Wind River picked up their first win of the season, and more importantly, a West 1-A 9-man Conference win over rival Wyoming Indian at the Chiefs Intertribal Complex at Ethete Thursday afternoon.
The Cougars put the game in running clock mode in the third period with a 46-0 lead before the Chiefs scored late for the 46-8 finale.
The Cougars dominated the game on the ground with 361 rushing yards and touchdowns scored by five different running backs. Wind River was perfect on first half two-point conversions, posting 40 points on five touchdowns.
The Cougars scored on their opening drive, an 11-play, 65-yard march behind power running between the tackles. Brayden Tatro capped the drive on a four-yard plunge and Ben Snyder added the conversion run for an 8-0 lead just 3:44 into the contest.
The Wyoming Indian offense countered the Cougar running game with a passing attack led by LaDainian Brown. Brown completed five of his first six passes, moving the Chiefs steadily up the field until Jeremy Rushing intercepted him at the 19 and returned it 23 yards to the Wyoming Indian 42.
Another long drive that featured Jeffery Rushing plowing over would-be tacklers on a 15-yard power run to the one-yard line ended with Rushing crashing in for the second touchdown of the game.
Remington Martinez added the conversion, and the Cougars led 16-0 with 3:34 left in the opening period.
The Chiefs struggled on the ensuing drive but Matthew Austin had a stellar punt, driving the Cougars back to their four-yard line.
Wind River mounted another impressive drive, this one totaling 96 yards as they mixed up runs with Tatro, Martinez, Rushing, Snyder, and Jacob Hardcastle.
Tatro had the big play on the drive, a 30-yard touchdown run, the longest of the game with 9:34 left in the second quarter.
The Cougars had a bit of luck on the two-point conversion with Martinez’s pass tipped by a Wyoming Indian defender but falling into the hands of Jeffrey Schrock for a 24-0 lead.
Wyoming Indian picked up a first down but fumbled on the next play at their 31. Martinez took advantage on a 14-yard scoring run, with Snyder adding the two-point conversion.
The final score of the opening half came with just 59 seconds remaining on a 14-yard Snyder run. Snyder added the conversion, and the Cougars took a 40-0 lead into the half.
The final seconds of the second period featured turnovers by both teams. Troy Tidzump recovered a Chiefs’ fumble at the 22 but Darian Augustine intercepted Martinez on the next play to stop the Wind River drive.
Wyoming Indian opened the second half with their best drive of the game, reaching the nine-yard line before turning the ball over on downs.
Wind River posted another long drive before putting the game into running clock mode via the Mercy Rule on a 10-yard Hardcastle run.
The Chiefs scored late in the game on a 37-yard pass from Brown to Augustine with Brown adding the conversion run.
Augustine had a great night catching the ball, gaining 141 yards on seven receptions.
Wind River entertains Shoshoni next Friday at 6 pm in Pavillion while the Chiefs travel to Cowley to play Rocky Mountain at the same time.
WIND RIVER 16 24 6 0 – 46
WYOMING INDIAN 0 0 0 8 – 8
First Quarter
WR – Brayden Tatro 4-run (Ben Snyder run) 8:16
WR – Jeffery Rushing 1-run (Remington Martinez run) 6:23
Second Quarter
WR – Tatro 30-run (Jeffrey Schrock pass from Martinez) 9:34
WR – Martinez 14-run (Synder run) 4:40
WR – Snyder 15-run (Snyder run) :59
Third Quarter
WR – Jacob Hardcastle 10-run (run failed) 5:53
Fourth Quarter
WI – Darian Augustine 37-pass from LaDainian Brown (Brown run) 1:36