The Star Valley Braves defeated the Jackson Broncs for the 70th time in their series history which dates back to 1931 in a 55-19 final in Afton on Friday which moved them to (5-0) on the season and (1-0) in the 3A West.
It was also the 26h straight win for the program dating back to the non-conference slate of the 2023 season. It’s been nearly three calendar years since the Braves’ last conference loss, a 35-27 final to Cody on October 7, 2022.
Star Valley got another near surgical game from Phoenixx Hovey who finished 10 of 14 for 236 yards and four touchdowns. Kyan Watson led the ground attack with 120 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Overall, the Braves outgained the Broncs in yardage by the difference of 521 to 238.
Although the final score is what has become a somewhat typical tally for the Braves over the past decade under Coach McKay Young, the game started as a bit of a dud offensively with a three-and-out. The Broncs answered by executing their first drive with exactness as Grant Johnson completed all seven of his passes, the last of which went 18 yards to Liam Logan for the touchdown.
The next drive was one of chunk plays and a precursor for the rest of the night for the Star Valley offense as the team rolled down the field with runs from Watson and a touchdown pass from Hovey to Sam Gaskell. Hovey added another in the first quarter as he rolled out to his right and threw a laser to Lancaster who scored after the catch on a total distance of 51 yards.
Travis Thomson had quite a night all over the field as he intercepted Johnson on the Broncs’ next possession, leading to another Star Valley touchdown, a diving plunge from senior fullback, Elia Matautia. Thomson also blocked a punt in the opening moments of the third quarter which led to a touchdown recovery by Caleb Erickson. Thomson added a blocked PAT to his evening as well.
The Broncs were able to work the ball down the field through the air in pieces as Johnson found Thomas King at the end of the third quarter to make it a Star Valley advantage.
The fourth quarter was a bit of a volley between the two squads as the Braves finished a drive with a push pass from Hovey to Mason Pack from seven yards out. The Broncs subbed in Ace Emery who connected with Tyson Kendall on a pair of deep passes; the second of which was a contested catch eventually awarded to Kendall and a touchdown in a battle with Dax Button. The last touchdown came as the Braves were running out the clock as Ikaika Cope broke a 31-yarder for the score.
The Braves will now enjoy a week of Homecoming festivities with the Powell Panthers scheduled for a game in Afton next Friday, October 3. The Lady Braves volleyball team will also host the Preston Indians on Wednesday October 1 for Pink Night.
Friday Night Roundup –
Top-ranked Sheridan pushed their winning streak up to an incredible 47 games with a 37-20 victory over Kelly Walsh. In the 3A classification, #2 Cody had no trouble with Powell in a 56-13 final. #3 Riverton made a statement in a 28-0 win over #4 Douglas while #5 Lander ran past Torrington, 42-16.
In the 2A West, #2 Mountain View ran over the Kemmerer Rangers 61-6. The Cokeville Panthers bounced back from a shutout loss last week to win on the road over Pinedale 30-7. #3 Thermopolis should continue to climb the rankings as they broke a voting tie for the third spot by defeating #3 Lovell 21-12. Finally, Worland won a defensive 7-0 struggle against Lyman.
For more scores and details visit wyopreps.com.
SVI Media gratefully acknowledges the use of information from wyoming-football.com for some items in this article.
