High school football: Wolverine offense throttles Murray

WEST VALLEY CITY – The Hunter offensive line manhandled Murray's defense as the Wolverines ran all over the Spartans to win 48-14 in Region 2 action at Hunter here Wednesday.

"It's a good confidence booster for sure," said Hunter head coach Dustin Pearce, referring to the big win. "We keep stressing to the guys that it's important to finish stronger than you started and I think we're headed in that direction."

The Wolverines relied on big plays to blow the game open. Quarterback Brett Lunceford, who threw for 115 yards on three-for-six passing, hit Fausia Tanuvasa for an 82-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the game. The score capped a 94-yard opening drive for Hunter, which was aided by a Murray penalty that moved the ball to the Hunter 18 yard line.

Murray made it competitive midway through the first quarter as quarterback Dee Hamala scored on a six-yard run to tie the game at 7-7. The Spartans needed three plays to go 14 yards for the score; the good field position had been set up by a bad snap when Hunter attempted to punt the ball away.

Hunter took the lead for good when La'au Tanunvasa, twin brother of Fausia Tanuvasa, scored on an 11-yard run that capped an 80-yard drive.

La'Au Tanuvasa had a career night for Hunter, as he rushed for 291 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries.

"I owe all my rushes to my O-line," La'au Tanuvasa said. "They opened up some big holes all night."

In addition to his 11-yard TD run, La'au Tanuvasa also scored on runs of 60, 76 and 80 yards to leave the Spartans defenders scratching their heads for most of the evening.

"He's waited his whole career to be the starting tailback at Hunter," Pearce said of the game's standout player. "He understands how to run the football and he makes some good decisions."

Hamala, who went six-for-20 for 47 yards for Murray, led the Spartans' rushing attack. He carried the ball 14 times for 118 yards and both Murray scores. His second touchdown provided the game's final points with 2:00 to play in regulation with the game already decided handily.

La'au Tanuvasa's 60-yard touchdown run capped a three-play, 63-yard drive for Hunter and gave the Wolverines a 20-7 lead with 7:00 to play in the first half.

After halftime, he did it again. This time, he went 76 yards to cap another three-play drive. This one began at the Hunter 22, took less than one minute off the game clock, and provided the Wolverines with a 27-7 lead with 8:11 to play.

Ekuasi Tavo scored on a 23-yard run to give hunter a 34-7 lead with 5:20 to play in the third and La'au Tanuvasa again capped a three-play scoring drive, this time with his 80-yard scoring strike to give Hunter a 41-7 lead with 2:33 to play in the third.

Tevita Bloomfield capped the Wolverines scoring with a three-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. The score set the mercy rule into play and the clock ran uninterrupted the rest of the way.