Plainsmen had their chances; fall to Sailors

Richard Anderson photos
Laramie junior Luke Knapton, 88, gives senior Coleton Wilson a congratulatory head bump after Wilson ran in a two-point conversion Friday against Steamboat Springs, Colo. At bottom, senior Nick Armijo, 77 and teammate Ben Farber sandwich Steamboat Springs quarterback Austin Hinder.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

When the Laramie Plainsmen left the field Friday night, there was a sense of frustration in their eyes.

A slow start spelled doom as Steamboat Springs, Colo., held off a couple of late rallies to stop Laramie 21-14 in the season opener at Deti Stadium.

It may have been “Zero Week” for the rest of the state, but there was zero consolation for Laramie, which gave up three big first-half plays before it got back in the game.

“It’s tough to go through two-a-days, all that hard work, and come out of here disappointed tonight,” Laramie junior tight end and linebacker Tyler English said. “It’s not a good feeling. We look to turn it around next week.”

Although it was the season-opener for Steamboat Springs as well, the Sailors were able to scrimmage another team to get a little more true feel and speed of the game.

It seemed like the Sailors were a step or two ahead of the Plainsmen early.

“It’s a little frustrating because it’s game time, you come out there and you expect to get going right away,” first-year Laramie head coach Bob Knapton said. “These guys came out and looked like game busters on us.”

Steamboat Springs took advantage of three big plays by junior quarterback Austin Hinder -- a 46-yard pass to Alex Wood, a 78-yard touchdown run by Hinder and a 64-yard pass form Hinder to Wood -- all in the first half.

Knapton said that as a coach, with the Plainsmen only scrimmaging themselves last week, he had a feeling something like this could happen.

“It did in the first quarter,” he said. “Then we settled down a little bit, and by the second half, we really came from starting to race like a turtle to turning into a rabbit, and we started coming back on them. I was glad to see that because they didn’t quit.”

Trailing 21-8 at halftime, the Plainsmen came out and made a game of it in the second half and had two golden opportunities in the final minutes to get the win.

“We started playing the football that we know how to play,” Laramie junior linebacker Luke Knapton said.

At first glance, you might say it was too little, too late for Laramie. On second glance, the Plainsmen had plenty of time to get back in the game.

“A few screw-ups here and there and we were right in that ballgame … we could have won it,” Laramie senior quarterback and free safety Coleton Wilson said.

The Plainsmen made a late push, taking advantage of a big interception by junior cornerback Kelby Wilkison, his second of the game. Wilkison grabbed Hinder’s errant throw on the Sailors’ 3-yard line and Laramie moved up the field late in the fourth quarter to get in scoring position. A 30-yard run by senior wingback Jon Sorenson and a 17-yard pass from Wilson to junior tight end Marshall Fisher gave the Plainsmen a first down on the Steamboat 22-yard line. Two runs by Sorenson gave Laramie a third and one opportunity, but Steamboat rose to the occasion and stopped Sorenson on two straight runs on the 13.

The Plainsmen got the ball right back on three nice defensive plays and good field position on the Steamboat 38, with 3:54 to play.

But Laramie couldn’t take advantage, despite a nice 5-yard run by Sorenson on fourth and 5. With just seconds remaining and no time outs, Steamboat Springs’ Wood sacked Wilson on consecutive plays to end the game.

“Whenever you get into a rush, I guess it is tough to get plays out,” Wilson said.

Despite Hinder’s ability to make the big play, he also threw two pass interceptions and lost two fumbles.

“They made a lot of mistakes and we should have capitalized on a lot of that, but we didn’t,” Wilson added. “I guess we’ll just learn from that and next week we’ll work hard in practice.”

Steamboat Springs rolled up 275 yards of total offensive in the first half, but just 64 in the final two quarters. It was a much better Laramie defense in the second half … almost like the Plainsmen were finally getting into the flow of the game and the season. Wilkison had 20 defensive points, with Knapton adding 19.

“We talked about it and we came out pumped up in warm-up and we were ready to drill some people,” Luke Knapton said.

Hinder was 6 of 17 passing and ran the ball eight times for 91 net yards.

Sorenson led Laramie with 90 yards on 17 carries, as the Plainsmen ran for 123 yards in the game. Wilson was 2 of 9 passing for 39 yards.

Laramie‘s first score came at the 3:57 mark of the second quarter, when Sorenson took it in from 5 yards out. Wilson ran in the two-point conversion. The play was set up on a Knapton fumble recovery. Ironically, Laramie appeared to have a touchdown on a short run by Sorenson on the series before, but he wasn’t given the score. Wilson then snuck it in from a yard, but a procedure penalty moved the Plainsmen back. On fourth down, Steamboat knocked away a Wilson pass at the goal line.

Laramie made it 21-14 on a 4-yard TD run by junior fullback Charles Swearingen with 3:31 left in the third quarter. That drive was set up on another Knapton fumble recovery on the 37-yard line.

“It just didn’t go our way tonight -- we had chances, though,” English said.

Laramie was one of two teams in the state (Saratoga) who played games that counted on Friday night. The rest of the state was in action, but those games were not official.

It showed early, Luke Knapton said.

“We had first-game jitters. This is only our second week of football. We got this out of the way and now we need to come back and play hard next week,” he said.

The Plainsmen look to bounce back Friday at Cheyenne East.

Heath leads the way for LHS runners

Richard Anderson photos
Runners take off in the girls' race Friday during the Laamie Invitational at Jacoby Golf Course. At bottom, Jacob Heath finishes fifth to lead the Plainsmen.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Laramie High School senior Jacob Heath has a typical cross country running body -- the leaner the better. He proved it by mockingly flexing his muscles after Friday’s season-opening Laramie Invitational at the Jacoby Golf Course.

Despite his fifth-place finish to pace the Plainsmen, Heath said he wasn’t as strong down the stretch as he would like to be.

“I felt pretty good, but I kind of died in the second half,” Heath said. “The first half I felt relaxed and felt good until the hill; then I fell hard after that.”

The combination of early in the season, school just beginning and a weight-training class came back to haunt him, Heath said.

“I’m a little sore from weight training class,” he said with a smile. “I’m not too strong, as you can see.”

Heath, however, was strong enough the first time out to challenge the top runners in the meet and likely in the state. He was one of three Plainsmen to finish in the Top 10, as the Laramie boys were third in the team scoring (83 points) behind Gillette (40) and Cheyenne Central (63).

