Plainsmen get their revenge against Tigers

Richard Anderson photos
Laramie quarterback Jon Sorenson looks for some running room in a scrum Friday against Rock Springs. Sorenson broke the tackle and finished with 142 yards rushing in the 35-14 win. At left, senior Dan Estes wraps up a Rock Springs runner as the Plainsmen defense dominated the game as well.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

When push came to shove last season against Rock Springs, the Laramie Plainsmen backed off down the stretch.

On Friday, that concern soon went by the wayside as the Plainsmen were the aggressor for much of the night, especially late in thumping the Tigers 35-14 to open the season at Deti Stadium.

“We came out and we were busting them in the mouth; we were going 100 percent and that’s what we need to do. It paid off,” Laramie senior linebacker Luke Knapton said.

Last year, the Plainsmen led 21-7 heading into halftime and 28-7 going into the fourth quarter. They would eventually lose by seven in overtime.

Friday night, the Plainsmen took a 21-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Second-year head coach Bob Knapton was not exactly at ease during the 20-minute break.

“It was kind of déjà vu. We go into at halftime with the same score than last time, so that was kind of concerning,” Bob Knapton said. “We came out and scored, then they scored. I was kind of getting on some of the kids to suck it up and get going. It’s great to get a win like that at home, to come back and play that hard in the second half to just take over.”

The turning point in the second half came early in the fourth quarter after the Tigers cut the lead to 28-14 and had the Plainsmen pinned back on their own 3-yard line. But quarterback Jon Sorenson turned to a punter and delivered a beauty for 57 yards and the Tigers would never threaten again.

Laramie’s hard-hitting defense forced Rock Springs to punt and the Plainsmen offense took over for the final score a little later to put Bob Knapton’s mind at ease.

“That’s where you have 20 seniors and that happens,” Bob Knapton said of the team remaining calm. “People are looking for somebody to step up."

Sorenson said they couldn't get down despite being pinned deep in their own territory.

“You have to focus up and know that you have worked hard and you can get out of this," Sorenson said. "We punted, got the stop on D and then we scored right. That’s what we have to do with our mentality every day.”

Take away a little second-quarter lull and a brief Rock Springs comeback and the Plainsmen dominated on both sides of the football. Laramie’s double wing spread offense clicked well at times, led by the hard running of Sorenson and fullback Charles Swearingen.

The Plainsmen finished with 271 yards on the ground, including 142 from Sorenson. Swearingen was a bull between the tackles with 74 yards on 16 carries and two touchdown runs. Laramie added 72 more yards on 3 of 7 passing from Sorenson, with Luke Knapton catching two big third-down catches in the second quarter for 28 yards. Senior receiver Kelby Wilkison added a nice 44-yard grab in the first quarter.

“We had a great offensive game plan from Coach (Josh) Barge. We knew what we needed to do,” Sorenson said. “The line got a great push and held their blocks. Our receivers did a great job of blocking down-field as well.”

It all started early for the Plainsmen, as hey moved the ball well on their first possession, but lost the football on a fumble. On their second try, they completed a 7-play, 77-yard drive on a 5-yard touchdown run by Swearingen. The score was set up by the 44-yard pass from Sorenson to Wilkison.

“We came out firing and at first we were moving the ball very well. We were consistently getting yards on every play,” Sorenson said. “We had a little slip-up with the fumble and we came back on the second drive and got a touchdown, and we just built momentum off of those two drives.”

The Plainsmen made it 14-0 late in the first quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by senior halfback Dan Estes.

Rock Springs cut the lead in half on a 5-yard touchdown run by Ethan Thomas, but the Plainsmen answered with just 12.8 seconds left in the first half on a 1-yard plunge by Sorenson. That capped a 12-play, 72-yard drive.

Taking advantage of a fumble on the first play of the third quarter on the Tigers' 10-yard line, Estes scored his second TD of the game from 2 yards out.

A bad snap on a punt attempt forced Sorenson to scramble later in the quarter and it backfired, as the Tigers took over on downs on the Laramie 38-yard line. Rock Springs quarterback Wesley Padilla, who led the Tigers with 123 yards rushing, scored on a 23-yard scamper to make it a 28-14 game.

That set up the big punt and two defensive stops by the Plainsmen and Laramie never looked back. Swearingen closed the scoring on another 5-yard TD run, capping a six-play drive that was highlighted by a 39-yard run by Sorenson to the Rock Springs 29-yard line.

As sharp as the Laramie offense looked at times, the Plainsmen on defense were just as dominant. The Tigers had just 171 yards of total offense, with a bulk of it coming from the strong running of Padilla.

“The defense did a good job. They kept us in good field position and shut them down pretty good,” Bob Knapton said. “After they scored, we changed up our D and put our ends out a little wider. That’s the good thing about this defense, we can run a 50 out of it, we can run a 40 out of it; we can do a lot of things. I think they are a little ore familiar with it and they can do a better job this year.”

Luke Knapton finished with 20 defensive points on four assisted tackles and five unassisted tackles. Sorenson had 11 defensive points, followed by senior Tyler English with nine points and seniors Nathan Clark and Estes with eight points each.

“When we start hitting them hard, we start getting in their head and mistakes start happening. We capitalized off of that,” Luke Knapton said.

After just one win last season, the Plainsmen are off to the type of start they have envisioned all along. Bob Knapton said it is not only a relief for him and his coaching staff, but for the players as well.

“That’s just like grabbing that monkey off of my back and tossing him,” Bob Knapton said. “That feels good and the kids are like, “this is how we like to feel.’ I think you are going to see the kids scrapping in there and their goal is to get to the playoffs.”

The Plainsmen, however, had a tough stretch ahead of them that includes a matchup on the road next week against defending state champion Gillette.

“The first (win) is great going into Gillette. It will build us a lot of confidence,” Sorenson said. “But Gillette will be tough. They are the defending state champions and they have a lot back, so it should be a great game.”
　

Plainsmen ready to roll

Richard Anderson photo

The Laramie Plainsmen will unveil a tweak of their double wing offense Friday night when they open the season by hosting Rock Springs (7 p.m.). Pictured, quarterback Jon Sorenson (middle, back) will run the offense out of the shotgun. Also pictured is halfback Dan Estes (1) and fullback Charles Swearingen (45).

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Jon Sorenson will basically get to touch the football on every offensive plays this season. That makes him smile, and if things go right, it will make the Plainsmen smile as well.

Laramie's leading rusher last season, Sorenson has been moved over to quarterback to run a version of their double wing offense. The offense will be similar to last year's except for one thing -- Sorenson will direct it from the shotgun.

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Second-year Laramie head coach Bob Knapton said this tweak will free Sorenson up to do a lot of different things.

“He’s a great running back, so we put him in position to use him as a running back because we’re going to run him a lot," Sorenson said. “He can throw it so now people are going to have to watch what we are doing. They’re going to have to read a little better, so if some of them are not taught to do that, we’re going to find some open holes. He can run off of that, he can pass off of that. We can hand off to our motion back. We have more quite a few more tricks to do and quite a few things to open him up.”

Sorenson, who ran for nearly 800 yards last season and has a strong arm (he’s a catcher in American Legion baseball), likes the options this offense will give him.

“It opens up our offense a lot more," Sorenson said. "As Coach (Josh) Barge said, it adds a whole different dimension. We can pass or run on the same play. With a lot of speed that we have in the backfield, it opens up the option in trap plays and speed outs. It really helps us as an offense and as a group."

Heading into Friday night’s season opener against Rock Springs (7 p.m., Deti Stadium), senior halfback Luke Knapton said that Sorenson has done a good job this preseason in running the offense.

"Jon has been doing a really good job out of the shotgun," Luke Knapton said. "We have a lot more plays that we can run, and it will help our offense get going. We have more speed and that will be helpful."

More focus
One of the Plainsmen’s problems last season in Bob Knapton’s first year was focus -- or the lack of focus. Laramie was hampered by inexperience and penalties in the 1-8 campaign.

