Bobcats upset No. 1 Mountain View

The Bobcat varsity football had a tough assignment last weekend – take down the number one ranked Mountain View Buffalos. In what would prove to be a challenging, yet rewarding game at Leroy Hayes Field, the Cats emerged victorious on Friday night. With significant contributions from up and down the roster, the Bobcats came away with a 13 to 6 victory.

The Buffs came into Thermopolis with an undefeated record, having pretty much sailed their way around the 2A West Conference, and were looking to extend their win streak to eight games. The Bobcats, on the other hand, were 3 and 3 overall coming into the game, and were 2 and 3 in the conference - with ground to make up to have a shot at making the playoffs this year.

The Buffalos are a well-coached and powerful team, which has had success throughout the season, however, coming off their overtime win in Lyman the week before, the Cats were upbeat going in to the game, and displayed courage and confidence from the git-go.

Mountain View won the toss and elected to kick off, giving the Cats first shot at the scoring. Chris Arends had a great run-back and then contributed two good runs for some ground gains, however, the Cats went three and out.

In their first possession, the Buffalos drove the ball 85 yards for a touch-down, but missed on the PAT attempt. On their second possession, the Bobcats put together a long, and time-consuming, drive that ended in an interception by Mountain View – leaving the Cats down by 6 at the end of the first quarter.

In their third possession of the first half, the Cats began a drive at the end of the first quarter from their own 34 yard line. An exciting keeper, by quarterback, Armani Dukes, quickly moved the ball to the Mountain View 19. A targeted pass to Dell Dukes then took the ball to the 2 yard line, and from there, Armani Dukes punched the ball into the end-zone for a touch-down. A successful PAT put the Cats up by 7 to 6 at halftime.

At halftime, seven outstanding seniors were honored for their efforts to make the Hot Springs County High School football program a success: Dell Dukes, Zane Stam, Ryan Arends, Chris Arends, Logan Dafoe, Brody Sorensen and Lance Axtell.

Thermopolis kicked off to Mountain View to open the second half. Mountain View began their drive from their own 34. On the Buffalos first play from scrimmage, Dell Dukes intercepted a pass attempt – running the ball back to Mountain View's 28 yard line. The offense then took over, scoring a second touch-down on a pass to Zane Stam. The PAT was unsuccessful, and the Cats then led by a score of 13-6.

No other scoring would occur in the game, as the Cats defense held strong against the Buffalo's powerful offense. The Bobcat offense helped out with several sustained drives that, while not resulting in additional points, ate up critical time on the clock.

Overall it was a great victory for the home team. Key plays by both the offense and the defense contributed to the outcome. Dell Dukes played exceptionally well on offense, and contributed two interceptions on defense, and a timely tackle for a loss. Chris Arends and Ryan Arends each contributed significant ground gains that helped keep the Bobcats offense on the field. Armani Dukes had both a rushing touch-down, and a passing touch-down. Brody Sorensen made a very timely sack, to force a punt by Mountain View. Nollin Collins made blocks that allowed the running and passing game to be successful.

Time of possession favored the home team, who utilized exceptional clock management, to leave the Buffalos sorely in need of unavailable time to make a come-back in the second half.

After the game, coach Boone Bowker, commented, "The team just played. They showed they can handle a very potent team. They played the game for each other, and they held each other accountable."

The Bobcats will now take on Pinedale on Friday, Oct. 25 in an away game that will round out the football season. With Worland losing to Cokeville last weekend, it will all come down to this weekend's contests to see who will make it into the playoffs.

Worland will play Kemmerer on Friday night. The Cats will need Kemmerer to come away with a win to see their hopes of a play-off berth continue.