(Pavillion, WY) – Wind River survived a fourth-quarter comeback by the visiting Southeast Goshen Cyclones Thursday night at Pavillion, 32-22, for their first win of the season.
The Cougars built a 26-0 lead early in the second half and led 32-6 entering the final period when the Cyclones went to the air, scoring 16 unanswered points in the last minutes of the game.
Wind River quarterback Tanner Walker ran the option well to Eli Hill, Michael Starks and Bubba Rushing.
Rushing, an all-state selection in 2025, was a marked man by the Cyclone defense. His usual yardage between the tackles was hard to come by, but it opened up the perimeter for his teammates.
Hill scored first on a 10-yard run, followed by a nine-yard quarterback keeper from Walker.
The Cougars held a comfortable 12-0 lead after the initial period of play.
Lightning lit up the eastern sky in the distance, but another type of lightning came early in the second period when Hill took a Walker option pitch, found the corner, and raced down the west sideline on a 59-yard scamper for an 18-0 Wind River lead.
On the ensuing possession, the Cougar defense played with reckless abandon. Isaiah Alatini beat his man and stuffed a Cyclone running back for a five-yard loss on first down. On second down, Michael Sparks did the same, throwing another Southeast back for a three-yard loss.
Frustration erupted on the visitors from Goshen County with a 15-yard personal foul penalty that dropped them back to the 15-yard line where they faced a third down and 32 yards.
The Cougars stalled at the Southeast 31 with 6:12 remaining in the opening half.
Southeast went to the air, but Rushing was waiting at the Wind River 43 and returned the ball to the Southeast 39.
The Cougars stalled again, but Braxton Dow hit a beautiful punt that rolled dead on the two-yard line.
Three plays later, with just three seconds on the second-period clock, Wind River added two more points when Rushing sacked Connor Coxbill in the end zone for a safety and a 20-0 halftime lead.
The Cougars opened the third quarter with a three-yard power run by Rushing at 9:06.
Southeast found the end zone on a 14-yard run by quarterback Tatum Wiedeman with 6:13 on the third-period clock.
Wind River is a run-dominated team, but Walker found Dow on a 12-yard pass late in the third period to keep a long drive moving toward the end zone.
Hill scored his third touchdown of the night on a seven-yard counter with 11:18 left in the game.
Southeast abandoned the run and went to the air effectively for the rest of the game.
The Cyclones connected on seven of eight passes before Maddox Sorenson scored on a five-yard reception from Wiedeman with 4:14 left on the fourth-quarter clock.
The Cyclones scored again for the final time on a 34-yard broken-play run by Wiedeman. A pair of Cyclone two-point conversions set the final score at 32-22.
This was the final non-conference game for both teams.
A slippery pigskin for Michael Sparks on an errant pitch – Randy Tucker
Wind River hosts top-ranked Rocky Mountain next week while Southeast Goshen hosts Upton.
WIND RIVER 12 8 12 0 – 32
SOUTHEAST GOSHEN 0 0 6 16 – 22
First Quarter
WR – Eli Hill 10-run (run failed)
WR – Tanner Walker 9-run (run failed)
Second Quarter
WR – Hill 59-run (run failed)
WR – Safety – Bubba Rushing tackles Connor Coxbill in end zone
Third Quarter
WR – Rushing 3-run (run failed)
SE – Tatum Wiedeman 14-run (pass failed)
Fourth Quarter
WR – Hill 7-run (run failed)
SE – Maddox Sorenson 5-pass from Wiedeman (Brady Kruchowski pass from Wiedeman)
SE – Wiedeman 34-run (Kruchowski pass from Wiedeman)