Hernandez makes all-state, four make all-conference

The Greybull Buffs saw one of their players, senior Jesus Hernandez, make the all-state team and four earn a spot on the all-conference first team following the completion of the first nine-man football season in state history.

Hernandez was among the state’s premier defenders.  An end, he was a big-play machine, finishing with 17 tackles for loss and six quarterback sacks.  The 23 behind-the-line-of-scrimmage stops topped all 1A defenders.   Statewide, he ranked sixth in defensive points, averaging 20.8 per game.

Hernandez’s offensive stats included 16 rushing attempts for 40 yards and eight receptions for 95 yards.

State champion Southeast reaped the most awards, with Mark Bullington winning coach of the year, Shawn Burkart assistant coach of the year and Harrison Hall lineman of the year.  Lusk’s Drake Lamp was named the offensive player of the year while Tryston Truempler won defensive player of the year.

Joining Hernandez on the all-state first team were Brant Fullmer, Hayden Handerson, Ryan Clapper, Cord Herring, Harrison Hall, Sawyer Anderson, Ethan Steinhausen, Durward Randall and Bodie Herring of Southeast;  Drake Lamp, Dylan Molzahn, Riley Blackburn, Mason Wells, Dayne Lamp, Jasper Caldera and Aiden Applegarth of Lusk; Zane Linder of Moorcroft, Cooper Hill of Lingle, Kayden Mack of Wright, Colter Collver of Wind River, Trace Moss, Taylor Winland, Zane Horrocks, Tyler Banks, Nate Minemyer and Austin Haslem of Rocky Mountain, Nathon Cousineau, Tryston Truempler, Kade Fike, Kadon Dower and Johnny Hilder of Shoshoni; Reed Thompson, Stu Lerwick, Ty Sweeter and Diego Paniagua of Pine Bluffs; Teegan Love, Zach Standard, Noah Rimmer of Saratoga and Cash Duncan of Riverside.

Coach Eli Moody said Jake Schlattmann, Avery Swiftney and Irving Castro made second team all-state.

All-Conference

The West was more top-heavy than usual this year as Rocky Mountain and Shoshoni played a competitive game against each other while rolling up easy wins over the conference’s other three teams, Greybull, Riverside and Wind River, all of which finished 1-4.

The all-conference team reflected that.  Rocky led the way with nine selections, followed by Shoshoni with eight.  The conference’s three one-win teams each put four players on the team.  For Greybull, this year’s all-conference selections included seniors Hernandez and Swiftney, junior Irving Castro and sophomore Jake Schlattmann.

Swiftney, a linebacker, ranked 17^th in the state in defensive points, finishing the year with 84 tackles, including four for loss.  He was also credited with a pass breakup.

Castro got it done on both sides of the ball, ranking 31^st in defensive points.  A running back, he was Greybull’s top offensive threat, scoring seven touchdowns and ranking seventh in the state in rushing yards per game (93.4 ypg).  

Schlattmann played both ways, too, but primarily made his mark on defense.  He ranked ninth in the state in defensive points, averaging 18.3 per game.  His stat line also showed six tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks and he had two of the team’s top five single-game efforts of the season, accumulating 32 points against Riverside and 27 against Rocky Mountain.

The Grizzlies and the Wranglers racked up the major awards.  The Grizzlies had the offensive player of the year in Tyler Banks and the coach of the year in Richard Despain.  Shoshoni’s Tryston Truempler was the defensive player of the year and Johnny Hilder the lineman of the year.

Joining the four Buffs on the first team were Rocky’s Trace Moss, Taylor Winland, Dawson May, Zane Horrocks, Tonka Lytle, Tyler Banks, Nate Minemyer, Dylen Clendenen and Austin Haslem, Shoshoni’s Alex Mills, Nathon Cousineau, Tryston Truempler, Kade Fike, Kadon Dower, Pehton Truempler, Johnny Hilder and Jaxon Stanley; Riverside’s Cash Duncan, Porter Duncan, Garret Ellis-Rudd and Dylan Alexander; and Wind River’s Jaycee Herbert, Jaden Miller, Colter Colver and Charles Dillon.

The Buffs had three second-team selections in sophomores Cale Wright, Beto Rios-Diaz and Chase Oster.  Wright, the team’s starting quarterback, ranked seventh in passing, completing 39-of-85 passes for nine touchdowns.

Rios-Diaz and Oster started in the trenches — Rios-Diaz at guard and Oster at center.  Oster finished 26^th in the state in defensive points, averaging 11.9 per game to go along with five tackles for loss, three sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception.