Thatcher used a a pair of third-quarter touchdowns a minute apart Friday night to distance inself from Joy Christian and post a 33-12 victory in a Division V battle of top teams at North Canyon High School.

Thatcher (8-1), ranked No. 6 this week in the D-V power rankings, used a 69-yard pass from quarterback Heath Motes to Jeff Shumway(4 catches 90 yards)  to set up a late tally in the third quarter (a Motes 1-yard run). A minute later, after Thatcher blocked a punt and took over at Joy Christian's 34, Motes hit Austin Peeler (4 receptions 89 yards) in stride on the same play except to the other side of the field for six points that bumped the lead to 27-12 with 25 seconds left in the third period. Joy Christian, ranked No. 7 this week, dropped to 7-2.

Motes was more productive via the pass in this one rather than the run. The senior QB-safety completed 11-of-17 passes for 206 yards and one TD. Motes scored the other four touchdowns on run, but this was his toughest night of the year rushing. He managed just 49 yards on 15 carries the first three quarters. He engineered a fourth-quarter-TD drive with his best rushing series, carrying six times for 77 yards to finish with 124 yards on 20 rushes.

Thatcher's defense deserved an equal amount of credit or more for the triumph. Thatcher stopped Joy Christian four times on downs in Thatcher territory -- including the opening drive of the game (which Thatcher answered with a touchdown) and one each in the third and fourth quarters.

"Our kids stepped up and did a real good job," Thatcher coach Dave Jefferies said. "....They have a lot of team speed and we had holes open that closed quicker than in other games. I thought Heath did a great job throwing it tonight. We had no picks."

In fact no turnovers -- period. Thatcher's defense limited a nemesis from last year in Joy Christian's 35-28 win -- JC's Tonka Watson -- to 82 yards. Last year Watson rushed for 213 yards. Most of the damage done by Joy Christian Friday came from its junior quarterback Matt Mtichell.

Mitchell rushed for 70 yards in he first half and scored on runs of 40 and 3 in the first half. The latter gave Joy Christian its only lead of the night, 12-7, with 2:45 left before intermission.

Joy couldn't keep the lead going to the half much to coach Brian Cole's chagrin. Motes marched Thatcher 63 yards in seven plays, capping the drive with a 5-yard run with 39 seconds left. Motes accounted for every yard with four rushes and two pass completions.

"We went into half thinking we should have been ahead," Cole said. "We had some mistakes and penalties that hurt us and we lost our long snapper early in the game to a knee injury. You still have to credit Thatcher's defense.They made some play and some stops."