Laramie County prep football capsules for Sept. 9, 2022

Sep. 9—Torrington at Burns

Records: Torrington (0-2) at Burns (0-1)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. today at Broncs Stadium, Burns

Last Week: Burns lost 28-14 to Yuma, Colorado; Torrington lost 44-20 to Mitchell, Nebraska

Last meeting: Torrington won 24-6 on Oct. 22, 2021, in Torrington.

Facts: Burns' running backs, quarterbacks and receivers played well in the loss to Yuma, according to coach Travis Romsa. One area in which the team really struggled was in the trenches. The team gave up 344 yards on the ground and rushed for just 10 yards. However, the biggest takeaway from the game for Romsa was that the team never quit. "We went down 7-0, and at that point, the team last year probably would have laid down and died," Romsa said. "These kids, the whole game, kept bringing it and kept coming back." ... This week, Burns hosts its second home game of the season against Torrington. The Trailblazers enter the game fresh off a 44-20 loss to Mitchell, Nebraska. The teams met last year on Burns' final game of the regular season, with Torrington winning 24-6. ...The biggest thing Romsa feels the team needs to watch out for is the Trailblazers' passing attack. "They are probably going to throw the ball 60-75% of the plays," Romsa said. "We have to hopefully be ready to get pressure on the quarterback so we don't give him all day to throw, and also to make sure we are in the right coverage to stop their throw game."

Natrona at Central

Records: No. 4-ranked Natrona County (1-1) at Cheyenne Central (1-1)

Kickoff: 6 p.m. today at Riske Field, Cheyenne

Twitter: @MattAtencio5

Last week: Natrona lost 33-7 to Cheyenne East; Central beat Kelly Walsh 21-3.

Last meeting: Natrona won 22-0 on Aug. 27, 2021, in Cheyenne.

Facts: Both teams have struggled to hang onto the football through the first two games. Central has seven turnovers, while the Mustangs have six. All of Natrona's came during its loss to East. ... Natrona leads the state in total defense, giving up just 155 yards per game. It also leads 4A in rushing defense (64 ypg) and passing defense (91 ypg). ... Both teams are middle of the pack when it comes to total offense. Central is seventh (292 ypg), while Natrona ranks sixth (305). ... "We're doing a good job of staying on schedule and moving the chains," Central coach Mike Apodaca said. "But we're getting into the red zone and turning the ball over. What's unsettling is some of those turnovers have been unforced." ... Indians quarterback Keagan Bartlett is fifth in 4A in rushing at 66 yards per game, while running back Mason Counter ranks sixth at 64. Counter isn't expected to play tonight after suffering a shoulder injury against Kelly Walsh. ... Seven players have at least two receptions for Central. "We've done a good job of spreading the ball around," Apodaca said. "We're limiting three-and-outs."

East at Thunder Basin

Records: No. 1-ranked East (2-0) at No. 3 Thunder Basin (2-0)

Kickoff: 6 p.m. today at Thunder Basin Stadium, Gillette

Last week: East won 33-7 against Natrona County; Thunder Basin won 36-21 at Rock Springs.

Last meeting: East lost 39-34 on Aug. 27, 2021, in Cheyenne.

Facts: Bolts receiver Kayden LaFramboise is second in Class 4A in receiving yards per game, but his six receiving touchdowns are four more than the next-best player. ... East senior linebacker Ethan Brinkman is tied for the state lead in defensive points per game (20.0). He is averaging 12 tackles per game. ... Thunder Basin leads the state in total offense (442 yards per game) and is second in total defense (242 ypg). "Defensively, they're super aggressive, and really come at you fast and hard," East coach Chad Goff said. "We have to be on our assignments, trust them and understand that even though Thunder Basin may twist, we're in the right position, and we need to stay with what we do." ... East is third in 4A in team offense (379 ypg) and first in scoring offense (40.0 points per game). ... The Thunderbirds' seven turnovers forced are the most in the state. Six of those came in last week's win at Natrona. ... "That's not a place you come out of victorious very often, especially the way we won," Goff said. "We've preached to our kids that turnovers are hard to overcome. Natrona had a lot of turnovers, but they did a good job of keeping their kids locked into the game and playing hard. That made it almost a four-quarter game for us."

South at Kelly Walsh

Records: Cheyenne South (0-2) at Kelly Walsh (0-2)

Kickoff: 6 p.m. today at Harry Geldien Stadium, Casper

Last week: South lost 41-14 to Sheridan; Kelly Walsh lost 21-3 at Cheyenne Central.

Last meeting: South lost 70-14 on Aug. 27, 2021, in Cheyenne.

Facts: South linebacker Matt Rivera is tied for the Class 4A lead in defensive points per game at 20. He has 15 solo tackles, which is tied with teammate Damien Pino for most in the state. Pino is in a three-way tie for third at 17.5 defensive points per game. ... The Bison put up 224 yards of total offense during last week's loss to Sheridan, which was nearly 40 more than they had against Thunder Basin. They also cut their turnovers from three to zero. "There were a lot of good things we saw on video and a ton of positives to build off of in that game, but there were a lot of drives where we shot ourselves in the foot," first-year South coach Eli Moody said. "Our offense came to life in the second and third quarters, and we need more of that. Defensively, we were in the right spots, but we still need to work on our tackling fundamentals and rallying to the ball." ... Moody described Kelly Walsh's defense as opportunistic. The Trojans have nabbed five turnovers, which is tied for second-most in the state. "We're really focusing on ball security so that doesn't happen to us," Moody said.

Pine Bluffs at Guernsey-Sunrise

Records: No. 1-ranked Pine Bluffs (1-0) at Guernsey-Sunrise (0-1)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. today at Viking Stadium, Guernsey

Last week: Pine Bluffs won at Shoshoni, 34-26; Guernsey-Sunrise lost to Wyoming Indian 40-6

Last meeting: Guernsey won 24-8 on Oct. 6, 2006, in Pine Bluffs.

Facts: Pine Bluffs enters Week 2 of their season looking to build on a 34-26 win over previously No. 1-ranked Shoshoni. The heat was a factor in the early stages of the game, but depth allowed coach Will Gray to substitute players in and out to keep them fresh. Gray said the team tackled much better in the game and ran the ball much more effectively than they thought they would. ... The team took a massive blow in the game, however. Senior running back Dalton Schaeffer, who ran for 187 yards and two touchdowns in the game, exited late with an upper-body injury. No timetable has been established for his return. ... This week, the team heads back out on the road to face off against Guernsey-Sunrise. The last time the teams met was 16 years ago, with the Vikings picking up a 24-8 win. Guernsey played its first game in the nine-man division last week, but fell 40-6 against Wyoming Indian. Despite the lopsided loss, Gray and his team are not taking Guernsey lightly. ... "They've got three really good players in Kolten Weinkauf, Aidan Noggle and Mason Collar," Gray said. "They're fast, they don't have a ton of dudes out, but the kids they have out play really hard. We are expecting an improved team that we play, so we will have to be firing on all cylinders." — By Matt Atencio and Jeremiah Johnke, WyoSports