Warriors punch playoff ticket with 14-0 victory over Evanston

WORLAND - The mission was simple for the Worland High School football team, win and they were in the playoffs, lose and the season ends in Pinedale next week. When the clock hit zero Friday night at Worland High School the Warriors had accomplished their mission with a 14-0 win over the Evanston Red Devils.

Not only did the Warriors do away with the eight-year playoff drought, that hung over the program like a dark cloud, they did it in convincing fashion, playing their best game of the season at the most crucial time.

"Whenever you set the bar high or you have that goal out in front of you, you always get that satisfaction of actually reaching it. People might have thought you couldn't reach it, but you show them and yourself that you can. It has been eight years since the last time and it's a great opportunity for the school to get back into the playoff picture and have that energy of postseason play. Then for the young guys to get that whiff of success, it starts a pattern of us keeping things rolling for the years to come," said WHS football coach Ryan Utterback.

The Warriors were dominant in every aspect of the game Friday night, and where slow starts have plagued them most the season, that was not the case for the team lining up against the Red Devils.

Offensively, they were able to march into Red Devil territory on all six of their first half series, chewing up valuable minutes along the way. Worland's first two series stalled out deep in Evanston territory with a turnover on downs and a missed field goal.

On Worland's third series it all came together as they put together their first scoring drive. Quarterback Andrew Edholm (79 yards rushing, 27 yards passing, one rushing touchdown) threw a bubble screen to the shifty Jaime Luna (62 yards rushing, 28 yards receiving), who made a move and took the ball 28 yards all the way down to the Evanston 6-yard line. Senior back Carson Lyman (74 yards rushing, one rushing TD) finished off the drive with a 2-yard run, and with a Rudy Sanford extra point going through the uprights Worland held a 7-0 lead with 6:37 remaining in the second quarter.

"Offensively we ran the clock and even when we didn't score we took time off the clock and kept Evanston's offense off the field. It was a good effort all around tonight," said Utterback.

Toward the end of the third quarter, a fumble recovery by JR Hofmann (4.5 tackles, 14 defensive points) set the Warriors up deep in Evanston territory at the 24-yard line. From there the Worland offense went to work killing clock and marching closer to a two-possession lead. Eventually, Edholm powered in the touchdown and the Warriors took a 14-0 lead

Defensively, the Warriors were firing on all cylinders. After a big play to open the game the Red Devils would not gain another first down until the late in the second quarter. Evanston had a total of five first downs in the first half, three of which came on one drive.

Even when the Red Devils were marching on their side of the field, the Warrior defense found a way to force a turnover. The first turnover came when senior Hofmann forced a fumble that was recovered by fellow senior Matthew Sanchez (2.5 tackles, 15 defensive points). On Evanston's next series, they were in the red zone and looked poised to score just before the half.

Red Devil QB Seth Lloyd rolled out to his right and just as he was throwing, Warrior Isaac Goncalves (3 tackles, 16 defensive points) hit the QB, throwing off his pass just enough for Sanchez to pick it off and take the ball all the way to Red Devil 35.

"They were a bunch of hungry wolves ready to pounce. When I moved to Worland, I asked what Worland football is like and I was told 'They always have hitters and a tough defense.' We have 11 guys out there that like to go hit and be aggressive. That sets the stone and when you look at the teams we've gone toe-to-toe with, they have had some good athletes, but one thing that has kept us in the games is our defensive aggression," said Utterback.

The Warriors biggest test of the game came on a goal-line stand, late in the fourth quarter. Protecting their 14-0 lead with the Red Devils on the WHS 2-yard line and ready to make it a one possession game, Worland jumped on the ball after a bad Evanston snap.

"Coach [Josh] Garcia has been doing a great job of promoting that attitude of being hungry and going and getting the ball. That attitude is contagious and it spreads down the line and soon everyone can put a big lick on someone. That's just fun to see and they came up big tonight," said Utterback.

The Worland offense took over on their 5-yard line, they were able to run clock and gain some breathing room, but eventually were forced to punt. Edholm booted the ball down field, to which the Red Devil returner called for a fair-catch, but muffed the catch and the Warriors were right there to recover the ball.

With around 5:30 left in the game the Worland offense never gave the ball back and were able to break out the victory formation as they punched their ticket to the 2017 3A football playoffs.

"I'm going to give a lot of credit to our seniors. They were freshman when I first came to Worland and it has been fun seeing them grow up, pay their dues in the weight room, the condition, weathering the storm and they believed all the way.

"The young guys, like Jaime Luna, Luke Goncalves, Luke Mortimer, Rudy Sandford, a lot of young kids shouldered the load. They were thrown to the wolves and they stepped it up and did a great job. It was a great team effort and our execution was excellent. In the past, the execution part of it held us back, but [Friday] was one of the better executed games we've had since I've been here.

"The bigger message here is that if you were willing to commit to something, come together as teammates, it's amazing what can be accomplished. That sort of attitude carries on to things in life like work and family life. This group of kids we have are hard workers and I am so proud of them," said Utterback.

Having clinched the No. 4-seed out of the West conference and barring any major upsets, the Warriors will more than likely matchup with the No. 2-ranked Torrington Trailblazers in the 3A quarterfinals. But before they can focus on their playoff opponent there is one game left to be played to finish the regular season.

Next week Worland plays their regular season finale on the road game against the 2A Pinedale Wranglers. While this game will have no impact on the playoffs for either team, Utterback and his staff will approach this game like every other this season.

"I have an exceptional staff, they're very detailed ordinated and put a lot of time in the program. We definitely couldn't be here without them. Next week is going to be a delicate balance, we can't just give our starters and studs a week off because they will get stagnant and won't be ready for a really tough opponent in the playoffs. On the flip-side we'll do a few things to keep everyone fresh but also healthy heading into the week after. It's going to be a balancing act but we will figure it out," said Utterback.

The Warriors kick off against the Wranglers at 6 p.m.