Plainsmen edge Red Devils in OT

Richard Anderson photos

The Laramie Plainsmen picked up their second win of the season with a thrilling 24-17 overtime win over Evanston Friday night at Deti Stadium. At top, head coach Bob Knapton joins in the celebration after the final play. At left, Rylan Harding shows the ball after the game-winning touchdown catch in overtime, and at right, Dan Estes hauls down Corey Huntley after a short gain.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

When Charles Swearingen knocked down Evanston quarterback Jack Lambert’s fourth down pass in overtime, the Laramie Plainsmen almost knocked down head coach Bob Knapton.

The second-year coach was in the middle of the festivity of what was a 24-17 overtime win over the Red Devils Friday night at Deti Stadium.

After three extremely difficult and lop-sided losses, the Plainsmen felt what it was like to be winners again.

“That’s how it should be. They should be excited, they should be happy they won that game,” Knapton said. “They played hard and that is exactly what we needed, that’s exactly what the doctor ordered. They never gave up and they won the game. That is exactly what this program needed.”

After opening the season with a win over Rock Springs, the Plainsmen not only lost three straight, but were crushed by a combined score of 105-14 to Gillette, Casper Natrona and Cheyenne Central.

Yet, the heads were still up in practice this week as the anticipation grew for Friday’s matchup for Evanston, another 1-3 team.

“You just have to get through the adversity,” Laramie senior quarterback Jon Sorenson said. “Those three games were tough, against a No. 1 and a No. 2, and against a good football team in Natrona. You just have to go out there and execute every day. In practice this week, we did an excellent job of conditioning and really working hard as a team.”

Although Sorenson had 108 yards rushing, the game-winner came from his arm, as he found receiver Rylan Harding in the right corner of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown pass.

“Jon and I talked before the play happened in the huddle,” Harding said. “We said we were going to fake the run and I would chip down on the block and go out on the flat. He put it right on the money.”

Harding, who now has three touchdown catches from his five season receptions, went low to his knees and secured the football, as he needed at least one foot in bounds.

“I made sure of that,” Harding said with a smile.

Even if the Plainsmen would not execute the play as planned, they would have had one more chance to get into the end zone. They didn’t want to take any chances on fourth down, though.

“You have to think that you have another down, but we had to go after it hard and execute,” Sorenson said.

On fourth down and long, Knapton said the defense suddenly has the advantage, something his D did when Evanston had the ball.

“You don’t want to get in that situation where it is fourth down and they know what you are going to do,” Knapton said. “I wanted to stay in that formation and pop them with that pass quick. It’s a great formation and if you have three or four yards, they have to respect the run. We pulled it out, threw a great pass and made a great catch in the corner of the end zone.”

The Plainsmen then came alive on defense and stopped the Red Devils on two short runs and an incomplete pass. On fourth down, Laramie pressured Lambert as Swearingen easily swatted the pass, setting off a wild, jubilant Plainsmen sideline that drifted onto the field.

While the Plainsmen scored the last touchdown of the game, they got things started with an impressive eight-minute drive to open the game, getting into the end zone from 8 yards out on a scamper by senior halfback Dan Estes, who later scored in the second quarter from yards out.

Evanston added a 36-yard touchdown run by Corey Huntley in the first quarter and a 27-yard field goal by Gilber Delgado to make it a 14-10 game by halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Evanston took its only lead of the game with 8:44 left on a 1-yard plunge by Lambert.

Laramie came back to tie the game as place-kicker Isaac Hayward, on his birthday, hit his first field goal of the season from 43 yards out to make it as 17-17 contest with just 3:35 to play.

The Plainsmen got a big break when Nate Clark recovered a fumble after Lambert connected with Matt Eddington to the LHS 26-yard line, only to see Luke Knapton separate Eddington from the ball.

The Plainsmen tried to win the game in the final seconds of regulation, but Hayward was short and wide on a 43-yard attempt. Hayward also barely missed on an earlier 52-yard attempt, as well as a 57-yard try.

While Laramie’s performance on Friday was buoyed by the opening drive, its confidence picked up throughout the game. Yet, it all started earlier in the week in practice.

“We just had to approach this game with more intensity than the last three weeks. We came out hard in the first quarter,” Harding said. “It gave us confidence, definitely. We just have to keep our heads up and come out even harder next week in practice.”

