Box Score EPHRAIM--The Snow College Badgers fought off a late rally by Mesa Community College to win the first game of the season in exciting fashion.  After a first half that saw both teams fail to find the end zone, the Badgers looked like they were on their way to a comfortable win at 24-7 mid-way through the 4^th quarter; but the Thunderbirds made a late push in the final two minutes as they scored two touchdowns in quick succession.  The Badgers would hold on to win 24-21.  "We are happy to get the win in week 1," says Head Coach Britt Maughan.  "It's nice to play and get the first game under our belt.  For the players, they can finally see the result of their hard work over the last few months."
 
The first half was a showcase for the punt team on both sides of the ball as neither team was able to reach the red zone, but the score lines opened up in the 3^rd quarter.  "My first impression is that we started off shaky on offense," says Maughan.  "As the game went along, particularly in the 3rd quarter we got to see what our offense is capable of."  After driving 47 yards on 12 plays, Snow took the lead on a 35-yard field goal by Moose Bingham on their first possession of the second half.  Snow's next drive put them right back on the scoreboard on a 46 yard pass from QB Stefan Cantwell that hit WR Jonah Trinnaman in stride on his way into the end zone.  On the ensuing possession, the Thunderbirds brought the score to 10-7 with a pair of long passes for a total of 84 yards that resulted in a touchdown.
 
The Badgers responded by driving the ball down the field for 73 yards on 8 plays that included a 34 yard rush by RB Greg White and a 3 yard touchdown run by RB Stephen Shepard to increase their lead to 17-7.  Snow's next possession ended on the Thunderbird's 15 yard line after failing to convert on 4^th and 2.  Penalties kept Mesa pinned against their own goal line where pressure from DB Cardon Malan led to an interception by DB Parker Preator who picked up 19 yards as he ran it back to the 10 yard line.  From there, Cantwell connected with WR Alex Croyle to put Snow up 24-7. 
 
Snow kept the ball on the ground to try and eat up the clock, but on 4^th down, a high snap went sailing over P Moose Bingham's head giving the Thunderbirds good field position.  Mesa was able to find the end zone with two minutes remaining on a 40 yard scoring drive that took 26 seconds on two runs.  The Thunderbirds used up all three timeouts on Snow's next possession, which left them with 1:27 to work with.  Back-to-back penalties against the Badgers put the Thunderbirds in prime scoring position at Snow's 28 yard line.  Mesa capitalized as WR Devin Reed caught consecutive passes and scored with 0:59 remaining to bring the score within 3 at 24-21.   The Badgers' victory was sealed when the ensuing onside kick rolled out-of-bounds untouched. 
 
Coach Maughan felt there needed to be more consistency in the special teams, but noted, "Defensively, I thought we played well for 3 quarters. We tackled well for the first game."
 
"For me the first game of the year is always the most difficult game to coach," says Maughan.  "We all play with young guys and essentially have to recruit half our roster every year. It's hard to get an understanding of strengths and weaknesses, so most of our preparation is based off who is coaching."  
 
Cantwell finished the game completing 23-35 passing for a total of 244 yards and two touchdowns.  Jonah Trinnaman led the receivers with 118 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions. Defensively, Cardon Malan put on a show with 3.5 sacks for 41 yards and Kurtis Taufa ended the game with 7 tackles.  Alema Collins, Parker Preator and Braxton Winterton each picked up interceptions. 
 
The Badgers have a bye next week, and they will be spending the extra time in the film room.  "The game is the greatest tool we have to help our guys improve," says Maughan. "Film is a better teacher than any coach. When they can see themselves on film in an actual game they are able to see the adjustments they need make."  Snow will head south to take on Arizona Western College on September 12th at 7 PM.