TENINO — Thanks to Payton Quintanilla’s arm and a rugged defense, Hoquiam encountered few difficulties in its Evergreen 1A League football opener.

Quintanilla passed for 324 yards and three touchdowns as the Grizzlies blanked Tenino, 35-0, on Friday at Beaver Stadium.

Despite Quintanilla’s impressive passing totals and 10 receptions from Jackson Folkers, the Grizzlies (1-0, 3-2) sputtered at times offensively.

Their defense, however, was formidable throughout. Aside from sustained drives that consumed a fair amount of time but produced no points at the beginning of each half, Tenino was stymied for the bulk of the game.

“I can’t say enough about those guys,” HHS coach Jeremy McMillan said of his defensive unit.

Chewy Muro made 11 tackles and Garrett Bradley added eight stops for Hoquiam. Asai Villarreal recovered two Tenino fumbles.

Matt Brown, the big tackle who frequently shifts into the backfield, ran 9 yards for Hoquiam’s opening touchdown in the first quarter.

Quintanilla hooked up with Kyle Larson and Francis Sweeney on TD passes of 18 and 72 yards, respectively, in the second period to give the Grizzlies a 21-0 halftime lead.

Hoquiam’s other touchdowns came in the fourth quarter on Quintanilla’s 1-yard quarterback sneak and a 43-yard pass to Sean McAllister.

Naz Mazariegos was perfect on five conversion attempts.

McMillan also praised the work of his offensive line.

The Grizzlies return home Friday to face Hoquiam.