by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Sheridan Broncs lost their first game of the season to Kelly Walsh and never tasted defeat again, as they claimed the Wyoming 4A State Championship on Saturday with a 40-15 win over the Cheyenne Central Indians at snowy War Memorial Stadium.
The Broncs got their championship started off with a bang when Kody Williams returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown for an early 7-0 lead.
“We had made an adjustment from the first time we had played them in our kickoff return,” Sheridan head coach Don Julian said. “We thought that we might have a chance with the change we had made up front and it worked. It was very exciting.”
Cheyenne Central would come back on their opening drive with quarterback Connor Long hitting wide receiver Kyle Grott for a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie things up.
Sheridan would counter on their opening drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Will Hendrickson from quarterback Austin Woodward to regain the lead at 13-7 and that is where to two teams stood at the half.
The Broncs would pull away in the third quarter with two Woodward rushing touchdowns of 1 and 10-yards to build 26-7 lead after three.
Sheridan’s defense stepped up in the fourth quarter when linebacker Dan Zemski picked off Long and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown making the score 33-7 lead.
The Indians kept fighting when Long threw his second touchdown pass of the day to Grott and completed another pass to Grott for the two-point conversion cutting the score to 33-15.
However, Woodward would put the nail in the coffin of Cheyenne Central with his third rushing touchdown with just under two minutes to go for the final margin.
“Our defense really pulled together and we stopped the run and that made them (Cheyenne Central) pass and we stopped the pass somewhat. It’s a great team effort,” Woodward said.
“Without them I couldn’t do anything. On both sides they’re the most underrated line in the whole state,” Woodward said about the offensive lines. “We had a receiver move down to right guard and (we have a) 140 pound center. They’re great.”
Woodward had 190 total yards with 152 of that on the ground on 23 carries with three touchdowns and a fourth through the air to Hendrickson.
“Number four (Woodward) is a very quality football player and a very quality young man,” Julian said. “He’s been a three year starter both ways for us. I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach him.”
“He’s a good football player,” Cheyenne Central head coach Brick Cegelski added. “He ran through tackles and he ran some traps on us and he did a good job.”
Michael Davis led the Indians with 134 yards on 27 carries, while Long threw for 145 yards on 13 of 23 passing with one interception.
“I thought the one (penalty) that hurt us was the holding (call),” Cegelski said. “We had a little bootleg on the edge and we got a hold; I thought that was a big play for us because it took us from first-and-10 to first-and-25. Whenever you have a penalty like that it changes your momentum, especially in the first half because I thought we had a chance to get in the game there and maybe take the lead.
“Hats off to Donny (Julian),” Cegelski added. “I thought Donny did a great job with these kids. It’s good coaching by Donny and I’m proud of him.”
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Vikings roll to 6-man title
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Guernsey Sunrise Vikings raced to a 63-8 halftime lead over Kaycee, leaving no doubt and rolling past the Buckaroos 76-16 for the Wyoming 1A-6 Man State Championship at War Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon.
“This was our goal at the beginning of the season, to get to this point,” Guernsey- Sunrise running back Kyler Copsey said. “We knew it was going to take a lot of work and once we started rolling and figuring things out it all just came natural.”
These two teams met earlier this season, but the only difference today is Kaycee did not get shutout, as they lost the first meeting 67-0.
Copsey rushed for 167 yards on six carries, as a team the Vikings compiled 351 yards on the ground. Guernsey Sunrise was not so dominant last week against Hanna-Elk Mountain, as they had to come from behind to win.
“We needed that wakeup call last week,” Copsey said. “We came out here focused and we didn’t think about 67-0 when the first time we played. We wanted to come out and hit hard and set the tone early.”
“We said ‘hey, we got to get focused from the start’,” Guernsey Sunrise head coach Casey Moats said. “Fortunately, we had two or three scores right off the bat and that just let the kids relax and enjoy it and they played hard.”
Despite the outcome, Kaycee head coach Dustin Snipe was pleased with what his team accomplished in its first year of existence.
“My kids never give up,” he said. “We’re a brand new program, they’ve had to learn every game and learn how to take hits and keep their heads up. They’re just a bunch of tough kids who want to compete and want to play hard and they never gave up playing. We weren’t going to give up in that second half and we played a lot better in the second half.”
Guernsey-Sunrise had competition this season, outscoring its opponents by an average of 47 points a game this season.
“The kids just worked their tails off this year,” Moats said. “They just battled hard and came together, and as you saw today, they just did a nice job of becoming a team.”
