Snowflake won its home football opener Friday night by using a strong defensive effort to take down the Tempe Prep Knights. Snowflake’s defense was stellar on the night, pitching a shutout against a very good Tempe Prep team in a 19-0 win to move their early season mark to 2-0.
“Our defense did an awesome job of stopping their powerful offense. The Knights were deep in our territory a few times, but they were turned away by our defensive efforts. The defense was the catalyst for this win,” noted head coach Kay Solomon.
Zach Solomon opened the scoring in the second period on a five-yard run. The PAT failed, leaving the Lobos on top 6-0. That margin remained until the fourth when Snowflake found the end zone twice. Tyler Claridge connected with Solomon on a seven-yard strike, pushing the lead to 12-0. Alex Patterson then plunged in from a yard out, making the final score 19-0 with Calvin Stepp’s point after kick.
On offense the Lobos did most of their damage on the ground, piling up 215 yards. Patterson was the leading rusher with 92 yards on just six attempts. Solomon gained 43 yards on 12 rushes. Claridge picked up 24 on eight runs. Trent Hatch gained 21 yards on five carries. Bayley Cook had 18 runs on four totes. Tanner Willis rushed twice, gaining nine yards, and Richard Baird had one carry for eight yards.
Claridge completed seven of 14 passes for 77 yards with one touchdown. Patterson caught three of those for 41 yards. Solomon also had three grabs for 28 yards with one score. JT Tate had one catch for eight yards.
After playing in week zero to earn a win over Amphitheater Aug. 22, the Lobos will now get a week off. They return to the field on Friday, Sept. 11, when they host Fountain Hills. The Falcons were shut out Friday, losing 49-0 to Northwest Christian.
