The Star Valley Braves scored in all three phases of offense, defense and special teams as they broke open a road contest with the Preston Indians on Friday night, 56-14. The win was the 23rd straight for the program, matching the school record set from 1965-68. 

The Braves opened up the game by establishing the run game on the legs of Kyan Watson who gashed the Indians for over 50 yards before punching in the game’s first touchdown. What happened next would be a theme for the night as the Star Valley defense quickly turned away the Preston offense and forced a punt which Cooper Lancaster took 52 yards for the score and a 14-0 lead. 

The Indians rode the legs of Conner Iverson who carried the ball a whopping 36 times for 123 yards and a touchdown which cut the lead to 14-7 with just over two and a half minutes left in the first half. Explosive plays following a possession change was the way things were the rest of the night as it took just one heave from Phoenixx Hovey to Sam Gaskell for a 40-yard score. Another defensive stop was followed by a 57-yard throw downfield to Travis Thomson who was pulled down just before the goal line. Elia Matautia dove in for a 28-7 score. 

The flurry continued as Roman Erickson intercepted Conner Thomsen which resulted in another touchdown pass from Hovey to Lancaster with just 3 seconds left on the clock and a 35-7 halftime lead. Star Valley scored three times in the final 2:39 of the first half. 

The flurry was aided by the sideline according to senior Sam Gaskell. “All of us as a team, makes each other feel better,” he said. “On the sideline when you hear the loud screams of our teammates it really gives us the motivation to kick in and do good.”

The defense continued to clamp down in the second half with an interception and a long return from Watson which set up a short touchdown pass to Lancaster. Dylan Hirschi also took his second interception in as many weeks back nearly 70 yards for a pick-six. In between those was a touchdown pass from Hovey to Gaskell. Tayt Lawson was also perfect with his kicking duties, knocking through all eight PATs in the game. 

Coach McKay Young praised his squad for their response. 

“Super proud of them,” he said. “We talked all week about playing well in this environment. This is traditionally not a place that we’ve played our best and I was really impressed with this group and the way they stepped up and how they responded to adversity just before the half, but they responded. I thought we took a big step forward. Last week was a lot of guys’ first start but they looked like a lot of old vets tonight.” 

Overall, Hovey finished with 228 yards and four touchdowns with only two incompletions. Travis Thomson was the top target with four catches for 109 yards. 

Defensively, the Braves had three interceptions and four quarterback sacks and just 171 yards allowed. 

Up next is the home opener for the Braves (2-0) against the last program to hand them a loss, the Sugar-Salem Diggers (3-0)  who defeated Shelley 28-14 for their third win of the season.

Coach McKay Young commented on what the matchup with the Diggers has meant over the past several years. 

“They are an incredible opponent and an incredible program,” he replied. “We know we are going to see a well coached team. [A] physical, athletic, dynamic team and, as coaches, a program we love to prepare for. It’s a chance to represent the 307and we’re looking forward to a week of practice to dial in and it should be a playoff type atmosphere.”

Kickoff time for for the Braves and Diggers is 7 p.m. in Afton on Friday September 12. 

Friday Night Roundup – 

The roundup started on Thursday as the Kemmerer Rangers knocked off the Moorcroft Wolves 22-16 to start their season 1-0. In a battle of two teams chasing the Braves in the rankings, the Cody Broncs outscored the Riverton Wolverines, 55-38 in a shootout. Lander defeated Green River 29-8 and Douglas pulled away from Jackson, 43-25. Evanston was routed by Vista Ridge (CO) 52-0. 

In the 2A classification, Lyman still has yet to score this season as they were blanked 28-0 by Burns. In a battle of two championship contenders, Big Horn fended off Lovell 17-15. It was a defensive struggle in Cokeville as the Panthers came up short against West Jefferson (ID) in a 7-0 final. 

For more scores check out Wyopreps.com.