Bobcats fight hard at homecoming

The Thermopolis Bobcats fought hard against Wheatland at their Homecoming game, ending the night with a 28-14 loss.

Coach Matthew McPhie stated, "We moved the ball efficiently on offense and were hamstrung by penalties all night. We had 15 penalties called against us and must do a better job in this area.

"Offensively we were led by Logan Cole with 12 carries for 112 yards, and Chandler Maddock ran the ball 19 times for 88 yards.

"The key play may have come with time winding down in the first half as Wheatland intercepted a pass and returned it 93 yards for a touchdown."

The battle continued in the second half, and McPhie pointed out they had an opportunity to take the lead scoring early in the fourth quarter but failed to convert a two-point attempt leaving the score 15-14 Wheatland.

"The offense eclipsed 293 yards of offense compared to 263 for Wheatland," McPhie stated. "We understand that at the end of the night the only numbers that really matter are the ones lit up on the scoreboard, and we'll clean things up as we move forward."

Defensively the team was led by Jeffery VanAntwerp, Chandler Maddock, and Logan Cole.

"Wheatland was held to less than 100 yards rushing, but converted some big pass plays which led to some scores. Our goal remains unchanged as we move forward for the final three regular season games. We control our own destiny and must win Friday night vs. Newcastle to march toward playoff contention.

We've seen tremendous growth and improved play from our boys in the first 5 weeks, and although we've come up short on the scoreboard, our focus is unchanged, and we will continue to get better each week."

The team is on the road at Newcastle this week, with kickoff at 6 p.m., then return home for the final two weeks, against Glenrock on Friday, Oct. 12 and against Burns on Friday, Oct. 19.