Rocky gridders finish season undefeated

By: 
David Peck
Wrapping up a perfect season, the Rocky Mountain Middle School eighth-grade football team clobbered Thermopolis in Thermop Saturday, 44-12.

The Rocky scoring plays included what coach Justin Moss called the Rocky Special, a reverse throwback from running back Cooper Ward to end Cooper Winland, who then threw to quarterback Mason Moss out of the backfield for a 48-yard touchdown pass. Ward ran in the two-point conversion.

Other scoring plays were a 34-yard run by Ward (Moss to Winland pass for two points), a 26-yard pass from Moss to Ryan Grant, a 41-yard run by Ward (Moss to Jaxon Hayes for two), an eight-yard run by Cache Thompson (Moss to Zach Unruh for two) and a 68-yard run by Ward.

The Grizzly eighth grade finished the season 7-0, seventh grade 5-0 and sixth grade 1-1, making the program 13-1 on the season.

“We had a great bunch of eighth grade linemen in John Mader, Evin Clendenen, Alex Walker, Leland Hetland and Gary Gardner,” coach Moss said. “This group of men owned the trenches both offensive and defensively.

“We had great receivers who blocked downfield for each other, each catching multiple balls, in Cooper Winland, Jaxon Hayes, Ryan Grant, Ethan Haslem and Kreegan Jones. Our backs were fast and physical: Cooper Ward, Zach Unruh, Cache Thompson and Nathan Undem. Quarterback Mason Moss provided leadership, running, throwing and thinking.

“I was proud of our crew going 7-0 and beating bigger schools Thermop, Lovell and Cody. They were great players and even better individuals. They brought the juice each day and set the standard for our younger boys.”

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