The Plainsmen have some momentum again, although it doesn’t get any easier. Laramie travels to Sheridan Friday to face the Broncos, who will likely be the No. 1 team in the state after knocking off top-ranked Gillette 23-14.

“Now they know that hard work can play off for them. It was a great win. They needed that,” Bob Knapton said.

At 2-3, the Plainsmen are now back in the thick of things, as they strive to make the Class 4A playoffs this season. The win also enables the Plainsmen to feed off of their emotion even higher as they prepare for the Broncs.

“Our heads will be a little higher and turned up a notch,” Sorenson said.
　

Indians thump Plainsmen

By Wyoming Sports.org

CHEYENNE -- The Laramie Plainsmen continued to struggle against some of the top teams in the state, falling to second-ranked Cheyenne Central 36-0 Friday at Riske Field.

In their last three games against top-ranked Gillette, Casper Natrona and Central, the Plainsmen (1-3) have now been outscored 105-14. It was also Central's 10th straight win over Laramie.

While the Plainsmen showed some improvement in moving the football against the Indians, turnovers killed any momentum this time. Laramie turned the ball over six times, including four times in 11 plays in the second half alone.

The Indians, 4-0, took advantage most of the time. Central also used big plays to get on the scoreboard.

The Indians took a quick 6-0 lead scoring less than two minutes into the game. Central quarterback Connor Long hit wide receiver Kyle Gott with a 16-yard touchdown pass to cap a 5-play, 80-yard drive.

Laramie then turned the ball over on downs to give the Indians prime field opposition, when punter Jon Sorenson tried to a fake punt and was stopped a half-yard short near mid field.
The Indians took it to the end zone on just four plays and used a little trickery, as receiver Josh Borm threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to fellow receiver Kevin Cox.

Central then made it 20-0 in the second quarter in a 62-yard run up the middle by Mike Davis.

The Plainsmen had their best drive of the game nullified when Central picked off Sorenson in the end zone with just 15 seconds left in the first half.

Laramie then gave the Indians two more quick chances to score in the third quarter and Central obliged. On just their second play, Laramie fumbled and Central moved five plays and 35 yards for the score on a 21-yard pass from Long to Grott. Two plays later the Plainsmen fumbled again and the Indians scored on an 18-yard run by Davis. With 8:40 left in the third quarter, the Indians led comfortably 33-0.

Central actually got the ball back two more times because of Laramie turnovers, but missed a pair of field goals. The third time was a charm for Borm, as he connected from 34 yards out after another pass interception.

The Indians finished with 412 yards of total offense -- 227 yards on the ground and 185 through the air. Davis led the way, rushing the football just nine times for 135 yards and his two scores. Long was 10 of 19 passing for 141 yards and two touchdowns.

The Plainsmen finished with 201 yards of offense -- 149 on the ground and 52 through the air.
Senior halfback Dan Estes led the way with 44 yards on 13 carries, while senior fullback Charles Swearingen added 43 yards on nine carries. Sorenson finished with 39 yards on 15 carries.
Sorenson was 5 of 13 passing for 42 yards and the three interceptions. Billy Hysong was 1-of-2 for 10 yards.

Estes had three catches for 27 yards.

Laramie will look to get back in the win column Friday when it hosts Evanston, beginning at 7 p.m. at Deti Stadium.
　

Mustangs roll over struggling Plainsmen

Richard Anderson photo
Laramie halfback Dan Estes looks for some running room early on Friday against Casper Natrona.

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

It was apparent Casper Natrona was better than its 0-2 record going into Friday night‘s match with the Laramie Plainsmen at Deti Stadium.

After the Mustang’s 38-7 thrashing of the Plainsmen, and including last week‘s 24-point loss to Gillette, Laramie head coach Bob Knapton is wondering out loud if his team's efforts lately are good enough to compete with the best teams in the state.

“It’s very frustrating,” Knapton said. “We’re going to make some changes and find some kids who want to suck it up a little more, start showing up and getting after it. We have a little work to do. It was disappointing today."

The Plainsmen, 1-2, were hanging in with the Mustangs, trailing just 7-0 with about three minutes left in the first half. But three quick scores -- two to end the opening half -- put the game away. In all, the Mustangs scored on five straight possessions to pout the game away for another lop-sided win over Laramie.

