Tigers rally past Plainsmen

By Wyoming Sports.org

ROCK SPRINGS -- The Laramie Plainsmen did just about everything right for the first three quarters plus a little change.

Then they lost their cool and the game.

The Plainsmen built a 28-7 lead over Rock Springs a minute into the fourth quarter, but saw the Tigers take advantage of several Laramie penalties and rally back to a 35-28 victory in overtime Friday night in a critical South Conference game.

It was a critical and devastating loss for the Plainsmen, who were eliminated from state playoff possibilities. Laramie, 0-4 in league play and 1-6 overall, had to win Friday night and next week against Central to have a shot at the playoffs.

The Plainsmen shot themselves in the foot in the final minutes against a Rock Springs team (2-2, 3-4) that did little offensively until the final quarter. Laramie had 14 penalties for 133 yards in the game, with several personal foul or unsportsmanlike penalties. Starting center and defensive end Ben Farber was ejected for Laramie in the fourth quarter and wingback Jon Sorenson was also sat down by the LHS coaches in crunch time. Sorenson had run for 187 yards and three scores before being disciplined.

Laramie coach Bob Knapton was not happy with how his team reacted to some questionable calls, but also said his team didn’t get too many breaks.

“It was just terrible,” Knapton said on the KOWB postgame show. “We have to learn that we are not going to get a lot of calls and we certainly didn’t get any calls tonight. But when that happens, they are just going to have to ignore it.”

The Plainsmen also didn’t quite get the final break in overtime when junior wingback Luke Knapton was stopped apparently inches short of the goal line on fourth down after a 5-yard pass from senior quarterback Coleton Wilson.

Bob Knapton argued that his son broke the goal line plane. The Plainsmen also lost the football midway in the fourth quarter when Rock Springs recovered an onside kick that appeared to be touched last by a Laramie player before the ball went out of bounds.

Knapton said the Rock Springs coaches told him after the game that it was a bad call.
Add it up and it was a tough night at the end for the Plainsmen, who also struggled defensively in the final quarter against an otherwise anemic Rock Springs offense.

Things were certainly favorable for the Plainsmen early, as Laramie scored twice in the second quarter on a 1-yard run and 5-yard run by Sorenson. Laramie led 21-0 on a 2-yard run by junior fullback Charles Swearingen in the third quarter and then 28-7 on a 63-yard touchdown run by Sorenson one minute into the fourth quarter.

But the Tigers came back behind the running of Luke Aust and Neil Novak. Aust, who had a 26-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, brought Rock Springs back on a 14-yard score to make it 28-14 and Novak, after the onside kick and a couple of Laramie penalties, made it 28-21 just one minute later on a 2-yard touchdown run.

With five minutes left in the game, the Tigers tied the game after a 46-yard pass interception return by Caleb Tygum. The Tigers scored 21 points in just over three minutes.

The game went into overtime and Laramie elected to play defense. The Plainsmen didn’t play much defense as it turned out, as Aust scored on a 10-yard run on the first play.

The Plainsmen couldn’t match the scored and the Tigers celebrated the win and likely a berth into the state playoffs.

Laramie will close the season Friday night at home against Cheyenne Central.
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TIGERS 35, PLAINSMEN 28 (ot)
Laramie 0 14 7 7 0 — 28
Rock Springs 0 0 7 21 7 — 35
Second Quarter
LHS -- Jon Sorenson 1 run (Alex Zuniga kick))
LHS -- Jon Sorenson 5 run (Alex Zuniga kick))
Third Quarter
LHS -- Charles Swearingen 2 run (Alex Zuniga kick))
RS -- Luke Aust 26 run (Alec Lever kick)
Fourth Quarter
LHS -- Jon Sorenson 63 run (Alex Zuniga kick))
RS -- Luke Aust 14 run (Alec Lever kick)
RS -- Neil Novak 2 run (Alec Lever kick)
RS -- Caleb Tygum 46 interception return (Alec Lever kick)
Overtime
RS -- Luke Aust 10 run (Alec Lever kick)
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Laramie — Jon Sorenson 14-187 & 3TD, Charles Swearingen 18-80, Luke Knapton 13-39, Coleton Wilson 3-7, Nathan Cowper 3-6. Totals: 51-319. Rock Springs — Neil Novak 20-110 & TD, Luke Aust 7-68 & 3TD, Wesley Padilla 8-37, Darin Radke 1-12. Totals: 36-227.
Passing
Laramie — Coleton Wilson 9-3-1 36. Totals: 9-3-1 36. Rock Springs — Wesley Padilla 15-6-0 21, Neil Novak 1-0-1 0. Totals: 16-6-1 21.
Receiving
Laramie — Marshall Fisher 1-19, Charles Swearingen 1-12, Luke Knapton 1-5. Totals: 3-36. Rock Springs — Cory Petek 2-12, Darin Radke 1-6, Neil Novak 2-0, Austin Prevedel 1-3. Totals: 6-21.