By RICHARD ANDERSON
Special to the Star-Tribune

BURNS — One dimensional?
The Burns Broncs were far from it Saturday in the Wyoming Class 2A state football championship, thumping Big Horn 41-12 at Bronc Stadium.
The Broncs (11-0) have been led all season by the speed and hard running of halfback Duell Petsch, who went into the game with 1,470 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Big Horn held Petsch to just 55 yards on 21 carries, but the senior wasn’t just about rushing the football on Saturday, as he scooped up a fumble and ran it back 72 yards for a score and later threw a 27-yard touchdown pass.
The Broncs’ defense also got in the act with three pass interceptions, including a first-quarter 25-yard pick-six from linebacker Frankie Vossler.
To add to the fun, Vossler added a 39-yard touchdown run and wide receiver Cory Sutherland had a 17-yard touchdown catch.
There seemed to be plenty of resourcefulness for the Broncs to capture their first state title in 25 years.
Burns head coach Bill Fullmer said his team threw out the notion that the Broncs revolved around Petsch’s rushing ability.
“I think people found out that we do have a football team and we have a lot of people who can do things for us,” Fullmer said.
That’s fine with Petsch, who said he was overwhelmed by the win and the state title.
“We kept at it and played as a team very well,” Petsch said. “We just got the job done.”
After a tough start offensively by both teams, Vossler got the Broncs going in the right direction when he stepped in front of Big Horn quarterback Colby Wollenman’s pass and easily ran it back for the score with 6:29 left in the opening quarter.
“Frankie’s interception and getting it into the end zone really set us up,” Fullmer said. “We knew that we were going to be able to play defense; I just didn’t know that we were going to be able to dominate like we did.”
Burns made it 14-0 early in the second quarter when quarterback Ben Taylor found Sutherland for the 17-yard score. The Broncs took commanding 28-0 lead by halftime when Taylor ran it in from 3 yards out and Sutherland added his long touchdown run after a hand-off from Petsch, who took the snap from the shotgun.
Petsch then put the game out of reach early in the third quarter when he picked up Matt Metzger’s fumble and ran it back for the score.
Big Horn (10-1) finally got on the board on a 34-yard run by Metzger in the third quarter, and closed the scoring on the game’s final play when freshman backup QB Damon Goldhammer found fellow freshman Dylan Stookey on an 18-yard touchdown pass.
Burns’ final touchdown came earlier in the fourth quarter on the pass from Petsch to Taylor Pyle.
Big Horn, which was shooting for its fifth state title and its first since 2004, had 234 yards of offense but was hurt by nine penalties for 120 yards.
“We held them for two or three series, but then we had some mistakes and they got the ball rolling, and the next thing there are penalties,” Big Horn coach Bert Dow said. “We just lost our composure. When that happened against a good football team like this, they made us pay.”
Fullmer said the win was one of the greatest accomplishments for the community of Burns in a long time — at least since the last title in 1983.
“The atmosphere around the school and the community has just been electric all week,” he said. “To come out and play like we did today and completely dominate a good Big Horn team, it was just icing on the cake for us.”

