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It was the Tanner Call show early and often in the first quarter, as the Cottonwood Colts defeated the Copper Hills Grizzlies 42-14, on Friday night.

Call dazzled on both offense and defense in the opening quarter, coming away with two interceptions and an impressive 15-yard jump-ball touchdown catch, as he tore the ball away from his defender.

"He's come miles and miles. A basketball guy by trade, we're thankful we got him out here, last year," said Cottonwood coach Greg Croshaw. "I can't tell you how much improvement he's made, but he's a great athlete. He learning to catch the ball, make plays, and play on defense."

From the first quarter on, the Colts seemed to have their way with the Grizzlies. Quarterback Gregory Dipierto used his feet to keep plays alive (he finished with 229 yards passing and two TDs, and ran for another) and Jared Tupou ran like a freight train, gaining 101 yards.

Of course, Tupou was not the only Colts' running back to join in on the fun. Malu Hosea (95 yards) hammered his way to big gains, and Noah Montano (61 yards) used his elusiveness to score on a 28-yard touchdown run.

"Our running backs are amazing," Call said. "They're so quick, they get into the holes, and they can just run people over. They're really great athletes. Then, that just opens up passing lanes for me, so then that just gives me more opportunities to help out my team."

The Colts defense also came up big, forcing four turnovers with stout play, which minimized Copper Hills' big plays.

"It was a lot [of turnovers], and that's great because you're hustling and getting after the ball. That makes a big difference," Croshaw said.

According to Croshaw, this type of defensive performance has come to be expected.

"That's been the strength of this team, and the offense needed to catch up with it," he said. "I think, tonight, we made big strides in doing that."

Now, it is on to the next one for the Colts, as they look to improve week-in and week-out.

"We've played some pretty good games, but we haven't played a full 48 minutes," Croshaw said. "That was our goal today, and I think, it wasn't perfect, but it was a heck of a lot better." —

Storylines

• Cottonwood's Jared Tupou rushes for 101 yards, while Noah Montano adds 95, and Malu Hosea tallies 61.

• Gregory Dipierto throws for 229 yards and two touchdowns, and runs for another score.

• Copper Hills hurts itself by committing four turnovers.