Early into Desert Vista’s game against Valley Vista, the Thunder public address announcer uttered a pun that got everyone laughing.

“We have a forecast of heavy thunder with a touch of monsoon,” he said.

The reference was directed at the teams’ nicknames but Desert Vista junior running back Tyson Grubbs personified thunder on the field Friday night - and the mileage he left behind was the monsoon.

“He’s got so many skills,” said Thunder coach Dan Hinds. “He’s got speed, he’s gained a lot of strength. If you look at his feet, he’s got excellent footwork, so his ability to jump, cut and then accelerate. He’s doing a lot of great things as a running back.”

Grubbs led the Thunder (3-0) with five touchdowns in their 48-20 victory over the Monsoon (2-1). He was so dominant his team didn’t attempt a pass until the second quarter.

“We expected to pound the ball,” Grubbs said. “That’s what we did against the last team and it worked.”

It’s no secret the Thunder favor their rushing attack. Through three games, Grubbs has already accumulated 458 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns. He’s given the ball an average of 21 times per game.

With that type of workload, it’d be expected that Grubbs would tire out. He insists he’s built for this.

“[I] run hard and try my hardest at practice,” Grubbs said. “When we do conditioning, I try not to slow down too much, because I know it’s going to hurt. But in the game, I know I’m going to be tired, so I just try to make myself as tired as I can in practice.”

Grubbs may have had the best game of his life, but his individual performance isn’t what he’ll remember most. Late in the fourth quarter, his brother, Devon, checked into a varsity game for the first time in his career.

With less than a minute to go, Devon Grubbs carried twice. The first put the Thunder in the red zone and the second resulted in the first career touchdown.

After receiving encouragement from  Hinds, the first person who greeted Devon Grubbs was his brother, Tyson. The two shared an embrace and a moment they’ll never forget.

“It was so exciting,” Tyson Grubbs said. “I was so proud of him. That’s my blood, I love him so much. It just meant a lot.”

“It made me proud that he supports me,” Devon Grubbs added. “He has love and pride for me and it just made me proud to be a Grubbs.”

The win was the third consecutive for the Thunder and their first 3-0 start since the 2011 season. That year, the team finished 13-1 and won the Division 1 State  Championship.

While Hinds won’t draw many comparisons between the teams, he admits this team is on the right track for success.

“It’s a great tone right now,” Hinds said. “There’s a lot of great excitement in our program [and] a lot of great energy in our program. Our boys are setting themselves up now. It’s been a good start.”

The Thunder travel to face North next Friday. Kickoff is  at 7 p.m.