SNOW PICKS UP FIRST WIN
by Gary Chidester

17-10 Season Opening Victory Over Air Force

The Snow College Badgers weathered an electrical storm that delayed the game for over 30 minutes, two key injuries to the defense and an Air Force Prep team that refused to quit on their way to a 17-10 season opening victory.

Snow College got on the scoreboard first with an Adrian Vera field goal in the first quarter. One of the major keys for the Badgers was avoiding turnovers. Snow College had three fumbles, but none of them was lost. The Badgers did however come up with two important turnovers of Air Force Prep, one was a fumble caused by sophomore safety Ryan Jensen that halted a drive deep into Badger territory.

Snow quarterback James Pritchard was not flashy, but effective in his 160 yards passing, 31 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

"We got the win," said first year Head Coach Titan Trimble. "We have a lot of work to do and sometimes it's the first game that shows you the areas that need the most work."

The brightest spots for the Badgers might be the defense and the running backs. Matt Asiata ran for 126 yards on 27 carries and Ben Tonga ran for 61 yards on 13 carries to lead the Badger offense. The offensive line provided protection for Pritchard and blew open large holes all game long. Tight end Clay Bayard was the favorite target for Pritchard with two catches for 37 yards. Jake Little and Ryan Neeley also had two catches for 37 yards.

The defense, although plagued by penalties, continually placed pressure on the Prep quarterback and limited the time that Air Force had the ball with chances to score. The toughest part of the game for the Badgers was learning that safety Cole Hall and linebacker Brett Madsen had injuries that will force them to miss considerable time this season.

The Badgers will be at home for the next two weeks with a chance to pick up their first win on the new A Turf that was installed last year. This week Snow College will host the Georgia Military in the back half of a home and home series. This will mark the third meeting between the teams. They first met two years ago in the Golden Sea Isles Bowl that saw the Badgers pick up the win 27-21 in overtime. Last year Snow College held on for the 21-13 win.

The Snow College games can be heard locally on KMTI-Am 650 and right here on SnowBadgers.com