The Timpview Thunderbirds took down the Payson Lions 59-13 in an electric game to get their first win of the season on Friday (Sep 5). The Timpview Student section was full of fans ready to see if the T Birds could bounce back from their 0-3 start to the season, and they were not disappointed. The team started out very strong in the first quarter, posting 13 points in the first quarter and shutting down the Payson offense.

Payson’s opening drive was halted after a fumble recovered by the Timpview defense that propelled the T Birds to a drive that ended with a 3 yard rushing touchdown by sophomore Dennis Tua’one. Tua’one posted two rushing touchdowns at quarterback and a receiving touchdown in the game. 

Along with Tua’one’s contribution at quarterback, senior Cole Engeman helped carry the team to victory. Engeman added three passing touchdowns in the second half to senior Braxton Wilkerson, sophomore Dennis Tua’one, and sophomore Nixon Warner. 

The Thunderbirds led the Lions 45-6 at the halftime break, and Timpview continued the momentum in the second half. Despite a few errors such as an interception thrown by Tua’one, a few extra points and a few field goals missed, the Thunderbirds played a fairly clean game, and there were not many errors on the offensive or defensive side of the ball. 

A key part of this win was the defensive unit. Timpview shut Payson’s offense down for the majority of the game, with the Lions scoring their first touchdown late in the second quarter. The defense had a fumble recovery and three interceptions, one of them returned for a touchdown by senior safety Braxton Wilkerson. The defense improved tremendously compared to the first three games, where they struggled continuously. When asked about what changed with the defense, senior linebacker Duncan Strong said, “I think one of the biggest things was our confidence level. Not just individually, but as a unit […]” Strong described the environment and energy as incredible and blazing like fire. This energy certainly played a huge role in the win, and will be a contributing factor moving forward with the season.

The Thunderbirds look to improve their record even further with the homecoming game at home against Wasatch on Friday (Sep 12).