Things didn’t exactly pan out how the home team would have liked this past Friday as the Kemmerer Rangers’ homecoming game ended up being controlled by the visiting Lyman Eagles in a 42-0 final.<

“Obviously, there is a sense of disappointment when you don’t play up to your capabilities,” responded head coach Bart Jernigan. “Our depth is being tested right now, but our kids are playing hard and working to get better.”

He also credited the Eagle defense which had been among the state’s best despite their record coming into the game.

“Lyman’s defense was smothering and we struggled to establish much progress moving the ball,” he added. “That put the defense on the field quite a bit and their size and physical run game wore on us. We made a handful of third quarter mistakes that gave them big separation on the scoreboard.”

After dropping a pair of home games to fall to 0-4 in the 2A West, the Rangers will not have to venture too far for their next opportunity to snap a four-game skid as they play in Cokeville to face the Panthers.

“Cokeville is a meaningful game for us in a lot of ways,” Jernigan continued. “There are a good number of connections between the communities, and I have a ton of respect for their program and all the coaches who have built it. The biggest hallmark of Cokeville from an outsider’s perspective is that they give elite effort regardless of opponent and they execute at an elite level. They do not hurt themselves.”

“Their defense is another stout test. They fly around and tackle well. Their offense is incredibly effective and they have a couple kids that are special with the ball in their hands.”

Though not a long road trip, Cokeville has not been an easy place to play for the Rangers. Since the two teams became conference foes in 2016, the Rangers are 0-3 on the Panther turf with an average score in those games of 36-6. Last year’s game was tight with Cokeville pulling out a 20-16 final in Kemmerer. 

In the series the Rangers will be looking to snap an 11-game losing streak to the Panthers which dates back to 1985. The last Kemmerer win in Cokeville took place in 1984. 

“For us, the focus needs to be on our own execution,” Jernigan stated. “There aren’t a ton of surprises in terms of this matchup. We see each other two to three times a year between varsity, JV, and the scrimmage. Some of our kids and their kids are good friends, and there are coaches here that played there and coaches there that coached here. So familiarity is high.”

“If we do it right, that should allow us to concentrate on executing our fundamentals and winning the one-on-one battles. Offensively, we need to hold and move the ball consistently to control the pace of play. The run game is vital this week against their fast flowing defense.”

“Special teams have to clean up. We’ve made mistakes that have swung games against us in the past two weeks. We need to tighten down and start making those game changing plays on special teams.”

“Defensively, we have to tackle well. They have some skill kids that carry the ball hard. Stopping the run is another key to getting them out of their groove. And takeaways have to go our direction this week. The sidelines will be packed with Kemmerer fans this week, so we are hoping to show our fans what we are capable of.”

Kickoff for the game this Friday is at 1 p.m. Ranger fans can listen on The Spur or by utilizing the SVI News app.

(* Information used from Wyoming-football.com)

2A Scores (Oct. 3)
Mountain View 41  Pinedale 14
Thermopolis 28  Cokeville 13
Big Horn 69  Moorcroft 6
Lyman 42  Kemmerer 0
Upton-Sundance 16  Tongue River 0
Lovell 28  Worland 3
Newcastle 54  Glenrock 14
Burns 59  Wheatland 6

2A West Standings
Overall / Conference
Mountain View (6-0)(4-0)
Thermopolis (5-0)(4-0)
Cokeville (2-3)(2-2)
Pinedale (3-2)(2-2)
Lovell (2-3)(2-2)
Worland (2-3)(1-3)
Lyman (1-5)(1-3)
Kemmerer (1-4)(0-4)

2A East Standings
Overall / Conference
Big Horn (5-0)(4-0)
Burns (5-1)(3-1)
Newcastle (3-2)(3-1)
Glenrock (2-3)(2-2)
Moorcroft (2-3)(2-2)
Upton-Sundance (2-3)(2-2)
Tongue River (0-6)(0-4)
Wheatland (0-6)(0-4)

2A Match-ups (October 10)
Kemmerer @ Cokeville (1 p.m)
Glenrock @ Big Horn (6 p.m.)
Mountain View @ Worland (6 p.m.)
Lyman @ Thermopolis (6 p.m.)
Lovell @ Pinedale (6 p.m.)
Burns @ Upton-Sundance (6 p.m.)
Newcastle @ Moorcroft (6 p.m.)
Tongue River @ Wheatland (6 p.m.)