Wyoming Sports.org
The Guernsey Sunrise Vikings raced to a 63-8 halftime lead over Kaycee, leaving no doubt and rolling past the Buckaroos 76-16 for the Wyoming 1A-6 Man State Championship at War Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon.
“This was our goal at the beginning of the season, to get to this point,” Guernsey- Sunrise running back Kyler Copsey said. “We knew it was going to take a lot of work and once we started rolling and figuring things out it all just came natural.”
These two teams met earlier this season, but the only difference today is Kaycee did not get shutout, as they lost the first meeting 67-0.
Copsey rushed for 167 yards on six carries, as a team the Vikings compiled 351 yards on the ground. Guernsey Sunrise was not so dominant last week against Hanna-Elk Mountain, as they had to come from behind to win.
“We needed that wakeup call last week,” Copsey said. “We came out here focused and we didn’t think about 67-0 when the first time we played. We wanted to come out and hit hard and set the tone early.”
“We said ‘hey, we got to get focused from the start’,” Guernsey Sunrise head coach Casey Moats said. “Fortunately, we had two or three scores right off the bat and that just let the kids relax and enjoy it and they played hard.”
Despite the outcome, Kaycee head coach Dustin Snipe was pleased with what his team accomplished in its first year of existence.
“My kids never give up,” he said. “We’re a brand new program, they’ve had to learn every game and learn how to take hits and keep their heads up. They’re just a bunch of tough kids who want to compete and want to play hard and they never gave up playing. We weren’t going to give up in that second half and we played a lot better in the second half.”
Guernsey-Sunrise had competition this season, outscoring its opponents by an average of 47 points a game this season.
“The kids just worked their tails off this year,” Moats said. “They just battled hard and came together, and as you saw today, they just did a nice job of becoming a team.”
Bearcats roll to 3A crown
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Douglas Bobcats scored the first 25 points of the game en route to a decisive 44-14 win over the Cody Broncs, capturing the Wyoming 3A State Championship at War Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Douglas overcame 10 first half penalties with big plays on the ground and through the air to pull away from Cody.
Running back Pierre Etchemendy got things started with a 1-yard run into the end-zone to give the Bobcats a 6-0 lead.
The next drive for Douglas, quarterback Hayden Barker ran 40 yards down the left sideline giving his team a 12-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter would not be any easier for Cody, as Barker connected with wide receiver Mitch Espeland for a 69-yard bomb to make it 18-0.
Barker was not done yet, this time he would hit wide receiver Justin Melton for a 48-yard touchdown pass to make the Bobcat lead 25-0.
Cody would finally get some momentum going when running back Brady Guide ran 73 yards down the right sideline before being stopped inside the 10 yard-line, which set up Matt Frost’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Tuten to cut the lead to 25-7 going in at halftime.
However, the last minute touchdown to end the half did not give Cody the spark they needed, as Douglas continued to pile it on scoring the first 13 points of the second half for a 38-7 lead.
Cody would score another touchdown in the fourth quarter when Frost ran it in from 10 yards out to cut the score to 38-14, but Douglas would ultimately add one more touchdown for the final margin, shutting the door on the Broncs season, while finishing their season championship season undefeated.
“We just came out and did our thing,” Barker said. “We really didn’t change a thing. We just wanted to come out from the get go and show everyone what we could do.”
“We knew they were explosive and if we made mistakes, then they would make us pay,” Cody head coach Cris Williams said about Douglas. “We made a few mistakes in coverage and sometimes great athletes just make great plays, but our kids fought for four quarters, they battled and I couldn’t be more prouder of them.”
Barker accumulated 289 total yards in the game with 242 of those in the air on 10 of 14 passing for three touchdowns, while also rushing for 47 yards on four carries and one touchdown. Etchemendy amassed 152 yards on the ground on 28 carries for two touchdowns.
“We just got a real solid kid at every position,” Douglas head coach Jay Rhoades said. “To go 11 straight like they did this year, is pretty impressive. We never were behind in a game and there was never any real adversity in any game this year and that is so uncommon in a season and that’s just a tribute to the kids.”
Frost had 85 total yards with 57 in the air for a touchdown and 28 on the ground with a 10-yard touchdown.
Cody could not get much going against a tough and stingy Douglas defense.
“I can’t say enough about our defense, they played phenomenal,” Barker said. “They started the year strong and ended it just as strong.”
