Lovell Bulldogs fall to Thermopolis power game

The Lovell Bulldogs went toe to toe with a strong and physical Thermopolis squad in Thermop Friday night, and while the Bulldogs played well at times, consistency was an issue for a lineup beset by injuries and youth in certain areas, head coach Nicc Crosby said.

Already down two linemen and a defensive back, senior running back and defender (cornerback/linebacker) Chase Crosby suffered a shoulder injury early in the game and left the lineup, Crosby said, adding that Porter Blau and Travis Asay filled in on defense.

Lovell jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the first half but struggled to finish drives after that, turning the ball over on four of the team’s final five possessions.

“That’s a good, strong, physical football team, and we needed more offensive consistency to keep them off of the football field,” Crosby said. “It was great to jump out on them the way we did. Our defense, I feel like, hung really tough, but we lost another starter on our first defensive play (Chase Crosby). … Filling in for him on both sides of the ball was tricky. On offense, you need that chemistry, that timing, that rhythm, and just trying to find some formations that would give us that rhythm that we were looking for.”

Things looked good early for the Bulldogs. Lovell took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards to score as Matthew Newman and Cash Wassmer ran the ball hard and Kyson Crosby employed a crisp passing game, hitting Newman for 14 and Owen Walker for 29 yards and a touchdown on a play that saw the 6-6 receiver go high and battle defenders for the reception.

The PAT missed, but Lovell led 6-0 with 8:31 left in the first quarter.

Thermop picked up one first down on the first Bobcat series but had to punt, and Lovell fumbled on the second play of the ensuing series. Thermopolis then fumbled, and Owen Edwards recovered for the Bulldogs, who then marched 89 yards to score. The big play on the drive was a 37-yard pass to Newman, who reversed field and dashed to the Thermop 19.

After a two-yard completion to Newman, Walker juked a Bobcat defender and was wide open slashing across the field to score on a 17-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was blocked, and Lovell led 12-0 with 10:17 left in the second quarter.

A determined Thermopolis squad then started pounding the rock, with senior running back Bridger Peil and quarterback Cannon Boren leading an eight-play drive that culminated with a one-yard run by Peil. The PAT was good, and Lovell’s lead was cut in half, 12-7.

Thermop recovered an onside kick and advanced to the Lovell 35 but stalled. However, Boren picked off Lovell quarterback Crosby at midfield and returned the interception to the Lovell 23. Senior Nolan Collins swept around the end on the first play to score, and with the PAT, Thermop had the lead, 14-12, with 2:11 left in the first half.

Lovell was forced to punt on the following series, and Thermop quickly drove to the 20, but Walker picked off Boren in the end zone, ending the threat.

Second half struggles

The second half featured four turnovers between the two teams. The Bobcats took the second-half kickoff and drove to the Lovell 19 but fumbled, with Wassmer recovering. Lovell drove 55 yards to the Thermop 24 including hookups from Crosby to Walker for 41 yards and to Newman for 11. On the first play of the fourth quarter, however, Peil intercepted a Crosby aerial.

The Lovell defense forced Thermop three and out, but on the third play of the ensuing series, Crosby was intercepted on a deep ball. This time, Thermopolis capitalized, driving 73 yards for a touchdown, with Peil hitting pay dirt from five yards out. Thermop led 21-12.

Running the two-minute drill, Crosby led a drive that carried the Bulldogs to the Bobcat 16. Crosby completed five passes on the series, but in his sixth attempt, he was rushed hard and picked off again, ending the threat. Two kneel-downs later, Thermop had the win.

“They were dropping eight guys into coverage, and we’ve got five receivers, so there are lots of dudes to dodge, and we just needed to find a way to be a little bit more consistent with our running game to keep them honest,” Coach Crosby said. “I feel like we had some other formations where we had a favorable box to run the ball with and weren’t able to take advantage of it.”

Crosby said some players got out of position on defense in the first half, and other players tried to compensate, but the defense played much better in the second half.

“A big part of it early on was just doing our responsibilities,” he said. “I was a little bit worried, because we have different guys filling in, and so I think we had maybe some of our starters trying to compensate, doing some other people’s jobs. I think that got us a little bit, and then there was a stretch where we were getting blown off the ball, and we had our backers just not in the right gaps. There were a couple of dives where there was just nobody there. We just lost a little bit of discipline.

“I feel like the defense settled in in the second half and did a much better job. But triple options are difficult to defend when a team runs it well, and then you had the fact that they’re pretty big and physical, and we’re losing another starter. I think all those things kind of played into it.”

Crosby said the Bulldogs will continue to work hard to improve as they prepare for a home game against Worland.

“There’s lots of good to build on. We’ll just keep looking to improve and be more consistent on offense, see if we can do a better job of establishing the run. We’ve been great in stretches. It’s just some consistency. But I couldn’t be more proud of how they battled.

“It’s hard to complain with the effort and what they did to keep us in the game that second half, but as a team on both sides of the ball, it’s a matter of putting all four quarters together. We play in a very competitive league, and it’s just really important for us to be able to put one full game together. We’ve been looking really, really good in stretches. We just need to look really, really good for four quarters.”

Rushing prowess

The Bobcats rushed for 357 yards on 53 carries, unofficially, and they did not complete a pass.  Peil led the way with 136 yards on 24 carries, and Collins added 110 yard on nine carries, Boren 79 yards on 11 attempts.

The Bulldogs were more balanced. Crosby completed 15 of 28 passes for 209 yards. Newman caught seven passes for 85 yards, Walker six for 118 and Edwards two for six. The Bulldogs rushed for 67 yards, and Wassmer had five rushing carries for 28 yards, Newman eight for 23.

Home game

The Worland Warriors come to town for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday at Robertson Stadium. Crosby said the Warriors will also employ a power running game and are a physical squad, but they run more traditional sets and not as many “total heavy formations.” 

He added, “They’ve got an athletic quarterback, a very talented running back and a good offensive and defensive line.”

The Warriors come in 2-2 after beating Powell 23-20, falling to Thermop 14-10 and Pinedale 13-7, then beating Lyman 7-0. Like the Bulldogs, Worland will be looking to stay in the playoff hunt, Crosby said.