Tyler Vendetti gets to the outside during a 71-yard-touchdown run.
Things could not have started better last Friday for the Green River High School football team.
Unfortunately, after a dominant first half on offense, the Wolves were unable to carry the momentum to the second half of a 35-28 home loss to Rawlins.
On the second play from scrimmage, Green River quarterback Tyler Vendetti showed why he is one of the best athletes in the Cowboy state when he took a quarterback-keeper to the sideline and outran the Outlaw defense for a 71-yard touchdown.
It was the first of four first-half touchdowns for the Wolves. Following an 81-yard Rawlins touchdown to knot the game at 7, Vendetti connected with Jacob Olson for a five-yard touchdown grab to put Green River back in the lead.
Vendetti would put the Wolves up 21-7 on another touchdown run, this time from 25 yards.
After a Rawlins score to cut the lead to 21-14, Green River increased their lead to to 14 on a five-yard run by Caleb Mortensen.
The Outlaws scored just before half to cut the lead to 28-21.
It was a tough start to the second half for Green River as they lost one of their best defensive players, Gage Hunt, who went down with what appeared to be a serious knee injury early in the third quarter. Prior the injury, Hunt had three assisted tackles, five unassisted tackles, and two tackles for a loss.
Head coach Don Maggi said Hunt is a captain of the team and seeing him going down really deflated his team.
Rawlins scored the only points of the second half with two touchdowns giving them the 35-28 victory.
Green River had a chance to tie the game with a little over a minute remaining, but a pass from Vendetti went off the hands of senior standout Tanner Trumble and was intercepted to seal the victory.
Following the game, Maggi said the team was feeling really down, and they just could not get Rawlins off the field on third down.
Rawlins had a total of 462 yards of offense, including 391 through the air.
"We gave up way to many big plays," he said. "We have to do better."
The fourth-year coach said that some of the mistakes the team made on defense are correctable because they are young, but he is not going to use that as an excuse and they will keep going and get better.
He said another problem on defense was they were unable to get any pressure on the passer.
Offensively, Maggi said the team did better running the ball, but they are still not as consistent as he would like them to be.
The Wolves finished with 460 yards of offense, with 321 yards rushing on 39 carries and had 139 yards through the air.
Vendetti was the leading rusher with 165 yards on 12 carries for an 13.75 yards a carry. He was also 12 of 22 passing for 139 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Sophomore standout James Bunderman had a huge game on both sides of the ball for Green River.
He had 83 yards rushing on 13 carries and had a total of six tackles, three of those being unassisted and an interception.
Mortensen added nine rushes for 33 yards and a touchdown.
Another key Green River sophomore also had a big night Friday.
Drew Wilson had five assisted tackles, four unassisted tackles, a tackle for a loss and also added three carries for 23 yards.
Friday night Green River (0-2) will look to pick up their first win of the season in a non-conference matchup on the road against Torrington (2-0).
Maggi said he wants his team to keep growing, get better and have the goal of making the playoffs.
After a couple of injuries against Rawlins, Maggi said they will put the next guy in, coach him up and see what happens.
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