The Kemmerer Rangers fell to Thermopolis 34-7 in their third outing of the 2025 campaign over the weekend. The Bobcats scored first as the were able to capitalize on a short field to open the contest. Then the home team ripped off a pair of big play touchdowns from 60 and 55 yards before scoring on special teams just before the half to make the score 27-0 at the break. After notching a second-half touchdown to push the advantage to 34-0, the Rangers were able to avoid the shutout late in the fourth quarter on a four-yard Sam Thatcher run. 

The loss dropped the Rangers to (1-2) on the season following a 50-15 setback in Pinedale last weekend. 

“Give credit to the them, they are a good team,” Kemmerer coach Bart Jernigan said of the Bobcats. “But we did not accurately show what we are capable of.”

Jernigan did not sugar-coat the outing. 

“It was a poor game from the us overall, and that’s my fault as the head coach,” he stated. “I failed to have our boys prepared to execute in the moment. I have to be better in getting us ready to compete. The kids gave a good effort, but I did not have them ready to win. There’s no excuses on that field on Friday nights, so I need to get us prepped to be better in the coming weeks.”

“We just got outplayed on special teams giving them short fields almost every time they touched the ball. Their stout defense took advantage of multiple assignment errors and ball security issues from us on offense as well to make it pretty easy on our opponent. There were just too many mistakes to overcome.

Jernigan noted the positives for his squad as they get prepped to play on their home field for the first time this season outside of a Zero Week scrimmage against Cokeville.

“While the overall result was a disappointment, there were some bright spots in the game,” he replied. “Our defensive improvement from last week to this week was marked. Special teams and offensive mistakes and turnovers put the defense on a short field all night long. Yet the defense came up with four big red zone stops keeping the score somewhat respectable. I was really proud of our improvement on that side of the ball, Coaches Rogers and Jackman and our boys had a strong week of prep and practice with our defense and I think it showed [Friday].”

The Rangers will finally get to play at home for the next two weeks but this week’s opponent, the Mountain View Buffalos, are firmly ranked second in the 2A classification behind reigning champion Big Horn. The Buffs (3-0) are coming off a 33-0 demolition of #4 Cokeville on the Panther field this past week.  

“I’m excited to have the chance to see our improvement as we compete with one of the top teams at our level,” Jernigan added. “I have a ton of respect for what Coach Walk has built over there. Year in and year out, they are in the playoffs and making noise. Their [quarterback] is a highly talented player who will play at the next level and he’s got a lot of great talent around him and a strong line in front of him. Defensively their aggressiveness pops off the film.”

He emphasized what areas of improvement the Rangers need to make to be in the game.  

“For us, we have to clean up our execution of fundamentals and assignments. Despite the quality of the opponent, we have to really focus in on our individual and collective improvement and execution. We need to find 48 minutes of consistency this week. We are having to grow up quickly with the number of Freshmen and underclassmen we are putting out there at a varsity level. We have shown flashes of positivity and even halves and quarters of good ball, but part of the growing up process is finding a way to do it through the course of a whole game. That elevation of our consistency has to be another focus this week.”

Kemmerer High School football is broadcast each week throughout southwest Wyoming on The Spur and on the SVI News app. This week’s game has a scheduled kickoff of 6 p.m. 

After playing the Buffs this weekend, the Rangers will remain at home for an October 3, contest against the Lyman Eagles. The schedule will then have them on the road in Cokeville and Lovell before senior night against Worland on October 24.