Football falls to Mountain View, looks forward to Lovell

Win Friday would secure p layoff spot

Theresa Davis, Gazette Editor
Posted 10/18/18

“I am excited to salute our seniors, give them a memorable last game at home, and play up to our potential this week,” Jernigan said. “It is going to be a great game and a great week.”

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Football falls to Mountain View, looks forward to Lovell

Win Friday would secure p layoff spot

Posted

Junior Dawson Schramm looks to pitch the ball to AQ Martinez in the Oct. 12 game against Mountain View. The Rangers fell to the Buffaloes, but have a chance to make it to the playoffs if they win Friday against Lovell.

On Friday, Oct. 12, the Rangers traveled to Mountain View to take on the defending state champion Buffaloes. Kemmerer managed to keep the score all tied up 0-0 through the first quarter, but then the home team hit their stride on offense. The Rangers fell to a tough Mountain View team 42–0, dropping their season record to 3–4 and boosting Mountain View’s season record to 6–1.

“Our kids flew around and played very inspired football in the early part of the game,” said Rangers head coach Bart Jernigan. “A lot of credit has to go to Coach Rogers for the game plan and prep he had for our young men. The only fields that Mountain View scored on were less than fifty yards, and that is a compliment to our defense’s effort.”

The Rangers are eager to bounce back from a four-game  losing streak to turn things around for the final regular season game of the year. Playoffs are on the line. Kemmerer hasn’t competed in a playoff game since 2012.

On Friday, Oct. 19, Kemmerer hosts Lovell at 4:00 p.m. Lovell is 1–6 on the season and is not eligible for the playoffs no matter the outcome of Friday’s game. Lovell’s only victory this season was against 1A Shoshoni.

But Friday’s game will determine not only if Kemmerer gets a playoff spot, but also if Pinedale earns a spot in post-season action. The Rangers beat Pinedale in their second game of the season.

Kemmerer and Pinedale are both 3–4 on the season. If Kemmerer beats Lovell on Friday, the Rangers earn the No. 4 seed and would travel to Buffalo for the first round of playoffs. A Kemmerer win would mean Pinedale is eliminated from the playoffs. Pinedale’s game against Wheatland on Oct. 19 is a non-conference game, so the outcome of that game has no effect on playoff seeding.

The Rangers would be eliminated with a loss against Lovell on Friday. If Kemmerer loses, Pinedale will slide into the No.4 seed and would travel to Buffalo for the first playoff game. Mountain View will face off against Greybull this week to battle for the No.1 seed in the playoffs.

Rangers head coach Bart Jernigan gives his team a pep talk during the Mountain View game. 

Rangers coach Bart Jernigan said he and his team are ready for Friday’s challenge.

“We are excited to be playing a game on Friday that has playoff ramifications,” Jernigan said. “There is an overall excitement from both players and coaches that we plan on harnessing in our preparations. This is an opportunity to accomplish something that hasn’t been done here in some time, and that fact is not lost on us.”

Jernigan reflected on last week’s loss against Mountain View  and how the Rangers will learn from that game to play better on Friday against Lovell.

“The things that hurt us most were penalties, turnovers, and an inability to flip the field offensively and on special teams,” Jernigan said. “When you face a team of Mountain View’s caliber, taking care of the ball and avoiding penalties are key.”

Kemmerer struggled again on offense in the contest against Mountain View. The Rangers had 51 yards of offense in the game, while Mountain View racked up 293 yards of offense.

“It is difficult enough to execute against the aggressive talent of Mountain View, but putting ourselves behind the sticks and giving away extra possessions put us in some bad positions,” Jernigan said. “We failed to move the ball consistently enough to make the field long for their offense and our special teams play was not at a high enough level to help us dictate field position either.”

Mountain View took advantage of those Kemmerer slip-ups throughout the game. The first half ended with Mountain View up 21-0, and then the third quarter with the Buffs up 35-0. The home team put the game away for a 42-0 victory.

Seniors Jeydon Boyd and Anthony Tibbetts block for AQ Martinez in the Oct. 12 game against Mountain View. The Rangers fell to the Buffaloes 42-0. Kemmerer plays Lovell at home on Friday, Oct. 19, at 4:00 p.m.

Kemmerer’s Jeydon Boyd led the team in solo tackles (5). Dawson Schramm, Hayden Walker and Thomas Archibald had four solo tackles each. Lowell Ellis and Anthony Tibbetts each contributed three solo tackles. Ellis also helped out on three tackles, and AQ Martinez assisted on two tackles.

But Jernigan said looking at the scoreboard isn’t an effective way of judging how the Rangers have grown as a team this season.

“Our schedule was heavily backloaded this year, and we knew ahead of the season that these would be games that would really test us,” Jernigan said. “Playing the third and second ranked teams in the state has given us some good perspective on where we need to improve, but we are far from through.”

Jernigan said he is proud of his team’s efforts week after week, despite facing some tough teams and picking up a few losses.

“We have had a lot of individual growth out of younger players who have been called to step in and fill spots for injured or otherwise unavailable players,” Jernigan said. “The measuring stick of the scoreboard is a fickle one, because playing great against some opponents still might net a loss and playing poorly against others may result in a win. On a measuring stick of collective and individual improvement, our boys have come forward this year, and we’d love to show that improvement this week.”

The Rangers have been hard at work preparing for Friday’s game. Jernigan and his team want a chance at post-season play, and they’re ready to win.

“Lovell is a quality program and demands our full attention,” Jernigan said. “With that in mind, our boys are focused in on their individual assignments and tasks for their respective responsibilities. The staff has put a sizable amount of prep into this game as well.”

Friday’s game against Lovell is also Kemmerer’s senior recognition game. The Ranger seniors this season are Hayden Walker, Donny Proffit, Lowell Ellis, Jeydon Boyd, Anthony Tibbetts, Josh Thatcher, Carson Carlson, TC Coles and Cameron Adams.

“I am excited to salute our seniors, give them a memorable last game at home, and play up to our potential this week,” Jernigan said. “It is going to be a great game and a great week.”

The Rangers take on Lovell at home on Friday, Oct. 19, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m.

Senior Lowell Ellis brings down Mountain View's Kimball Madsen in Friday's game.