Natrona, which hadn’t played in Laramie since the 2001 season, has now won three straight games against the Plainsmen, including outscoring LHS 86-14 in the last two contests.

Natrona, like Gillette last week, dominated the frontline offensively and defensively on Friday. The Mustangs finished with 374 total yards on offense to just 155 for LHS.

“We have to block people, we have to hit people, we have to catch the ball when it is thrown to you,” Knapton said. “We had our opportunities, we have to make plays happen. When you are playing a good team, it is time to step up and play ball.”

Only trailing by one touchdown, the Plainsmen had a couple of promising drives that were either stalled by penalty or downs, enabling the Mustangs to turn a close game into a rout.

The Mustangs first score came early in the game on a 4-yard run by Brownell. The drive was set up on a 44-yard pass from the team’s other QB -- Cody Parke -- to 6-foot-4 wide receiver Taylor Villegas.

The tide began to turn late in the second quarter when the Mustangs struck twice in the final three minutes. Natrona made it 14-0 on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Brownell to halfback Cole Montgomery. He score was set up[ on a 25-yard run by Parke on third and 10.

After the Plainsmen went three and out, Montgomery’s big punt return to the Laramie 9-yard line set up another quick score. Two plays later Parke scored from 4 yards out.

Playing with a great deal of momentum, the Mustangs took what little steam was left in the Plainsmen just one play into the third quarter. Parke, who finished with 192 yards passing in the game, hit Villegas on a short bump and coverage pass, and Villegas took it 80 yards to the end zone.

Although the Plainsmen would finally get on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, they had no answer the rest of the way.

Natrona closed its scoring on a 36-yard field goal by Derek Gibbins and an 11-yard touchdown pass from Parke to fullback Paul Miller.

The Plainsmen finally got on the board with 6:26 left in the game on a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jon Sorenson to receiver Rylan Harding.

Parke was 7 of 13 passing for 192 yards, while Brownell adding 33 yards passing on 2 of 4 attempts. Parke also led the way on the ground with 71 yards on 15 carries.

“Their No. 9 (Villegas) is a good receiver and they threw a ball perfect to him. They did that the last game, too, when they got down there,” Knapton said. “Our game plan was to shut the run down, and we shut the run down, but we have to be able to cover people. Obviously, if we can’t cover them man-to-man, then we have to switch up quite, zone to man, zone to man. When you blitz and put pressure on people, you start with cover zero and we have to learn to cover people."

Senior halfback Dan Estes had his best game of his short football career, as he led the Plainsmen with 53 yards on 15 carries. Sorenson, the team’s leading rusher, however, had a negative 6 yards on 10 carries. Sorenson was also 7 of 15 passing for 89 yards and the one score.

The Plainsmen will look to bounce back next Friday in Cheyenne against Central, beginning at 6 p.m.

Knapton said they have a lot of work in store next week if they want to turn things around.
“It’s time to step up and play,” Knapton said. “We’ll take a look at the film and see what we have to do, but we have to find some kids who want to get the job done. Some of them … I don’t know.”
　　

Plainsmen look to rebound against Natrona

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Two weeks into the season, just where do the Laramie Plainsmen stand?

In week one, the Plainsmen dominated a Rock Springs team at home that has given up 87 points in two games.

In week two, defending state champion Gillette had little trouble against Laramie in Gillette.

The Plainsmen return home Friday night to face a Casper Natrona team that is much better than its 0-2 record. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Deti Stadium.

As much as the Laramie coaching staff preached to not take things for granted after the season-opening 35-14 win over Rock Springs, Plainsmen head coach Bob Knapton saw a glimpse of that against Gillette in the next week. The result was a 31-7 defeat to the second-ranked Camels.

“They came out and beat Rock Springs and they thought, ‘Oh, this is great, we’re good now,’” Knapton said. “We told them that they have to get better than they were last week because people start scouting you, people will try to stop what you are doing right. That whole mix is going to be tough and we have to get through it. Our goal is to get to the playoffs and we have the potential to do that this year.”

As talented as the Camels are, Knapton said his team made it easier to get beat last Friday night.

“Even though you are playing a very good team in Gillette, you have to come out and make them beat you,” he said. “You can’t make it easy for them to beat you, and that is what we did. We made it pretty easy to score on us.”

So what do the Plainsmen have to do to be competitive against a good Natrona team?

