TMS football heads to Rocky Mtn.

The Thermopolis Middle School football team took on Lander last week, winning 42-8. Coach Shane Corpening said, “I think the boys played well against Lander. It was definitely an improvement from game one to game two. However, we did go through the film of the Lander game and there is plenty that we still have to work on. I expect to see improvement from game two to game three.

“The standout moment of the game was the first two plays, in my opinion. We kicked off to Lander and they fumbled the ball to us. The next play Wyatt McDermott threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Eli McCumber. As a coach the number one goal is to get a fast start and we definitely accomplished that against Lander which gave us a lot of momentum for the remainder of the half.

“I thought our offensive line play was much improved this week. They opened some nice holes for our running backs and kept our quarterback clean. I’m looking forward to seeing how they improve throughout the season. Our defense was rock solid. We forced a few timely turnovers and outside of one possession we didn’t give up a whole lot of yards. Coach Despain has done a nice job with them.”

Corpening said it was a great team win, but there were definitely some standout performances from individual players. “Wyatt McDermott played exceptionally well as a quarterback this week. He is really stepping up and filling his role as a team leader and field general . . .His decision making on Saturday was very solid.

“Hazen Thurgood and Austin Barral also played very well on the offensive and defensive lines. I have seen enormous improvement from them this year to when they were seventh graders. Jase Longwell has really played well so far this year. He has proved to be a threat anytime he touches the ball and can really stretch a defense from sideline to sideline.

The focus for the week is going to be blocking and taking on blocks, Corpening said, noting our skill positions “have to get better at blocking for each other.”

The boys will next play at Rocky Mountain on Saturday, beginning at 10 a.m. Corpening said, “The boys lost a heartbreaker up there last year and I know they will be wanting to get some redemption this year.”