The meet, a precursor to the University of Wyoming Invitational, proved to be a big hit with the high school runners and the coaches.

“It was really cool because some of my UW friends were here and they cheered me on; my parents and friends came,” Heath said. “It was really cool because it was a course that UW made and we were not really familiar with it. It was the first time we raced on it, a 4K.”

Laramie coach Greg Schabron, in the first meet of his inaugural season as head coach, said he was pleased without even looking at the official results.

“Some of our kids were happy; some of them were not, but it was great to get that first race out of the way,” Schabron said. “It’s the first step of the year.”

Heath got out to a good start and was running second until halfway through the course where he said he was passed by the leaders.

“I thought to myself that if I don’t get out of here, I am going to get boxed in,” Heath said. “I wanted to compete at my best level.”

Despite some soreness on Friday, Heath’s mileage this summer paid off, Schabron said.

“You could tell, especially Heath, who went out and ran several hundred miles this summer,” Schabron said.

Not far behind Heath were teammates Ethan Lockwood, in eighth place in 14:30.4 and Erik Boss in 10th place in 14:42.4. Gillette teammates Dominick Robinson and Spencer Pecha placed first and second respectively in 13:22.2 and 13:47.6. Saratoga’s Hayden Hohnholt was third in 13:51.5 and Devin Rathburn of Central was fourth in 14:01.4.

For the young Lady Plainsmen team, sophomore Ashley Lane was 18th in 18:34.2 and junior Mary Goetz was 23rd in 18:51.6. Laramie was sixth in the six-team field, with Central running away with 40 points, to 50 for second-place Sheridan.

“She (Lane) came out for track last year and I got to work with her. She’s got the bug now; she is just one of those positive girls all of the time,” Schabron said.

Sheridan runner Lela Carpenter and Dana Morin were one-two in the meet in 16:05.09 and 16.10.9 respectively.

While there were some ups and downs, Schabron said it was a good way to open the season.

“I’m excited to get back to the office and look at the mile splits to see where kids excelled and where they might need to work on,” Schabron said.

Laramie will be at the Rawlins Invitational on Friday.

Schabron takes over at his alma mater

Richard Anderson photo
Laramie High School cross country coach Greg Schabron was an all-state runner for the Laramie Plainsmen and an all-conference runner for the Wyoming Cowboys.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Greg Schabron noticed a young runner doing some rehab work Thursday on a stationary bicycle in the Laramie High School weight room, wearing a Hershey Track and Field t-shirt.

It brought him back in time. “That’s where I got my start, in Hershey track,“ Schabron told the young athlete.

Schabron went on to be an all-state runner for the Laramie Plainsmen and an all-conference runner for the Wyoming Cowboys. Now at the age of 31, he’s the head coach for the LHS cross country team.

“I really enjoyed it in elementary, junior high and high school,” Schabron said, as he prepares his team for its season opener on Friday with the Laramie Invitational at Jacoby Golf Course. “It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school that I decided to make a real effort and train year around and put the dedication into it that was necessary. I decided that not only did I want to start qualifying for state, because I was somewhat mediocre, that I wanted to go to college to do the sport as well.”

His love of running has never wavered.

“It is so healthy and such a good thing for people to do,” Schabron said. “What I like about it is you don’t have to be the most athletic person to be a runner. They can set down times and see how they improve from year to year and month to month, just to get some real satisfaction out of that.”

Now, it’s all about teaching the kids.

Friday’s meet is a precursor for the University of Wyoming’s season-opening invitational.

“I just want the kids to go out there, have fun and do the best that they can,” he said. “For them to go and see how some people can push it harder might be a little motivation. They can say, ‘You know what, maybe I can turn it up a notch or two and still be OK at the end of the race.’”

Hard work and motivation is what made Schabron the runner he was in high school and college. He hopes to bring that work ethic to his young athletes. The light turned on his sophomore season of high school.

“We had some good senior leadership on the high school team, where some kids came out and ran in the summer and went from being decent to just killing everybody,” he said. “I said, ‘That’s what I want to do. I think I can do that.’ It took a while and it took a lot of patience, consistent running and effort, something I was really glad that I did.”

At the time, indoor track wasn’t sanctioned, so he trained himself. He went on to become an outstanding distance runner for the Plainsmen in track, as well as in cross country.

“The coaching was really good and it kind of got me going to college and it helped me decide what major I wanted to do. I was like, ‘I like doing this, but eventually I can’t do this, so how can I be involved in the future?’”

His running career grew at Wyoming, where he just missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships in cross country. He then began a post-college running career, before settling down a few years ago to have a family. He and his wife, Kristy, now have two young children.

Again, it is all about the kids.

“As they grow up, I can see myself getting into it (running) again,” he said.

The year-around training turned Schabron into a strong runner in high school and college. That is something he stresses to his young runners. He also talks about the little things to achieve their goals.

“All of the nickels and dimes add up; all of the little runs that you complete,” he said. “I was talking to the kids today about hydration levels and making sure that they get in their lifting and that type of thing. It all comes together and factors in a race.”

After three years as an assistant at LHS, he’s excited about putting his own stamp on the program he grew to love.

“Emily Willems and I shared the philosophy that volume, which is mileage, is important,” Schabron said. “The kids have to have a good amount of mileage We also have to be careful with high school kids because they are still growing. The only major change that the kids are seeing at this point is more intensity right off the bat.”

Friday’s home opener is in contrast to the past, in which Laramie hosted a smaller meet late in the season. Schabron said that once he got the head coaching position, getting that meet changed was his first priority.

“When they hired me last spring, the first thing I asked (LHS activities director) Scott Handley was, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’ He was very supportive, but we didn’t know if the university would go for it. Right off the bat, (UW coach) Randy Cole was supportive and said, ‘Let’s do this and let’s do this.’ It will be great to see the high school kids on that course, along with seeing the college kids running.”

The girls race will begin at 4:50 p.m., followed by the boys at 5:30 p.m. Other schools competing in the 2.5-mile race will be Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Pine Bluffs, Saratoga, Gillette, Sheridan and Riverton.

Following the high school races, the college women will take to the course at 6 p.m., with the men taking off on their 4.25-mile race at 6:30 p.m.

Wilson ready to lead Plainsmen

Richard Anderson photo
Laramie senior quarteback Coleton Wilson will lead the Plainsmen in their home opener Friday night at home against Steamboat Springs, Colo.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Two years ago, Coleton Wilson was a young sophomore getting ready for the junior varsity season for the Laramie Plainsmen.