“Our defense has been tough from the beginning to this ending,” Rhoades said. “Even though we scored a lot of points today, it was a defensive win today too. That was a good Cody team that we stopped.”
Wyoming Sports.org
The Douglas Bobcats scored the first 25 points of the game en route to a decisive 44-14 win over the Cody Broncs, capturing the Wyoming 3A State Championship at War Memorial Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Douglas overcame 10 first half penalties with big plays on the ground and through the air to pull away from Cody.
Running back Pierre Etchemendy got things started with a 1-yard run into the end-zone to give the Bobcats a 6-0 lead.
The next drive for Douglas, quarterback Hayden Barker ran 40 yards down the left sideline giving his team a 12-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter would not be any easier for Cody, as Barker connected with wide receiver Mitch Espeland for a 69-yard bomb to make it 18-0.
Barker was not done yet, this time he would hit wide receiver Justin Melton for a 48-yard touchdown pass to make the Bobcat lead 25-0.
Cody would finally get some momentum going when running back Brady Guide ran 73 yards down the right sideline before being stopped inside the 10 yard-line, which set up Matt Frost’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Tuten to cut the lead to 25-7 going in at halftime.
However, the last minute touchdown to end the half did not give Cody the spark they needed, as Douglas continued to pile it on scoring the first 13 points of the second half for a 38-7 lead.
Cody would score another touchdown in the fourth quarter when Frost ran it in from 10 yards out to cut the score to 38-14, but Douglas would ultimately add one more touchdown for the final margin, shutting the door on the Broncs season, while finishing their season championship season undefeated.
“We just came out and did our thing,” Barker said. “We really didn’t change a thing. We just wanted to come out from the get go and show everyone what we could do.”
“We knew they were explosive and if we made mistakes, then they would make us pay,” Cody head coach Cris Williams said about Douglas. “We made a few mistakes in coverage and sometimes great athletes just make great plays, but our kids fought for four quarters, they battled and I couldn’t be more prouder of them.”
Barker accumulated 289 total yards in the game with 242 of those in the air on 10 of 14 passing for three touchdowns, while also rushing for 47 yards on four carries and one touchdown. Etchemendy amassed 152 yards on the ground on 28 carries for two touchdowns.
“We just got a real solid kid at every position,” Douglas head coach Jay Rhoades said. “To go 11 straight like they did this year, is pretty impressive. We never were behind in a game and there was never any real adversity in any game this year and that is so uncommon in a season and that’s just a tribute to the kids.”
Frost had 85 total yards with 57 in the air for a touchdown and 28 on the ground with a 10-yard touchdown.
Cody could not get much going against a tough and stingy Douglas defense.
“I can’t say enough about our defense, they played phenomenal,” Barker said. “They started the year strong and ended it just as strong.”
“Our defense has been tough from the beginning to this ending,” Rhoades said. “Even though we scored a lot of points today, it was a defensive win today too. That was a good Cody team that we stopped.”
Friday, November 13, 2009
Cyclones win 4th straight title
by Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
The Southeast Cyclones aren't a passing team and Friday's weather conditions reaffirmed to head coach Mark Bullngton that they needed to just stick to the game plan.
The Cyclones ran the ball all day, often in a driving snowstorm, and Tanner May was the beneficiary, as he rushed for 160 yards and scored twice as the Cyclones won their fourth straight championship, stopping Lingle-Fort Laramie 27-20 Friday in the Wyoming Class 1A state football title game at War Memorial Stadium.
The game was played under blizzard conditions, with the Jonah Field turf white for much of the contest. There were 13 fumbles in the game, 10 by Lingle-Fort Laramie, which lost three. With just six passes thrown between the two teams, the Cyclones, 10-1, relied on the hard running of May.
"It just made us use our big gun that we were going to use, Tanner May," Bullington said. "He has quick enough feet that he can cut a little bit on this type of surface. That first touchdown, you saw that, that little cutback that he made. He has quick feet."
May scored on a 32-yard run in the first quarter, one play after a high snap over the Lingle-Fort Laramie punter's head. May then broke a 14-14 tie on a 58-yard TD run in the third quarter.
Blake Herbst gave Southeast a 14-0 lead in the second quarter on a 1-yard run. The score was set up when May picked up a punt and ran it 30 yards to the Lingle-Fort Laramie 16-yard line.
Although he didn't get into the end zone on that play, Bullington said that type of effort enabled the Cyclones to have the upper edge.
