Wolves get win against Rawlins

The Green River Wolves Football team made big plays on both offense and defense to win their first game of the season in front of a good home crowd at the Hall Of Fame Game last Friday, defeating Rawlins 28-15. 

The Wolves had a balanced offense, with 144 yards rushing on 32 carries for a 4.5 yard per carry average - a huge improvement from last week's 1.0 yard per carry average in the running game. Their passing offense was also much improved, with Quarterback Max Hintz connecting on 19 of 23 passes for 154 yards to give the Wolves 298 yards on offense.

James Herwaldt, in his first game back from an injury, led both the Wolves' offense and defense with 59 yards on six carries and a touchdown in the rushing game. He also had 11 tackles and one forced fumble, and he scored a touchdown on defense while playing only a part of the game due to an injury which forced him out of the game.

The Wolves had a number of players in the top categories, particularly on defense in 3A, prior to this game. They padded those numbers considerably, with three players making big interceptions - Hunter Lake, Max Hints and Ethan Maser. Lake and Dax Taylor also made big catches all night, with Lake having six receptions and Taylor hauling in 10 passes.

The improvements on both offense and defense were also the result of solid line play. As was mentioned in the pregame show, the key to winning would be which team was going to be able to run the ball, and Green River came up with a strong team effort.

The Wolves got the ball to start the game and mounted a solid drive, capped by a 27-yard Herwaldt run for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead. In Rawlins' first possession, they gave the ball to their big running back, Grant, but the Wolves' defense stopped them in four plays and got the ball right back. Green River had four good runs to put them in field goal position, but a 28-yard field goal missed and the ball went back to the Outlaws.

The teams exchanged possessions with neither team being able to score, hampered by turnovers. The Wolves took the 7-0 lead into the locker room at the half.

The Wolves kicked to the Outlaws to start the second half, and Rawlins got a good return to the 38 yard line. Herwaldt ripped the ball out on a Grant carry and took the ball in for a touchdown and a quick 14-0 lead for the Wolves.

The two teams exchanged possessions and Rawlins mounted a long drive of their own, which culminated in a short two-yard touchdown run by Grant to close the gap to 14-7.

The Wolves went on to score two more touchdowns. The first was on a pass from Hintz to Lake to make it 21-7. Later, a big interception return by Lake finished the Wolves' scoring for the game and gave them a 28-7 lead after Doak was perfect on the night with his P.A.T. kicks.

Rawlins scored one more touchdown late in the game, bringing the final score to 28-15.

After the game, Green River Head Football Coach Blaine Christensen expressed how pleased and proud he was of his team's performance and the improvement they showed.

The Wolves will hit the road for their next game against Riverton, who is 2-1 on the season.