By NATHAN OSTER
Special to the Star-Tribune

BURLINGTON — Southeast rolled to its third consecutive state championship on Saturday, riding a 115-yard rushing performance by junior Tanner May and a stifling defense to a 12-0 win over Burlington in the Class 1A final.
The Cyclones (9-2) scored both of their touchdowns in the second quarter — the first coming on a 46-yard run by May, the second on a 2-yard keeper by quarterback Steven Bullington on a drive set up by a Brodie Epler interception.
As it did throughout the playoffs, the Southeast defense took it from there, limiting Burlington to 25 rushing yards in the second half — and just 129 total yards for the game — to preserve the shutout. In their three playoff games, the Cyclones surrendered two points.
“It was up and down all day — a roller coaster, but I knew that once we got a couple of touchdowns on them, they didn’t have the big, explosive people to score quickly,” Southeast coach Mark Bullington said.
The title was the Southeast’s third in a row, the first of which came as a Class 2A team.
“This one wasn’t any different than the previous two… it’s just exciting,” Bullington said. “The kids believed in themselves. They didn’t think they could get beat.”
May, who was Class 1A’s most prolific player during the regular season with 10 touchdowns, finished with 115 yards on 25 carries. None was bigger than the 46-yard run that opened the scoring in the second quarter.
Burlington coach Mike Aagard, who was trying to do as a coach what he did two times as a player (in 1992 and 1994) in winning state titles, called May a workhorse.
“He was tough all year, and tough again today,” he said. “Hats off to him. He’s a talented young man.”
Added Bullington, “Tanner has so much speed, I don’t think they understood how much speed he had. It’s hard to contain him. We have to give him the ball. We give him the ball that many times, good things are going to happen.”
Offensively, the Huskies moved the ball in the first half, generating 63 yards on the ground. But with the wind at their backs in the third quarter, they opted to go the aerial route, all but abandoning the run in the process. They finished with 85 rushing yards to go along with 44 passing yards, but never penetrated inside the Southeast 20-yard line.
Bullington credited his defensive coordinator, Shawn Burkart, for the shutout.
“He had them believing in what they were doing,” said Bullington. “We were worried about their power, because they had run it right at a lot of people. But our kids stepped up. Our linebackers — Jake Buckhaults, Blake Herbst, Colby Sturgeon, Justin Briggs — did just an outstanding job.”
As he watched the Cyclones celebrate at midfield, Aagard struck a positive tone, noting that his team reeled off nine straight victories after losing its opener. The Huskies were a senior-laden team, with 12 suiting up for the finale, including quarterback Mycheal Wiles and running back Spencer Flores, who led the Huskies with 44 rushing yards on 17 attempts and 11 tackles defensively.
“We had a good season,” Aagard said. “(Saturday), I thought we probably could have played a little harder. A couple of big mistakes in the first half really hurt us. Take those away, and it we would have been right in the game.”

By DAVID BUCK
Star-Tribune staff writer 

GILLETTE — A few inches too high almost cost Gillette a state title.
Luckily for the Camels, a couple inches wide left saved them in the Class 5A Wyoming State High School Championship.
Green River’s Colter Rood missed a 40-yard field goal with 12 seconds left to give Gillette a 23-21 victory on Saturday at Camel Stadium in Gillette.
“Just a little wide left is all,” Green River coach Darren Howard said. “That’s a tough one.
“… It’s just one of those things. It didn’t go through for us.”
The Wolves (9-3) probably shouldn’t have been in position to win the game. The Camels (10-2) stopped Green River on downs with about two minutes left, but on the ensuing possession Gillette couldn’t get the first down that would have sealed the game.
The Camels then lined up to punt, and the snap went over punter Chris Schultz’ head. Schultz picked up the ball, bobbled it, then was tackled at the Gillette 23, which set up Green River’s kick.
“That was the worst possible thing that could happen at that moment,” Gillette running back Logan Pokallus said. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Camels coach Vic Wilkerson said he went from excited to a terrible low on that play, and defensive end/wide receiver Spencer Bruce said it felt like time stopped.
After Rood’s kick went wide Gillette went into the victory formation and happy feelings were restored to the Camels.
The ending of the game was fitting considering the hectic opening, though Green River would have preferred to have the breaks go its way like it did earlier.
Gillette quarterback Alan Sisel fumbled on the Camels’ first two possessions, giving the Wolves great field position. Green River took advantage of the turnovers by scoring on runs of 17 and 3 yards by Rood to take a quick 14-0 lead.
The Camels eventually figured out how to hold on to the ball and Gillette’s defense stepped up to bring the team back into the game.
Wilkerson told the Camels they had to put their mistakes behind them and move on, and they did just that.
Gillette, after a punt on its third possession, scored on its final five drives of the half to take a 23-14 lead.
Garrett Saunders started the scoring with a 30-yard field goal and added kicks of 25 and 45 yards later in the half. Pokallus, who rushed 34 times for 151 yards, scored Gillette’s first touchdown on a 9-yard run, and Sisel connected with Jared Wass on a 41-yard touchdown reception.
Green River lost two fumbles in the second quarter, which Gillette turned into 10 points.
Pokallus said previous games helped prepare Gillette for the uphill battle.
“We’ve had to (play from behind) a lot this season,” Pokallus said. “Doing that all season, we get used to it and don’t get discouraged, and I think that helped a lot.”
Both teams battled back and forth in the second half, with Green River’s Andrew Meredith getting the only score on a 28-yard interception return. That play capped a strong defensive day for Meredith, who also recovered two fumbles and was constantly in the Gillette backfield.
Meredith’s touchdown meant that Green River had a chance at the end of the game.
“The quick start doesn’t mean a strong finish,” Howard said. “It was a game of ups and downs. We got off to a quick start, but to Gillette’s credit they came roaring back.”
Gillette’s roar, though, almost wasn’t enough.
“I’m just happy (the kick was) wide and we won a state championship,” Wilkerson said.