"A lot of people would have just let it roll, but he picked it up and got us field position. It's harder to drive the field 80 yards. Field position plays a big part in high school football," Bullington said.
The Cyclones made it 27-14 when Skyler Kirchhefer recovered a Lingle Fort-Laramie fumble in the end zone with 1:53 left in the contest.
The game was far from over, though, despite only a couple of minutes remaining. Dakota Forkner's third touchdown of the game, from 5 yards out with 1:36 remaining, gave the Doggers some hope.
Although Lingle-Fort Laramie would get the ball back late in the game, the Southeast defense held strong and the Doggers wouldn't threaten.
Forkner had a big day for the Doggers, 9-2, as he opened the second half with an 87-yard kickoff return for a score. he also scored on a 7yard TD run in the third quarter to tie the game at 14-each.
For the Cyclones season, the win capped a successful career that ended with the first-place trophy each year.
"I think it means a lot to them," Bullington said of four straight titles. "These kids have never lost a last game of the season. They are 40-4 over four years. I tell you what, to be in that many games, that's 44 games. These kids have almost played another season and a half."
Wyoming Sports.org
The Southeast Cyclones aren't a passing team and Friday's weather conditions reaffirmed to head coach Mark Bullngton that they needed to just stick to the game plan.
The Cyclones ran the ball all day, often in a driving snowstorm, and Tanner May was the beneficiary, as he rushed for 160 yards and scored twice as the Cyclones won their fourth straight championship, stopping Lingle-Fort Laramie 27-20 Friday in the Wyoming Class 1A state football title game at War Memorial Stadium.
The game was played under blizzard conditions, with the Jonah Field turf white for much of the contest. There were 13 fumbles in the game, 10 by Lingle-Fort Laramie, which lost three. With just six passes thrown between the two teams, the Cyclones, 10-1, relied on the hard running of May.
"It just made us use our big gun that we were going to use, Tanner May," Bullington said. "He has quick enough feet that he can cut a little bit on this type of surface. That first touchdown, you saw that, that little cutback that he made. He has quick feet."
May scored on a 32-yard run in the first quarter, one play after a high snap over the Lingle-Fort Laramie punter's head. May then broke a 14-14 tie on a 58-yard TD run in the third quarter.
Blake Herbst gave Southeast a 14-0 lead in the second quarter on a 1-yard run. The score was set up when May picked up a punt and ran it 30 yards to the Lingle-Fort Laramie 16-yard line.
Although he didn't get into the end zone on that play, Bullington said that type of effort enabled the Cyclones to have the upper edge.
"A lot of people would have just let it roll, but he picked it up and got us field position. It's harder to drive the field 80 yards. Field position plays a big part in high school football," Bullington said.
The Cyclones made it 27-14 when Skyler Kirchhefer recovered a Lingle Fort-Laramie fumble in the end zone with 1:53 left in the contest.
The game was far from over, though, despite only a couple of minutes remaining. Dakota Forkner's third touchdown of the game, from 5 yards out with 1:36 remaining, gave the Doggers some hope.
Although Lingle-Fort Laramie would get the ball back late in the game, the Southeast defense held strong and the Doggers wouldn't threaten.
Forkner had a big day for the Doggers, 9-2, as he opened the second half with an 87-yard kickoff return for a score. he also scored on a 7yard TD run in the third quarter to tie the game at 14-each.
For the Cyclones season, the win capped a successful career that ended with the first-place trophy each year.
"I think it means a lot to them," Bullington said of four straight titles. "These kids have never lost a last game of the season. They are 40-4 over four years. I tell you what, to be in that many games, that's 44 games. These kids have almost played another season and a half."
Bobcats shock Herders for 2A title
by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org
The Thermopolis Bobcats came into a snow-packed War Memorial Stadium and left with the Wyoming 2A State Championship with a 22-20 upset win over the previously unbeaten and number one ranked Glenrock Herders at Jonah Field Friday afternoon.
Thermopolis stopped Glenrock on fourth down on its opening drive and then marched down the field 40 yards to set up quarterback Mitch Syverson’s 17-yard touchdown and the Bobcats would never trail. Syverson would keep it again running in from three yards out for the two-point conversion and the Bobcats led 8-0 over the number one ranked Herders after one quarter of play.
Glenrock would come back in the second orchestrating and 81-yard drive, which was highlighted by quarterback Kyle Farley scampering 63-yards down the right sideline before Tanner Cornwell of Thermopolis tackled him inside the 5- yard-line to save a touchdown. Running back Austin Smith would eventually punch it in from two yards out to bring the Herders within two. Dustin Worthington ran in the two-point conversion up the middle to nod things up 8-8.
