Laramie County prep football capsules for Sept. 2, 2022

Sep. 2—Kelly Walsh at Central

Records: Kelly Walsh (0-1) at Cheyenne Central (0-1)

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

Twitter: @MattAtencio5

Radio: KFBC (97.5 FM, 1240 AM)

Last week: Kelly Walsh lost to Rock Springs, 42-7; Central lost at Sheridan, 24-21.

Last meeting: Kelly Walsh won 21-13 on Sept. 3, 2021, in Casper.

Facts: While losing to the reigning Class 4A state champions on a last-second field goal was disappointing, Central coach Mike Apodaca found plenty to like about his team's effort. "We had a great camp, and that effort spilled in there," he said. "We had some really good plays on both sides of the ball, but it was a sloppy game for both teams. The last team that didn't make a mistake won it." ... The Indians lost three fumbles and also gave up an interception against Sheridan. "Two of our turnovers were in the red zone, so we have to improve there," Apodaca said. ... Kelly Walsh had just 144 yards of total offense during its loss to Rock Springs. Quarterback Gibson Sasser threw for 133 yards. "They've got a lot of team speed, and they're trying to utilize it by getting out to the edge a lot," Apodaca said. "They like to throw the football a bit more than they have. They definitely trust their quarterback."

East at Natrona

Records: No. 1-ranked Cheyenne East (1-0) at third-ranked Natrona (1-0)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. today at Cheney Alumni Field, Casper

Last week: East beat Campbell County, 47-28; Natrona won at Laramie, 40-0.

Last meeting: East won 14-13 on Sept. 3, 2021, in Casper.

Facts: East leads Class 4A in total offense after rolling up 498 yards against Campbell County. ... East held a 40-0 halftime lead in that contest. "We improved so much from where we started last week to where we ended it," East coach Chad Goff said. "We were kind of a little off during the week. The offensive line was missing assignments and not getting done what they needed to get done. They probably improved the most just from Wednesday to Friday." ... Thunderbirds junior quarterback Cam Hayes leads the state in all-purpose offense at 299 yards. He is the state's second-leading passer at 272 yards per game. ... The Mustangs counter with 4A's top defense, surrendering just 50 total yards at Laramie. That included minus-2 yards on the ground. ... "Natrona is a tough football team of guys that work hard, do their job and are really sound in what they do," Goff said. "This has been a Week 2 game for us for a long time, and it's always a measuring stick. It tests both teams because it's usually a pretty darned good game."

Sheridan at South

Records: No. 2-ranked Sheridan (1-0) at Cheyenne South (0-1)

Kickoff: 6 p.m. today at Bison Stadium, Cheyenne

Twitter: @jjohnke

Last week: Sheridan beat Cheyenne Central, 24-21; South lost at Thunder Basin, 42-0.

Last meeting: Sheridan won 56-0 on Sept. 3, 2021, in Sheridan.

Facts: Moody found positives in his first game as South's head coach, despite the 42-0 final score. "The defense looked good, for the most part," he said. "There were a couple lapses that led to touchdowns, but they were flying around. We also have the No. 1 and No. 2 guy in the state for defensive points right now because they were doing their jobs." Matt Rivera currently tops the defensive points rankings with 30. He had 13 tackles (12 solo) and an interception against the Bolts. Damien Pino is tied for second after posting 13 tackles (11 solo). ... Junior quarterback Osayas Garcia didn't complete any of his three passes before he left the game with an injury. Senior Jaylen Trujillo went 4 for 12 for 50 yards and two interceptions. "Our pass protection was good, for the most part, but we have some things we need to clean up," Moody said. "We need to hold some of our blocks longer, and we need better routes from our receivers." ... The Broncs lead 4A in rushing offense (263 yards) and are third in total offense (426) after one game. Colson Coon — the defending Gatorade player of the year — rolled up 231 yards on the ground last week. "(Sheridan is) sound and well-coached like always," Moody said. "You're not going to catch them messing up very often. I'm in charge of our offense, so I'm looking at their defense very closely, and they're really flying around and swarming to the ball." — Jeremiah Johnke, WyoSports

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.