BRIDGER VALLEY– Lyman and Mountain View have been two of the most dominant football teams in recent years with three state championships in the last four years between the two. They both had a chance to make the championship game this year with many thinking they could have a rematch of the 1999 state championship when both teams faced off for the title. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen as Lyman and Mountain View lost their semifinal games this weekend.
Here are some post-game thoughts
Lyman Falls in Semifinal Rematch
The Eagles who have won two state championships in the last three years found themselves in Big Horn a lot recently.
Last year, the Eagles and the Rams competed in the semifinals in a closely contested match. The final score was 7-0 with Big Horn knocking off the defending back-to-back state champions. Big Horn would win the state championship against Lovell the following week.
This year, the Eagles looked to get some revenge from last year’s game and return to the championship. The Eagles would start strong scoring the first touchdown of the game to make the score 6-0 after failing a two-point conversion. After this touchdown, they tried an onside kick and wouldn’t recover but they did secure an interception three plays later.
All momentum was on the Eagles side, but the Rams held strong and forced an interception of their own. This was all Big Horn needed to take advantage of their home-field advantage. They would go on to score 34 points unanswered and snagged a total of five interceptions in the game.
It was a hard game for the Eagles, but they stayed resilient and put on one final drive that resulted in a touchdown and a two-point conversion with only 8 seconds left to make the score 34-14.
It was a nice moment for fans and players alike to put on one final drive for the seniors who have been to 2 state championships and four semifinal games in their four years of high school football.
Mountain Views Undefeated Season Grinds to a Halt
The Buffalos have been one of, if not the best team in the state all year. They were led by sophomore Quarterback Justus Platts and a great group of senior leadership which helped keep the team laser-focused all year.
The Buffalos had an amazing year coming off a solid end to the season last year when the Buffalos lost to the Big Horn Rams 28-26 in the quarterfinals. This gave the team some momentum moving forward as they were a relatively young team.
This year they were amazing going 10-0 heading into this year’s semifinals against Torrington. These two faced off only one other time in history which was in 2020 for that year’s semifinals where Mountain View would fall but Lyman would beat Torrington the next week in the championship game.
Heading into this week’s game a lot of people expected the streak to continue as the Buffalos have had an undefeated season before with Head Coach Brent Walk back in 2019. The Trailblazers had different plans. Torrington came out hot, scoring 13 points in a hurry to put the Buffalos on their heels. Mountain View would end up making it a little closer by putting up 9 points in the second quarter.
Going into the second half both teams went at it trading scores back and forth. Unfortunately for the home team Buffalos there just wasn’t enough time as the final score ended up being 25-19 in favor of Torrington.
These kinds of losses are always hard to swallow and some would say losing in a close game is worse than a blowout because it was within your reach. I think that this is always hard for the kids, especially the seniors but for the school and the community, I believe the Buffalos will be a dominant team for the next few years.
To the Seniors
I’ve had the pleasure of being the play-by-play broadcaster for the Bridger Valley Game of the Week with The Radio Network for two seasons now, covering both Lyman and Mountain View. You have been some of the most electric players to watch in the state and I consider myself extremely lucky to have watched some of you guys take your first and last varsity snap. I just wish that you guys played at different times all the so I could watch both of you guys every week. I know that it is hard right now, but everyone in our community is proud of how much you’ve accomplished this year. I know I will see some of you guys again for basketball but for the ones that I won’t see I just wanted to say thank you guys for giving me excitement each week and supporting my career these last two years. I will miss you all!
Thank you
Sam Gregory
Caleb Smith
Brody Hale
Xander Lyman
Carter Bradshaw
Kyce Hurdsman
Morgan Hatch
Rustin Vangieson
Paxton Walker
Jayce Schultz
Carson Eardley
Rueben Titmus
Gus Roden
Fletcher Black
Bodey Fraughton
Konnor Staley
Tyler Mair
Colter Bindl
Coby Jones
