Buffs overcome miscues, defeat Shoshoni

The Greybull Buffs got the win, but perhaps not as many style points as they were hoping for, in a 31-12 win over Shoshoni Friday night in the Class 1A West Conference opener for both schools.

“I know for sure we left two drives empty handed that we could have scored on due to fumbles and can probably count another three that stalled on downs ... we really should have succeeded on those, too,” said Coach Jeremy Pouska.

The Buffs started fast, scoring the game’s first 18 points on runs by their three primary ballcarriers.  Bennett Sanford provided the first on a 38-yarder, followed by runs of 70 yards by Jesse Brown and 3 yards by Caiden Sorenson.

Shoshoni showed signs of life just before half, scoring on a 41-yard pass as the horn sounded.  It came after a defensive stop by the Wranglers.  

But the Buffs were able to overcome it, extending their lead to 24-6 on another Sanford run, this one covering 2 yards, and to 31-6 on a Mason Richardson pick-six.

The problems in the redzone aside, it was another dominant night for the Greybull ground game.  The Buffs finished with 445 rushing yards.  Bennett Sanford led the way, gaining 211 to his season total to 911, while Brown added 122 and Sorenson 50.

Pouska said he liked a lot about his team’s performance — particularly the play of the offensive and defensive lines.  The latter wreaked havoc on the Shoshoni passing game, contributing not only to Richardson’s score but also an interception and return by Sanford.

But the Buffs have things to work on, as well. “If we’re going to continue to be successful, we have to make sure we’re not coughing the ball up when we’re withing striking distance of scoring points,” said Pouska. 

“I still don’t think we’ve played our best football, although I do believe we’re getting better every week.”

This week

The Buffs will face a tougher test this week in Big Piney.  The Punchers are 3-1, losing only to top-ranked Pine Bluffs, and opened league play last weekend with a win over Rocky Mountain.

“They’re going to give us a heck of a game; they play hard and aggressively and they have great speed led by a dual-threat quarterback whose not afraid to throw it around,” Pouska said. “We’ve really got to get to work this week.”

The Punchers won last year’s game, 33-23, on the Buffs’ home field.

“We just have to continue grinding, sharpening the edge,” said Pouska. “We should absolutely celebrate the success we’ve had. I’m excited for the  guys and for all the work they put in. 

“But we need to  keep going out and doing what we need to do, which is execute on every play. As long as we keep doing what we’re doing up front and keep turnovers to a minimum, we’ll be fine.”

Greybull 31, Shoshoni 12

G — Bennett Sanford 38 yard run.

G — Jesse Brown 70 yard run.

G — Caiden Sorenson 3 yard run 

S — Carson Kisling 41 yard pass to Caden Kisling

G — Sanford 2 yard run 

G — Mason Richardson 11 yard interception return (Jordi Araiza kick).

S — Carson Kisling 1 yard run.

RUSHING — Greybull 68-445 (Bennett Sanford 26-211, Jesse Brown 14-122, Caiden Sorenson 15-50, Caden Hunt 9-27, Blade Baker 3-49.

PASSING — Greybull 1-of-4 for 26 yards.

RECEIVING — Jesse Brown 1-26.

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS — Yandel Hernandez led with 23 defensive points (4 assisted tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 pass break-up, 3 fumble recoveries); Bennett Sanford, 18 (2 assisted, 3 solo, 1 TFL, 2 pass breakups, 1 interception); Mason Richardson, 16 (1 assisted, 3 solo, 2 pass breakups, 1 interception); Caden Hunt, 14, 1 assisted, 1 solo, 3 pass break-ups, 1 fumble recovery); Caiden Sorenson, 14 (7    assisted, 2 solo, 1 TFL, 1 pass break up).