Austin Quin Martinez runs for a touchdown in the August 25 scrimmage against the Cokeville Panthers. Martinez scored the Rangers’ only touchdown. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)

Kemmerer scrimmaged against Cokeville on Friday, August 25. The final score for the zero-week game was 44–6 in favor of Cokeville.

“We aim to win each time we take the field,” said head coach Bart Jernigan. “We simply were too inconsistent and made too many big mistakes to be competitive against a high-quality opponent like Cokeville. Turnovers and big plays change games, and we came out on the wrong side of the ledger on Friday."

Junior Josh Thatcher was in the pocket as the Rangers quarterback.

Rangers quarterback Josh Thatcher runs the ball during the zero week scrimmage in Cokeville on Friday, August 25. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)

The crowd at the scrimmage was full of Kemmerer fans eager to show their support for the Rangers.

“It was awesome to see so many people travel to support the boys,” Jernigan said.

Cokeville’s offense showed up quickly, scoring within the first three minutes of the scrimmage — there’s a reason why the Panthers have been state champions four times this decade.

For the first half of Kemmerer offense, Hayden Walker and Anthony Tibbetts did a good job of picking up some first downs. Tibbetts is a strong ball carrier, and once the offensive line gets a little more comfortable blocking for him, he should be really fun to watch.

Defensive line / tight end Hayden Walker (#40), a junior, makes the tackle against a Cokeville ball carrier during the scrimmage on Friday, August 25. Kemmerer struggled against Cokeville’s tough offense. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)

The first quarter ended with a score of Cokeville 20, Kemmerer 0.

The second quarter saw some offensive confusion by the Rangers, who fumbled once and threw an interception right into the hands of Cokeville Panther Ammon Teichert. The Rangers brought him down quickly, however.

Jernigan used the scrimmage as a teaching opportunity for his players.

“If you’re not hitting somebody, that’s a problem,” Jernigan told one of his offensive linemen on the sideline.

Kemmerer Rangers football head coach Bart Jernigan encourages his team during the scrimmage. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)

Senior Louis Failoni had a good 2nd quarter carrying the ball to bring some life to the Ranger offense.

Thatcher fired a quick pass to Anthony Tibbetts for a first down to round out the first half and keep the score at 30-0.

The Rangers played better ball in the third quarter, holding Cokeville to one touchdown to close out the quarter at 37-0.

The Rangers finally put some points on the board in the fourth quarter with a touchdown run from freshman Austin Quin Martinez, and the Ranger crowd went wild.

The Rangers missed the kick, which brought the score to 37-6.

After another Cokeville touchdown late in the fourth quarter, the final score was 44-6.

The Rangers logged 263 total yards on offense, including 65 passing yards.

The Rangers kick off their official season this Friday, Sept. 1, with a home game against Saratoga at 5 p.m.

Kemmerer and Saratoga haven't played each other since 1992. Saratoga's only win against Kemmerer was in 1987.

“We look forward to this week’s game as an opportunity to improve ourselves individually and collectively as a team,” Jernigan said. “Saratoga is a good opponent.  We are excited to see how we react to the disappointment of last week. One of our big focuses this year is grit and mental toughness, so this is an excellent opportunity to see where we are at.”

Quin Tibbetts (#2) attempts to evade the Cokeville defense to gain a few yards on the play. (GAZETTE PHOTO / Michelle Tibbetts)