West Valley City » A high-scoring football team like Cottonwood High can't do much if its offense isn't on the field enough.

Instead, ball control was the game plan for Hunter, which had 51 rushes compared with just seven passing attempts en route to a stunning 24-14 Region 2 victory over the visiting Colts on Friday. La'au Tanuvasa carried the ball 34 times for 164 yards.

"That's our game plan every week," Hunter coach Dustin Pearce said. "We want to be physical and sustain drives. Our defense also rose to the occasion a few times. Our staff overall has done a good job coaching and our kids have bought in."

The Wolverines' success on the ground meant little playing time for Cottonwood quarterback Crosby Jensen, who completed only four of his nine passing attempts in the first half. Jensen finished with 240 yards passing, but had just one touchdown.

Cottonwood, which came in averaging 35 points per game, trailed 24-7 early in the third quarter and lost several drives on penalties and downs inside Hunter territory.

"That's hard for [Jensen]," Pearce said. "He can't get into a rhythm. He's cold over there, and to throw the ball, you've got to stay warm. To keep him over there was to our benefit. Our kids have done some very nice things."

Meanwhile, Tanuvasa, who didn't begin the year as the starter, got better with each carry. The senior had rushed for 110 yards by halftime, and was rarely tackled behind the line of scrimmage.

"We wanted to pound it and play smash-mouth football," Tanuvasa said. "It was a big game, I couldn't be tired. I owe all my rushes to my line and fullbacks. If they don't move, I don't move. Our offense stayed in bounds and kept the clock running."

With the run working so well, Hunter was able to have success with play-action as Brett Lunceford found Fausia Tanuvasa wide open for a 36-yard scoring pass with time running out in the first half. Hunter also scored on its first possession of the second half.

Jensen found his rhythm in the second half, completing 16 passes. However, the Colts kept two Hunter drives alive by committing penalties on punts, fumbling at the 4-yard line, and losing three other possessions on downs inside the 35.

The Wolverines (5-3, 4-1 Region 2) are atop the league standings, while the Colts fell to 5-3 and 3-1.