Thermopolis would come back on their next possession going 68-yards with one big first down catch of 14-yards hauled in by Chris Leyba, before Syverson ran 50-yards down the left sideline for his second touchdown of the half regaining the lead for the Bobcats 14-8. The two-point pass failed and that’s where the score stood at halftime. Syverson finished the half with 141 total yards.
The first turnover of the game came on Glenrocks’ opening possession of the third quarter when the Herders attempted a fake punt on a pass by Farley that was picked off by Thermopolis linebacker Chris Ryan setting up the Bobcats in prime field position.
Leyba would get his second catch of the day on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Syverson to increase their lead to 12. The next play Leyba got his third catch on a three-yard two-point conversion from Syverson making the Bobcat lead 22-8.
The score stayed the same heading into the fourth, but Glenrock was knocking on the door after Farley hit Worthington for a 34-yard pass down to the one yard-line. Worthington then punched it in on the first play of the fourth quarter from two yards out to trim the deficit to 22-14.
A major turn of events would take place during the next minute of play when Matt Morgan recovered a fumble for the Herders on the ensuing kickoff. The next play Farley hit Worthington for a long pass and then he fumbled the ball right back to Thermopolis. Two plays later Syverson would make Glenrock pay with a 53-yard run to the Herders 39 yard-line.
However, Thermopolis would stall on the 38 yard-line and turn the ball over on downs to Glenrock giving the Herders new momentum.
Farley and Worthington would lead their team down the field once again and on third and goal, Cory Dewald capped the drive off with a four-yard run to cut the score to 22-20. Farley’s two-point pass was incomplete, so Thermopolis still remained on top by two with 5:41 to play.
“It was pretty tough being there on the sidelines. You want to be in there so bad,” Syverson said about his defense stopping the 2-point conversion. “All you can do is be a cheerleader for them and the defense did an excellent job; hats off to them.”
Thermopolis would try and run out the clock on their final drive and Syverson converted a big fourth and two from the 36 yard-line to keep the drive alive with 2:12 remaining and a two point lead. Glenrock could not stop the clock and the celebration was on for the Bobcats.
Syverson finished the game with 262 total yards completing 10-18 passes for 107 yards and touchdown, while rushing for 155 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns. Kyle Larson had 64 yards on 11 carries and targets Herold and Kyle Pebbles each had four catches for 47 and 24 yards respectively.
“Doubling up our outside guys really opened up our running game,” Thermopolis head coach Chuck Syverson said. “Mitch (Syverson) had a 155 yards rushing and basically kind of controlled the game with our running game. It was one of those days you have to kind of do what you have to do to get the win and we were fortunate enough to do that.”
“Glenrock is a very good team,” Mitch Syverson said. “This is a team effort. We ran the ball very well, we got away from the pass and that really helped us a lot. The linemen did an excellent job, an excellent job up front by the D-Line. We felt like we had this one pretty wrapped up.”
On the defensive side, Leyba had a game high 19 tackles and Larson recorded 15 with a half-a-sack.
Dewald led Glenrock with 13 tackles, including one tackle for loss.
Worthington had 160 total yards in the game rushing for 85 of those on 21 carries and caught three balls for 75 yards. Farley had 179 total yards going 4 for 7 in the air for 97 yards, while getting 82 yards on the ground on just five carries.
“Our leadership has always been powerful,” Glenrock head coach Ray Kumpula said. “They showed their true colors today when they got down and still didn’t get down and fought back.”
“You got to take your hats off to them,” Kumpula said about Thermopolis. “They turned around their program, they got a spread offense and they got great athletes. They made the big play when they needed to, so they deserve the win.”
Wyoming Sports.org
The Thermopolis Bobcats came into a snow-packed War Memorial Stadium and left with the Wyoming 2A State Championship with a 22-20 upset win over the previously unbeaten and number one ranked Glenrock Herders at Jonah Field Friday afternoon.
Thermopolis stopped Glenrock on fourth down on its opening drive and then marched down the field 40 yards to set up quarterback Mitch Syverson’s 17-yard touchdown and the Bobcats would never trail. Syverson would keep it again running in from three yards out for the two-point conversion and the Bobcats led 8-0 over the number one ranked Herders after one quarter of play.
