Richard Anderson photo
Laramie senior captain Coleton Wilson tries to fire up his team last week against Steamboat Springs, Colo.
By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org
From the first quarter to the fourth quarter, the Laramie Plainsmen improved in their season opener last week against Steamboat Springs, Colo.
From the first game to the second game, Laramie will be looking to do the same Friday night in its South 5A opener against Cheyenne East. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. at Okie Blanchard Stadium.
The Plainsmen came up short against Steamboat 21-14, but shut down the Sailors in the second half after a struggle to begin the game.
Laramie head coach Bob Knapton said the Plainsmen went a long way in just one ballgame.
“Hopefully, we walk down that field and we take off from where we left off, so we don’t have to go through what we did before, so we don’t have a few mistakes and get behind right away,” Knapton said. “We’re looking at coming out, shooting right out of the gates and putting pressure on people. We have a game under our belt and they don’t. Maybe we’ll turn the tables and get them in a bad situation and hopefully stay on top of it.”
As a program, East has been among the best, with three straight appearances in the state title game. The third was a charm last season, as the Thunderbirds beat Evanston 24-14 for the championship trophy. The T-Birds, however, return just seven starters from last year and lost a plethora of all-state performers.
“Now, you look at some skill people coming up that really don’t have the experience; they haven’t been getting the reps the last couple of years,” Knapton said. “When you lose a class like that and a quarterback who has been there the last three or four years … we’re going to put pressure on them.”
East also just scrimmaged cross-town rival Central last week. Now, the Plainsmen have the edge in playing another team this season compared to last week when Steamboat had the advantage.
“We weren’t really ready for a game. I think we can correct those mistakes and I think we can look much better, especially at the start of the game,” Knapton said. “It’s tough to get on the kids when you haven’t put them in a game-type situation, on how they are going to react. A lot of that was like a deer in the headlights. A lot of that was just nerves and just settling down and playing ball. Hopefully, we’ll settle down and play some ball.”
Knapton admitted that some of the Plainsmen, especially the younger players, might not have been ready for last week. He’ll like make a few changes in the lineup, particularly at center, where junior Ben Farber gets the start. He also said that there might be some changes in the defensive secondary.
It all comes down to getting off to a good start and putting pressure on your opponent. That’s Laramie game plan for the Thunderbirds.
“We put more pressure on the quarterback in the second half and when we did that, he (Austin Hinder) started hurrying his throws; he started throwing pics and he started throwing incompletes,“ Knapton said. “We’re playing a team that has some of the same formations and does the same thing. We have to come out and come after them off of the bat.”
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Plainsmen vs. Thunderbirds
LHS 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 -- Ben Farber (6-1, 245, Jr.)
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
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Plainsmen Statistics
Rushing
Jon Sorenson: 17-90 & 1 TD; Charles Swearingen: 9-45 & 1 TD; Mike Lanich: 12-8 & 0TDs; Coleton Wilson: 9-(minus 40) & 0TDs; Kelby Wilkison: 1-17 & 0TDs; Allen West: 1-0 & 0TDs; Luke Knapton: 2-11 & 0TDs: Totals: 51-131 & 2 TDS
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Passing
Coleton Wilson: 2-9-0 39 & 0TDs. Totals: 2-9-0 39 & 0TDs,
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Receiving
Tyler English: 1-25 & 0TDs; Marshall Fisher 1-14 & 0TDs. Totals: 2-39 & 0TDs
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Defense
Kelby Wilkison 20 points, Luke Knapton 19, Jon Sorenson 12, Tyler English 10, Nick Armijo 7, Nathan Cowper 7, Austin Ontiveroz 5, Allen West 5, Charles Swearingen 4, Coleton Wilson 3, Trent Schneider 3.
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