Late against Steamboat Springs, Colo., starting quarterback Carlos Casas went down with an injury. In went Wilson, a little cold and a lot nervous.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was a foundation to build on.

Wilson still gets nervous, but he’s a lot calmer these days when it comes to running the Plainsmen offense. The Laramie senior will basically begin his third season as the starting quarterback, as the Plainsmen open Friday night against Steamboat Springs, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. at Deti Stadium.

“My first game, I remember sitting on the sidelines and it was kind of cold,” Wilson said. “Coach called me out and the ball was snapped and I couldn’t even feel my hands when I went to throw the ball. Plus, I was shaking out of my pants.”

The butterflies are still there. Not from the lack of experience, but from the anticipation of beginning his final season.

“Today, I was going to lunch, riding with the guys, and we were all talking about how nervous we are. But it is a good nervous,” he said.

If Wilson’s sophomore season was a learning experience, his junior year was another building block. Having those two years under his belt has him much more prepared. Mentally, it’s a whole new ballgame.

“I tell myself, ‘I have been here before, I know what it is like.’ That’s how I calm myself down,” Wilson said. “The biggest thing is, if I can stay calm, the younger guys look up to me and if they see that I am calm, then we will all come together.”

In his first year with the Plainsmen, head coach Bob Knapton is thrilled to have Wilson as his quarterback.

“He’s one of the best leaders on the team. He did not miss one day of weights, he didn’t miss any camp that we went to. He’s been a great leader,” Knapton said. “He was here when I interviewed for the job, throwing on the nights they were throwing at the fieldhouse. The kids look up to him and they follow him. He was the first one who knew our pledge and he says it every day.”

Wilson is in control as a football player. He’s not planning to shy away from contact as a quarterback. He is also the punter and a starter at free safety.

“I will always have my number one guy who I will throw to," Wilson said. “If he is not open, I have the second stage. I’ll have a third guy sometimes, but usually the coaches just tell me to run the ball, because I can do that too, just as well as throw it.”

There has been no red jersey for him in practice.

“Coach put me in some drills this year,” he said. “The last two years, the coaches wouldn’t let me get hit. This year, I am right in there with the backs. If I get hit, I’m kind of used to it and it’s not like a big wakeup for me.”

He’ll also look to deliver a few hits on defense.

“I look it like it is my senior year and I have nothing to lose,“ he said. “I’ll just put it all out on the line.”

Knapton said he doesn’t believe in coddling a player, especially at quarterback.

“I know a lot of quarterbacks who play at safety who never come out of the ballgame and never got hurt.,“ Knapton said. “We can’t afford to lose him, but it is not fair to say to him that we are not going to let him play defense.”

Wilson, even with his busy schedule getting ready for the season, spent the summer as an all-state pitcher and hitter for the Laramie Rangers American Legion baseball team.

A rocket arm serves well on the baseball diamond and the football field.

“I guess if you are a pitcher in baseball, you have a pretty good arm,” Wilson said. “That kind of transfers over to football. In baseball, you kind of throw across your body, and in football, if you are right-handed, you want to throw to the right side and snap your wrist. That part is different, but other than that, a lot of it is the same.”

Towards the end of the baseball season, Wilson was a stalwart on the mound and his arm was a little tired.

“The first week of two-a-days, it was kind of tough because my arm was still recovering from baseball,” he said. “Now that I have had some rest, I’m throwing the football well.”

Opener vs. Steamboat

The Sailors are coming off a 7-4 season and return 11 starters (six on offense, five on defense). Some of their top players include quarterback Austin Hinder, wide receiver Alex Wood and linebacker Cody Harris.

“Steamboat has some good skilled people; they have a good quarterback and they got shotgun a lot,” Knapton said. “They are going to try and turn him loose, let him run it, let him fake it. They have some good H-backs, wing backs. They will just try to spread us because they will want to get one of those guys loose.”

The Laramie-Steamboat game is one of two games statewide in “zero week” that count. Knapton said that has made it difficult, but he is anxious to get the season started.

“This last week has been so hectic when you have to get all of the details done,” he said. “When you have another week, you can slowly kind of get to that. It’s hectic, but once Friday is over, you have one game under your belt and everybody else is scrambling, do that first-game stuff.

“We’re looking forward to getting out there playing. We know we’re going to make some mistakes, and we have to remember that this is our first game and it is the only time we have lined up against somebody. We have keep that in mind and hope that what we have in will get us by.”

---
PLAINSMEN STARTING LINEUP

Offense

QB -- Coleton Wilson (6-2, 205, Sr.)
FB -- Charles Swearingen (6-0, 215, Jr.)
WB -- Mike Lanich (5-10, 170, Jr.)
TE -- Marshall Fisher (6-2, 205, Jr.)
LT -- James Van Kirk (6-1, 230, Sr.)
LG -- Allan Saunders (5-11, 215, Jr.)
C -- Chad March (6-0, 240, So.)
RG -- Allen West (6-3, 225, Sr.)
RT -- Nick Yelton (6-3, 245, Sr.)
TE -- Tyler English (6-2, 195, Jr.)
WB -- Jon Sorenson (6-0, 195, Jr.)
PK -- Alex Zuniga (5-8, 155, Sr.)

Defense

Tackle -- Trent Schneider (6-3, 210, Sr.)
Nose guard -- Ben Farber (6-1, 245, Jr.)
Tackle -- Nick Armijo (6-0, 205, Sr.)
WLB -- Austin Ontiveroz (6-0, 195, So.)
SLB -- Charles Swearingen (6-0, 215, Jr.)
BLB -- Tyler English (6-2, 195, Jr.)
MLB -- Luke Knapton (6-2, 180, Jr.)
FC -- Nathan Cowper (6-2, 175, Jr.)
BC -- Kelby Wilkison (5-11, 165, Jr.)
SS -- Jon Sorenson (6-0, 195, Jr.)
FS -- Coleton Wilson (6-2, 205, Sr.)
P -- Wilson

Plainsmen pleased with scrimmage

Richard Anderson photos
Laramie senior quaterback Coleton Wilson, 13, looks to pass with fullback Charles Swearingen ahead blocking Saturday during an intrasquad scrimmage at Deti Stadium. At bottom, tight end Tyler English grabs a Wilson pass for a touchdown.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Just call it a preview of Laramie High School’s version of Friday Night Lights -- on Saturday night.