Contact sports reporter David Buck at (307) 266-0596 or david.buck@trib.com

By PATRICK SCHMIEDT
Star-Tribune staff writer 

GLENROCK — It took three tries — both against Kemmerer and in the defensive backfield in the fourth quarter — but Taylor McIntyre’s dream finally came true.
With a pair of touchdowns and the game-sealing interception in the final minute, McIntyre and the Glenrock Herders wrapped up their perfect season with a perfect defensive game plan, limiting Kemmerer to 93 yards of total offense in an 18-0 victory Saturday at Sheldon Henderson Stadium in Glenrock.
Glenrock (11-0) won its third state championship since 2002, and finally got the best of the Rangers (10-1), who beat the Herders in the title game in 2005 and 2007.
“Sometimes, it’s just your day,” Glenrock defensive coordinator Donnie Stewart said.
McIntyre wrapped up the Herders’ title in dramatic fashion, intercepting a pass with 29.4 seconds remaining. He started to run the ball back, but then thought better of it, held the ball aloft and took a knee.
“He dreamed of it,” teammate Ryan Lee said of the final interception. “He always wanted to get one and kneel it down.”
McIntyre appeared to have the game sealed two other times with fourth-quarter interceptions, but one was waved off by an inadvertent whistle and the other because Glenrock was penalized for having 12 players on the field.
But the third one was good, and McIntyre capped the game — and his career — in dream-like fashion.
“That third one, that was just a celebration,” McIntyre said. “They came to see a show and we put it on for them.”
One kneel-down later, the Herder faithful let loose with a celebration 50 years in the making, as Glenrock won its eighth title in school history but the first on its home field since 1958.
And even though Glenrock didn’t catch all the breaks, the Herders took advantage of the opportunities they had.
Glenrock fumbled away possession on two of its first four offensive plays, but successfully held Kemmerer out of the end zone on both subsequent drives. Not only did the defensive stands allow Glenrock to keep the momentum, they signaled a trend that lasted all day — Kemmerer’s inability to move the ball.
Limited by poor field position, the Rangers finished with only six first downs, 39 rushing yards and 93 yards of total offense.
“You can’t play offense from your own 10-yard line,” Kemmerer coach Shawn Rogers said.
Stewart said extra time watching game films this week helped the Herders pick up on some of Kemmerer’s trends.
“(The players) had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen and they did an excellent job of executing,” he said.
That defense allowed Glenrock to make up for its offensive miscues. The Herders lost three fumbles in the first half, yet still took a 12-0 lead into halftime thanks to McIntyre’s 12-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Kyle Farley and Ryan Lee’s 1-yard touchdown run.
“It just felt like the tide had turned,” Stewart said. “We had made the mistakes and survived them. Last year we didn’t survive them.”
McIntyre scored again late in the third quarter on a 14-yard run, then after three tries finally nabbed the interception that started a celebration.
Just like that, McIntyre’s dream — and the dream of the other 14 seniors wearing purple and white — was reality.

