BUFFALO — The Green River Wolves are 2-0 for the first time since 2017 after defeating the Buffalo Bison 21-13 on the road Friday night, continuing a strong start to the Brennan Walk era.
The Wolves also picked up their first win over Buffalo since 2020, when Green River defeated the Bison 8-6 in a tight matchup. Buffalo answered the following year with a 20-19 victory, but Green River reclaimed the upper hand in the series Friday night. The win moves the Wolves to 6-2 all time against Buffalo and 4-1 in games played in Buffalo, with their only road loss coming in the 2021 matchup.
Friday’s game was the fifth one-score finish between the two programs in their eight meetings.
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Green River built an 8-0 lead before Buffalo rallied in the second quarter to take a 13-8 advantage into halftime. The Wolves answered after the break, scoring six points in the third quarter and seven in the fourth to finish off the comeback. Green River scored in every quarter, with five points in the first, three in the second, six in the third and seven in the fourth.
Quintin Brown led the Wolves on the ground with 18 carries for 78 yards and a 20-yard touchdown. Hayden Smith added 35 yards on three attempts, while Noah Hemphill rushed four times for 20 yards. Brylan Ginestar also contributed 31 rushing yards on eight carries while making his second career start at quarterback.
Ginestar completed 8 of 17 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown, though he also threw one interception. His touchdown pass went to Irie Kuball for a 13-yard score. Kuball finished with four receptions for 52 yards and also handled the kicking duties, making two of three field-goal attempts. He connected from 37 and 21 yards while missing a 44-yard attempt.
While the Green River offense did enough to produce the win, the Wolves’ defense played a major role in keeping Buffalo from generating consistent offense. The Bison finished with 269 total yards, including just 58 rushing yards, as Green River limited Buffalo’s ground game throughout the night.
Hayden Geis made his first start at quarterback for Buffalo after Isaac Andreen started the Bison’s previous game against Cody and accounted for 227 yards of total offense. Geis completed 19 of 45 passes for 211 yards and threw two interceptions, while Buffalo finished with 13 first downs compared with 11 for Green River.
Jonah Friebel and Hayden Smith each intercepted Geis, helping the Wolves prevent Buffalo from turning its passing volume into more points. The Bison did have a 48-yard touchdown pass from Geis to Cruz Morales, while Caleb Mock led Buffalo’s rushing attack with seven carries for 30 yards and an 18-yard touchdown.
Green River’s defense ultimately held Buffalo to one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown while forcing two interceptions. The Wolves’ ability to stop the run and create turnovers helped them protect their lead in the second half and secure their second victory of the season.
The 2-0 start marks Green River’s first since 2017 and gives the Wolves an early opportunity to build on their best start in nine years.
Green River will return home next week as they host Douglas.
