POCATELLO — The Shelley Russets peeled away their chances of victory through unforced turnovers and lost 35-14 to Tooele, Utah, Saturday at Holt Arena.

The Buffaloes scored 14 points on drives following Shelley’s two botched punt returns and a muffed snap. For good measure, the Russets gave up a pick-six in what was the final touchdown of the game.

There were positive moments for Shelley. Junior Angel Herrera accounted for the first touchdown of the game on a 5-yard catch in the first quarter. He also collected an interception and made each of Shelley’s extra points to boot.

But the Russets couldn’t overcome two fumbles on punt returns.

“We gave it all we had,” Herrera said. “We tried our hardest.”

Russets coach Jake Monahan agreed with his player’s sentiment, saying they “played their hearts out.” All that is required is more reps for future success, said an optimistic Monahan.

“I feel like the things you got to take away from this game are we played very, very physically tough and it’s the mental things we can fix,” the first-year coach said. “It starts with me and I’ll make sure that happens.”

Before the miscues, Shelley seemed prepared to give the Buffaloes all they could handle. Where the Russets held an edge was on defense, where they lost nine starters from last season.

It took until there was four seconds left in the first half before Tooele scored. Buffs quarterback Jaramillo Carver hit running back Demetrius Smith on a wheel route for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The score came right after Shelley’s first muffed punt.

The way Tooele trekked down the field for its third touchdown to capture a 21-7 lead was even more demoralizing for Shelley. The Buffaloes jumped on a second fumble on a punt return, and Tooele capitalized by crossing the goal line with 10:37 left in the game.

Tooele running back Ryan Brady finished off the Russets, breaking two tackles for a 31-yard touchdown run to put his team ahead 28-7 midway through the fourth quarter.

Shelley (0-1) hosts rival Snake River in its next game Friday.