Excellent third quarter seals win for No. 4 Warriors in Thermopolis

Starting the 2A West football season 1-0, the Worland Warriors are on the road again and look to pick up another conference win this week in Pinedale.

Last week, the Warriors (1-1) defeated the Hot Springs County Bobcats (1-1) 21-6 in Thermopolis on Sept. 13 in their 2A West opener.

The Warriors had an up-and-down game, but in the third quarter, they set the tone and took a 21-0 lead.

"Offensive-wise, it was kind of big and little," said WHS football coach Marty Wrage. "We'd get big chunks, and then we'd have penalties or run the wrong route - those type of little things that just kill drives. We've got to get over that so we're more consistent. We're getting closer. We've also got to be more patient. We're going to have different types of routes and run game coming up in the next few weeks."

Whether it was penalties or turnovers stalling drives, the Worland offense couldn't find their rhythm. But, after forcing a three-and-out, Will Slagle brought a punt return to the Bobcat 19-yard line. The Warriors had an opportunity to get the first points of the game, but there were only nine seconds remaining in the half.

Worland quarterback Colt Weber took a shot toward the back of the endzone, where Slagle leaped into the air, beat a Bobcat defender to the ball and hauled in the game's first touchdown. A Ryan Deniz PAT made it 7-0 Worland at halftime.

The sequence for the Warriors highlights their potential. Even with things not going their way, when they focus, they can be as explosive of an offense as there is in 2A.

"It is encouraging because I see it all the time in practice, and that's getting better all the time, too. We've just got to make that next step. They have to have enough confidence to not take the next play off after a good one. Usually, it is the other way around, but we do it the other way. But we're getting better at that, and we're gaining more confidence in the run game. Players are playing in new spots and improving there. I'm pleased with that," said Wrage.

With 8:37 left in the third quarter, the Warriors blocked a Bobcat punt. With the ball bouncing around, Warrior Bronson Newell scooped it up and took it into the endzone, putting his team up 14-0.

After forcing another punt on the next Bobcats' possession, the Warriors needed four plays to get their next score; a 15-yard TD run by Brody Thiel put Worland up 21-0 with 5:45 left in the third quarter.

Thermopolis did get on the board early in the fourth quarter by relying on their passing game and denying Worland the shutout.

While Thermopolis was able to move the ball through the air, it'll serve as a good learning experience for the Warriors. This week's opponent, the Pinedale Wranglers, will look to test Worland the same way the Bobcats did.

"It's the same thing we're going to run into with Pinedale. We'll be in good shape against their run, but what they're better at is throwing. They run tons of crossing routes and verticals.

"That's what we're preparing for defensively. We're going to see it and see it early. 2A especially, steals what the other teams do. A lot of those route combinations will be passed forward for a few weeks, and then they kind of fade away," said Wrage.

Taking on the Wranglers at 6 p.m. Friday in Pinedale, the Warriors can move to 2-0 in the 2A West standings with another victory. Pinedale is 1-1 this season, beating 3A Rawlins 48-12 in Week 1 but losing to Kemmerer 31-12 in Week 2.

 Consistency has been a focus for the Warriors, and one way they can achieve that is by watching film. In their film sessions, the Warriors have improved at constructively critiquing their individual performances and have been seeing improvement as a result.

"The keys are being consistent in practice. Then we need to improve our skills with each day. We've got good tape on them, and the kids are learning. They're starting to look at it critically of themselves. At first, we weren't very good at that. They kind of watched it as a fan, and now they're looking at it like, I made a poor block here and should have done this on this play. They're starting to do that and take criticism better.

"If you don't quite do the job, maybe you're not a starter this week. That's tough for kids, but they also come back more motivated. I tell them it's not like you're fired, you just have to play harder to get minutes. That's why we run two or three backs and a lot of tight ends. Linemen have been rotating around all over the place until we find the right rotation. These kids can handle it, they don't get bothered by it," said Wrage.

All rankings are from the WyoPreps coaches and media polls.