teams repeatedly turned the ball over on offense, hampering any movement up the field.
“We had a big play in the fourth (quarter) but that was about it,” Quinto said. “A couple good runs, but then we just couldn’t sustain a drive, could not keep it going.”
Two Falcons linemen were injured during the game. With the injuries, some players had to play both offense and defense for the Falcons.
“We had guys that were scheduled to play one side of the ball and basically they stepped up and said, ‘Hey coach, if you need me, I’m there,’” Quinto said.
TMHS will regroup for their home opener on Friday against the Kodiak Bears. According to MaxPreps.com, the Bears are 2-1 against the Falcons all-time.
Kodiak won on Saturday over Homer, 21-8. The Kodiak Bears are not foreign to the Southeast Conference, however. They played in Juneau last year against Juneau-Douglas High School, issuing the Crimson Bears one of their five losses on the year.
“We’ll have our student body there so we’re excited about that,” Quinto said.
