Miners come from behind for win
By Brandon Walker
BIG SKY – Under the lights at Lone Peak High School on Oct. 2, the Big Horns hosted the Absarokee Huskies in their Homecoming contest. Absarokee capitalized on some big offensive plays to spoil LPHS’s night, 36-19 and drop the Big Horns to 0-5 on the season.
Following a scoreless first quarter, the Huskies wasted no time in the second, scoring on the first play of the quarter, a 45-yard passing touchdown to make it 6-0. After Absarokee rushed for another score and tacked on a 2-point conversion with 7:46 remaining in the quarter, the Big Horns found the end zone themselves just before halftime.
With 48 seconds left in the second quarter, LPHS sophomore quarterback Isaiah Holst connected with senior Kole Maus for a 4-yard touchdown pass. Maus was wide open in the end zone after disguising himself as a lineman at the snap and Holst fired a strike for the Big Horns first score of the evening.
“He was super excited and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid,” said Lone Peak Head Coach Adam Farr. “Linemen don’t get to catch touchdowns very often so that was kind of special.”
Twenty seconds later the Huskies stole back the momentum with a 61-yard passing touchdown. They tacked on the 2-point conversion, leaving the score 22-6 at the half.
At halftime, LPHS honored the 2020 Homecoming King and Queen. Voted on by their peers, seniors Nolan Schumacher and Ivy Hicks were selected and recognized during a brief ceremony.
Absarokee scored again early in the third quarter, but LPHS answered on sophomore Pierce Farr’s 5-yard touchdown rush with 8:01 to play in the quarter. The running back refused to be brought down breaking a couple tackles before rumbling into the end zone, making the score 28-12.
The Huskies punched in their third rushing touchdown of the game with 12 seconds remaining in the game, extending their lead to 36-12.
The Big Horns continued to fight until the final whistle. Following a penalty that stopped the clock with one second left, Holst took the snap, rolled to his right while evading two husky defenders and fired into the endzone toward freshman Juliusz Shipman. The pass was deflected by an Absarokee player, but Shipman was able to corral the tipped ball along the right side of the end zone for the third Big Horn touchdown. The freshman then knocked through the extra point to cap off the scoring.
“It’s highly encouraging for the future to see how athletic and levelheaded the leaders are and many of the others on the team as well,” Farr said. “They just need to get that experience and continue to grow in size and strength.”
Farr cited turnovers as the key difference that led to defeat. LPHS (0-5) next visits Ennis on Oct. 9.
Miners rally in second half for fourth victory
BIG SKY – At halftime of their matchup with the Absarokee Huskies on Oct. 2, the Ophir Miners football team found themselves in a position they’re not accustomed to: trailing 26-22. But the team regrouped at the break and were able to overcome adversity, winning 42-26.
Compounding Ophir’s situation were injuries at both the wide receiver and center positions. Miners head coach Ben Holst praised Jed Clack, who made his first appearance all season filling in at center, and receiver Jack Laxson for stepping up to help the team come from behind and seize their fourth victory in as many games.
“There’s one or two players that touch the ball on every play and the center is one of them,” Holst said. “Having a center who’s mistake free is a huge part of being successful so [with Clack] stepping in, that was crucial to us winning the second half.”
Laxson hauled in a go ahead 30-yard receiving touchdown late in the third quarter. Bridger Flores had a monstrous game scoring four total touchdowns—three rushing and one through the air—while Dominic Holst also found the end zone for the Miners.
“It’s fun to win like we did against Park City, but honestly the guys enjoy it more when they are challenged and so beating a team like Absarokee was a big thing for us,” Holst said. “I think the guys are excited and looking forward to the next three games.”
The Miners (4-0) will travel to face the Ennis Mustangs in their next contest on Oct. 9.
