Late touchdown gives Buffs their first win

Lucas Bolzer scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 1:06 left, capping an eight-play, 68-yard drive and giving the Greybull Buffs an 18-14 win over Rocky Mountain Friday night in front of a large, enthusiastic crowd at Jim Crawford Field.

The Buffs improved to 1-1 and put their week one loss to Wright in the rearview mirror as they prepare to begin conference play later this week at Shoshoni.

None of it came easily.

“I think we played that game 10 times, we’d win five and they’d win five,” Coach Jeremy Pouska said of the contest, which saw five lead changes. Statistically, Greybull finished with a slight edge in total yards, 289-209.

Three of the game’s first four drives ended in turnovers before Greybull broke the seal with a 1-yard touchdown run by Caden Hunt at the 1:06 mark of the second.   

That set the stage for a wild second half.  Each team had two scoring drives.  Rocky’s first, capped by a 23-yard Triffin Jolley run at the 5:08 mark of the third, and the two-point conversion that followed, made it 8-6.

The Buffs regained the lead on their next drive, getting another 1-yard run by Hunt that made it 12-8.

The momentum swung back to the Grizzlies midway through the fourth on a 52-yard run by Joaquin Scheeler. That came at the 4:59 mark. 

Now facing a 14-12 deficit, the Buffs leaded heavily on their ground game and on No. 44 — Lucas Bolzer.  Their only returning all-stater, Bolzer toted the rock seven times on the final drive, gaining 43 yards.  His longest, which covered 25 yards, set up his winning 2-yard run.  

Greybull’s defense took it from there, preventing the Grizzlies from scoring before time expired.

Bolzer finished with 146 yards on 25 carries.  When he wasn’t blocking for Bolzer, Caiden Sorenson gave the team another 67 rushing yards.

Coach Pouska called it a significant step forward for his team, noting that blocking along the offensive line was much better than it was against Wright. “We were able to create some nice lanes and opportunities for our running backs and the quarterback,” he said.

Linemen Cash Hoflund, Jacob Shelley, Gabe VanderPloeg and C.J. Fink paved the way for the backs.

The Buffs needed it because they got nothing out of their passing game.  Caden Hunt attempted only three passes, completing none.  His first throw was picked at the goal line, with Pouska later attributing it to a young receiver running the wrong route and Hunt slightly underthrowing him.

“At that moment, I decided we were going to stick with what worked,” said Pouska. “We were going to control the game with the run.  To beat us, they were going to have to stop us.”

Although the Grizzlies had some success, when it mattered most, they had no answers for Bolzer.

It was Greybull’s first win over Rocky Mountain since 2018.

“It felt great — not only to come out with the win, but to set the tone early in the season,” said Pouska. “Our final five games are conference games, and winning that type of game builds momentum.  

“We certainly hope it will breed success and believe in the kids to go out and get another win this week.”

This week

The Buffs will look to build their thrilling week two win when they open conference play Friday in Shoshoni.   The game was originally set for 7 p.m., but will now kickoff at 2 p.m.  

The Wranglers have rebounded from week one loss to Pine Bluffs to notch back-to-back wins, beating JV squads from Cheyenne East and Natrona County high schools.

The Buffs beat Shoshoni 16-8 last year in the first game ever played on the new turf field. Looking back on it now, Pouska said it had the same type of sustained drama as the one his team just played against the Grizzlies.

Pouska said the Wranglers play a very aggressive style of defense, focused on disrupting their opponent’s passing game. On offense, they’re feature an attack that’s pretty evenly split between the run and the pass.

It will be the first of five straight conference games for the Buffs, with Big Piney to follow next week.

Greybull 18, Rocky Mt. 14

Rocky Mt. 0 0 8 6 — 14

Greybull 0 6 6 6 — 18

G —  Caden Hunt 1-yard run.

RM — Triffin Jolley 7-yard run.

G — Hunt 1-yard run.

RM — Joaquin Scheeler 52-yard run (conversion good).

G — Lucas Bolzer 3-yard run.

RUSHING — Rocky Mt. 30-172 (Triffin Jolley 15-68, Joaquin Scheeler 2-55, Lafe Files 5-31); Greybull 56-289 (Lucas Bolzer 25-146, Caiden Sorenson 13-67, Jesse Brown 9-23, Caden Hunt 9-56).

PASSING — Rocky Mt. 4-of-14 for 37 yards; Greybull 0-of-3 for 0 yards.

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS — Bennett Sanford had an interception, a fumble recovery, 2 assisted tackles and 4 solo tackles for a team-high 24 points.  Caiden Sorensen was next with 19 (8 assisted, 5 solo, 1 tackle for loss), followed by Yandel Hernandez with 16 (5 assisted, 5 solo, 1 tackle for loss), Brown 14 (5 assisted, 1 solo, interception) and Garrett Wiggins 11 (7 assisted, 2 solo).