Eleven Buffs earn spots on all-conference team

Sanford named 1A West’s offensive player of the year

The Greybull Buffs reaped the rewards of being an unbeaten conference champion, putting 11 players on the Class 1A nine-man all-West Conference team which was released Monday.

The all-state team had not been announced when the Standard went to press earlier this week.

Caiden Sorenson, a junior, led the way for the Buffs with his third straight appearance on the all-conference team.  Seniors C.J. Fink, Yandel Hernandez and Caden Hunt and junior Jesse Brown were repeat selections. Joining them as first-timers on the all-conference team were seniors Jacob Shelley and Garrett Wiggins, juniors Bennett Sanford and Cord Edeler and sophomores Mason Richardson and William Harlow.

The Buffs had the best rushing attack in the classification and ranked second in the West and fourth statewide in stopping the run and that dominance was reflected in their selections.

Hunt, the quarterback, guided the offense with his decision- and play-making skills and was a standout in the secondary.  He finished with 378 yards on 20-of-58 passing and rushed for another 454 yards.

Sanford and Brown each rushed for more than 1,000 yards, with Sanford leading the West with 1,421 on 157 carries and Brown adding  1,002 on 116 totes.  On defense, Sanford, a linebacker, ranked 16th in the state in points.

Sorensen starred on both sides of the ball.  He rushed for 590 yards on 116 carries from the fullback position and led all Greybull defenders in points with 178, averaging 17.8 per game.  That ranked 10th in the class.

Shelley, Fink, Harlow, Edeler and Hernandez exceled in the trenches, paving the way for the classification’s top-ranked rushing attack that averaged 368 rushing yards per game.

On defense, the Buffs ranked fourth in the state against the run, 11th against the pass.  

Hernandez, who played end, trailed only Sorenson and Sanford in points, racking up 151 including team highs in tackles for loss, 14, and sacks, seven.

Richardson, a cornerback, ranked fourth in points with 113. He was a ball hawk, leading the team in interceptions with six, second most in the class.  He also excelled on special teams as punter and punt and kick returner, making the top 10s in all three.

Wiggins, an end, ranked fifth in defensive points with 104, showing a propensity for big plays with 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and three fumble recoveries.

“The guys who got selected, they were fantastic teammates above all,” said Coach Jeremy Pouska. “They understood the system well and just continued to do the job week in and week out.

“The grit and tenacity, the mindset of these guys coming to every practice and game and giving everything they had, was an amazing thing to be part of.”

The honors didn’t end there, as Sanford was named the West’s offensive player of the year while Jeremy Pouska took home coach of the year honors for the first time. 

`Triffen Jolley of Rocky Mountain was the defensive player of the year.  

Big Piney took the other two awards, with Zef Zuniga winning lineman of the year and Zavier Clifford winning special teams player of the year.

Of his award, Pouska said, “I was honored ... and think that as a staff, we did a great job of preparing the kids week in and week out to ensure they were on a good path to success.

“We dealt with a lot of ups and downs — Wyatt battling through his cancer, myself, personally, dealing with a loss — but through all the trials and tribulations this team faced, they continued to grow and succeed.”