An early Ethan Bello punt return set the table for the Tumwater football team, which rolled to a 41-10 victory over Liberty (Issaquah) on Friday night.
After Liberty’s first possession of the game, Bello returned the punt 89 yards to open the scoring and give the Tumwater sideline a jolt.
“That was a terrific way to snag the momentum,” Tumwater coach William Garrow said.
Tumwater added three more touchdowns before the break to build a 28-3 halftime lead, and the T-Birds hit paydirt two more times in the second half to top 40 points.
Tyler Briscoe ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, and Grady Wall added 19 yards and a score of his own on just two rushes.
Jake Reid was a perfect 6 for 6 through the air with 79 passing yards and two touchdowns, one of which went to Gabe Millard, who caught four passes for 38 yards and also intercepted a pass on defense. Cortlan Anderson hauled in the other touchdown pass.
In addition to Millard’s pick, the T-Birds forced two more turnovers. Landon Anchors snagged an interception of his own, and Finn Bracy jumped on a loose ball.
Jayden Hinchcliffe finished with 11 tackles, including two for loss and a sack, Wall added eight tackles, including one for loss and a sack, and Anchors added three tackles, including one for loss.
“The defense was lights out all night,” Garrow said. “Our coaches did a great job of preparing them for the motions and shifts and unique jet sweep offense that Liberty operates. We have room to improve, but I was impressed by their effort and execution tonight against a good Liberty team.”
Garrow did note that the T-Birds left some points on the board in the second quarter due to some penalties, but he took the blame, saying he needed to do a better job of preparing his players to avoid those mental mistakes.
The Thunderbirds (1-0) will host Steilacoom in their home opener next Friday, Sept. 11.
