Rarely has a game see-sawed so evenly throughout as the 40-34 season opener for the Tomahawk football team when it hosted Auburndale on Friday night.
After the Hatchets got on the board first with a 32-yard Lorne Ahrens run, the teams traded scores until the Apaches finally took a 34-26 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Hatchets knotted it up after a 48-yard pass from Austin Bellile to Eddie Yirsa, but a failed conversion attempt sent the game into overtime.
Twice THS pushed to the end zone in overtime, but both times a fumble killed the chance inside the 10. Auburndale closed out a 40-34 triumph with a 15-yard halfback option pass from Canyon Weiler to Isaac Castellano, after a pitch from QB Blake Anderson.
The Hatchets considered the game a tough loss but a vast improvement from the 55-14 defeat to Auburndale last year.
THS led 12-7 after a 32-yard run from Jake Borchardt, and 20-15 at halftime after a 10-yard Ahrens dash and Borchardt two-point conversion.
The Hatchets pushed it 28-22 on a 42-yard sprint by Ahrens and Adam FauFau two-point run. Auburndale finally grabbed the lead with a 35-yard pass from Anderson to Austin Hawkins and a 5-yard blast from Weiler, but blocked PAT kicks after each of those scores put Tomahawk in perfect position late. A Bellile pass to Yirsa opened the door. but a failed kick left it open.
Ahrens (17-142) was the leading rusher, and Bellile (10-137), Borchardt (15-94), FauFau (10-51) and Yirsa (1-6) helped the Hatchets amass 430 yards on the ground. Bellile completed 4-of-11 passes for 73 yards, with Yirsa (2-57), Ahrens (1-9) and Cole Graeber (1-7) on the receiving end.
Turner Wegener and FauFau each snagged an interception for Tomahawk. FauFau (4 solos, 8 assists, 1 int.) paced the defense, and Bellile (6 s, 2 PBU), Borchardt (3 s, 6 a, 1 PBU), Yirsa (3 s, 4 a, 1 PBU) and Austin Ehn (3 s, 2 a) backed him up.
Anderson completed 17-of-31 passes for 295 yards and 3 TDs. Hawkins (3-121), Castellano (5-80) were the leading Auburndale receivers.