For Knapton, it is all about being ready to play, executing like they know and firing off the ball and giving 100 percent.

“That’s what I want to impress on our kids. If you do that, then we’re going to be a tough team to beat,” Knapton said. “That’s what you want to be. You want to be tough to beat because then you will find out that other teams will start making mistakes. Either you are going to be in the ball game or you are not going to be in the ball game.”

After opening the season with a tough 19-17 loss to Central, Natrona was surprised at home by Evanston 27-14 last Friday.

Yet, the Mustangs are ranked first overall in the state offensively, averaging 411 yards a game. Natrona, however, has lost the ball nine times in two games, including seven in the defeat to the Red Devils.

Cole Montgomery is second in the state in rushing, averaging 136 yards a game, while quarterback Cody. Parke is fourth in the state in passing, completing 24 of 45 attempts for 388 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

“Natrona is a tough team,” Knapton said. “They have been putting up good numbers on offense rushing the ball; they do a good job of executing and running hard. The turnover ratio is killing the. They are negative five in two games. You’re talking about throwing picks, dropping the ball and stuff like that. They’ll move it down and all of the sudden they will fumble or throw a pick. I’m sure they are trying to clean that up and when they do, they’ll be a tough team.”

After putting up 326 yards against Rock Springs, the Plainsmen were held to 186 yards against the Camels. As a team, the Plainsmen are ranked sixth in the state in rushing (158 yards per game) and sixth in passing (98 ypg), but ninth in overall offense at 256 yards a game.

Individually for the Plainsmen, quarterback Jon Sorenson is 10th in the state in rushing, averaging 80 yards a game and sixth in passing, completing 12 of 25 passes for 196 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Defensively, the Plainsmen are second overall, giving up 277 yards per game. Senior linebacker Luke Knapton is third in the state, averaging 21.0 defensive points a game.

With 2-0 Central slated for next week, the Plainsmen are in a three-game stretch that can only help them down the road in their efforts to improve and qualify for the state playoffs.

“You’re talking about some of the top teams in the state, year-in and year-out, that you have three games in-a-row,” Knapton said. ‘We have to get through them and play as tough as we can and hopefully knock off one or two of them. We just have to just keep playing and keep fighting. We’re too good to start going down, we want to go in the other direction. If we can go out and play tough ball and play with Plainsmen pride and walk off the field with our head up, that’s what is going to get us through, that is what is going to get us more wins.”

Camels thump Plainsmen

By Wyoming Sports.org

GILLETTE -- The anticipated matchup between two of the top five teams in the state turned into a mismatch early as Gillette rolled to a 31-7 win over the Laramie Plainsmen on Friday night.

Gillette, 2-0 and rated second in the state by WyoPreps.com, jumped on Laramie early, leading 17-0 at halftime. The loss dropped the fifth-ranked Plainsmen to 1-1 on the season.

It was the first time the two teams faced off since the 2001 season. Nothing had changed throughout the years, as the Camels continued it dominance over Laramie with its seventh straight win over the Plainsmen.

The Camels took advantage of a Laramie turnover and got on the boards just a couple of minutes into the game on a 9-yard pass from quarterback Alan Sisel to Matt Mordecai. The score was set up by pass interception by Mordecai to the Laramie 38-yard line.

With the Laramie offense struggling, the Camels then made it a 14-0 early in the second quarter on a 32-yard touchdown pass from Sisel to Brek Carper. It was 17-0 at halftime after a 29-yard field goal by Hinkle.

One of the big keys in the game came early in the third quarter. The Plainsmen stopped Gillette on defense and moved to the 22-yard line, but lost the ball on a fumble by quarterback Jon Sorenson.

The Camels came right back and scored two plays layer and added another touchdown to put the game away. Sisel hit Steven Turpin on an 82-yard touchdown pass and then connected again with Mordecai from 17 yards out.

Laramie’s only score came on the first play of the fourth quarter when Sorenson hit receiver Rylan Harding from 2 yards out.

The Plainsmen finished with just 186 total yards on offense. Sorenson was 9 of 18 passing for 122 yards, but Laramie had just 64 yards rushing on 35 carries. Senior Dan Estes led the way with 38 yards on 12 carries, with Sorenson adding 27 yards on 16 rushes.

The Camels finished with 364 yards of offense -- 232 passing and 132 rushing. Sisel was 13 of 21 through the air for 235 yards and four touchdowns, while halfback Jordan Roberts led the way with 114 yards on the ground.