The Plainsmen football team turned on the lights at Deti Stadium on Saturday night and ran through about 70 plays, mixing up both the offense and defense with first- and second-teamers.

With Laramie opening the season on Friday at home against Steamboat Springs, Colo. -- the Plainsmen are one of two Wyoming teams playing a real game during “Zero Week” -- it was imperative that they worked under some game-like situations. The majority of the state will get a chance for jamboree type of scrimmages next week, something Laramie won’t be able to do.

“The difference between game-like and practice is huge. Then there is playing under the lights,” Laramie senior quarterback Coleton Wilson said.

First-year Laramie head coach Bob Knapton said they got a little more out of the scrimmage than they expected and didn’t come away with any injuries.

“We kind of wanted to make sure we got everybody some good series and we wanted to make sure that if we had any injuries we would close off early. But nobody got hurt,” Knapton said.

Knapton said it is tough to play a game without an actual scrimmage against an opponent. For the most part, he thought the Plainsmen handled it well.

“Usually when you scrimmage another team, it is more like a game. We wanted to try and make it as much as we could like that so when we go next Friday night they won’t be all starry-eyed and everything,” he said.

Laramie junior running back/defensive back Jon Sorenson said it was nice to get out on the field and play under the lights to get the atmosphere of the game.

“We have a couple of things we have to work on, but other than that we executed what we wanted to and we got off to a good start,” Sorenson said.

At times, the Plainsmen No. 1 offense ran against the No. 2 defense. Most of the time, though, the offense and defense was split up between starters and backups.

“I think it was just to get some guys some reps, get them into the flow of the offense and defense,” Sorenson said. “It was a good mix, pretty equal teams.”

The Plainsmen struggled a bit early, with a couple of fumbles. But as the scrimmage wore on, so did the quality of play.

“We put the ball on the ground a couple of times, but we all have confidence in each other and just started rolling and we felt good,” Laramie junior tight end/linebacker Tyler English said.

Wilson said the good thing about the scrimmage Saturday night was that it was just a scrimmage.

“Coach said tonight that we will make mistakes, but that is the nice thing about a scrimmage,” Wilson said. “This week in practice, we will be able to look at those mistakes and correct and we’ll be ready for Steamboat next week.”

Wilson and English teamed up on a nice 22-yard touchdown pass, as English was wide open in the end zone. It was one of five touchdowns the offense scored during the scrum.

“It’s a miss-direction play; it gets the defense going the other way and I just sneak out on the other side,” English said. “The safety usually bites down on the run and it was a good look that Coley had.”

Wilson said he had a lot of options on not only that play, but any of his passing plays in this offense.

“That is the nice thing about the offense; we always have two or three guys to throw to and if they are not open, I can run it,” Wilson said.

Sorenson scored on a pair of short touchdown runs for the Plainsmen, with fullback Charles Swearingen adding a 12-yard TD run. Backup quarterback Derek Schaneman also connected with wide receiver Rylan Harding from 10 yards out.

At this point of the season, Knapton said the offense should be a little behind the defense, but for the most part, he described his offense as “not too bad” on Saturday night.

“There was some good execution, but there were times when they fumbled it and they have to realize that you can’t do that with this type of offense, you can’t dig yourself in a hole,” Knapton said. “We called plays just across the board just to see if everybody remembers them and has them in. There are certain plays that worked real well for us on offense, but we went ahead and tried other plays, just like on defense. I’d do some calls that didn’t merit the situation, just because I wanted to make sure they knew what they were doing.”

English said that Saturday‘s scrimmage got the Plainsmen playing as a team and it gave them the opportunity to know how they are going to play and what they need to get better at. At the same time, he said it was still just Laramie vs. Laramie.

“We’re not trying to hurt people, but we wanted to get out here and improve and get better and do what we need to do,” he said.

The Plainsmen will now have a little less than a week to prepare for Steamboat Springs.

“I think we’re in really good shape, the conditioning was really tough,” Sorenson said of the first week of practice. ‘We came out a little sluggish, but our legs kicked in. Now, we’re just getting ready for Steamboat.”

Plainsmen scrimmage

Knapton getting Plainsmen to believe

Richard Anderson photos
Laramie High School senior quarterback Coleton Wilson (center) recites the Plainsmen Pledge before Monday's afternoon practice. At bottom, longtime Laramie assistant coach Gil Bradfield goes over some formations with some of his younger linemen.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

The Laramie Plainsmen football team is just three practices into the season and school doesn’t start for another week.

It’s pretty evident that the Plainsmen, under first-year head coach Bob Knapton, have some learning to do.

That’s no knock on their athletic ability or their play calling. Maybe what comes first for the Laramie players is learning to how to be successful again.

Winners of just 11 games in the last seven seasons, the Laramie High School football program has certainly had it struggles in recent years. The reasons … you might have to use your toes to count the ways.

One aspect that Knapton is trying to change is the mental wear and tear of the past few seasons. Early on in practice, and this will change once the team dons pads for the first time, a majority of the team is wearing t-shirts that say Plainsmen Pride on the front and a catch phase on the back that states “Do it right, Do it light; Do it wrong, Do it long.”

The Plainsmen huddle to begin and end all practices … nothing really out of the ordinary. They also begin and end each workout with a player reciting this Plainsmen Pledge.

“I am a Laramie Plainsmen. I am proud to wear the maroon and gold of Laramie High. I will always display courage and strength in all my athletic endeavors. I will have determination at all times. I will have confidence in myself, my team mates, and my coaches. I am a winner. I will always act like a winner both on and off the field. I will never give up. I will forever strive to be better. I have the one ingredient of a champion, pride. I am a champion.”

Knapton said competing at this level often begins with the right frame of mind.

“When I ever have taken over another school, we’d start a pledge,” he said. “First, you have to learn it, the words. Then you start believing it. We say it before practices and games to get the kids pumped up. Kids need something to rally around. You need to believe in yourself. I feel that if they start saying the pledge, then they start believe in it.”

Knapton said he likes where his players are at, just two days officially into the season. Even with little success over the years, he said they have a good base, mentally and physically, to work with.

“They are good, hardworking kids,” he said. “They have a sense of what is expected of them. They have a good sense of what we’ve been doing since camps. They have an aura about them that they want to win, they want to work hard. That’s good. It’s not like you are coming in and trying to get kids to do stuff that they have no mentality for. They have a good mentality of what hard work is and what it will take to win. That is a step in the right direction.”

So far, so good

While the season is in its infancy stage, Knapton likes its start and where it is going.

