Raiders defeat Altamont in homecoming classic

by David Boyle
News Director
The Whitehorse High School football team earned their third blow-out win in a row on September 13. The Raiders’ homecoming victory showcased dominance in all aspects of the game as they turned a 52-0 halftime lead into a 68-14 final score.
The Raiders opened the game kicking to the Altamont Longhorns. The Longhorns picked up a first down on the second play of their drive but stalled out with the Raiders forcing a punt that was returned to the Altamont 24 yard line.
The Raiders took advantage of a short field with Adam Joe taking a run off the left side for a 12-yard touchdown. Quarterback Tristan Black threw a pass to Elam Etsitty to make the score 8-0.
Following the touchdown the teams traded three-and-out possessions. The Longhorns’ next possession saw one first down but also ended in a punt.
Set up at the 26 yard line the Raiders went on a five-yard drive with Joe catching a 22-yard pass from Black. Black finished the drive himself running the ball in for an eight-yard touchdown run.
Black threw a pass to Dominic Dance for the point-after conversion to make the score 16-0.
The Raiders’ special teams then pinned Altamont at their own two yard line, forcing another three-and-out. The quarter ended with a 16-0 lead for Whitehorse.
The Raiders’ next drive began at the 25 yard line and after a short run and a few incomplete passes the Raiders went for it on fourth down. The decision paid off in a big way when Black found Dance for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Joe added a two-point rush to make the score 24-0 early in the second quarter.
On Altamont’s next possession Whitehorse linebacker Aiden Hamm blitzed right up the middle and took the football right out of quarterback Dallan Ledbetter’s hands.
Hamm ran it back the other way for a 34-yard defensive touchdown. He then ran the ball in for a two-point conversion, increasing the Whitehorse lead to 32-0.
The Raiders’ defense then forced another three-and-out and returned the punt to the 35 yard line. Four plays later Black once again found Dance for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion was no good, making the score 38-0.
The Raider defense once again gave up one first down but that was all giving the Raiders another possession at the Altamont 37.
Two plays later Black once again found Dance for a 28-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed but the Raiders had increased their lead to 44-0.
Once again Whitehorse’s defense forced a three-and-out and the Raiders regained possession at the Altamont 31 yard line.
On the first play from scrimmage Black found Etsitty for a 31-yard touchdown pass. Black added a two-point run to give the Raiders a 52-0 lead.
The Raiders gave up one first down but the clock ran out on the half and Whitehorse enjoyed a big 52-0 lead at the break.
The Whitehorse defense gave up just five first downs in the first half, and no points to complement the Raiders’ impressive air attack.
On the first play from scrimmage in the second half Lance Tsinigine ran the ball up the middle. He fumbled but it bounced right back up to him and he found daylight to go 55 yards to the house, opening the scoring in the second half. Julian Little added a two-point conversion to make the score 60-0 just seconds into the third quarter.
After trading possessions the Longhorns found the endzone for the first time in the third quarter to make the score 60-6.
With a running clock in effect, the fourth quarter came just a few moments later.
The Raider defense added the final points for Whitehorse in the game when Black grabbed an interception and returned it 30 yards for the second defensive score in the game.
Black added the two-point conversion score on the ground to make the score 68-6. Altamont added the final scores of the game with the final count favoring Whitehorse 68-14.
Tristan Black finished the game throwing four touchdown passes, running in one more and returning an interception to account for six Whitehorse touchdowns.
Dominic Dance caught three touchdown passes while Elam Etsitty caught one.
Dance shared he and his quarterback have figured out eachothers tendencies when under pressure. "We've been playing for a pretty long time so we have a connection going."
Adam Joe and Lance Tsinigine also added a rushing touchdown each. Aiden Hamm had a defensive touchdown.
The Raiders are now on a three-game winning streak, with all three wins coming in major blowouts. The win was the first for Whitehorse over Altamont since 1989.
The Raiders are 3-1 on the year, ranked fourth in the Utah 8-man RPI standings which determine state tournament seeding.
The Raiders travel to play Dolores, CO this Friday, September 20 at 7 p.m.