Middle school football sees perfect season

On Saturday, the Thermopolis Middle School Bobcats took a 44-28 win against Greybull, capping off a perfect 7-0 season.

Regarding Saturday's game, coach Shane Corpening said it was a pretty "back and forth" game, the biggest thing was for the players to pick themselves up as a team and ride through the low points while riding the momentum changes.

"It seemed like Greybull had all the momentum," Corpening said. "Our defense came up with a huge stop and our offense was able to answer."

Corpening added Roedy Farrell played one of his better games this season at running back, and Eli McCumber had an impressive catch off his helmet right before halftime. Corpening said Wyatt McDermott and Adley Coyne also played well and the offensive line did a great job.

"Greybull was, without a doubt, the best team we've seen probably all year. They're pretty physical, pretty tough to stop on offense, but our offensive line did a good job giving our running back some lanes and holes, things like that."

Overall, Corpening said, the season went really well and the boys got better as it went along. He added it would be interesting to go back to the start of the season and compare it to the end. "Everybody individually and then as a team, the growth was huge. That's definitely a testament to the boys' work ethic and the effort they put into the season. 7-0 is tough to beat so I find it hard to complain too much about that."

Corpening said the sky is the limit for the eighth grade class as they move on to high school, and they will get what they deserve if they put the work in. He's excited to follow them in their athletic careers.

As for seventh grade students, the coach said Roedy Farrell was one of their best defensive players and did well this year on offense as running back, so Corpening's excited to see him return next year. Gavin Shumway is also one to watch, as Corpening noted he played well both ways.

It's definitely tough, Corpening said, to be losing almost the entire offensive line, with Chase Moeller the only expected returner. Regarding oncoming sixth graders, he wasn't able to watch them play so he's not sure what to expect. "I see some big kids in the hallway, which is good to see."

Corpening also encourages the boys to go out for other sports, whether track, basketball or wrestling. He'd like to put together some kind of program for either the spring or summer that's focused more on technique rather than weights. Some of the boys were asking at Saturday's game about getting into the weight room, and Corpening suggested they take a week off.

Scores from the 7-0 season include:

Shoshoni - 42-0

Lander - 42-8

Rocky Mountain - 42-0

Worland - 20-14

Cloud Peak - 42-8

Lovell - 34-14

Greybull - 44-28