“I think things are going really well,” he said. “We have quite a few numbers out. Today, we had about 80 kids out. We’d like to get a few more freshmen out; I think they are sitting right around 25 to 30. The bulk of them are upper classmen right now. Looking at the kids, we have quite a few linemen out; we have good skilled people out. We have been doing the camps all summer, so that is really going to help us this year because we are starting a week late. Doing all of that camp stuff in the summer has us caught us up to where we should be.”

Physical aspect

The beginning of two-a-days. Any athlete who has been through them in any sport knows the grind they can be. A few of the Plainsmen played summer baseball, many others participated in the various camps that Knapton either hosted or took his team to. That has made a difference for many of the athletes.

“I thought we would have a little bit of a drop-off (Tuesday morning), but we actually had more kids. That’s a good plus. I think (Wednesday) will be the big tell-tell practice. Usually your third day is your worst soreness day. We’ll have gear on Wednesday, so that will add to it. You have to know when to taper off a little bit, to get into that little light at the end of the tunnel. I might give them Wednesday morning off because it will be our big 40-40 day. They are going to run 40 40s.”

Zero Week

The Plainsmen are of two teams in the state that are actually participating in a meaningful game on the weekend of Aug. 29, which has been dubbed “Zero Week.” The other game will pit Saratoga and West Grand, Colo. Most of the teams are in jamborees or playing partial games that don’t count in the standings or in the Wyoming High School Activities Association’s power ratings.

Laramie’s game on Aug. 29 against Steamboat Springs, Colo., apparently counts, although Knapton admits it is confusing to him and the rest of the state.

“It’s unfortunate because I know a lot of coaches around Wyoming are a little upset because they didn’t find out until July the days we started,” he said. “Every seven years, we start a week late and this is that seventh year. There’s a lot to do, to put everything in.”

Colorado teams began practice on Aug. 11, so the game definitely counts for Steamboat Springs.

“When we play that first game next Friday, we’re going to go against a team that has already been practicing a week and a half now,” Knapton said. “They are going to have everything in and they are going to have a scrimmage under their belt and we won’t."

Knowing of their early start and his desire to get things going quickly after he took the job last spring, Knapton and the Plainsmen have been busy with camps. With that, he has been able to get a lot done in putting in the base offense and defense. But the late practice time is still hurting his team.

“We’re kind of short-changing the kids a little bit, because we really don’t get to evaluate them,” he said. “We can’t start hitting each other until Thursday, and a week from then, we’re playing. You’re cutting down to where you usually have three weeks to two weeks to evaluate kids.”

Saturday scrimmage

The Plainsmen will do a little “on the fly” intra-squad scrimmage Saturday night beginning at 8 p.m. at Deti Stadium. Knapton said that if everything goes well, they’ll go as long as they can. If things don’t go well (especially with injuries), they’ll cut it short.

“We’re going to try to divide up the best that we can, and we can do that pretty well,” he said. “Once again, it’s less than a week before your first game. You want to get that in so you can get that concept of hitting and get a look at your kids. But you also have a game plan and you don’t want to get a lot of people hurt.”

Plainsmen open practice

Rangers season ends; finish third

by Wyoming Sports.org

GILLETTE -- The Laramie Rangers clawed their way to one game away from the title contest, but had nothing left in dropping a wild 30-5 decision to Cheyenne Post 6 Saturday at the Wyoming AA State Baseball Tournament.

The loss ended the Rangers season at 26-26. Laramie was 3-2 in the state tournament and finished in third place.

Cheyenne, which went into the tournament as seven-time state champions, didn't get an eighth consecutive championship, as Gillette rolled to a 12-0 victory in the title game later Saturday night. It was Gillette's first-ever state Legion title.

Laramie earned a shot to play on Saturday with two elimination victories on Friday, 15-2 over Green River and a thrilling 10-9 triumph over Torrington.

After for a couple of innings, it appeared as if they would finally get themselves in a game with Post 6 this season. That is, until the third inning.

Laramie led 4-1 after the first inning and trailed just 5-4 going into the third. Post 6, however, crushed any Ranger hopes with a huge 14-run inning and never looked back. Cheyenne closed with eight in the seventh for the rout. Post 6 finished with 34 hits in the game off of five Laramie pitchers. Cheyenne was 4-0 against Laramie this season, outscoring the Rangers 80-12.

That eruption by Post 6 also put a silence to the Laramie offense after that first inning. The Rangers had 12 hits in the game, but only six after the opening frame.

Sean Gardea, Rylan Harding and Skyler Joy all had two hits in the game for Laramie.

In the championship game, Gillette continued its late season dominance over Post 6 by scoring eight runs in the fourth inning. That was more than enough for pitcher Ryan Iliff, as he went the distance with a six-hit shutout.

Offensively, Ryan Hutchison led the Roughriders with four hits, including two home runs, a triple and a double and five RBI.

Gillette, 50-9 on the season, will now compete in the Western Regionals Aug. 15-18 in Bozeman, Mont.

Rangers rally past Tigers

by Wyoming Sports.org

GILLETTE -- The Laramie Rangers will live for another day.

Laramie stayed alive in the Wyoming AA State American Legion baseball tournament by defeating Green River 15-2 and Torrington 10-9 on Friday.

The Rangers, 26-25 on the season, will face Cheyenne Saturday at 1 p.m., with the winner meeting Gillette in the title game at 7 p.m. The Roughriders earned a trip to the championship game with a come-from-behind 9-7 win over Post 6 on Friday night.

While the first game on Friday was a blowout, the second game was nearly the same in reverse. Torrington jumped on the Rangers 9-2 after four innings of play before Laramie, behind reliever Skyler Joy, chipped away and then took the lead with a four-run seventh inning. Three of those runs came on one error.

Joy pitched 5 2/3 innings of scoreless ball to pick up the victory.

Although the Rangers enjoyed two relative easy wins over the Tigers this season -- including a 15-6 win in the state tournament opener on Wednesday, this was far from easy for Laramie.

In fact, you could say it was somewhat difficult. Torrington, which beat Sheridan 11-0 earlier in the day, started where they left off against the Troopers with three runs off of young starting pitcher Barry Thomas, who was elevated from the Rangers A team this week.

Laramie didn’t help Thomas with two errors in the inning. That sloppy play continued to hurt the Rangers, as Torrington added two runs in each of the next three innings for what appeared to be a comfortable lead.

