Rocky falls to Lusk 22-12 after game changing interception

In what felt more like a hot summer day than fall football weather, the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies dropped their home opener to the Lusk Tigers, 22-12, on Friday. A crucial interception return for a touchdown just before halftime swung the momentum in favor of Lusk and led to Rocky Mountain’s second half struggles.

The Grizzlies struck first with quarterback Lafe Files connecting on a 59-yard touchdown pass to William Watts on the opening drive, giving Rocky Mountain a 6-0 lead. A Lusk defender tried to bat down a deep Files pass, but the ball flew directly to Watts, who then burst for pay dirt.

Lusk quickly responded with a 37-yard touchdown pass from Smith, tying the game at 6-6, then taking the lead on a two-point conversion by Kupke, 8-6.

Rocky Mountain fought back behind running back Triffen Jolley, who rushed for 164 yards on 21 carries. Jolley broke free for a 19-yard touchdown run to retake the lead for Rocky, 12-8, at the end of the first quarter.

As the second quarter wore on, penalties and mistakes started to mount for Rocky Mountain, but they maintained their slim lead until a pivotal moment just before halftime. Files dropped back for a pass, but Lusk’s Smith intercepted it and returned the ball 43 yards for a touchdown. The pick-six gave Lusk a 14-12 lead heading into the break with a surge of momentum.

“That was a huge turning point,” head coach Jessee Wilson said. “We were moving the ball well, and I was trying to steal a possession before halftime because we were set to receive the ball after the break. The Lusk defender made a great play, and that really changed the game.” 

Lusk carried that momentum into the second half, scoring one more touchdown in the third quarter — a 16-yard pass from Smith to Miller and a two-point conversion by Assman - putting the game out of reach at 22-12.

Head coach Wilson emphasized that turnovers were a key factor in the loss, including the interception that turned the game around.

“The number one metric in determining the outcome of a game is the turnover margin,” Wilson said. “Lusk is a good football team with solid athletes, and when you give them chances like we did, it’s hard to recover, especially against a team like that.”

Files finished with six completions on 13 attempts for 134 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Grizzlies also committed two fumbles and were hurt by several penalties that stalled promising drives.

Despite the loss, there were bright spots for Rocky Mountain. Jolley led a rushing attack that totaled over 200 yards, and Watts, Mason Moss, and Joaquin Scheeler contributed to the passing game with significant receptions.

On defense, Tayt Beall led the team with 3.5 tackles and 1 sack, while Moss added 2.5 tackles and forced a fumble.

“We did a lot of things well. We rushed for over 200 yards and threw for over 100, but the mistakes hurt us,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to clean up the turnovers and penalties. The key now is learning from this and improving every week.” 

The Grizzlies are off this week but will look to bounce back in their next game as they focus on correcting mistakes and building on the positives from Friday’s performance when they play at Greybull on Thursday, Sept. 19.