Warriors to regroup after loss to Buffalo

WORLAND - It was a double gut-punch for the Warriors last Friday. During the game's second series, all-state QB Kade Weber left the game due to injury. Afterward, the Warriors suffered their third loss of the season.

With the 3A East No.2-seed in the balance, the Warriors (3-3) fell to the Buffalo Bison 49-7 at Warrior Stadium on Oct. 7.

It was a bitter loss for the Warriors. After Weber's injury, the Warriors did strike first on the scoreboard going up 7-0 on a Brock Douzenis 44-yard pass to Trae Bennett.

However, after that touchdown, it was all Buffalo and the Warriors were worn down by the Bison's physical running attack.

"I saw a team try to bounce back and be resilient," said WHS football coach Patrick Sweeney. "The injury to Kade hurt us, but they still went out and played. They were positive and didn't focus on the negative. I was proud of them for focusing on their jobs and adapting. It just wasn't enough. We struggled to move the ball and stop the ball. But I'm proud of the kids for sticking in there and coping with adversity."

Sweeney added, "Buffalo is a super physical team. We had a chance to go up a quick 14 and hopefully get them out of their game plan. When we couldn't do that, the size and speed of Buffalo was eventually overwhelming."

Douzenis took over quarterbacking duties for the Warriors after Weber's injury. Considering the circumstances, Douzenis and the Warriors offense did their best, but Buffalo's defense held strong.

"With Brock being the fourth-string quarterback, it was about putting him in a position to be successful and move the ball effectively. I could have done a better job of that. Brock did a great job of sticking in there and doing something he doesn't do every day," said Sweeney. "We still had some positives."

The Warriors could be without Weber this week in Lander against the Lander Valley Tigers, and the team is preparing accordingly. The Tigers are 4-2 this season and coming off a 28-0 win over Rawlins.

The Tigers have their playoff spot secured. The Warriors are not as fortunate. Worland still needs to win one of their two remaining games to earn a postseason bid.

A win over Lander this week punches Worland's ticket to their sixth straight trip to the postseason. A loss sets up a likely win-and-in scenario in the season finale between Riverton.

"We want to keep finding ways to get our playmakers the ball. Defensively, we've got to continue to get better. Offensively, everything runs through the quarterback. So we'll need to adapt to a few new things or a few new players. We're looking at the best option for us, and I think we have a couple of different options which will be good," said Sweeney. "We want to take care of business and win each day. We can't stop the growth mindset and prepare to make ourselves better in practice which will help us against Lander."