Laramie scored single runs in the second and third innings, including a solo home run by Jason Rodriguez in the third. The Rangers got back in the game with as three-run fifth. Rylan Harding got things going with an RBI single and Laramie added two more runs on a bases-loaded sac fly by Coleton Wilson and a single by Mike Garner.

The Rangers made it 9-6 in the sixth on a RBI single by Joy.

Torrington felt the heat and fell apart in the seventh. Two Tiger errors played the first run of the inning and after loading the bases, Laramie scored three times on another Tiger error. Laramie had just one hit in the inning.

Joy, who had stabilized the Laramie pitching, stopped the tigers in the next two innings, including a 1-2-3 ninth.

The Rangers had 14 hits in the game, led by Rodriguez with a single, double and home run. Gardea and Garner added two hits.

In the first game, Green River stayed within striking distance before the Rangers scored seven runs in the sixth and three more in the second. Laramie scored four runs in the first inning, with two coming off a two-run home run by Harding.

Max Schoen went the distance to pick up the pitching win, giving up just four hits and two runs in seven innings. Both runs came in the first inning for Green River.

The Rangers had 13 hits against the Knights, led by Wilson’s three safeties and three RBI. Joy and Jon Sorenson had two this each, with Sorenson driving home four runs.
---
Rangers 15, Knights 2
Laramie 400 017 3 -- 15 13 0
Green River 200 000 0 -- 2 4 2

Rangers 10, Tigers 9
Laramie 011 031 400 -- 10 14 4
Torrington 322 200 000 -- 9 11 4

Rangers fall to Roughriders

By Wyoming Sports.org

GILLETTE -- The Laramie Rangers slugged it out with the pre-tournament favorite before Gillette rallied late for a 14-9 victory in the quarterfinals of the Wyoming AA State American Legion baseball tournament.

The host Roughriders (48-9) rallied behind the arm and bat of Ryan Hutchison to move into the semifinals Friday (7:30 p.m.) against seven-time state champion Cheyenne, which blasted Sheridan 23-2 earlier in the day.

The loss dropped the Rangers, 1-1 in the tournament and 24-25 overall, to the loser-out bracket as they will face Green River Friday at 12:30 p.m. The Knights fell to Cheyenne 15-1 in the first round and received a bye when Rock Springs was disqualified from the tournament.

Laramie, which was outscored 24-8 in two losses to the Roughriders early in the season, stayed with Gillette nearly the entire game until Hutchinson blasted a big three-run home run in the eighth inning to break a 9-9 tie. Gillette would add two more runs on the scoreboard and then hold on for the win.

Gillette jumped on Laramie starting pitcher Jordan Rhodine for four runs in the top of the first inning, only to see the Rangers bounce right back to tie the game on one swing of the bat -- on a grand slam home run by catcher Jon Sorenson.

Each time the Roughriders would regain the lead, the Rangers would battle back -- until the eighth inning. Gillette was up 8-5 before the Rangers scored three times in the fourth to tie the game and another run in the fifth for a 9-8 lead.

In the fourth inning, shortstop Skyler Joy hit a two-run single and Laramie would add another run on a Gillette error. In the fifth, Sorenson drew a bases-loaded walk to give Laramie a 9-8 lead. The Rangers, however, left the bases loaded and never got going again offensively.

Hutchison not only had the big hit for Gillette, but he picked up the win on the mound, with five innings of relief, giving up two unearned runs and striking out 14 Rangers.

Offensively for the Rangers, Coleton Wilson had three hits to lead the way, with Sorenson adding two hits and four RBI. Jason Rodriguez, Sean Gardea and Joy all had one hit each. Joy knocked in three runs.

Mike Garner took the loss, giving up four runs in one inning of relief. Rhodine, Rodriguez and Rylan Harding also pitched in the game as Gillette had 18 hits against Laramie pitching.
---
Roughriders 14, Rangers 9
Gillette 420 201 050 -- 14 18 4
Laramie 401 310 000 -- 9 8 3

Gillette hitting: Seth Means (1b), Austin Cowen (1b,1b,1b, 2RBI), Ryan Hutchison (1b, HR, 3RBI), Jared Wass (1b,2b,2b,2b, RBI), Bubba Hamilton (2b, RBI), Ryan Iliff (1b,2b,2b, 2RBI), Mick Peters (1b,1b,2b, RBI), Garrett Jackson (1b, RBI), Dalton Cowen (1b). Laramie hitting: Jason Rodriguez (1b), Sean Gardea, (1b), Skyler Joy (1b, 3RBI), Jon Sorenson (hr, 3b, 4RBI), Coleton Wilson (1b,1b,1b, RBI). Gillette pitching: Mick Peters (3IP, 6H, 7R, 7ER, 2BB, 0K, 3HBP), Ryan Hutchison (W, 5IP, H, 2R, 0ER, 2BB, 12K, 1HBP), Austin Cowen (1IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 3K). Laramie pitching: Jordan Rhodine (3 1/3IP, 7H, 8R, 4ER, 5BB, 2K) Jason Rodriguez (3IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 4BB, 2K) Mike Garner (L, 1IP, 4H, 4R, 4ER, 0BB, 0K), Rylan Harding (1 2/3IP, H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 2K).

Rangers blast Tigers

By Wyoming Sports.org

GILLETTE -- The Laramie Rangers used the ‘never turn down a freebie’ attitude on Wednesday to open the Wyoming AA State American Legion Baseball Tournament.

Laramie took advantage of nine Torrington errors and thumped the Tigers 15-6 to move into the quarterfinals of the tournament. The Rangers, 24-24, will face the winner of Wednesday night’s Gillette/Evanston contest Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Gillette is the top seed from the East with a 46-9 record.

Laramie led from the start, scoring three runs in the first inning, but used a big five-run fourth inning to break open a close game. The Rangers finished strong with four unanswered runs in the final three innings.

The Tigers surprisingly didn’t go with pitching ace Austen Wisroth and Laramie got to starter Brock Murphy early and often. Unfortunately for Torrington, Murphy wasn’t the problem; its defense was.

The Tigers had two critical errors to begin the game and Laramie catcher Jon Sorenson’s two-run single put the Rangers up 3-0.

After a scoreless second inning, the Rangers added three runs in the third, led by a two-run single by designated hitter Jordan Rhodine.

Torrington did come back against Laramie starting pitcher Coleton Wilson with four runs in the third to cut the lead to 6-5.

That was as close as the Tigers would get, as Laramie pounded out six hits in the fourth to take an 11-5 lead.

