In a game billed as one of the top ten contests in the nation by Maxpreps, the Star Valley and Cody tilt continued to be a rivalry worth watching and one where Friday’s results felt more like round one of two rather than a definitive knockout. 

Star Valley scored twice in the first half and held on to win as the two defenses slugged it out in a 14-7 Braves victory. It was the 28th straight win for the Lincoln County visitors overall and the sixth straight win over the Broncs. 

Both teams traded punts multiple times before Star Valley finally took the ball 91 yards for their first touchdown, a seven yard scamper from Nathan Haderlie. On the ensuing kickoff, Tayt Lawson dropped a pooch kick into a dead zone behind the Broncs and Ikaika Cope recovered the live ball. After a long reception from Hovey to Thomson, Cody’s defense forced a fourth and goal situation but Kyan Watson was able to surge behind his line and get the second touchdown in the final few minutes of the half. 

Leading 14-0 and getting the ball to start the third, the Braves were unable to get anything going as Cody picked up two quarterback sacks and forced a punt from deep inside the Star Valley end zone. The Braves defense was up to the task all night long as the two teams traded possessions in the third quarter. The Braves only found themselves chasing the Broncs once as  Kannon Grant gained the corner and ran 70 yards to the Braves 10-yard line before being stopped by Lancaster. Star Valley forced a fourth and goal situation but McFadden was able to find pay dirt and cut the deficit in half. 

With less than five minute to play, Star Valley found themselves in a deep hole on 2nd and 21 after a 12-men on the field penalty but Lancaster converted on a screen from Hovey to keep the clock running late. Ultimately the Braves had to punt the ball away but a great effort from Lawson put the Broncs 80 yards away from the tying score.  

With just seconds remaining and no timeouts, the Broncs offense was swarmed on fourth down by the Star Valley defense with Ryan Talbot and Bryce Erickson converging on McFadden for the turnover on downs. Hovey knelt out the final moments in victory formation. 

“Its so fun, these game are so much more fun than blowout wins,” responded Krew Morgan in a post-game interview. “They are a great opponent and they are fun to play. Respect to them for being a great team, it was super fun.”

Teammate Roman Erickson echoed those thoughts as the two linebackers wreaked havoc on the Cody game plan for four quarters.

“Every win like this feels so much better than a blowout,” he added. “I just love playing with my guys.”

Both players credited their teammates and the support of the coaches and community for their motivation. 

“I think just looking  down to my left and right I’m not going [out there] for myself, I’m playing for my teammates,” Morgan said.

“I see how much work [my teammates] put in,” Erickson stated. “The coaches, and the time they spend, the fans that travel, all of Star Valley, we play for them.” 

Both coaches are beyond familiar with each other to this point as are the players who all seemed to shake hands at midfield expecting to see each other again in Laramie on November 14. War Memorial Stadium is the host site for the Wyoming State Football Championships. The two teams have met for the last three titles with Star Valley taking it home in those three meetings. 

“I was proud of the defense,” Coach McKay Young answered. “Offensively we put the defense in some tough spots in the second half and time and time again they answered the call. To be able to come to Park County and get a win is exciting. We know the conference championship goes though Cody so hopefully we can turn this into a home playoff game and another home playoff game. They was a lot of handshakes saying we’ll see you in a month.”

When asked to sum up his impression of his team who continue to streak into history, Young responded with the following.  

“Just how gritty these kids are. They are allergic to losing. They are resilient and competitive and they play for each other. As long as they are willing to do that, we’re in a pretty good spot.” 

Star Valley’s huge senior class of 28 players will be honored next Friday as the Braves host the Evanston Red Devils. 

• The Numbers – 

On paper, the Braves nearly doubled the Broncs in yardage but turnovers and some timely Cody defensive plays kept the score low. Star Valley finished with 307 yards compared to Cody’s 169. 

Kyan Watson finished with 51 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown while Nathan Haderlie had the other score and finished with 39 yards on ten carries. Phoenixx Hovey passed for 246 yards on the night as he completed 19 of 27 attempts. Roman Erickson finished with eight catches for 81 yards. Travis Thomson, Sam Gaskell and Cooper Lancaster each had three catches and finished with 61, 45 and 38 yards respectively. 

The Cody defense got interceptions from Nathanial Pryor and Cache McFadden while the Braves defense picked up an interception from Thomson.

The Broncs were led on offense by Grant who had 97 yards on 13 carries. 

• Friday Night Roundup – 

The Sheridan Broncs won their 50th consecutive game with a 14-6 final over Rock Springs. On the other side of that coin was Cheyenne South who lost their 54th consecutive game in a 63-0 final to the Laramie Plainsmen. 

In another ranked 3A match-up, #3 Riverton fended off #4 Lander in a 17-13 final. Jackson outscored Evanston 37-33 in an offensive-minded contest. In Lincoln County, Cokeville handled Kemmerer on the Panther field in a 42-6 final. 

Find more scores, stats and information at wyopreps.com.