The Plainsmen have the experience this season, with nine returning starters on defense and eight on offense, along with 22 seniors.

The focus has been there to date.

"We just have to keep our heads and no stupid penalties like we had last year, and just go out there and play the whole game and play hard," Luke Knapton said. "I think we have a lot more focus. Guernsey helped us come together a lot. I think we’re ready for this game."

Bob Knapton said they are miles ahead of where they were at this time last season.

"We are much better than we were last year, and we have much of the same kids back," he said. "We have nine returning starters on defense. They know the checks, the calls. Last year, they had some problems in the first couple of games. People caught us not quite in the right coverage. It was the first time some of them were on the varsity field. I don’t think they quite knew what to do. But this year they know what to do, we’re making our checks.

"We have a lot of seniors and that builds confidence right there. They are good leaders and they have been working hard. We’re looking to get out there and be ore positive about what they are doing. I think it will show up."

Sorenson, who was voted a team captain along with Luke Knapton, said he is looking forward to his senior season for many reasons, including the opportunity to be a leader on and off the field.

"It’s a lot different, but it is a good different," Sorenson said. "You go through your freshman, sophomore and junior years looking at your seniors and you like with them and you just try to be the best senior that you can. All of the seniors have put a lot of time and effort in and it all comes together your senior year. You’re excited to be out here when you know that you are at your best."

Time for payback?
Among the eight losses for the Plainsmen last season was a very difficult to swallow 35-28 defeat in overtime to the Tigers in a game Laramie seemingly had won. The Plainsmen took a 28-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Plainsmen don’t need to be reminded about what happened last season.

"Hopefully, as soon as we have them down, we'll stay tough throughout the game," Luke Knapton said.

At the same time, Laramie knows that any win is crucial this season as the big change statewide has all 4A teams playing each other.

Bob Knapton said they need a win and they need it now.

"We need a win against Rock Springs if we are looking to get into the playoffs," Bob Knapton said. "We need to start the season out with a big win. It’s good to have them first, right off the bat. Maybe we’ll have a little extra motivation. They know they should have won last year. I think they are a little more focused on getting ready for this game."

The Tigers finished 3-7 last season and look to improve under the tutelage of head coach Tony Yerkovich. Rock Springs returns all-conference quarterback Wes Padilla and all-conference receiver Corey Patek.

"They are a good, solid team. They don’t start school until the 8th, so they have more time than anybody to get ready," Bob Knapton said. "They are going to be ready to go. We’ll just have to go out there and play. We have over 20 seniors and we expect them to have leadership and we’re going to get after them."
　

Plainsmen short on numbers, but not optimisim

Richard Anderson photos
The Plainsmen work on their conditioning on Monday during the first practice of the season. At bottom, head coach Bob Knapton begins his second season at the helm.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Bob Knapton and the Laramie Plainsmen have the attitude that you can only play 11 players at a time.

They just hope the best 11 players are out on the gridiron at a consistent pace.

The Plainsmen opened the 2009 season with the first practice Monday morning with a positive attitude, but a concern for depth. There were only about 50 players in grades 9-12 reporting for the first day.

“I’m a little concerned about numbers right now,” Knapton said. “A lot of these guys don’t have physicals or they didn’t get their stuff turned in. That’s disappointing. We have to start teaching them that they need to be ready to start when the season starts.”

At the same time, Knapton and seniors Jon Sorenson and Tyler English both think that the players out for the team are looking good.

“I think we came in sharp and crisp and other guys came in and filled in spots like quarterback and running back and really stepped up,” Sorenson said. “That’s what they are going to have to do, sophomores to the varsity level. It was good to see those guys come out and be crisp right away.”

With that said, physical fitness is a top priority for the Plainsmen this season.


“If we’re going to be little low in numbers, we’re going to be in shape,” Knapton said. “That’s our main plan now. We’re going to be in shape. You have to put 11 on the field, so the 11 we put on their will be in shape.”

English said they had more top players work out in the off-season and that should help them down the road.

