By Brandon Walker
EBS Editorial Assistant
BIG SKY – Under the lights at the Lone Peak High School football field, the West Yellowstone Wolverines stole the show on senior night, defeating the Big Horns 62-14. LPHS head coach Adam Farr acknowledged the tough competition that his team faced on the night: “The team fought hard all the way to the end. We were simply outgunned and outmatched.”
The Big Horns scored the first touchdown of the game when senior quarterback Frankie Starz found freshman Pierce Farr in the back of the end zone with 7:41 remaining in the first quarter. Starz then connected with sophomore Bennett Miller on the two-point conversion to make it an 8-0 ball game early on.
West Yellowstone found another gear after that, scoring 42 unanswered points to close out the half. They went on to add another 20 in the second half, putting the game out of reach for Lone Peak.
At halftime, a ceremony recognized the accomplishments and dedication to the program of LPHS seniors Starz, Austin Samuels, Nick Wade, Ryker Potter, Chaz Paduano and Greg Miller. “They certainly never wavered in their drive and desire to win. I really mean that. Those guys were fighters,” Farr said. “This season was one to remember for sure. At the end of the day the seniors meant a lot to the program throughout their entire time there. To see them move on is sad, but I’m certainly proud of their effort throughout their entire high school career.”
As fate would have it, Lone Peak’s last touchdown of the season was scored by a pair of seniors. Austin Samuels caught one of his final passes from Starz in the fourth quarter, capping off a season in which the pair generated most of the Big Horns’ offense.
LPHS finished up their season with a 3-5 record. “I was super proud of the effort they put forward throughout the entire season. We had a lot of contribution from, obviously the seniors, but the underclassmen as well, which bodes well for the future,” Farr said. “We have a very strong middle school team, which only lost one game the entire season, so they’re going to be feeding some really top-notch talent upwards to the high school as well, so I think the future of the program looks bright.”