The Rangers added two runs in the seventh on no hits and five Torrington errors. Laramie closed the scoring with a pair of runs in the eighth and ninth innings.

Sorenson had an outstanding game for the Rangers, with four singles and three RBI. Although he had just one hit, Rhodine knocked in four runs. Harding finished with three hits, with Jason Rodriguez, Sean Gardea and Mike Garner adding two hits each. Laramie had 15 hits in the game.
Wilson picked up the win on the mound, scattering 10 hits and giving up all six runs. Harding pitched the final two innings.

In the first game of the day, Cheyenne Post 6 blasted Green River 15-1. Post 6 is the seven-time defending state champion.

All Stars rout Alaska

by Wyoming Sports.org

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- The Laramie Little League All-Stars put an exclamation mark on its third-place finish in pool play by crushing Dimond-West Little League of Anchorage, Alaska 14-1 Tuesday to clinch a berth in the Northwest Regional semifinals on Thursday.

Laramie finished 3-1 behind Washington and Oregon, which will clash on Wednesday for the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds. Laramie will face the loser of that game Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

After holding off Montana 13-11 on Monday in a big game, the Laramie All-stars came out with added fire, scoring all 14 of its runs in the second inning. Wyoming sent 19 hitters to the plate in that inning.

Dylan Bainer hit a two-run home run for Wyoming. Also pacing the Laramie team were Drew Burman, Tommy Naghtigal and Brian Lopez with two hits each.

Rangers face Torrington in state opener

Richard Anderson photo
The Laramie Rangers hope to do a lot of celebrating after scoring runs this week at the Wyoming AA State American Legion baseball tournament in Gillette.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Going into last weekend’s Western Conference Tournament, the Laramie Rangers AA team had played as well as it had for much of the season.

Laramie didn’t fare as well as it had hoped, placing second with a 2-2 mark. If there is a time to get hot, it needs to be now as the Rangers look to finish strong at the Wyoming AA State Tournament in Gillette.

“I think these last three or four weeks, we’ve made a lot of good progress with our team,” Laramie manager Sean McKinney said. “I think we’re continuing to get better. We won the Scottsbluff tournament and won a few games here and there. We wanted the Number 1 seed in conference, but we didn’t get it. We’ll take the number 2 seed.”

The Rangers (23-24) hit well enough in Rock Springs last weekend, scoring 65 runs in four games. It might take that type of effort at state, which begins Wednesday and will run through Sunday if needed.

“I think, especially in a game like baseball, the team that gets the hottest at the very end will win the tournament,” McKinney said. “You look at Fresno State, they didn’t have very good pitching all year and all of the sudden they come out with guns blazing and win the College World Series. We all have good players and each team has one or two guys who can really throw it and the rest are up in the air. The hitters, when they get hot and can start scoring runs, that’s when good things can happen.”

Laramie, the No. 2 seed form the West, faces Torrington, the No. 3 seed from the East, at noon. Longtime conference rivals, the Rangers and Tigers are in different league’s this season. This will only be the second time the two teams have faced each other this season, the first coming at the Firecracker Tournament in Laramie, an 8-0 Rangers win.

“We knew it was going to be a battle between them and Sheridan for that No. 3 spot. Torrington came out top," McKinney said. “They have three good pitchers in (Austen) Wisroth, (Brock) Murphy and (Beau) Youtz. We’ll face Wisroth, I’m sure. We’ll throw Coley (Wilson), so it will be a battle of No. 1s.”

The Rangers played in the smallish Rock Springs ballpark last weekend where home runs were plentiful. Roughrider Stadium is much larger, like Cowboy Field. McKinney said it will be more about execution, moving runners on the ground.

“We’re going to have to have a great effort by Coley and our defense behind him,” he said. “Torrington is a different team with Wisroth on the mound, just like I think we’re a different team with Coley on the mound. It will be fun. I think that kind of competition and that kind of expectation is what it is all about.”

A win over the Tigers and the Rangers will face the winner of the Gillette-Evanston contest Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Gillette won the East and is 46-9 on the season.

That’s fine with McKinney, as he said you have to beat everybody some time to win the tournament.

“It what the kids really look forward to, as do the coaches,” McKinney said. “This is the best time of the year for us, the weather is beautiful. We’re just excited to see what we can do at the state tournament.”

If Laramie loses, it will face the Gillette-Evanston loser Thursday at 12:30 p.m.

Rangers go 1-1, finish second

By Wyoming Sports.org

ROCK SPRINGS -- The Laramie Rangers AA squad got what they wanted Saturday morning in the Western Conference Tournament - a rematch with Green River and a little revenge.

What the Rangers didn’t want was another loss later in the day. Laramie had to win three games on Saturday to come away with the top seed for next week’s state tournament in Gillette. After crushing the Knights 26-12, the Rangers fell to Rock Springs 19-9 to finish second in the tournament.

The Rangers finished a disappointing 2-2 in the tournament and are 23-24 heading into the state tournament.

After being upset 7-6 on Friday night to Green River, the Rangers took it out on the Knights Saturday morning, pounding out 24 hits as Green River also committed 14 errors.

Rylan Harding paced the Rangers with four singles and six RBI. Coleton Wilson had three hits, including one home run and three RBI, followed by Jon Sorenson with three hits and three RBI, Mike Garner with three hits and two RBI, Mike Hudson with three hits and Jason Rodriguez and Ryan Ivy two hits each. Skyler Joy also had a home run and two RBI.

Jordan Rhodine went the distance for the win on the mound, scattering 12 hits and 12 runs.

Things looked promising for Laramie in its first meeting with Rock Springs this season, as the Rangers took a 4-0 lead with four runs in the top of the third. But Rock Springs answered with five in the bottom of the inning against starting pitcher Max Schoen and added five more in the fourth for a 10-5 lead.

Laramie chipped away with cut the lead to 10-9 with three runs in the top of the eight, only to see Rock Springs rally with nine runs against three Laramie pitchers for the 10-run mercy rule win.

The Mustangs had 25 hits in the game, including four home runs.

Harding had another outstanding game with five hits and two RBI. Sorenson and Ivy both had a pair of hits for the Rangers as well.

Little Leaguers fall to Oregon

Murrayhill Little League of Beaverton, Ore., just kept piling it on the Laramie Little League in the second day of the Northwest Regional in San Bernardino, Calif.

And I mean pouring it on. The Oregon team finished with a 25-14 win over Wyoming in one of the higher scoring West Regional games in tournament history.