Glenrock would come back in the second orchestrating and 81-yard drive, which was highlighted by quarterback Kyle Farley scampering 63-yards down the right sideline before Tanner Cornwell of Thermopolis tackled him inside the 5- yard-line to save a touchdown. Running back Austin Smith would eventually punch it in from two yards out to bring the Herders within two. Dustin Worthington ran in the two-point conversion up the middle to nod things up 8-8.
Thermopolis would come back on their next possession going 68-yards with one big first down catch of 14-yards hauled in by Chris Leyba, before Syverson ran 50-yards down the left sideline for his second touchdown of the half regaining the lead for the Bobcats 14-8. The two-point pass failed and that’s where the score stood at halftime. Syverson finished the half with 141 total yards.
The first turnover of the game came on Glenrocks’ opening possession of the third quarter when the Herders attempted a fake punt on a pass by Farley that was picked off by Thermopolis linebacker Chris Ryan setting up the Bobcats in prime field position.
Leyba would get his second catch of the day on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Syverson to increase their lead to 12. The next play Leyba got his third catch on a three-yard two-point conversion from Syverson making the Bobcat lead 22-8.
The score stayed the same heading into the fourth, but Glenrock was knocking on the door after Farley hit Worthington for a 34-yard pass down to the one yard-line. Worthington then punched it in on the first play of the fourth quarter from two yards out to trim the deficit to 22-14.
A major turn of events would take place during the next minute of play when Matt Morgan recovered a fumble for the Herders on the ensuing kickoff. The next play Farley hit Worthington for a long pass and then he fumbled the ball right back to Thermopolis. Two plays later Syverson would make Glenrock pay with a 53-yard run to the Herders 39 yard-line.
However, Thermopolis would stall on the 38 yard-line and turn the ball over on downs to Glenrock giving the Herders new momentum.
Farley and Worthington would lead their team down the field once again and on third and goal, Cory Dewald capped the drive off with a four-yard run to cut the score to 22-20. Farley’s two-point pass was incomplete, so Thermopolis still remained on top by two with 5:41 to play.
“It was pretty tough being there on the sidelines. You want to be in there so bad,” Syverson said about his defense stopping the 2-point conversion. “All you can do is be a cheerleader for them and the defense did an excellent job; hats off to them.”
Thermopolis would try and run out the clock on their final drive and Syverson converted a big fourth and two from the 36 yard-line to keep the drive alive with 2:12 remaining and a two point lead. Glenrock could not stop the clock and the celebration was on for the Bobcats.
Syverson finished the game with 262 total yards completing 10-18 passes for 107 yards and touchdown, while rushing for 155 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns. Kyle Larson had 64 yards on 11 carries and targets Herold and Kyle Pebbles each had four catches for 47 and 24 yards respectively.
“Doubling up our outside guys really opened up our running game,” Thermopolis head coach Chuck Syverson said. “Mitch (Syverson) had a 155 yards rushing and basically kind of controlled the game with our running game. It was one of those days you have to kind of do what you have to do to get the win and we were fortunate enough to do that.”
“Glenrock is a very good team,” Mitch Syverson said. “This is a team effort. We ran the ball very well, we got away from the pass and that really helped us a lot. The linemen did an excellent job, an excellent job up front by the D-Line. We felt like we had this one pretty wrapped up.”
On the defensive side, Leyba had a game high 19 tackles and Larson recorded 15 with a half-a-sack.
Dewald led Glenrock with 13 tackles, including one tackle for loss.
Worthington had 160 total yards in the game rushing for 85 of those on 21 carries and caught three balls for 75 yards. Farley had 179 total yards going 4 for 7 in the air for 97 yards, while getting 82 yards on the ground on just five carries.
“Our leadership has always been powerful,” Glenrock head coach Ray Kumpula said. “They showed their true colors today when they got down and still didn’t get down and fought back.”
“You got to take your hats off to them,” Kumpula said about Thermopolis. “They turned around their program, they got a spread offense and they got great athletes. They made the big play when they needed to, so they deserve the win.”
Friday, October 16, 2009
Plainsmen battle but come up short
Richard Anderson photos
Laramie halfback Jon Sorenson looks to get past Green River's Marcos Munoz Friday at Deti Stadium. At left, Laramie's Charles Swearingen, 45, and Tyler English, chase down Green River quarterback Drew Martinez.
By Richard AndersonWyoming Sports.org
A couple of subtle changes this week put the Laramie Plainsmen back in an offensive frame of mind.