Contact high school sports coordinator Patrick Schmiedt at (307) 266-0615 or patrick.schmiedt@trib.com.

By ERIC SCHMOLDT
Star-Tribune staff writer

DOUGLAS — Chris Berman might have to give up his most popular segment.
The ESPN commentator’s fastest two minutes in football now belong to the Douglas Bearcats.
Senior running back Cody Bohlander scored two touchdowns in a span of eight seconds and the Bearcats put up 21 points in a stretch of 1 minute, 41 seconds on Saturday, paving the way to a 34-21 victory over Buffalo in the Class 4A Wyoming State High School Championship.
“I can’t say enough about this team,” Douglas quarterback Shane Richendifer said. “We just kept fighting. It’s our first championship in 30 years and we’re going to celebrate.”
It was the Bearcats’ third championship in school history, but the others came in 1975 and 1978 and they’d lost in three straight title games since then.
“I don’t know if it’s really sunk in,” Douglas coach Jay Rhoades said with tears in his eyes. “It goes back to these kids. Some of the things we had to fight through were just unbelievable. The overtime win against Buffalo (in the regular season), the double-overtime win over Powell (in the semifinals) were incredible.”
So was the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it span early in the second quarter.
The Bearcats took their first lead, 13-7, when Michael Hogan caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Richendifer with 8:49 left to go before halftime.
On Buffalo’s ensuing possession, Douglas senior Daniel Hancock jumped a passing route on third down, intercepting the ball and returning it to the six-yard line. Three plays later, Bohlander punched it in from one yard out for his second touchdown of the day.
Bohlander then lofted a pooch kick on the kickoff that landed right in between a host of Bison players but was recovered by Douglas’ Pierre Etchemendy at the Buffalo 31-yard line.
“We knew we didn’t want to kick it deep,” Bohlander said. “And we knew if we got the ball we would punch it in again. We were just all jacked. Whatever play we ran, we knew we would score.”
On the very first play of the drive, Richendifer found Bohlander for a diving catch in the end zone.
“We didn’t want the ball in (Buffalo kick returner Ryan) Kinzer’s hands because he’s a great returner,” Rhoades said. “It just so happened that the ball hit the turf perfectly.
“(And then) we knew we had that pass and we got it. The kids did what we asked all year long and they finished it off right.”
The two-minute stretch killed whatever momentum that had lingered for the Bison after they marched right down the field to take the lead on the game’s opening possession.
“It was disheartening,” Buffalo quarterback/linebacker Tyler Gibbs said. “(The kick) was the one thing that coach said he was upset about because we knew they would do that. It seems like every time we come down here we do great, but leave saying we beat ourselves.
“I can’t say that this time. Those guys had a helluva game.”
The Bison cut the deficit to 28-14 at halftime, but never trailed by less than that until the waning minutes of the game.
They lost in the title game for the second straight year, falling 10-6 to Jackson a year ago.
“Some people would say that the closer one should hurt more,” Gibbs said. “But they’re both life lessons.”
Bohlander finished off his impressive senior year with workmanlike numbers, carrying the ball 25 times for 61 yards and catching four passes for 73 more.
And while he might forget those numbers, there probably isn’t a game — or an eight-second stretch of his life — that he’ll remember more.
 
Contact sports reporter Eric Schmoldt at (307) 266-0578 or eric.schmoldt@trib.com.

Championships
Saturday
Class 5A
Green River (9-2) at Gillette (9-2), 1 p.m.
Class 4A
Buffalo (8-2) at Douglas (8-2), 1 p.m.
Class 3A
Kemmerer (10-0) at Glenrock (10-0), 1 p.m.
Class 2A
Big Horn (10-0) at Burns (10-0), 1 p.m.
Class 1A
Southeast (8-2) at Burlington (9-1), 1 p.m.

