When the Star Valley Braves kickoff against the Jackson Broncs in Teton County on Friday night, they will be trying to wrap up the 3A West top seed. A loss could actually send the Braves down the rungs of the playoff ladder to the #3 seed and a road trip to Lander in next week’s quarterfinals. In other words, some big-time talking points for writers and broadcasters as they talk to coaches. It didn’t even come up when Coach McKay Young talked about playing on the Broncs’ field.
“They are believing in Teton County so that makes for a fun environment,” he said. It’s not going to be good weather but I hope everybody shows up. I like playing in Jackson.”
The Broncs have lost just one time this season, an absolute scorigomi of a final tally against Cody in a 70-49 road loss. There’s reason for the belief as they come into the game averaging nearly 41 points per game and arguably the fastest group of skill position players in the state.
But what is waiting for that Jackson offense is a Star Valley defense that has squeezed the life out of their opponents this season, particularly in Wyoming play. In games against Lander, Powell, Cody, Green River and Evanston, the Braves have allowed a total of just 34 points, with seven of those coming via special teams in Powell against the reserves. The rest of those came from the Cody Broncs which included a defensive score. In the last two outings, the Lincoln County Regulators have pitched two shutouts and given up just over 50 total yards.
On the other side the ball, the Braves’ offense is averaging 40 points themselves and will be facing a Jackson defense that’s ranked 11th in the 12 team classification. This match up will likely create some anxiety for the Broncs as they try and slow down a program that’s won 35 straight games against Wyoming opponents.
“I think they may gamble a bit on defense but I think this team we have this year will punish you for that,” Young noted. “I expect they will try and create some chaos when they have the ball.”
This year’s 23 seniors for the Braves are also following in a tradition where patience pays off in the form of championships. Every team is different, but the goals remain the same. After winning the last four championships, Star Valley is looking for one for the thumb on this current run. Young commented on the identity of this year’s squad.
“I feel like in that Sugar game we were still figuring out who we are,” he replied. “I think we know now.”
The 27-14 loss to the Diggers ended a 35-game winning streak overall which was capped by a final-play touchdown to send the Braves home with a sour taste. Since then the team has rolled through their schedule with the notable exception of a survival win against Cody.
“I’m super impressed with what Ross Hilton is doing,” Young said. “We’re just trying to soak in the time we have left with guys like Roman Erickson and Travis Thomson. We felt the defense was going to be special this year and that’s revealing itself. Kemen Filibi has been an absolute hammer at linebacker.”
Hilton has passed for nearly 2,200 yards and 27 touchdowns so far this year and Roman Erickson and Travis Thomson have been borderline unstoppable in the receiving game.
“Krew [Morgan] is only getting better and better,” Young said of the linebacker. “It’s good to have the Delgado boys healthy. Kai [Frazier] and Bryce [Erickson] are doing really good things.”
The usual suspects on the defense have combined for a whopping 40 tackles for loss and ten sacks.
With no shortage of storylines and statistical match-ups, the result of Friday nights outing that dates back to 1931 will be another memorable chapter in a longtime rivalry. Find the watch link at svinews.com and at svi.media with a varsity kickoff at 6 p.m.