The Laramie team hit three more home runs and out pressure on Oregon at times, but couldn't keep Murrayhill from plating runs. Oregon had three big innings in the game, scoring seven runs in the first, seven in the third and six more in the fifth.

Laramie trailed by just a 9-8 score in the second inning an 16-12 going into the fourth. But that was as close as it would get.

Brian Lopez Jr. hit a pair of home runs in the game for Laramie, with Tommy Nachtigal adding a first-team blast that sailed over the tents in center field.

Laramie, 1-1 in the tournament, will look to bounce back Monday against Montana (Boulder-Arrowhead Little League of Billings) at 10:30 a.m.

Green River surprises Rangers AA

By Wyoming Sports.org

ROCK SPRINGS -- The Laramie Rangers AA American Legion baseball team hadn’t played in two weeks. It might have shown in the Western Conference Tournament opener Friday against Green River.

The Rangers were shocked by the Knights 7-6 in the nine-inning game as their hopes for a No. 1 seed going into next week’s state tournament in Gillette were dealt a serious setback. Laramie did bounce back to crush Evanston 24-5 in seven innings.

The last time the Rangers played a game was in an easy doubleheader sweep of the Knights on July 17 at Cowboy Field. There was nothing easy this time around.

Behind starting pitcher Coleton Wilson, Laramie led for most of the game, including 4-3 after seven innings. But Green River scored four times off of reliever Mike Garner in the eighth inning, including a two-run home run by Kelly Garvin that proved to be the game-winner. Garvin and teammate Cameron Otter both had solo home runs earlier in the game in this smallish Rock Springs diamond.

Laramie scored twice in the top of the ninth on a throwing error by the Knights and on a double-play ground ball. Those two outs proved to be critical as Green River pitcher Kyle Calkins got Ryan Ivy to ground out to end the game.

Garner led the 12-hit Laramie attack with three hits and three RBI. Ivy also had three hits in the game for Laramie.

The Rangers, 22-23, took their frustrations out on Evanston later in the afternoon, scoring 15 runs in the first three innings. Laramie belted four home runs in the game, including two jacks by Garner and one each by Jason Rodriguez and Rylan Harding. Garner had seven RBI in the contest as the Rangers finished with 19 hits.

Rodriguez had three hits and five RBI, with Jon Sorenson adding four hits and five RBI. Max Schoen, Mike Hudson and Harding all pitched in the game for Laramie.

Action continues on Saturday at 9 a.m. against the loser of Friday night's Green River-Rock Springs game. Laramie would have to win three games on Saturday get the No. 1 seed.

Rangers A season comes to an end

Richard Anderson photos
Laramie Rangers A first baseman Josh Peterson makes a swipe at a Gillette baserunner Friday at Cowboy Field. At bottom, catcher Nick Armijo talks it over with pitcher Nolan Carter.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Down six runs after one inning, the Laramie Rangers could just never quite catch up, falling to the Gillette Rustlers 13-7 Friday in a loser-out game in the American Legion A District Tournament at Cowboy Field.

The loss ended the Rangers season at 11-22. Laramie opened the tournament with a tough 5-4 loss to Douglas on Thursday.

After a scoreless top of the first inning, Laramie starting pitcher Lance McCartney struggled to get outs, as the Rustlers pounded him for six runs on seven hits in the opening inning.

McCartney was replaced by Nolan Carter, who got the last out of the inning and held Gillette relatively silent until the middle innings before the Rustlers got going again.

“I just told them that you can only control what you can control,” Laramie manager Jeremy Francom said of his team's slow start. “You can’t control the past, you can’t control what happened. You can control what is going to going to happen. That’s what we tried to do for the rest of the game.”

The Rangers were able to chip away, cutting the Gillette lead to 7-4 before the Rustlers scored twice in the fourth and three more times in the fifth for another comfortable lead. Gillette finished with 17 hits in the game against three Laramie pitchers.

“Gillette is a good team; they hit the ball well,” Francom said. “Lance is a fastball pitcher and they hit the fastball really well. We got someone in there who could try to get them some curve balls to look at and he kind of held them off for a little bit. I’m not sure what it was in that first inning. But once we settled down and settled in, we started putting some runs up. But when you give them a six-spot in the top of the first inning, it is hard to rebound from that.”

And Laramie also couldn’t maintain any momentum once it was able to get going offensively.

“We’d score one and give up one; we’d score two and give up two; we’d score two and give up three,” Francom said. “We needed a big defensive stop and just didn’t get it.”

The Rangers did finish with 12 hits in the contest, with first baseman Josh Peterson leading the way with four singles. Tyler Mitchell had a single and triple and one RBI, while Carter and Derek Campbell both had a pair of singles and one RBI each. Zach Kersey also had a RBI double in the game, with Barry Thomas and Nick Armijo chipping in with a triple and single respectively.

Mitchell and Thomas were both named to the all-conference team that was voted on earlier by the league’s coaches.

Despite the tough finish, Francom said he was pleased with how his young team fought back on Friday and with the way it played throughout the season.

“They didn’t quit and they don’t quit. It didn’t matter if we’re down 10 or down five; we have the same mentality, a never-say-die attitude,” he said. “That is one thing that is going to helps these kids in the future, is they don’t quit and they keep going. We have good things to build from.”

Francom added that when you look at their results at the beginning of the season to now, it showed marked improvement.

“We were getting 10-runned at the beginning of the year,” Francom said. “After the game we were talking, and we said, ‘You guys are young and you have to realize you are playing older teams.’ I asked them who was playing Babe Ruth last year and we had 11 of 12 guys raise their hands. This year we got great experience and that is what you need to do to compete at the AA level. I think it is hard of them to see it now, but they definitely got good experience and they came a long way, not only as ball players but as people. They are a great, great bunch of kids and I absolutely enjoyed coaching every last one of them.”

Prep eliminated at State B

The Laramie Rangers Prep team saw its season come to an end, as the Wheatland B squad rolled to a 17-2 win Friday in the loser-out game of the State B Tournament in Sheridan.

Wheatland led 7-2 after three innings but scored 10 times in the fourth to put the game away. Laramie, which had just one hit in the 6-0 loss to Casper on Thursday, had three hits against the Lobos -- singles by Abel Casas, Alex Jordan and Taylor Boggess.

Hunter Wick, Casas, Sam Feldman, Boggess, Kevin Dooley and Jordan all pitched for Laramie.

Laramie finished the season at 13-19.