It had been too long, but the THS football team got back on the winning track in a big way with Friday’s 45-8 home rout of Phillips.
“It was nice to get a win, and at home and on Parents’ Night,” THS coach John Larson said. “Offensively, we rushed well and our passing game took a step in the right direction. Defensively we had a huge night.
“We held Phillips to 20 yards in the first half, created turnovers and had guys flying to the ball. We didn’t turn the ball over at all, off a game with five turnovers.”
Tomahawk had been on an 11-game losing streak, although it gave Abbotsford a battle in this year’s 40-34 season opening OT loss.
The Hatchets jumped out 15-0 in the first quarter with a 5-yard run from Jake Borchardt, and 8-yard pass from Austin Bellile to Lorne Ahrens. A 2-point try from Turner Wegener and an Austin Ehn kick topped them off.
Ahrens’ 4-yard blast, Ehn kick and scoring passes of 33 and 6 yards to Eddie Yirsa gave Tomahawk another 19 points in the second quarter for a 34-0 intermission lead.
Adam FauFau’s pounded 5 yards for the only third-quarter TD, and Wegener’s two-pointer boosted it to 42-0.
Ehn kicked a 25-yard field goal to make it 45-0 before Phillips scored late with a 4-yard Chris Smetak run.
The THS rushing attack was keyed by Bellile (14-88), FauFau (12-75, TD), Borchardt (6-25, TD), Ahrens (5-15, TD), Aaron Schoone (1-7) and Yirsa (3-3). Bellile completed 7-of-13 passes for 109 yards and 3 TD’s to Yirsa (3-68, 2 TD), Ahrens 2-21, TD), Neko McMahon (1-15) and A.J. Bunce (1-5).
Wegener (2 int., 78 ret. yds., 3 assists and 2 PBU’s) and Bellile (2 solo, 8 a, 1 FC) led the defense, and Bunce (6 a, 2 sacks, 1 FC), Cale Graeber (1 s, 8 a), Dylan Schiltz (4 a, 1 FR), Mitch Schauer (2 s, 3 a), Ehn (1 s, 4 a) and FauFau (6 a) boosted it.