It nearly paid off with a win, but Green River scored with just nine seconds left to hold off the Plainsmen 42-35 Friday night at Deti Stadium.
Despite the loss, the play of the Plainsmen have them thinking playoffs going into next week’s regular season finale against Cheyenne East. Both teams are 2-6 on the season and the winner will certainly move on to the second season.
Laramie head coach Bob Knapton pulled the trigger this week when he inserted sophomore Billy Hysong into the starting quarterback position, shifting previous starter Jon Sorenson back to halfback. Along with senior halfback Dan Estes returning from injury, the Laramie offense looked like a different beast out on the field against the Wolves.
Laramie had struggled at times offensively this season, including in last week’s tough 46-6 loss to Kelly Walsh. Friday night, Sorenson and Estes combined for 340 yards rushing and the Plainsmen matched the high-flying Wolves (6-2) yard-for-yard and point-for-point until the final seconds.
The game came down to the final minute, after Laramie tied the game at 35-each with 53 seconds left on a big 23-yard touchdown pass from Hysong to sophomore halfback Tanner Ibarra.
Unfortunately for the Plainsmen, too much time was left on the clock with University of Wyoming bound Drew Martinez at the helm. Martinez, who gave a verbal commitment to the Cowboys earlier this year, completed three long passes -- 21 yards to Zach Kennah and consecutive passes, 24 and 17 yards to Colter Rood, before Rood scored on an 8-yard run with 9.1 seconds left.
Laramie had one final try to get in the end zone, but fumbled to end the game.
“I thought our kids played hard and that’s exactly what we want them to do,” Knapton said. “If you play your butts off like that, that’s what we want to do. We have one more home game, and if we play like that, we’re going to fight it all of the way down to the end. Hopefully next week is a little different and we get into the playoffs.”
The two teams combined for 870 yards on offense -- 459 by the Wolves and 411 by the Plainsmen.
“You can’t say anything bad about the way that ended up,” Knapton said. “We knew that they would score points and people had been scoring on them, so we just stuck right in there with them. Boy, we just needed a couple of tackles at the end. We had some missed tackles and kind of waited for something better to happen. But we gave them a run for their money.”
The Plainsmen opened the Wolves eyes from the very beginning, when Estes took the first hand-off from Hysong and raced 81 yards for the score. Estes broke a couple of tackles after a short run, including an athletic spin move, and ran untouched the rest of the way.
It was off to the races from that point on, as Martinez and his offense were hard to stop as well, responding with two scores -- a 1-yard TD run by Cody Smart and a 38-yard scoring run from Rood.
Laramie pulled within one on a 2-yard run by senior fullback Charles Swearingen (the PAT failed) and then regained the lead on an 8-yard run by Estes. The Plainsmen got the point back on a two-point run by Estes.
Green River tied the game at 21-each on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Martinez to Kennah. That's how the score stood at halftime.
Again, the Plainsmen answered early in the third quarter on impressive 47-yard power run by Sorenson, only to be answered by the Wolves on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Martinez to Jordan Carroll.
The teams were tied at 28 heading into the fourth quarter.
After stopping Laramie on downs on the Green River 20, the Wolves struck pay dirt on a big 67-yard touchdown pass from Martinez to Rood, who bounced off several would-be Plainsmen tacklers for the score.
Laramie, however, wasn't done and put together a 12-play, 91-yard game-tying drive that was highlighted by the hard-running of Sorenson, who also threw a 14-yard pass to tight end Rylan Harding.
The Wolves, however, had one more drive in them.
Sorenson, who had averaged just 3.1 yards per carry from the quarterback position, found his comfort zone again in the backfield, leading all runners with 175 yards on 23 carries. Estes finished with 165 yards and Swearingen added 27 yards.
“We switched the offense to where we had two running backs coming at them, and they don’t know which way we’re coming from. I thought it worked really well,” Knapton said. "It was a good switch that we made.”
Hysong was 3 of 6 passing for 32 yards and the one score.
"He did a good job of coming in as a sophomore. He’s ready to play now,” Knapton said. “We gave him some time on jayvee to get him ready and he did a great job.”
Martinez, who won't play quarterback the Cowboys, still looked good at running the show, connecting on 8 of 12 passes for 194 yards. Rood caught three balls for 108 yards and added 85 yards on the ground on 11 carries.
“He’s a great athlete. And so is No. 4 ,” Knapton said of Martinez and Rood. “You can’t really start chewing on kids for missed tackles against guys like that because you know what they’re good. You don’t face guys like that every day.”
