GUERNSEY – The Guernsey-Sunrise junior high football team won the first game of the year against Southeast. After a string of defeats, the team went out the same way they came in, with a victory over cross-county rival Lingle-Ft. Laramie (LFL).

The game started out with LFL marching down the field and having little problem scoring the first touchdown with six-minutes left in the first quarter. Guernsey, however would not give up and began a run game of their own that kept the game close until the third quarter when LFL built a two-score lead and appeared to be coasting to victory.

With the game tied at 26 and 1:43 left on the clock in the fourth quarter, the Doggers were driving. As LFL dropped back and rolled out to pass, Guernsey-Sunrise eighth grader Tanner Delay came on a weakside blitz and as their QB was being sacked, the ball popped loose and was picked up by Guernsey who took the ball down to the nine-yard line. Guernsey scored on the next play and then added the extra point to seal the victory.

“We knew going into every game this year that they would be hard to win because over half of our team was sixth graders or hadn't played before, while the teams we played were using seventh and eighth graders only,” said Guernsey-Sunrise football coach Troy Reichert. “But give our guys credit, they showed up and worked hard every day.  We had one "give up" game against Pine Bluffs, but after a fun "discipline practice" the next day, the kids straightened up and fought every day after that game.”  

According to Reichert, in the game against LFL, they wanted to make sure that the eighth graders went out with a win, and they also wanted to finish the year unbeaten on their home field.

“Around the middle of the second quarter, you could see our guys digging in a little deeper and trying to gain control of both lines of scrimmage,” Reichert said. “We wanted to open the second half with a defensive stop, but instead went down by 2 scores. The kids just kept fighting though, kept a positive attitude, and kept hitting and blocking harder as the game went on.”

It took until the last stanza of the last game of the year before the Vikings gained momentum and tied the game in the fourth quarter.

“I felt like it wouldn't end that way,” Reichert said. “Our kids just wanted it more.  And when I sent Tanner Delay on a backside blitz, you just knew something good was going to happen as he ran down the quarterback with a couple of minutes left.  Sure enough, he knocked the ball out and Jayden ran it in for the defensive touchdown to give us the win.

“I've got to say, the crowd really kept our kids fired up the whole game.  I think the fans got louder as the game went on, and it seemed like our kids never ran out of gas because of it.  Seeing the stands and sidelines as full as they were for a junior high game was fun to see, and the kids really appreciated the support.”