KEMMERER — Turnovers are always crucial, but for the Moorcroft Wolves, a pair of early fumbles turned into a tide they couldn’t stop.
Kemmerer scored twice on its first two possessions — both after Moorcroft fumbles — and notched a 41-6 victory Saturday in Kemmerer in the Class 3A semifinals.
Kemmerer (10-0) will travel to Glenrock to play in the Class 3A title game next Saturday, a rematch of last year’s championship.
Statistics for Saturday’s game were not available, but Kemmerer coach Shawn Rogers said his team ran the ball well and capitalized off of turnovers by Moorcroft (7-3). Kemmerer’s first two scoring drives were 9 and 21 yards, Rogers said, and the Rangers led 14-0 within the first five minutes of the game.
“That was pretty much it — creating turnovers and then rushing the ball,” Rogers said.
Shane Black and Dallon Henkel each scored twice and Henkel also threw a touchdown. Kemmerer led 27-0 at halftime.
Kemmerer and Glenrock also played against each other in the 2005 Class 3A championship game.
“We know that they’re really good,” Rogers said. “They’ve got a lot of size, a lot of talent and a lot of depth.”

BIG HORN — Big Horn might have missed some opportunities, but the Rams cashed in on the one that mattered.
Matt Metzger’s 62-yard first-quarter touchdown was the difference in the Rams’ 6-0 Class 2A semifinal victory over Lusk on Saturday.
“We couldn’t get in sync, in rhythm offensively,” Big Horn coach Bert Dow said. ” … But our defense rose to the occasion a couple times.”
Full game stats were not available, but Dow said Big Horn (10-0) out-gained Lusk. The Tigers (8-2) also never crossed past Big Horn’s 20-yard line.
“Defensively, we held out and were able to keep them out of the end zone,” Dow said.
Big Horn will travel to Burns for the Class 2A championship; both teams are 10-0 this season.

By DAVID BUCK
Star-Tribune staff writer

SHERIDAN — Green River is moving on to Championship Game No. 3
Wolves coach Darren Howard tells his team that each playoff game is like a championship and for the second week in a row his team won the title.
Green River survived an offensive shootout in the first half, then limited Sheridan in the second half to beat the Broncs 44-28 in a Class 5A semifinal on Saturday afternoon at Homer Scott Field in Sheridan.
“It is probably the best feeling in the world,” Green River running back/linebacker Andrew Meredith said.
The Wolves led the Broncs 30-21 at halftime as both teams were nearly unstoppable on offense. Green River (9-2) stopped Sheridan (8-2) on its opening drive, then went on to take an early 6-0 lead on a 9-yard touchdown run by Colter Rood. The Wolves went on to score on all of their first-half possessions.
“It was a battle, kind of a shootout, and a chess match between the coaches and players,” Howard said.
The only major mistake by either team in the first half was a fumble by Sheridan late in the first quarter when the Broncs lost the ball on a hook-and-ladder play. Sheridan receiver TJ Stender caught a pass from Austin Woodward, but fumbled the pitch and Green River recovered.
Both teams were able to sustain long drives and score with quick attacks in the half.
The Broncs closed within three points after a 62-yard pass from Woodward to Stender set up a 3-yard touchdown catch by Justin Will in the right corner of the end zone. Will then caught the two-point conversion pass and the Broncs trailed 24-21 with 39.8 second left in the half.
Green River quarterback Drew Martinez recovered his own fumble on the first play of the ensuing drive, then quickly got his composure back and threw an 81-yard touchdown pass to Meredith on the next play with 22.1 seconds left.
“We just couldn’t get off the field very well,” Sheridan coach Don Julian said. “They run the ball very well, and we were unable to get some stops when we needed stops.
“The touchdown right before half was a tough one. With 30 seconds left to give up that quick score set us back.”
The Wolves had momentum heading into the half, but it didn’t carry over. Green River failed to score for the first time when it went three-and-out to open the second half.
Sheridan scored on its opening possession on a 1-yard rush by Woodward to make it 30-28.
But the Broncs didn’t score the rest of the game, as the Wolves cracked down on defense. Green River came up with two interceptions, forced a punt and stopped Sheridan on downs on the Broncs’ ensuing possessions.
“We knew we had to step up and seal the game,” Meredith said. “Defense is where we love to play because you get to smash people. We knew we just had to step up and do what we had to do to win.”
The Wolves did step up and now move on to Championship Game No. 3 — this time one with some hardware attached.
Green River will travel back across the state to play at Gillette next Saturday for the Class 5A championship. The Camels, who beat Cheyenne East 36-7 on Friday, topped the Wolves 14-13 earlier this season.
“We just figured we had to go on the road after last week,” Howard said. “There was no choice about that, but we’d rather be traveling than not playing. We are the final two in 5A and we’ll be glad to go on the road.”

