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Alter D shuts down Wyoming

Alter’s calling card all season has been its defense, as the Knights entered its Region 16 final having allowed 7.8 points per game.

And Alter was able to hold high-powered Wyoming under its defensive average, thanks to three forced turnovers in a 35-7 regional championship win on Friday.

“I couldn’t be happier with our offense or our defense,” Knights coach Ed Domsitz said. “To hold this team to seven points, that’s an amazing accomplishment for our defensive kids.”

Alter's Holden Rushing (photo by Michael Noyes/TSF).

Alter’s Holden Rushing (photo by Michael Noyes/TSF).

The Cowboys played solid defense themselves in the first half – shutting Alter out for the first 19 minutes – and Wyoming had offensive opportunities, but the Knights forced a pair of red-zone fumbles in the second quarter.

“Our defense has been making those kind of plays all year,” Alter OL Nick Busher said. “It really turned the game because if they convert those into points it’s a completely different ball game. So, our defense just makes plays and that’s part of the reason we’re regional champs.”

Finally Alter broke through on a Holden Rushing ground touchdown with five minutes left in the first half.

John Bivens III made it 14-0, and the Knights never looked back.

“Team’s can stay with us for a little bit, but we start to wear them down,” Busher said. “We just keep pounding, we keep running that ball.”

Rushing rushed for 138 yards and two scores, QB Ryan Markoff finished with the same ground total and two touchdowns of his own, and Bivens ended the night with 96 rushing yards and one TD.

Alter rolled up 439 rushing yards for the game.

“We do like to run the football,” Domsitz said. “There’s no question our running game is our bread and butter.”

Both teams were unbeaten entering this game. The Knights will make their 10th state semifinal appearance, and their last state title was in 2009.

“Im so proud of our guys. This is something we have been working for all offseason. Since day one in the summer we’ve been on a mission, that’s mission not over yet, but I feel like we just took a big step today.”

– David Wysong contributed to this report

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