Cowdin, Thunder run past Tigers in rainy opener


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PLEASANT GROVE — Desert Hills football coach Carl Franke prefers that his team play with balance, using the run game to set up the pass.

But on a rain-soaked Friday night in the Thunder's 2014 opener, why mess with a good thing?

Bridger Cowdin ran the ball 27 times for 155 yards and two touchdowns Friday night as Class 3AA top-ranked Desert Hills powered by 4A Orem, 35-13 at Pleasant Grove High School. Sophomore Nephi Sewell added 63 yards and a score on six carries, and quarterback Nick Warmsley ran for 38 yards on 12 rushes.

"Bridger, Nephi, Nick; that's the thing. We've got guys," Franke said. "The weather helped keep us in check a little bit. We'd like to throw the ball a lot more. We don't want to be a 70-30 run team. But if we have to run the ball, we feel like we can run the ball."

After a scoreless first quarter, Cowdin opened the scoring with a 7-yard touchdown run with 8:20 left in the half, powering up the middle as Desert Hills used a stingy defense and strong run game to overcome a slippery ball and poor passing conditions.


Bridger, Nephi, Nick; that's the thing. We've got guys. The weather helped keep us in check a little bit. We'd like to throw the ball a lot more. We don't want to be a 70-30 run team. But if we have to run the ball, we feel like we can run the ball.

–Desert Hills coach Carl Franke


The Thunder defense recovered a fumble in the end zone with 1:17 before halftime as Desert Hills took a 14-0 lead into the break during Orem's endowment game.

But senior Tigers quarterback Tucker Camp pulled his team within one score late in the third quarter, connecting with Kody Codner for a 22-yard touchdown pass with 4:53 left in the third.

"They're gamers. They're going to play all four quarters and continue to grind and grind and grind," Franke said. "We're never going to be out of games. We know there are times when you can make plays, and we keep grinding away. They'll continue to play; it's a great group of kids."

The Thunder responded quickly. Nephi Sewell returned the ensuing kickoff to his team's 24-yard line, and the sophomore went to work setting up the senior Cowdin. Sewell's 16-yard dash with just over seven minutes to go sprung Cody Ricketts for a 23-yard gain, and Cowdin powered up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown with 6:50 remaining that put the Thunder on top 28-13.

Desert Hills' defense straightened up, forcing Orem to back-to-back three-and-out drives to end the game.

"Coach Nick Hansen is the brother of the D-line coach at Oklahoma, and we use a lot of that stuff," Franke said. "We use a college defense; we had 11 checks tonight, and I'm not sure how many high school teams run 11 checks."

Warmsley connected with Mason Palmer on a 23-yard touchdown pass with 4:47 remaining to cap the scoring. Warmsley completed 5 of 16 passes for 65 yards and one touchdown. Palmer led the receivers with two catches for 36 yards and a score.

Camp completed 4 of 13 passes for 78 yards and two scores, a 22-yard strike and a 29-yard strike to Codner. Camp also added 48 yards on 16 carries, mostly scrambles, while James Wadsworth added 60 yards on six carries on the ground.

Codner totaled 55 yards and two touchdowns on three catches.

"Southern Utah has some talent, which no one up here knows about," Franke said. "We've got guys; we see talent every week, week in and week out. It just makes us better."

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