The Plainsmen need one more win to make the Playoffs and will get the opportunity next Friday at home against East. The T-Birds moved to 2-6 as well with a 34-27 overtime win over Evanston on Friday night.
“We have East next and we’re going to get after it. We’ll start studying on Saturday and get ready to go,” Knapton said. “We’re getting there. You have to get in the ballgame to have a chance to win it. We had our chance to win it, we just have to take one more step. We’ll do whatever it takes to do it. We’ll keep plugging away.”
Friday, October 2, 2009
Top-ranked Broncs too much for Plainsmen
SHERIDAN -- Top-ranked Sheridan had more than enough in the first half to stop Laramie 27-7 Friday night in Class 4A football action at Homer Scott Field.
The Broncs, 5-1 on the season, scored twice in the first half and led 21-0 at halftime, before cruising in the second half.
The Plainsmen, 2-4, made some defensive adjustments in the second half to hold Sheridan to two field goals in the final two quarters.
Although the Broncs turned the ball over on their first offensive play from scrimmage when Jon Sorenson intercepted quarterback Austin Woodward, Sheridan turned to its ground game to take control of the contest.
The Broncs got on the scoreboard with 6:53 left in the first quarter on a 14-yard touchdown run by Seth Carroll. Sheridan then made it 14-0 late in the opening quarter on a 45-yard touchdown run by Cody Williams.
Williams then scored for the second time of the game mid-way through the second quarter from 13 yards out.
The Broncs made it a 24-0 game in the third quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Andrew Sticker.
Laramie had its best offensive drive of the game early in the fourth quarter to get on the scoreboard. Sorenson capped a 12-play, 80 yard drive on a 16-yard touchdown run.
Stricker closed the scoring with a booming 48-yard field goal with 7:52 left in the game.
The Broncs finished with 322 yard of total offense, with 227 on the ground and 95 through the air. Williams finished with 78 yards on just five carries, followed by Woodward with 77 yards on 11 rushes. Woodward was also 7 of 16 passing for 95 yards.
Sophomore Tanner Ibarra led the Plainsmen with 67 yards rushing on six carries, with senior Mike Lanich adding 35 yards on 10 carries and Sorenson with 12 rushes for 29 yards. Laramie played the game without leading rusher Dan Estes, who was out with an injury.
Sorenson was 8 of 16 passing (two interceptions) for 90 yards. Nathan Cowper had three catches for 32 yards, with Kelby Wilkison and Rylan Harding adding two catches each.
The Plainsmen remain on the road next Friday when they face Kelly Walsh in Casper.
The Broncs, 5-1 on the season, scored twice in the first half and led 21-0 at halftime, before cruising in the second half.
The Plainsmen, 2-4, made some defensive adjustments in the second half to hold Sheridan to two field goals in the final two quarters.
Although the Broncs turned the ball over on their first offensive play from scrimmage when Jon Sorenson intercepted quarterback Austin Woodward, Sheridan turned to its ground game to take control of the contest.
The Broncs got on the scoreboard with 6:53 left in the first quarter on a 14-yard touchdown run by Seth Carroll. Sheridan then made it 14-0 late in the opening quarter on a 45-yard touchdown run by Cody Williams.
Williams then scored for the second time of the game mid-way through the second quarter from 13 yards out.
The Broncs made it a 24-0 game in the third quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Andrew Sticker.
Laramie had its best offensive drive of the game early in the fourth quarter to get on the scoreboard. Sorenson capped a 12-play, 80 yard drive on a 16-yard touchdown run.
Stricker closed the scoring with a booming 48-yard field goal with 7:52 left in the game.
The Broncs finished with 322 yard of total offense, with 227 on the ground and 95 through the air. Williams finished with 78 yards on just five carries, followed by Woodward with 77 yards on 11 rushes. Woodward was also 7 of 16 passing for 95 yards.
Sophomore Tanner Ibarra led the Plainsmen with 67 yards rushing on six carries, with senior Mike Lanich adding 35 yards on 10 carries and Sorenson with 12 rushes for 29 yards. Laramie played the game without leading rusher Dan Estes, who was out with an injury.
Sorenson was 8 of 16 passing (two interceptions) for 90 yards. Nathan Cowper had three catches for 32 yards, with Kelby Wilkison and Rylan Harding adding two catches each.
The Plainsmen remain on the road next Friday when they face Kelly Walsh in Casper.
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