Outlook: Thunder coach Dan Hinds’ team finally made the plays he’s been looking for last week against Marcos de Niza.
Richard Mack’s two interceptions led the way for the Thunder, which forced eight turnovers. “They see how important it is to execute, we’re going to win more football games and we figured that out Friday night,” Hinds said.
John Trujillo has been steady as Avory Battle’s replacement in the backfield. The question is whether quarterback Mark Lund can lead the passing game enough to keep Corona’s defense guessing.
The Aztecs employ J.R. Hamm and Donovan Connor in the backfield, but Desert Vista wants to force Corona to throw, since Ryan Howard has completed only 41 percent of his passes. It wasn’t a deciding factor last week against Goldwater, but the Aztecs have nearly twice as many yards in penalties as their opponents.
Corona del Sol at Desert Vista
Address: 16440 S. 32nd St., Phoenix
Records: Corona del Sol 4-2, 0-0; Desert Vista 3-3, 1-0
Last year’s meeting: Desert Vista 14, Corona del Sol 7
