(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
COLORADO SPRINGS — Getting 11 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns is a solid day for any running back.
For Josh Tomjack, it’s a first half.
By the end of the night, Tomjack had run for 249 and touchdown runs of 57, 10, 38 and 52 yards as Discovery Canyon beat Vista Ridge 41-14 Friday night.
“Any time we put the ball in TJ’s hands, who knows what’s going to happen,” Thunder coach Shawn Mitchell said. “He’s an incredible running back. He has great vision and he’s just a special kid.”
This win didn’t just show that Discovery Canyon (5-0 overall) is going to be one of the better teams in the Colorado Springs area. By beating the No. 9-ranked team in the Class 4A CHSAANow.com football rankings so handedly, the Thunder are putting the rest of 3A on notice.
“You could say that with the No. 1 ranking (in 3A),” quarterback Tyler McFarland said. “We’re going to have a lot of teams coming for our spot and trying to knock us off.”
As Vista Ridge (2-3) can attest after Friday, that will be no easy feat.
The Wolves were stung with some bad luck early as quarterback Dylan Schindele left the game with an injury after the first series.
But it was the triple-option attack that gave the Wolves problems all night. Tomjack and McFarland both found the end zone on the ground early in the game and it allowed the defense to pin its ears back and really attack the Wolves.
The result was players having problems maintaining assignments and getting frustrated which ended up resulting in several penalty flags.
“We say every week that we have to play disciplined football,” Vista Ridge coach Jerimi Calip said. “Tonight we just didn’t do that. We just need to prepare a little better.”
It seemed like the Wolves were getting break in the first quarter when a mistimed pitch from McFarland resulted in the Wolves getting the ball deep in Discovery Canyon territory.
But it was only three plays later that the defensive line swarmed quarterback Tuler Sylvester and was able to get the ball back in the hands of the Thunder offense.
“Our defense is playing phenomenally right now,” Tomjack said. “Even when we make little mistakes and give the ball up, they find a way to get it back for us right away.”
It was the kind of night where everything just seemed to fall the way of the Thunder. Mitchell knew that his team had the potential to come and give the Wolves their best shot, but he didn’t the he’d seee anything close to the final result.
“Cautious optimism when you come into the season, you hope you’re going to win every game,” Mitchell said. “Our preparation all week was about how good Vista Ridge is. They’re big up front and they have speed in all the right places. I didn’t expect a 41-14 game at all.”
Friday marked the end of non-league play for each team. The Thunder will have their Southern League opener at Woodland Park while the Wolves will host Montrose.
After coming away from their non-league schedule at 2-3, Calip said that he will open up competition on his team to see who wants to step in with more on the line.
The Thunder will stick to its winning formula. With wins over top teams like Pueblo East and Vista Ridge, its a legitimate threat in 3A. And it wouldn’t be a surprise if they can be heard coming from miles away.