By PATRICK SCHMIEDT
Star-Tribune staff writer

GLENROCK — Ray Kumpula let his team call the first play of the game, and it set the tone for one of the most dominating performances the Glenrock Herders have had this season.
Glenrock’s 56-0 victory over Pinedale in the semifinals of the Class 3A football playoffs on Saturday was never in doubt, but it all started with the Herders’ first offensive series.
Kumpula, the Herders’ head coach, obliged when his team called for an up-the-gut running play on first down. Ryan Lee scooted forward for a 12-yard gain. Then Taylor McIntyre followed that up with a 7-yard run, and on the next play Drew Nielsen busted loose on a 54-yard touchdown run, a pitch left that Nielsen took back to the right, cut past several Pinedale defenders and bounded down the sideline.
Nielsen’s run was the first touchdown in an avalanche of first-half points — but all that momentum was keyed by the first play.
“That set the tone,” Kumpula said. “Twelve yards, right up the pipe.”
Nielsen scored again on Glenrock’s next possession, a 31-yard sweep on which he outraced the Pinedale defense to the corner of the end zone. He scored again on the Herders’ third possession on a 16-yard run in which he made a key cutback to elude the final Pinedale defender at the 3-yard line. And then McIntyre finished Glenrock’s fourth possession by breaking open a dive play for a 42-yard touchdown run.
Less than 10 minutes into the game, it was already 32-0 — and Glenrock was headed back to the state championship game.
“I think it took the wind out of their sails, and when they tried to go to their game, which is passing, we were able to cover it and got the snowball running,” Kumpula said.
Added Nielsen, “We wanted to make sure we kept bringing it and bringing it. … We just try to get three yards at a time, and whatever we get after that is great.”
The offensive line made sure the Herders had plenty of opportunities to score — and the defense absolutely smothered anything the Wranglers wanted to do on offense. In the first half, Glenrock had 380 total yards. Pinedale had 26, most of it coming on a 24-yard pass from Nick Jaquez to Zack Barta late in the second quarter.
“They just came out hard, fast, and got under our defensive players,” Pinedale coach Mike Gregory said. “It surprised our guys a bit and got them back on their heels.
“They were running at a speed that we couldn’t read (and) react to.”
Glenrock ended up scoring on its first six possessions. Dustin Worthington caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Farley and McIntyre scored again on a 27-yard run to make it 44-0. McIntyre scored again right before halftime on a 2-yard run to make it 50-0.
Braden Boner capped the scoring in the third quarter when he returned a fumble 35 yards for a touchdown.
Glenrock will host Kemmerer at 1 p.m. Saturday in a rematch of last year’s Class 3A title game, which the Rangers won 22-0. Kumpula said Glenrock feels confident, but said Saturday’s 56-point victory wasn’t perfect.
“Nobody plays a perfect game, and I’m sure the kids know I know that,” he said.
This is about as close as anyone can get, though. And it started with the first play.