Green River Falls to Powell in Homecoming Game After Strong First Half

Green River Falls to Powell in Homecoming Game After Strong First Half

Dax Taylor. SweetwaterNOW photo by Stephanie Peterson

GREEN RIVER — The Green River Wolves started strong but couldn’t keep pace with the Powell Panthers in their homecoming and final home game of the season, falling 57-17 in a game that turned heavily in Powell’s favor in the second half.

Green River struck first, as quarterback Max Hintz connected with Evan Maser for a 24-yard touchdown on the Wolves’ opening drive, giving them a 7-0 lead with 9:20 left in the first quarter. Powell quickly responded with a two-yard touchdown run from Trevon Abraham, tying the game at 7-7.

The Wolves’ momentum quickly shifted when Dusty Carter forced and recovered a fumble on Green River’s next play, setting the Panthers up at the Wolves’ 18-yard line. Just a few plays later, McKale Foley caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Powell quarterback Keona Wisniewski, putting the Panthers up 14-7.

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Green River answered before the end of the first quarter. With 2:20 remaining, Jaydon Walther broke through for a six-yard touchdown run, tying the game once again at 14-14. That score held until the first play of the second quarter when Wisniewski ran in a two-yard touchdown on a broken play to give Powell a 21-14 lead.

The Wolves’ next drive featured a historic moment as Max Hintz found Dax Taylor over the middle for a 21-yard reception. The catch broke Dax’s older brother Dylan Taylor’s record for most receptions in a single season in Green River Wolves football history.

Check out the catch that gave Dax the record here.

Despite the milestone, the Wolves couldn’t reach the end zone that drive. Later on in the quarter, the Wolves settled for a 31-yard field goal by Doak with two minutes left in the half to cut the deficit to 21-17.

At halftime, the Wolves were still within striking distance, but Powell took control in the second half, outscoring Green River 36-0 the rest of the way. By the end of the third quarter, the Panthers had stretched their lead to 36-17, and they added more points in the fourth quarter to finish with a 57-17 victory.

Offensively, Green River struggled to find a rhythm, finishing with 54 rushing yards and 130 passing yards. They did have decent success on special teams with 149 return yards. Jaydon Walther led the Wolves on the ground with 50 yards on 13 carries and one touchdown. Max Hintz completed 11 of 22 passes for 130 yards, throwing one touchdown but also two costly interceptions. Evan Maser led the team with 45 receiving yards and a touchdown, tying with Dax Taylor for the team lead in receptions with three each. Walther and Maser both earned TRN Media’s Offensive Player of the Game for their efforts.

Powell dominated the ground game, rushing for 264 yards as a team while adding 137 yards through the air.

On defense, Dom Hamel led the Wolves with 21 defensive points, recording 11 tackles and two tackles for loss, earning TRN Media’s Defensive Player of the Game. Jace Stewart added 17 defensive points with eight tackles and a fumble recovery.

After the game, Wolves head coach Blaine Christensen reflected on his team’s performance.

“Our guys are going in the right direction, you could see it in the first half,” he told TRN Media’s Erick Pauley. Despite the lopsided second half, Christensen remained optimistic about his team’s effort and resilience.

The Wolves will look to regroup as they prepare for the final stretch of the season with Cody and Star Valley on the road to close out the regular season.

Check out some photos from the Wolves’ final home game of the season below.