Here’s one of Dan Hinds’ theories behind the about-face his Phoenix Desert Vista team pulled off between a 28-7 whipping at the hands of Gilbert, and the 49-0 beating they delivered to Mesa.
(Cody Sokol was 14 of 20 for 200 yards and two touchdowns in his first start at quarterback, so that helped).
The Thunder are a little thin on the offensive line. So during practice they often line up against guys who rotate through the scout team (kids who either generally don’t see much playing time in games, or regulars who are just trying to catch their breath during practices).
So defensive guys such as Devon Kennard and Danny Mularkey would get breaks during practice, and the offensive line wouldn’t get regular snaps against the best and Hinds felt he had his blockers unprepared for Gilbert’s solid defense.
So now the 1st team defense takes the vast majority of snaps and drills during practice, which means Kennard, Mullarkey, Cole Pembroke and Co. don’t get much reprieve during practices anymore, but Hinds has altered the team’s conditioning at the end of practice, and other than Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Thunder lighten up their practice regiments.
Could be sound reasoning. Could be much-ado about nothing more than playing a Mesa team that’s not currently as good as Gilbert. We’ll learn a lot more Friday against Chandler.
