Broncs run away with 4A crown

by Bobby Abplanalp
Wyoming Sports.org

The Sheridan Broncs lost their first game of the season to Kelly Walsh and never tasted defeat again, as they claimed the Wyoming 4A State Championship on Saturday with a 40-15 win over the Cheyenne Central Indians at snowy War Memorial Stadium.

The Broncs got their championship started off with a bang when Kody Williams returned the opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown for an early 7-0 lead.

“We had made an adjustment from the first time we had played them in our kickoff return,” Sheridan head coach Don Julian said. “We thought that we might have a chance with the change we had made up front and it worked. It was very exciting.”

Cheyenne Central would come back on their opening drive with quarterback Connor Long hitting wide receiver Kyle Grott for a 10-yard touchdown pass to tie things up.

Sheridan would counter on their opening drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Will Hendrickson from quarterback Austin Woodward to regain the lead at 13-7 and that is where to two teams stood at the half.

The Broncs would pull away in the third quarter with two Woodward rushing touchdowns of 1 and 10-yards to build 26-7 lead after three.

Sheridan’s defense stepped up in the fourth quarter when linebacker Dan Zemski picked off Long and returned it 10 yards for a touchdown making the score 33-7 lead.

The Indians kept fighting when Long threw his second touchdown pass of the day to Grott and completed another pass to Grott for the two-point conversion cutting the score to 33-15.

However, Woodward would put the nail in the coffin of Cheyenne Central with his third rushing touchdown with just under two minutes to go for the final margin.

“Our defense really pulled together and we stopped the run and that made them (Cheyenne Central) pass and we stopped the pass somewhat. It’s a great team effort,” Woodward said.

“Without them I couldn’t do anything. On both sides they’re the most underrated line in the whole state,” Woodward said about the offensive lines. “We had a receiver move down to right guard and (we have a) 140 pound center. They’re great.”

Woodward had 190 total yards with 152 of that on the ground on 23 carries with three touchdowns and a fourth through the air to Hendrickson.

“Number four (Woodward) is a very quality football player and a very quality young man,” Julian said. “He’s been a three year starter both ways for us. I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach him.”

“He’s a good football player,” Cheyenne Central head coach Brick Cegelski added. “He ran through tackles and he ran some traps on us and he did a good job.”

Michael Davis led the Indians with 134 yards on 27 carries, while Long threw for 145 yards on 13 of 23 passing with one interception.

“I thought the one (penalty) that hurt us was the holding (call),” Cegelski said. “We had a little bootleg on the edge and we got a hold; I thought that was a big play for us because it took us from first-and-10 to first-and-25. Whenever you have a penalty like that it changes your momentum, especially in the first half because I thought we had a chance to get in the game there and maybe take the lead.

“Hats off to Donny (Julian),” Cegelski added. “I thought Donny did a great job with these kids. It’s good coaching by Donny and I’m proud of him.”