THATCHER, Ariz. — Thatcher rushed for 257 yards and scored six touchdowns on the ground in a 49-14 victory over Florence on Thursday night at Eastern Arizona College.
The Eagles improved to 3-1 and bounced back from a 38-0 loss to Benjamin Franklin six days earlier. Florence fell to 0-4.
Thatcher quarterback Kase Palmer opened the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown run on the Eagles’ first possession. Florence answered on its opening drive when Dayron Neal scored from 3 yards out to tie the game at 7.
Thatcher then scored three unanswered touchdowns before halftime.
Tufden Taylor broke a 48-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter. Ethan Hayes scored on a 9-yard run midway through the second, and Palmer connected with Hudson Conrad for a 13-yard touchdown with 1:32 remaining in the half to give Thatcher a 28-7 lead.
Florence cut the deficit to 28-14 early in the third quarter on Neal’s 1-yard touchdown run, but Thatcher scored the final 21 points.
Josh Jones added touchdown runs of 4 and 24 yards, and Willie Dunklin scored on a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Thatcher finished with 387 yards of total offense, including 257 rushing.
Palmer completed 13 of 18 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown and added 40 yards and a score on nine carries.
Taylor rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown on six carries. Jones had 67 yards and two touchdowns on 10 attempts.
Teagan Damron led Thatcher with five receptions for 48 yards.
Florence finished with 187 yards of offense.
Quarterback Brody Ramirez completed 5 of 11 passes for 65 yards and rushed for 54 yards on six carries. Chance Sauls added 29 rushing yards on four carries, while Neal scored both Florence touchdowns.
Thatcher outscored Florence 42-7 after the Gophers tied the game in the first quarter.
Thatcher will have a bye week next week while the Gophers will host Pusch Ridge.
