Grizzlies fall in tough challenge in homecoming game
The Rocky Mountain Grizzlies fell in their homecoming matchup against Greybull last Friday, 33-14, in a contest that highlighted both the team’s progress and areas for improvement moving forward. Head coach Jessee Wilson reflected on the game, emphasizing the team’s efforts and the challenges they encountered throughout the evening.
“As with any football game, there are good and bad things,” Wilson said. “I think most of our guys played well at times, however, we struggled to all do our jobs correctly at the same time.”
Greybull led 7-0 after the first quarter and 13-0 at halftime, then reached pay dirt twice more in the third to lead 27-0 before the Grizz got on the scoreboard with a one-yard touchdown pass from Lafe Files to Joaquin Scheeler early in the fourth quarter and a three-yard run by Scheeler to move Rocky closer, trailing 27-14. Greybull tacked on a 54-yard run after the two Rocky scores to make the final 33-14.
Preparing for the game, the Grizzlies focused on countering Greybull’s strengths, particularly their running game.
“We spent the week working on some aspects of the game that Greybull does well, specifically our run defense against their offense,” Wilson said. “We also worked on a few installs of some newer schemes that we have been working on the last couple of weeks.”
The Grizzlies’ game plan aimed to diversify their offensive approach while containing Greybull’s rushing attack.
“We wanted to move the ball around to different players and take advantage of the space that was given to us with some of their defensive sets,” Wilson said. “On defense, our focus was stopping the run game early before their backs were able to gain a ton of momentum.”
Despite showing flashes of strong play, consistency proved to be a challenge for the Grizzlies.
“We would break off a few good plays in a row, then penalties or a missed assignment would kill our drives,” Wilson said.
The running game, while solid at times, suffered from far too many breakdowns.
“With one or two guys blowing an assignment, it would result in a negative play and put us off schedule,” he said.
The passing game provided some bright spots for the Grizzlies.
“Our passing game was good. Joaquin (Scheeler) provided a spark with some solid throws,” Wilson said.
However, Coach Wilson acknowledged room for improvement, particularly in connecting on deeper throws.
Wilson praised several players for their performances and adaptability.
“I thought Joaquin did a great job at stepping in and playing some quarterback for us Friday. He is making some great improvements,” Wilson said. “Lafe (Files) did a nice job moving over to that receiver role when he wasn’t playing quarterback, making a few catches and drawing a pass interference penalty. Landon Pruett did a great job of playing the H back position and making some key blocks to spring our guys.”
Special teams play was a mixed bag for the Grizzlies.
“I was disappointed with a few of our punts throughout the game,” Wilson said. “We had great punts that pinned Greybull back deep, but a lack of tackling fundamentals allowed them to break off some longer returns. We need to improve in that aspect.”
Wilson commended Greybull’s performance, noting their improvement over the season.
“Greybull has improved over the season. They are a senior-led team who plays a tough brand of football. They played one of their best games of the season, I thought, on Friday night,” he said.
Looking ahead, Wilson remains optimistic about the team’s potential.
“We have played four games that I think were winnable games. Unfortunately the outcomes of those games weren’t in our favor,” he said. “We have two more winnable games on the schedule, which could potentially get us a three seed in the playoffs.”
Wilson concluded with a message of determination and hope for the team and community.
“Despite the outcome of Friday’s game, there were some moments of us playing some really good football. We have the blueprint; we just need to put all the pieces together for four quarters of football,” he said. “We’ll keep chipping away and look forward to playing our best football at the end of the season when it really matters most.”
The Grizzlies travel to traditional rival Shoshoni Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
As the season nears its close, the Grizzlies are focused on refining their game and striving for consistency across all four quarters. With their sights set on a potential playoff berth, the team continues to work hard, aiming to peak at the right moment and finish the season on a strong note.
JV loss
The Rocky Mountain junior varsity squad dropped their season finale at Shoshoni Monday afternoon, 24-8, a rare sour note in an otherwise strong season that saw the Grizzlies play to a 4-2 record.