ROCK SPRINGS — The Rock Springs Tigers battled back from multiple deficits Friday night, but Thunder Basin scored on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter and held on for a 26-20 victory at Rock Springs High School.

Neither team scored in the opening quarter, but the Bolts broke through early in the second when Jacob Wipf scored on a 2-yard touchdown run with 10:26 left in the half. Crew Damori added the extra point to give Thunder Basin a 7-0 lead.

Rock Springs answered immediately. Ezra Horgen took a counter run 75 yards for a touchdown, the first varsity touchdown of his career, tying the game at 7. Thunder Basin regained the lead later in the quarter when Damori connected on a 40-yard field goal with 6:25 remaining, but the Tigers responded again before halftime.

With 27 seconds left in the half, Boston James scored on an 8-yard run to put Rock Springs ahead 14-10. The Bolts received the ensuing kickoff and moved into field-goal range, however, allowing Damori to connect on a 38-yarder as time expired and cut the Tigers’ lead to 14-13 at halftime.

Thunder Basin took the lead again in the third quarter when Wipf broke free for a 95-yard touchdown run with three minutes remaining in the quarter. The touchdown put the Bolts ahead 20-14. Rock Springs answered midway through the fourth quarter when James scored his second touchdown of the night, this time on a 24-yard run. The extra point was blocked, leaving the game tied at 20.

The Bolts then delivered the decisive play on the ensuing kickoff. Gracin Peak returned the kick for a touchdown, but Thunder Basin missed the extra point, giving the Bolts a 26-20 lead with 6:27 remaining. Rock Springs could not produce another scoring drive, and Thunder Basin held on for the six-point victory.

James led the Tigers’ ground game with 41 carries for 161 yards and two touchdowns. Horgen added 81 yards on four carries, including his 75-yard touchdown, while Kaleb Praytor rushed 10 times for 47 yards and Jernee Padilla had 43 yards on 10 carries. Rock Springs attempted only four passes in the rainy conditions. Kason Cahill completed two for 10 yards.

Thunder Basin relied heavily on its ground game as well. Wipf carried four times for 124 yards and two touchdowns, including the 95-yard score, while Zander Kumm had 13 carries for 20 yards. The Bolts completed five of seven passes for 104 yards.

The loss dropped Rock Springs to 0-4 on the season, while Thunder Basin improved to 1-3.

The Tigers will travel to Kelly Walsh next week.