Then there’s the other side. Chandler wasn’t a happy bunch as they trudged toward the busses following the painful 21-20 loss to Desert Vista.
The focus was of the 2-point conversion which fell apart that could have given the Wolves a 22-21 lead with two minutes left following Tim Buron’s 32-yard fumble return. It may have been a moot point had Desert Vista not been called for offsides on the extra point which allowed the Wolves to re-think the decision.
The seeds for their struggle, however, were planted early.
The Wolves forced two Thunder quarterback Cody Sokol (who’s going to be really good, by the way) into two interceptions but came away with zero points, and a 7-7 halftime tie should have been at least a 14-7 lead. Maybe more.
“That’s where the game swung,” Chandler coach Jim Ewan said. “We should have had three scores in the half.”
Both sides committed too many penalties, several of which erased big plays while Chandler was trying to come back in the third quarter.
But the Wolves couldn’t run the ball (three attempts in the second half) or find its passing game other than heaves to Markus Wheaton (not a bad strategy either). Devon Kennard and a less-than-full-strength Danny Mullarkey ran wild against Chandler’s defensive line, and quarterback Kyle Yount never had a chance against the constant pressure and painful shots he took all night.
The Wolves felt they could go undefeated this season, and from here on out, they might. There’s a lot of work to be done, but a lot of time left to play.
