Grizz clobber number three Saratoga, host Big Piney next

The Rocky Mountain Grizzlies have faced a murder’s row of ranked opponents to start the 2025 football season, but on Friday afternoon in the Grizzlies’ home opener it was the Grizz who did the murdering as they crushed third-ranked Saratoga 42-8.

The Grizzlies opened the season at Lusk and won 20-19, then fell to number one Pine Bluffs 26-14 in a lightning-shortened game played in Glenrock. Friday brought third-ranked and undefeated Saratoga to town, and second-ranked Big Piney will follow this week.

Rocky dominated the Saratoga Panthers from the get-go Friday, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and 21-8 at halftime. The Grizz shut out the Panthers 21-0 in the second half.

“I was really happy with the way we came out and played,” head coach Jessee Wilson said, “and I think one of the biggest things we talked about was remedying those slow starts to our games. We made some adjustments in practice this week that I thought helped provide just a little bit more competition right out of the gate. You’ve warmed up all right. Now you’ve got to go compete. So the energy that I thought that our kids brought, just the overall excitement and enthusiasm was unlike what I’ve seen before.

“I was happy to see them kind of take that criticism and improve on it. We made some small adjustments in our pre-game routine, as well, which I thought helped. And yeah, I was just really, really happy with the energy that they came out with, and they came out and executed really well, especially in the run game.”

Wilson said the Grizz were missing starting guard Masen Twomey this week, and tight end Paul Shetler was limited with a shoulder injury. But coaches started two sophomores, John Mader at guard and Evin Clendenen at tight end, and both played well, Wilson said.

“Those guys showed up, and they did a great job,” he said. “They really stepped up for their teammates, which was pretty cool to see.”

Wilson added that, while Saratoga had some excellent athletes, they weren’t as strong as the Grizzlies on the line, which made a huge difference in the game.

“We were able to kind of bully them on the line of scrimmage with size and strength. We’re just bigger and stronger up front, and on the defensive side of things, they’re a run-first offense, and because we were kind of dominating the line of scrimmage, we made them start throwing the ball quite a bit, which resulted in (five) turnovers,” the coach said. “That makes a huge difference.”

Mason Moss had two interceptions in the game, Will Watts, Triffen Jolley and Landon Pruett one each.

Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountain running game gashed the Saratoga defense for 373 yards. Jolley carried the ball 17 times for 163 yards, and Cooper Ward added 91 yards on 11 carries, quarterback Moss 65 yards on four attempts. Each scored two touchdowns.

Wilson said he’s pleased with the emergence of sophomore halfback Ward for his role in giving senior Jolley a break during the game.

“It helps our team so much having two varsity level running backs so we can give Triffin a breather,” he noted. “You know, last year, gosh, he would run the ball 20 times a game and play all the defense. And now we can substitute Cooper, and we got a fresh set of legs in there. And he’s an explosive, shifty little guy. He’s turning into a really great running back for us.

“And then you have Mason on the other side. And that was pretty evident in this game. We were running power just over and over, because it was working so well. And then they completely sold out to stop that, and I called a counter play with Mason. And it goes for 60 something yards, you know, touchdown, untouched, basically. So having him, it really, it really makes teams have to play us honestly.”

Strong start

The Grizzlies forced Saratoga three and out to start the game, then scored in two plays. Jolley burst free for a 49-yard gain, then scored on a 17-yard scamper. Watts booted the PAT – he was six of six on the day – and Rocky led 7-0.

Moss, playing deep safety, ended the ensuing Saratoga drive with an interception, and after Saratoga returned the favor with a pick, Watts picked off Saratoga quarterback Jace Westring. The Grizzlies drove for a second touchdown, completing a 70-yard drive with an eight-yard run around left end by Moss. Rocky led 14-0 late in the first quarter.

Following an interception by Pruett, the Panthers stepped in front of a screen pass for a pick of their own and drove deep into Rocky territory. Moss ended the threat with an interception, however, and the Grizzlies drove for a third touchdown. Jolley broke free for 31, Ward weaved his way for 37 and Ward reached pay dirt on a six-yard run.

Saratoga completed a drive in the ensuing series as Westring hit Burns Berger for a 21-yard touchdown pass. The two connected again for a two-point conversion, and Saratoga was on the board trailing 21-8 late in the first half.

Second half

The Grizz punted on their first possession of the second half, and Saratoga drove to the Rocky 42. But Jolley stepped in front of a Westring aerial for an interception, and the Grizzlies got out the big-play offense again as Moss broke free for a 58-yard touchdown run. Rocky led 28-8.

The Grizzlies added two more second-half scores. Jolley scored on an eight-yard run following a Saratoga special teams error where the Panthers failed to cover a deep kickoff, and after Jolley burst free for a 57-yard run, Ward took it in from 10 yards out. Rocky led 42-8 and went on to win by the same score.

The Grizzlies didn’t need to pass much given the 373 yards of rushing offense, but Moss completed three of seven passes for 14 yards. Colten Bitton caught two passes for 10 yards, Jolley one for four yards.

Jolley recorded a remarkable 32 defensive points on 11 unassisted tackles, five assisted tackles, one tackle for a loss and one interception. Moss was close behind with 25 points including the two interceptions, and Jaxson Miller had 21 defensive points.

Homecoming game

The Grizzlies will host second-ranked Big Piney for Homecoming Friday at 1 p.m. as their tough early schedule continues. The Punchers are 2-1, beating Southeast 39-19 and Lusk 51-12 before falling to Pine Bluffs 49-25.

Wilson said the Punchers have a pair of explosive players in Xavier Clifford (#11), who he said is “super fast,” and Doewan (#9), who he said is the thunder to Clifford’s lightning.

“They run a lot of two-tight end sets and some two-back sets with some cross bucks and things like that,” he said. “They will load up into a jumbo set with their big guy in the backfield, their big number 55, Zuniga, and use him as a lead blocker. As far as passing goes, they run a lot of bubbles and slants.”

On defense, the Punchers will run a 3-3-3 stack, Wilson said.

Summing up, Wilson noted, “It was a good week, a really good week. It gave me a lot of excitement just moving forward. We challenged some kids, and we saw them respond in a positive way, and it made a huge difference for our team over the course of this last week.”