NAMPA — Pocatello didn't need style points. It just needed a win.

And for the first time in a year, the Thunder finally got one. They snapped a seven-game losing streak dating back to last season with a 16-14 nonconference road win over Nampa on Friday night — the first since a 34-20 win over Idaho Falls back on Sept. 5, 2025.

"Far from perfect," Pocatello head coach Dave Spillett told his players afterward.

But after what the Thunder (1-1, 0-1 5A High Country Conference) endured last season, they'll gladly take it.

"It feels great," said Pocatello junior receiver Kellen Walker, who finished with six catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns. "We put in so much work over the summer, going to these practices — it's just step up. I'm just so glad we're back."

Pocatello went just 1-7 a year ago — Spillett's first losing season since 2018. It was also the worst season for the program in at least 22 years.

"It was horrible," said senior captain Isaac Allen. "That's great motivation. This team, we came together — we didn't cower away from that, we took it on face first, and that's just what we do."

Prior to that, the Thunder had racked off five winning seasons, three league titles, six playoff wins and a pair of third-place state trophies over the last six seasons. Even their lone non-winning season was still a 5-5 season with a playoff win.

"When we got here, this program was in really bad shape, and we turned it into a program that was battling for titles every year," Spillett said. "Last year we felt like it was going to be the same, and then all of a sudden bodies were dropping. They were literally learning how to play varsity football probably a year or two before they should have been. All they did was battle."

That was evident Friday night.

Caden Butterfield set the tone almost immediately. The junior was responsible for the first points of the game, tackling Nampa running back Ethan Baker in the end zone for a safety less than 90 seconds into the game.

The Thunder then quickly pushed the lead on a pair of touchdown passes from junior quarterback Rhev Stucki to Walker. Stucki first found Walker on a 12-yard touchdown before dropping another dime to him on a 44-yard touchdown pass on just a one-play drive. It all of a sudden gave them a 16-0 lead with still 4:26 left in the opening quarter.

"We're family," Walker said of his connection with Stucki. "I'm super good friends with Rev. We're always going to lunch for school and hanging out. Getting those extra reps — this is great."

But the two, along with the rest of the Pocatello offense, went quiet from there on out. Stucki only had 15 yards passing in the second half. Walker, meanwhile, only made one catch for nine yards. All four of the Thunder's second-half possessions resulted in punts.

That all allowed the Bulldogs (1-1) to claw their way back in. They scored 14 unanswered points, including a 46-yard touchdown pass from Rocky Reyna to Lonnie Wells midway through the third quarter, to make it 16-14.

"Something I love about our team is we have each other's backs," Allen said. "So if the offense isn't maybe playing their best, the defense will step up, and that's just what we had to do tonight."

Nampa drove inside the Pocatello 10-yard line on three separate occasions, including having the ball at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter. But the Thunder, despite giving up nearly 400 yards of total offense, had an answer when it mattered most.

The final one came on an Isaac Allen interception in the closing seconds to seal it.

"It felt amazing," Allen said. "There's not much else to say. It could have been anyone make the play."

Stucki finished 10-of-18 for 171 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

"He's one of those guys that got thrown to the wolves sooner than we wanted him to last year, and this summer he's made major, major improvements," Spillett said. "Really good game management towards the end, taking care of the football, keeping the clock going."

Pocatello will need that same fight again soon. The Thunder host No. 3 Skyline in a 5A High Country Conference matchup this Friday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. The Grizzlies have made the state semifinals every year since 2020 and have three state championships during that stretch.

But Pocatello isn't scared. The Thunder have already been through worse, and they don't plan on going back.

"It just proves what they believe is true," Spillett said. "They believe in themselves, they believe in the team, and it proves itself right on a Friday night when it could have gone bad. It'll springboard us moving forward, and we'll go have a great week of practice and be ready."