by nathan oster
Playoff football returned to Greybull Friday night after a 20-year absence, and the hosts certainly made sure the fans who packed the east bleachers got their money’s worth.
The Buffs overcame an early deficit, exploding for 35 points in the second and third quarters en route to a 42-20 thumping of visiting Big Horn in the opening round of the Class 2A football playoffs.
The win propelled the 8-1 Buffs to the semifinals, where they will face top-ranked Glenrock Friday. The winner will advance to the 2A championship game, which will be played Nov. 13 at War Memorial Stadium on the UW campus in Laramie.
As kickoff approached, the Buffs were a confident bunch.
“Our kids had a great week of practice, and we all felt like they were going to go out there and give a great effort,” said Coach John Cundall.
Early on Friday night, the Buffs’ resolve was tested.
When the two teams met in Week 1, they combined for just 13 points, with Greybull winning 7-6 in a game in which Big Horn scored its only touchdown on a punt return.
The Ram offense was more productive in the rematch —especially early. The Rams were on the Greybull 2 late in the first when Wes Ridgway and a host of others stuffed a fourth-down running play to halt the drive.
Moments later, the Rams were knocking on the door again after recovering a Greybull fumble on the opening play of the second quarter.
This time, the Rams cashed it in on a 4-yard run by Devin Rougeau, making the score 6-0.
The Buffs didn’t panic, however. When they got the ball back, the Buffs drove 73 yards for the equalizer. The first of many big runs by quarterback Clay Cundall, this one covering 41 yards, was a key play on the drive, which ended when Austin Frazier raced 24 yards on a counter with 6:42 left in the second quarter.
The Buffs extended their lead less than a minute later, turning an interception by Ryan Winkler into points on a 36-yard run by Cundall at the 5:58 mark.
The Rams closed the gap to two, at 14-12, on a touchdown strike from Colby Wollenman to Rougeau, but it was all Greybull from there.
The Buffs moved in front 21-12 on a 2-yard run by Cundall with less than a minute to play before halftime, and reeled off 21 unanswered points in the second half to put the game away. The scores came on runs by Cundall, Chayce Goton and Shane Clucas.
With the outcome no longer in doubt, the Rams put together two long drives in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to trim the gap to 42-20.
Compared to the first game, it was a shootout.
“The two games were parallels in some respects,” said Cundall. “They moved the ball a little more than us in the first game as well, especially early on.
“But both times the longer the game went, the more our defense settled in and the more our offensive line was able to take over.”
The guys up front — Wes Ridgway, Seth Hoblit, Miguel Mendez, Alex Aguilar, Cody Duffy, and tight end Hayden Goton — created running room for the Greybull backs, who responded with a 410-yard performance.
Cundall was a one-man wrecking crew, carrying the ball 15 times for 246 yards. Four of his runs covered 30 yards or more, breaking the backs of the Rams.
Goton, the fullback, continued his late-season rushing surge, gaining 92 yards on 20 attempts.
Cundall credited Big Horn for having a “a seasoned bunch, with good skill kids. They did get some yards, but I felt our defense hung in there against them.”
With the win secured, Cundall reflected on what it meant for the program. “It was an electric atmosphere, really charged with a lot of emotion,” he said. “There was an edge on the field and on the sidelines that let you know how much was riding on it.
“It was a huge win for our kids. To put themselves in a position to host a playoff game, and then see it through, they just deserve a lot of credit. My assistant coaches, too. It was a lot of fun.”

This week
Glenrock will bring a winning tradition into Friday night’s game. The Herders have made it to the semifinal round each of the past four seasons, winning the 3A crown last year after coming up short in the title game in 2007.
This year, the Herders were ranked No. 1 all season after opening with a convincing 26-6 win over Kemmerer. They will enter Friday’s game with a perfect 9-0 record — and with an offense that was statistically the best in 3A this season.
Glenrock crushed Lovell 38-7 last week and has had just one close game all season, slipping past Thermopolis 32-26 in Week 3. The Herders’ lowest point total all season was the 26 they hung on Kemmerer in Week 1. In their next eight wins, they scored 40 or more points five times.
“Nobody has slowed them down all year, so obviously that creates quite a challenge,” said Cundall. “We will have to go down, play with great intensity and be fundamentally sound.”
Led by running back Austin Smith, the Herders paced the 3A ranks in total offense, averaging 421 yards per game during the regular season.   
“Obviously, they really run the ball well,” said Cundall.
“To win, we have to do the same things as  always. We have to take care of the football. We need to establish ourselves at the line of scrimmage, play with a low pad level, watch our angles of pursuit, those sorts of things. And special teams are always key — we need to take care of the field position.”
Kickoff in Glenrock is set for 7 p.m.  As a WHSAA activity, admission fees of $4 for adults and $2 for kids will again be charged. If you don’t make the trip, an audio-only feed will be available on TCT’s channel 59, with the pregame show starting at 6:45 p.m.
“The kids are excited, that’s for sure,” said Cundall. “They worked very hard to put themselves in this position. You talk about sweat equity. Nobody was going to give them this. They had to earn it. And they certainly have done that. And yet, we have a lot more work to do.

Big Horn    0 12   0 8 — 20
Greybull    0 21 14 7 — 42
BH — Devin Rougeau 4 run (kick failed).
G — Austin Frazier 24 run (Frazier kick).
G — Clay Cundall 36 run (Frazier kick).
BH — Rougeau 2-yard pass from Colby Wollenman
G — Cundall 2 run (Frazier kick).
G — Cundall 70 run (Frazier kick).
G — Chayce Goton 1 run (Frazier kick).
G — Shane Clucas 24 run (Frazier kick).

RUSHING — Big Horn 36-166; Greybull 49-410 (Clay Cundall 15-246, Austin Frazier 6-35, Shane Clucas 5-37, Chayce Goton 20-92, Nick Kern 1-3, Rob Nuttall 1-(-1), Nate Gossens 1-(-2))
PASSING — Big Horn 12-of-27 for 244 yards; Greybull 1-of-2 for 16 yards.
DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS — Hayden Goton led with 19 points, including 14 assisted tackles, one solo and one tackle for loss. Clay Cundall followed with 17, including an interception. Austin Frazier also checked in with 17, including a fumble recovery. Dillon McCoy (two pass breakups) and Ryan Winkler (an interception) each finished with 14 defensive points.