By Berlynn Irwin

After a tough loss last week against Hamilton High School, Pinnacle High needed a win to stay on track.

Head coach Dana Zupke’s game plan going into Friday night’s game against Basha High School was simple: Don’t dwell on the past and move forward. Pinnacle is all about forward thinking.

And move forward they did, as Friday’s final score was 42-24 in favor of Pinnacle, which led only 21-17 at halftime but dominated the second half both offensively and defensively. Pinnacle’s defense pressured visiting Basha into four turnovers and ten incomplete passes in the second half.

Despite last week’s loss, Pinnacle came into the game with a record of 2-1 and was looking to assert itself as top-4 candidate and so was upstart Basha (3-1). The first quarter was all about defense as both teams struggled to find open receivers and put the ball in the end zone.

After the first fifteen minutes, Pinnacle found itself on top, leading only 7-0. Basha wasn’t going down without a fight, however, putting up 3 with a field goal within the first three minutes of the second quarter.

But Pinnacle’s offense proved to be a force to reckon with, scoring minutes later after a couple of run-ins with Basha’s defense. Despite Basha’s scramble to keep putting points on the scoreboard, by halftime Pinnacle held a slim lead of 21-17.

Pinnacle’s offense stumbled for the first time at the beginning of the third quarter, fumbling the ball on a punt return. This didn’t stop its momentum, however, as Pinnacle’s defense caused Basha quarterback Ryan Kelly to fumble on a hard tackle, giving Pinnacle the recovery.

“That was huge for us,” Zupke said. “I’m proud that we are a second half team; there’s nothing better than being able to finish games”.