Last Friday (August 22), The Timpview Thunderbirds were defeated by the American Fork Cavemen 49-25, furthering Timpview’s losing streak 0-2. The offense started off the game flat, with dropped passes and a non-existing run game leading to zero points on the board for the T-birds. The defense also played poorly, giving up big gains that put them behind. By the end of the first quarter, the T-birds were already trailing. 

However, in the second quarter things began clicking for the T-birds, and the surge of a potential comeback was beginning to be felt. On the offensive side of the ball, Dennis Tua’one excelled, putting forth tremendous effort playing both quarterback and receiver. He finished the game with two touchdowns, one on the receiving side and one on the throwing side. Cole Engeman came in following Tua-one’s start and continued to cut the lead. With the efforts of these valiant players, it looked as if Timpview might actually end up coming back. All though in the end they came up short.

When asked how future offensive strategy might change from what we learned throughout this game, Cole Engeman said, “We just need shorter play calls, not going deep every play, establishing a run game early, and some more screen passes in order to get short yardage with a hopeful setup to go deep.” Engeman concluded by adding that he is hopeful for the upcoming season, with the goal of more wins in these future weeks.

With such a high score put on the board by American Fork, there are also questions regarding the T-bird defense. The T-birds failed to stop countless high yardage plays that seemed preventable from a viewers perspective. When Braxton Wilkerson was questioned with this issue, he said, “We really need to just work together a little more. There are plays where communication is a little off or someone is not where they need to be, so it’s super fixable but important.” With this statement there is hope that Timpview football defense may have the solutions they need.

Despite the tough loss, the Thunderbirds showed glimpses of potential on both sides of the ball that could spark a turnaround. With improved communication and renewed confidence, Timpview could be in a position to get their first win of the season in upcoming weeks.