Due to a scheduling goof, Dimond's transportation did not arrive at the school on time Saturday afternoon and the Lynx showed up at Anchorage Football Stadium about five minutes after the scheduled kickoff.
They filed off their bus, conducted a short warm-up and promptly left East looking like it had been hit by a bus.
Spearheaded by Jordan Tufaga's five rushing touchdowns and his fumble return for a score, which accounted for all six Lynx touchdowns, Dimond crashed East's homecoming for a 38-15 Cook Inlet Conference victory.
West's 35-32 victory over previously unbeaten Bartlett on Saturday afternoon eliminated Dimond from contention for a state playoff berth, but the Lynx (3-4, 2-4 CIC) still appreciated a win seized despite travel complications.
"I'm not going to say anything to the guys now -- I just want to them to enjoy it,'' said Dimond coach Chris Borst.
East, which likewise won't earn one of the conference's five playoff berths, fell to 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the CIC.
Tufaga proved a force. He rushed 25 times for 256 yards and scored on runs of 43 yards, 33, 3, 8 and 63. Tufaga, who plays safety on defense, also returned a fumble 48 yards for a touchdown.
"That kid works so hard,'' Borst said. "I think he's under-appreciated -- not by us -- and he probably doesn't get the credit he deserves. He hardly ever comes off the field and he's been dealing with a sore ankle for weeks.
"He's a great kid. I'm so happy for him.''
Tufaga, who makes sharp cuts at high speed to avoid defenders and can also bust tackles, credited his offensive line for giving him room to roam.
"The holes were huge and all I had to do was run through them,'' he said. "Anyone could have run through them.''
Dimond sophomore center Tyrell Fereti said he loves blocking for a running back who hits the hole hard and keeps his legs churning. Dimond's offensive line and Isaiah Pili, converted to fullback, controlled the line of scrimmage.
"We work together, so that was fun,'' Fereti said. "We made the holes, and Jordan did his job.''
Dimond was never in danger after Tufaga ran for two long touchdowns inside the first 10 minutes.
While East received two touchdown passes from Clayton Washburn -- he hit Parker Martin with a 14-yarder in the second quarter and Alani Collins with a 35-yarder with 74 seconds left in the game -- Dimond's defense held the Thunderbirds to 139 yards total offense.
Pili and Rocky Vasai each accounted for one and a half sacks, and Fereti and Ikaika Faamasino also recorded sacks. Matthew Fifield recovered a fumble for the Lynx.
Just getting to the stadium proved the most difficult part of Dimond's day.
Borst said the bus was scheduled to pick up the Lynx at Dimond High at 12:25 p.m., but was a no-show. Phone calls were made and a bus arrived about 75 minutes later.
"We were hyped to go and I thought we lost intensity waiting,'' Tufaga said. "I thought it was going to be a factor, but we came out and played hard.''
Fereti said the Lynx spent their idle time trying their best to remain energized and focused.
"We just had calm heads,'' he said. "Coach tells us to be the calm in the storm. We were all watching pump-up videos on our phones, trying to keep the hype alive.''
When the Lynx quietly filed off their bus and into the stadium about 2:05 p.m. and warmed up for about 15 minutes before kick-off, Borst said he was concerned about his team's demeanor.
"I wondered, 'Are we flat or is it quiet confidence?' ''? Borst said. "I was hoping for the latter.''
And that's how the game played out.
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com and check out his blog at adn.com/hockey-blog
Dimond 14 6 12 6 -- 38
East 0 7 0 8 -- 15
First Quarter
Dimond — Tufaga 43 run (Brunell kick), 9:50.
Dimond — Tufaga 33 run (Brunell kick), 2:34
Second Quarter
East — Martin 14 pass from Washburn (Johnson kick), 3:07.
Dimond — Tufaga 3 run (run failed), :23.
Third Quarter
Dimond — 48 fumble return (run failed), 9:12.
Dimond — Tufaga 8 run (run failed), 3:55.
Fourth Quarter
Dimond— Tufaga 63 run (kick blocked), 3:23.
East — Collins 35 pass from Washburn (Collins pass from Washburn), 1:14.
Dimond East
First downs 12 8
Rushes-yards 38-310 30-(-19)
Passing yards 43 158
Passes 3-5-0 8-18-0
Punts 2-13.5 6-27.5
Fumbles-lost 1-1 3-1
Penalties-yards 10-85 10-75
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Dimond: Tufaga 25-256, Vasai 3-31, I. Pili 3-12, Hendrickson 1-10, Nelson 2-5, Macalino-Maga 3-(-1), Romi Zavala 1-(-3). East: Atanoa 8-22, Talo 6-11, Martin 2-2, Team 1-(-29), Washburn 12-(-30).
PASSING — Dimond: Macalino-Maga 3-5-0—43. East: Washburn 8-17-0—158, Martin 0-1-0—0.
RECEIVING — Dimond: Rafa Zavala 3-43. East: Collins 3-57, Martin 2-44, Talo 2-41, Nichols 1-16.