“We came out and ran every morning, we’re in better shape and we’re looking more upbeat,” English said. “We’re going to have a lot of people playing both ways, so we need a lot of strength at the end of the fourth quarter to finish games. We have to put our best out there, so we have to be in shape.”

If the Plainsmen aren’t in shape as of yet, it won’t take long. They embark Tuesday on what has turned out to be a traditional journey to Camp Guernsey. They’ll work out three times a day until returning on Sunday.

“I think the guys who have been out there all along are looking pretty good,” Knapton said. “The guys that showed up in shape are ready. The ones who aren’t, we’re going to have to get them there.”

The trip is also an opportunity for team unity. There’s no television in Guernsey, no video games, basically nothing to do but eat and sleep football.

“There’s a lot of team building and we were a closer team the last time we came out of there,” said English, who last went two seasons ago as a sophomore. “We were definitely in better condition the last time we came out of there. It is fun to bring back the old traditions. Hopefully, we can put that back in, the winning tradition.”

For seniors like Sorenson, Camp Guernsey and the season as a whole is all about leadership. He said they have to not only lead by example, but help out the underclassmen any way that they can.

“We just have to be positive with the younger kids,” Sorenson said. “I’ve been around kids who just barked, so we have to help them out when we can, give them good motivation and good positive words, and I think they will come around.”

It will be a successful trip, Knapton said, if they come back to Laramie ahead of where they were at this point last season.

“We’re going three practices a day; I think that will do it,” he said. “When you go on one of these, you don’t get a lot of time off. There’s nothing to do at Camp Guernsey.”
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The Plainsmen open the season on Aug. 28 when they host Rock Springs.

Joy, Sorenson, Wilson, Harding named all-staters

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

For Skyler Joy, Jon Sorenson and Coleton Wilson, it was déjà vu all over again.

For the second straight season, the Laramie Rangers trio was named to the Wyoming All State American Legion baseball first team.

The three led the Rangers to a third-place finish last season at the Wyoming State Tournament and a fourth-place finish this past weekend, as Laramie finished 28-16 on the season. For Joy and Sorenson, it was the third straight year that they earned all-state honors.

Joy, who also played last spring for the University of Wyoming club team, was second on the Rangers this season in hitting, batting .422 on the season with 57 hits, three home runs and 42 runs batted in. Joy also had a slugging percentage of .659 and an on base percentage of .520.

Sorenson, who will be a senior at Laramie High School this fall, hit .392 on the year, with six home runs and 43 RBI, He had a .744 slugging percentage and a.524 on base percentage.

Wilson led the Rangers in wins on the mound with nine (9-7) and had a 3.12 earned run average. In 14 starts, Wilson also had five complete games and led the team in strikeouts with 61. He also hit .392 with 37 RBI.

Also for the Rangers, second baseman Rylan Harding was named to the second team. Harding led Laramie in hitting at .458 and finished with four home runs and 41 RBI. He had a .458 slugging percentage and a .667 on base percentage.
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Wyoming American Legion All-State Team
First team
Casper -- Zane Matheson; Gillette -- Jared Wass, Garrett Jackson, Evan Cunningham; Powell -- Scotty Jameson; Cheyenne -- Brandon Nimmo, Ty Lain, Myles McVeigh, Aaron Smith, Matthew Pullos, Andrew Fanning; Laramie -- Jon Sorenson, Coley Wilson, Skyler Joy; Torrington -- Brock Murphy; Wheatland -- Jake Montoya, Travis Geile; Riverton -- Matt Raymond.
Second Team
Casper -- Lane Fischer, Eli Ford, Alex Hill; Cody -- Connor Norton, Dan Sinner, Kyle Hurley; Douglas -- Dylan Klava; Powell -- Gianluca Giarrizzo, Grant Geiser; Sheridan -- Derek Scott, Ben Buckingham; Jackson -- Charlie Keegan; Lovell -- Steven Durtsche; Torrington -- Dillon Davis; Laramie -- Rylan Harding; Rock Springs -- Wes Padilla; Wheatland -- Eric Heatherly; Riverton -- Isaac Herrmann.