SOMERVILLE – Chance Parker threw five touchdowns in the Thrall debut, and Steven Walker had a 43-yard pick-six as the Tigers (1-0) rolled over the Somerville Yeguas (0-1), 42-14 in both teams’ season opener, Friday night.
Thrall got on the board first on their first possession of the game. The Tigers marched 80 yards in 12 plays, with the final 16 yards coming on a pass from Parker to Walker.
Alejandro Estrada tacked on the pointafter and the Tigers led 7-0.
The scored remained the same until early in the second period.
Somerville was driving, but Landon Gregory stepped in front of Yegua pass at the Tiger 27 to end the threat and set up the Tigers’ next scoring drive. Using a good mix of passes and runs, the Tigers marched down the field, and moved inside the Yegua five in just eight plays. On third and goal, Parker hit Tyler Ortiz in the end zone for the score. Estrada’s kick made it 14-0.
A short Somerville punt set up the Tigers’ next score. Taking over at the Yegua 41, it took the Tigers just four plays to find the end zone. This time Parker found Gregory from 18 yards out for the score.
Estrada’s kick was true, and Thrall held a 21-0 advantage midway through the second quarter.
Another short punt gave the Tigers the chance to expand their lead before the half. Starting at the Somerville 40, the Tigers needed just four plays to reach the end zone. This time, Parker connected with Carson Ball on a 14-yard strike. Once again, the point after was good, and Thrall took a 28-0 lead into the half.
It was early in the third quarter that the Tigers struck pay dirt again. The Tigers took the second-half kickoff at their own 26 and used a balanced attack to move the ball to the Somerville eight. On second down, Parker connected with Walker for their second scoring play of the night. The point after failed, but the Tigers held a 34-0 lead.
The Tiger defense, which dominated the line of scrimmage much of the night, put Thrall’s final points on the board. The Yeguas faced a third down at their own 43.
Quarterback Ian Teague dropped back to pass and look for a receiver in the right flat. Walker anticipated the throw for Thrall, stepped in front of the pass, and raced into the end zone untouched for the score. Breken Proctor hit Maverick McAllister for the two-point conversion to make the score 42-0.
Somerville scored both of their touchdowns in the final quarter. The first came after a Tiger fumble.
Teague called his own number on second down and raced untouched around the left end for a 23-yard score. The point-after cut the lead to 42-7. Teague scored again late in the fourth quarter on a 33-yard run around the right end for the final points of the game.
Thrall will play Johnson City next week in their home opener.
