CHEYENNE — The Tigers showed fight in the second half but couldn’t overcome their early mistakes in a 32-6 loss to Cheyenne Central during a Friday night Zero Week matchup.
The Tigers tried to surprise the Indians from the opening kick, attempting an onside boot by Cameron Blake. Rock Springs nearly recovered, but Central fell on the ball at midfield to set up its first drive. The Indians moved inside the red zone before settling for a 32-yard field goal by senior Dane Pedersen to go up 3-0 with 7:38 left in the first quarter.
Rock Springs’ first offensive series quickly turned costly. After starting at their own 20, the Tigers went backward on three plays before a high snap on the punt attempt rolled through the end zone for a safety, putting Central ahead 5-0.
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The Indians capitalized on the momentum, setting up at the Tigers’ 45 after the free kick went out of bounds. Senior wingback Jack DiManna, at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, powered in from a yard out for the first touchdown of the night, giving Central a 12-0 lead late in the first.
Offensive miscues continued to plague Rock Springs in the opening half, including three fumbled snaps. The Tigers’ best chance came late in the second quarter when first-year quarterback Kason Cahill connected with Karsten Shassetz on a 42-yard completion down the left hash to the Central 27. But the drive stalled, and Central forced a fumble on fourth down to preserve its two-score lead at halftime.
Central extended its advantage in the third quarter as quarterback Owen Woods settled in. Woods hit DiManna on a short touchdown pass midway through the period, then later connected with Austin Teasley on a 19-yard strike to stretch the lead to 25-0. A late interception by Kaleb Henne set up another score as Tyrone Richards powered in from two yards early in the fourth to make it 32-0.
Rock Springs finally broke through midway in the fourth. Cahill exploded for a 46-yard run up the middle to the one-yard line, and junior Boston James finished the drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge. The Tigers’ two-point try failed, but they cut the deficit to 32-6 with 6:31 remaining.
You can check out the big run by Cahill that set up the first touchdown of the season below.
After the score, neither team scored again, bringing the Tigers to 0-1 to start the season.
Central finished with 211 total yards — 112 rushing and 99 passing — while going 6-for-16 on third down and converting its lone fourth-down try. Rock Springs totaled 173 yards, with 121 on the ground and 52 through the air and went 1-for-8 on third down.
Individually, Cahill led the Tigers with 58 rushing yards on eight carries in his starting quarterback debut, while James added 40 yards and the team’s lone touchdown. Jernee Padilla chipped in 22 yards on the ground.
Rock Springs (0-1) will travel to Casper next week to face Natrona County in a Week 1 matchup.
