Shawn Mitchell chuckled at the irony of Discovery Canyon’s start Thursday.

Lightning delayed the Discovery Canyon-Rampart tilt 65 minutes, but the Thunder coach still managed to crack a joke after a rugged game for his team at District 20 Stadium.

“Rampart weathered the storm – pun intended – better than we did,” Mitchell said after the Thunder’s 21-10 win against the Rams. “There were a couple of moments I wondered if I was going to be able to call out the victory formation, but I’m happy I got to.”

Discovery Canyon fumbled four times against Rampart including twice on the Thunder’s first two possessions to spot the Rams (0-4) 10 points in the opening period. Rampart’s Grant Royer nailed a 35-yard field goal following the first fumble and Brayden Werth scooped the second fumble and carried it 62 yards to the end zone to build a 10-0 lead with 2:34 left in the first.

“We weren’t playing our best football offensively,” Mitchell said. “There were some moments in there where you know doubt is inevitably going to sink in and we worked to see what we needed to adjust.”

The Thunder (3-0) needed change and Avery Pennington acted as the cashier as the Thunder struck their next possession. Brennan Ross connected with Pennington for a 63-yard touchdown as the receiver bolted down the Rams’ sideline to cut the lead to 10-7 with 1:32 left in the opening period.

Discovery Canyon scored 21 unanswered points and Devon Baker found the end zone on the final two scores including a 1-yard run in the second quarter to cap a nine-play, 88-yard drive and the final touchdown to give the Thunder a cushion.

After the Thunder’s fourth fumble of the game, which occurred with 1:21 left in the third and three plays after Discovery Canyon recovered a fumble at their own 26, the Thunder defense made another stand.

On the first play of the fourth quarter and on fourth and 5 from the Discovery Canyon 21, two Thunder players squeezed past the Rams’ O-line and pressured Rampart quarterback Demarion Simpson into an errant throw that landed between two Rampart receivers to end another Rams drive.

Baker escaped the Rams’ defense on the first play of the Thunder’s ensuing drive and reached paydirt on a 79-yard scamper to build a 21-10 lead with 11:35 left in the game.

“I had great blocks from my offensive line and slot on that side,” Baker said. “They helped me find the hole and it was off to the races after that.”

Despite trailing 10-0 in the contest, the Thunder defense never allowed a touchdown and held the Rams’ offense to three points. Sans Rampart’s first quarter surge, the Thunder defense forced three punts, two turnovers on downs and a fumble.

“I have to shout out Avery Pennington because he was the one who was able to punch that ball down,” said Thunder defensive lineman Nathan Conigliaro, who recovered Pennington’s forced fumble in the third quarter. “Our defense is very confident and we’re able to help each other out. We adapt quickly and understand how to adjust.”

Discovery Canyon’s victory gave the school its first 3-0 start since 2018 and now the Thunder look to go 4-0 for the first time since 2016 – the same year they advanced to the 3A title game and finished as runners-up.

“I’m not going to prognosticate on that,” Mitchell said of a potential state run this season. “But I am extremely happy with where we’re at. We have some stuff to clean up, but I like where we’re at.”

To earn that fourth consecutive win, the Thunder need a victory at home on Sept. 19 against Pueblo County, a team Discovery Canyon owns a 5-0 all-time record against and a squad the Thunder beat 49-13 in 2024.