Senior Hansel Hinckle intercepted a pass for a 100-yard touchdown, but most of the big plays between Juneau and West Anchorage High School on Friday night belonged to the home team.<\/p>\n
Juneau coughed up the ball numerous times and was shut out for the final three quarters in a 55-9 nonconference loss at West Anchorage High.<\/p>\n
It was just the second game on the season for Juneau’s unified football team, who fell 31-8 in Week 1 to Palmer.<\/p>\n
Hinckle’s play, which put Juneau up 7-0 in the first quarter, would stand as Juneau’s only touchdown of the game. Juneau’s only other points came later in the quarter on a Jake Ferster safety that made it 14-9. Head coach Randy Quinto said his team was outsized and outmanned but not necessarily outworked.<\/p>\n
“We’re super proud of these guys and the effort they gave tonight,” Quinto said by phone after the game. “There’s a lot of positives in what we saw tonight.”<\/p>\n
West’s Joel Martinez scored two touchdowns in the win. The Eagles led 14-9 after the first quarter and 34-9 at halftime. West Anchorage coach Tim Davis thought his team’s defense was sharp, and delivered a key turnover in the second half that helped ice the game.<\/p>\n
“They’re creative in how they try to get the athletes the ball and our defense I think had to regroup there for a second,” Davis said. “Juneau didn’t score but they marched down the field for a pretty long drive, got down to the red zone and then we got an interception. That was the farthest Juneau got the rest of the night.”<\/p>\n
Quinto complemented quarterback Thomas Willhoite for staying composed throughout the game.<\/p>\n
“He stayed in the pocket under pressure and delivered some beautiful balls tonight,” Quinto said. “We had a few untimely drops so he was putting the ball in good spots for the most part.”<\/p>\n
Juneau’s opening drive resulted in a fumble but the Eagles turned the ball back over soon after on a pass to the end zone.<\/p>\n
“The quarterback rolled out to his right and Hansel stepped in front of a receiver and got a couple blocks and then found pay dirt,” Quinto said.<\/p>\n
Juneau will take on East Anchorage in its first home game of the season on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park. The Thunderbirds are coming off a 40-14 loss to Arizona school Cesar Chavez.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com. Follow Empire Sports on Twitter at @akempiresports.<\/b><\/p>\n
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