Sophomores lead Hawks

ANCHORAGE -- The Houston Hawks played a few days earlier than planned, but in this case the early bird catches the victory.

In a game originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Chugiak High School, the Hawks cruised past Anchorage Christian School 32-8 at the Anchorage Football Stadium Thursday.

A pair of super sophomores paced Houston in the victory. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Thamm threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another and sophomore tailback Karl Thistle rumbled for 158 yards and a touchdown.

"Our two sophomores have really stepped it up," Houston head coach Norm Bouchard said.

Thamm found tight end Steven Dubose on a 12-yard scoring pass with just more than three minutes remaining in the first half to give the Hawks a 6-0 lead. Thamm connected with Justin Vasquez on a 15-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter and plunged in from a yard out in the fourth frame.

His statistics are still modest -- 13 of 28 for 206 yards -- but the young signal caller has already thrown three touchdown passes in his first four games at the varsity level, at the position.

"Its one of those things, we kind of didn't know what was going to happen," Bouchard said. "Turns out, he's been a big plus."

In a backfield that features a handful of capable runners, Thistle has found himself at the top of the depth chart after another stellar outing. Thistle ran for 204 yards last week in a win over Sitka and followed with another monster game. Thistle now has 368 yards and three touchdowns in the last two weeks.

"He has put himself into that role," Bouchard said. "You can't argue with the numbers."

Thistle's success running the ball can also be attributed to the move of Andy Kappler from fullback to guard. One of Houston's best blockers at any position, Kappler moved back to a position where he spent his first two years in a Hawk uniform.

"The move of Kappler back to guard makes us that much stronger, the line that much better, the holes that much wider," Bouchard said.

The Lions' lone score in the contest came on a Charles Howard 58-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Of the Lions' 205 total yards, 146 yards came on two plays. On the final play of the game, ACS put together an 88-yard pass to a converted lineman. Hawk defensive back Coco Fredericks saved a touchdown by knocking the Lion out on the 2-yard line.

"It was some Don Bebee type action," Bouchard said -- referring to a play in Super Bowl XXVII when Buffalo's Bebee charged nearly the length of the field to knock Dallas lineman Leon Lett out of bounds before Lett reached the end zone.

"It wouldn't have mattered much if he had scored, but it would've of looked better for them in the paper," Bouchard said.

After Houston put many of its reserves and junior varsity players into the action with the substantial lead, ACS kept its starters in the game and moved a lineman to an eligible receiving position, according to Bouchard, for the final play.

ACS and Houston are beginning to build a good football rivalry in the Great Land Conference, according to Bouchard. The Hawks earn bragging rights for the 2004 season after suffering a 26-20 loss last year.

"ACS is a team we don't like to lose to, period, in any sport," Bouchard said.

Houston was originally scheduled to face ACS Saturday afternoon at Chugiak High School, but the game was moved to AFS due to poor conditions at Chugiak's field.

"They said the field was being used too much, so Chugiak kicked us off our field," Bouchard said. "There were no referees available for Friday, so we had to go Thursday."

With the win, Houston moves into second place with a 2-0 mark in conference action. The Hawks face arguably their toughest opponent of the season, Eielson, next Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Houston High School.

Random hits … Daniel Harvey scored his second touchdown of the season, an 18-yard score in the fourth quarter … Houston outgained ACS 301-205 and had more than twice as many offensive plays (61) as the Lions (24) … Houston recovered four ACS fumbles and intercepted a pass on defense … Houston has now outscored opponents 73-59.