Laramie returns to action Friday when it hosts Casper Natrona. Action begins at 7 p.m. at Deti Stadium.
　

Plainsmen on the road to Gillette

Richard Anderson photo
Laramie head coach Bob Knapton talks to his team during a timeout Friday against Rock Springs. Laramie, 1-0, will hit the road for the first time Friday at Gillette, beginning at 7 p.m.

Class 4A Statistics

Class 4A Rankings

By Richard Anderson
Wyoming Sports.org

Momentum … these Laramie Plainsmen aren’t used to it. Gillette … these Laramie Plainsmen have never played the Camels.

These Plainsmen are in unchartered territory.

It’s been a while since the Plainsmen have begun the season with a win over a Wyoming team (2003, 20-17 over Evanston). The Plainsmen rolled over Rock Springs 35-14 last Friday.

It’s been a while since the Plainsmen have faced perennial power Gillette … since the 2001 season, to be exact.

Playing with some much-needed momentum, fifth-ranked Laramie will hit the road for the first time this season at second-ranked Gillette, taking on the defending-state champion Camels Friday at 7 p.m.

“They weren’t in our league; we didn’t play them. So, there is not a lot of history there,” second-year Laramie head coach Bob Knapton, who is also getting his first crack at the Camels. “Our kids know that they are one of the team’s that is always in the playoffs and in state championship games, so they know that this is a chance to play against a top team, to show them what they got.”

Knapton’s advice, especially to his seniors: It’s time to step up.

“When you talk to your seniors, you say, ‘Hey, this the first time you have played them and this is the last time (in the regular season) that you’ll play them. This is your shot,” Knapton said.

Knock on wood, Knapton said he hopes that they can, “Find out how to play on the road, how they can get ready to motivated football again, like they did last week against Rock Springs.”

Throughout his coaching career, Knapton said there is always that one or two games a year against a rival that the team is focused and “it is amazing how they play.”

Knapton then thinks to himself, “Why can’t we play that way every week?” he said.

That’s a key ingredient.

“That’s what I am going to try to find out, if we can play that way every week, and that is how you get to the playoffs,” he added.

Knapton said football should be fun. He admits that he is getting to the point that he isn’t sweating what is out of his control.

“I’m like, ‘You know, we’ve done everything we can do, we’ve done a lot of stuff in the off-season with these kids. It’s time to just turn them loose on Friday night and have fun, have people come out and enjoy the game because it is high school football,” he said. “We all want to look good, play good. I’m going to do my best to get them ready and I think they are.”

The Plainsmen looked good last Friday, likely as good as they have looked under Knapton. Laramie finished with 344 yards of offense – 272 yards rushing and 72 yards passing, scoring five touchdowns. Quarterback Jon Sorenson led the way with 144 yards rushing and 72 yards passing. Charles Swearingen added 72 yards form his fullback position.

On defense, the Plainsmen gave up just 170 total yards, tops in the state. Linebacker Luke Knapton had 23 defensive points, which is good for fourth int he state.

Before last week's game, Bob Knapton said they needed to open with a win in the worst way. That has the Plainsmen thinking, he said, “Why not more of the same?”

Plainsmen said his players have to have the attitude of: “We just beat them, and they start looking around the state and thinking there are other teams they can beat,” he said. “Their mindset going on is, ‘We have a chance now. Let’s keep going and let’s show people how tough we are.’”

Of course, there is a difference between Rock Springs and Gillette in caliber of play. The Camels did start slow, but beat Evanston on the road in their opener, 23-14.

“They have the tall receivers, they have the fast running back and they have the d-line that can come at you,” Bob Knapton said. “They have the personnel; they definitely have enough kids up there. We have kids playing both ways, so that is a concern for us because we had kids cramping up, we had kids who were a little tired.”

Individually, the Camels are led by Jordan Roberts with 169 yards rushing in 17 carries and quarterback Alan Sisel was 16 of 29 passing for 151 yards. Stephen Turbin and Cameron Quinn lead the way with five and four catches respectively.

On defense, Alex Coolidge is third in the state with 23.5 defensive points, with Cammry Nelson adding 21.

“We’re going to have to shut them down and get good field position,” Bob Knapton said. “We’re going to have to have some kids playing hard and getting after it.”