Grizz run Saratoga ragged in first round of playoffs

In what is shaping up to be a postseason of rematches, the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies took care of business in the first round of the Class 1A, 9-man playoffs Friday evening, stopping the Saratoga Panthers on the road, 27-7.

The win was the second this season over the Panthers for the Grizz, having dispatched them at home in September, 42-8, and it sets up a rematch at Greybull on Friday, with the kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.

The Grizzlies never trailed in the game and, in fact, built a 20-0 lead by halftime. Rocky took the opening kickoff and marched 65 yards to score. Junior Sam Loyning burst for 19 yards on the first play of the game, perfectly executing a jet sweep, and senior Will Watts went for 12 on a similar play later in the drive. Other than that, it was mostly the Triffen Jolley show as the senior running back carried the ball five times for 43 yards including a four-yard touchdown run. Watts’ PAT put Rocky up 7-0 with 9:26 left in the first quarter.

“We ran the ball against them so well the first time that I was like, well, we might as well just try to do that again,” head coach Jessee Wilson said. “We had known that Saratoga was the number one defense in the state going into the game, so they had made some major improvements in what they have done. It wasn’t necessarily any changes in scheme, but I think it was where they were putting guys. And so a lot of the stuff that we ran, we did because we thought we could win those individual battles at different positions on the field.

“We like to run the jet sweep, and I thought we had the speed to do it, and they really packed in the box. They crowd the line with their linebackers, so we thought we could get the edge on them. If we could just get one, maybe two, blocks on the edge, that jet sweep was going to go, and it did. We were able to do that pretty well against them.”

Saratoga went three and out on the first series for the home team as big Alex Walker deflected a third-and-nine screen pass, and the Grizz drove 65 yards to score again. Jolley gained 34 yards on the drive, and the Grizz added quarterback Mason Moss and sophomore Cooper Ward to the mix, including a 12-yard connection between the two on third and eight to the Saratoga 5-yard line. Jolley scored from there, and though the PAT missed, Rocky Mountain led 13-0 late in the first quarter.

“It’s just all kind of game flow and just watching to see how they react to different things,” Wilson said of new plays on the second drive. “We’re always looking for space on the field, and I always try to motion them to death, honestly, because they’ve got to either pass it off or they’ve got to chase that motion all the way across the field, and it’s going to give you leverage on the other side. So on that little out route to Cooper we used a lot of motion.”

Defense dominated play for both teams until Jolley executed a game-changer in the final minute of the half, busting loose for a 67-yard gain to set up his own three-yard touchdown run. Rocky led 20-0 at halftime.

Second half

Saratoga found something on offense in the third quarter, twice driving deep into Rocky Mountain territory, only to be turned away. The first drive ended with an incomplete pass at the Rocky Mountain 15, and the second ended with a Moss interception in the end zone.

The Grizz had some execution issues on the ensuing drive and gave Saratoga a somewhat short field after failing to convert on fourth down. The Panthers capitalized by driving 59 yards to score on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 7:19 left to play, making the score 20-7.

“With a big lead, we were playing a little soft, because we didn’t want to give up a big play,” Wilson said. “And so, if they were going to score, it wasn’t going to be on a big play. And so it ended up working out pretty good for us, because I think the drive that they did end up scoring on took probably six minutes off the clock.

“We wanted to shorten the game, because I knew a couple of our guys were dinged up a little bit, and I said let’s just take our time here, so we didn’t get real crazy with things. I had a lot more stuff in the game plan.”

A determined Grizz then put the game away, driving 72 yards as Jolley gained 53 yards on four carries including a 40-yard run that set up a two-yard Moss keeper for the touchdown, sealing the 27-7 win with 3:35 to play, followed by an interception by Jaxson Miller to take away all Saratoga hope.

Recapping the game, Wilson said the game was an excellent win for the Grizz, noting that Saratoga had six weeks to improve and had just beaten a playoff team (Lingle) the week before to earn the third seed. He said he was pleased with the overall effort, led by the seniors.

“They want to win,” he said. “They don’t want to be done playing football. And I think because they are such good leaders, their teammates don’t want to be done, either. And so it’s exciting.”

Jolley gashed the Panthers for 232 yards rushing on 22 carries, and Ward added 41 yards on 10 carries, Moss 26 yards, Loyning 19 and Watts 12. Moss completed three of eight passes for 26 yards, two to Colten Bitton for 14 yards and one to Ward for 12.

Miller led the team with 19 defensive points. Jolley and Moss added 16 points each, Landon Pruett 14, Tayt Beall 12 and Bitton 11.

Greybull rematch

Now 6-3 and on a three-game winning streak, the Grizz have a much shorter trip for the playoff semifinals, heading to undefeated Greybull Friday. Greybull advanced Friday by clobbering Lusk 57-14.

The Grizzlies fell to the Buffs 22-14 on October 10 in Greybull but feel they missed some opportunities. Wilson expects another brawl.

“This game’s going to be won on the line of scrimmage, and it’s going to be a tough and physical brawl, because, you know, these games between us and Greybull are always hard hitting,” he said. “They’re physical. They’re emotional. I think for us it’s utilizing the excitement and that energy and not making mistakes; that was the difference the last time we played them. We had a couple turnovers, and that put us in a tough position. So this week we’ve got to be fundamental, and the team that makes the fewest mistakes will probably be the team that ends up winning.”

Greybull’s wishbone offense features a four-headed monster in the form of quarterback Caden Hunt, fullback Caiden Sorenson and halfbacks Bennett Sanford and Jesse Brown.

“The wishbone offense that they run is tough because, the same play can be two or three different plays,” Wilson said. “And it just comes down to being disciplined and playing assignment sound football.

“I’m excited, being able to play in Greybull. I’d much rather play here, obviously, but that’s about the best-case scenario as far as playoff matchups go. I think it’s going to be a pretty fun atmosphere, because I’m sure a lot of people are going to show up.”