Thunder 3-0, but not satisfied

By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Most expansion teams would be overjoyed with a 3-0 start.
For the Mahoning Valley Thunder, their unofficial theme song could be the Rolling Stones' "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction."
Following Saturday's 54-20 walloping of the Cincinnati Jungle Kats, members of the Thunder said they were "happy" but they are far from satisfied.
"We're 3-0 and I'm happy about that, but we've still got a long ways to go," Thunder coach Mike Hold said. "There are a lot of things that we still need to work on."
The Jungle Kats might argue otherwise.
Thunder quarterback Glen Gauntt, who tossed six touchdown passes and passed for 267 yards, almost seemed more interested in talking about the one that got away.
"That interception -- I should have just held on to it and took the sack," said Gauntt of his fourth-quarter pass that was stolen by Cincinnati's Desmond Washington. "They used the pick to get an easy score."
On the next play, the Jungle Kats scored on a 4-yard run by Kamau Jackson. That touchdown reduced the Thunder lead to 45-20 with 12:39 to go.
"He did a great job again, but he would take back that one interception," Hold said. "He knows it he shouldn't have made that throw.
Mental breakdowns
"The receivers played very well and the line protected well for the most part," said Hold of what he reluctantly agreed was the Thunder's best performance. "We had a couple of breakdowns that were mental.
"That's a good thing since it means we weren't getting whipped, we just need to shore it up mentally," Hold said. "Overall, we played well. Defensively, we put a lot of pressure on their quarterback and caused a lot of errant throws."
DeMarcus Mathes led the receiving corps with eight catches for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Two were 40-yard scoring plays (the playing field is 50 yards long).
Kevin Johnson also had eight catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns. With seven catches, Chris Archie matched Johnson in touchdowns and yardage.
After falling behind 7-0 on the second offensive play of the game, the Thunder defense stifled the Jungle Kats (0-3) until the final seconds of the first half.
Meanwhile, Gauntt engineered four straight scoring drives to put the Thunder ahead, 26-7.
The offense continued to roll early in the third quarter when Mathes ran unguarded down the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown and a 32-14 lead.
The Jungle Kats finally stopped the Thunder on their sixth possession when Gauntt's fourth-down pass to Mathes fell incomplete.
"I don't like being stopped on offense, I hate it," Hold said. "We got stopped a couple of times in there, and you can't have that."
Schedule gets tougher
Hold is looking ahead to the af2 schedule that will become a bit tougher in the coming weeks. Saturday, the Thunder (3-0) travel to New Hampshire to play the Manchester Wolves (1-2).
Mahoning Valley's next two home games will be on May 5 (Louisville) and May 12 (Wilkes Barre-Scranton, the undefeated team that shares first place with the Thunder in the American Conference East).
"We've done some very good things, but overall we need to tighten the ship up a little bit," Hold said. "We've got a young team and there is still a lot of learning going on on the field.
"Each week it will get better and better."
Mathes said the team record is a reflection of effort.
"Hard work, dedication," Mathes said. "We're looking forward to going to 4-0 next week."
williams@vindy.com