Nick Mackie (P15)
Nick Mackie gained 4 yards on a reverse during the Punchers first drive.
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Superman Rush
Wes Werbelow (P15) and Dylan Nelson (P24) rush QB Gary Phillips (BP11) during the first quarter.
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Interception
Ben Howard (BP21) intercepted a pass on Pinedale's 2nd possession. Conor Raney (P12) made the tackle.
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15 yard Pass
Mike Forrester (BP41) catches a 15-yd pass from Gary Phillips (BP11) taking the ball to the 1-yd line. Nick Jaquez (P8) puts pressuse on Phillips.
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Wranglers lose to Punchers
Pinedale 6 - Big Piney 20
by Clint Gilchrist
September 29, 2007
Big Piney Punchers hosted cross-county rivals Pinedale Wranglers on Friday September 28, 2007. In a tough defensive battle with a lot of miscues, Big Piney capitalized early on Pinedale mistakes and a wind advantage in the first quarter to post an early lead. Pinedale was not able to recover and eventually lost 20-6.
In Pinedale’s four possessions in the first quarter, they had a fumble, an interception, two 4th downs and punt for -five net yards. With a steady wind at their backs, the Punchers were able to gain 90 yards, including 20 penalty yards against the Wranglers in the first quarter, and build a 14-6 lead. Ben Howard ran one yard for Big Piney’s first touchdown. The score followed an interception by Ben Howard and was setup by a 15-yard swing pass from Gary Phillips to Mike Forrester.
Neal Nelson returned the following kickoff for Pinedale’s only touchdown, but the extra point was blocked, leaving the score 7-6 Big Piney. After the teams exchanged punts, with Big Piney using the wind advantage to gain ground, Big Piney started the last drive of the quarter on the Pinedale 35. A 15-yard Pinedale face mask penalty set up a 14-yard touchdown pass from Gary Phillips to Nick Mackie to extend the lead to 14-6 with seven seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Pinedale had the wind advantage in both the 2nd and 3rd quarters, and most of both quarters were played in Big Piney’s end of the field. But a combination of a Big Piney bend-but-don’t-break defense, and mistakes by the Wranglers, resulted in no scoring.
Pinedale started the 2nd quarter with a 54-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard loss on 4th and 1 from the Big Piney 5-yard line with John Colton tackling Jr. Aquirre. For the remainder of the 2nd and 3rd quarters, Pinedale kept Big Piney trapped in their own territory. In the middle two quarters, 62 of 70 plays were played in Puncher territory, and Pinedale out-gained Big Piney 174 to 14 yards. All six Pinedale drives got inside the Big Piney 20-yard line, but stalled. The score remained 14-6 at the end of the 3rd quarter.
The Punchers turned the tide in the 4th quarter to put the game away. After being pinned in their own territory for the previous two quarters, Coach Eskelsen wisely allowed the third quarter clock to run out so the Punchers could put on the first play of the 4th quarter with the wind at their back. The tactic worked, with a 56-yard punt by Nick Mackie pinning the Wranglers on their own 22-yard line.
Pinedale’s drive ended with a fumble, giving Big Piney good field position, but the Big Piney field goal attempt was blocked. On the next drive, Big Piney pressure contributed to an interception by Nick Mackie that was returned to the Pinedale 3-yard line. Ben Howard rushed for his second touchdown on the next play, putting the game out of reach. Pinedale was not able to get out of their own territory again, and the game ended Big Piney 20, Pinedale 6.
For an unofficial drive summary compiled by PinedaleOnline.com see Pinedale vs Big Piney Drive Summary (PDF).
Photos by Clint Gilchrist, Pinedale Online!
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