Lander lost 33-25 to Evanston on Friday night, dropping the Tigers to 0-2 on the season.
Evanston came in playing like the better team, and was able to maintain that look all night. The Red Devils opened the year with a 37-6 win over Douglas, one of 3A’s traditional powers and a program that has played in a long list of state title games. Douglas was ranked fifth in the class at the time. Evanston took that ranking over this week.
Finn McFadden tries to get away from an Evanston defender in the backfield Friday. h/t Carl Cote Finn McFadden caused a fumble Friday in the third quarter. h/t Carl Cote Wyatt Sorrels comes off the field for Lander during a substitution. h/t Carl Cote Caleb Andrews celebreates a pass interference call on a throw to Afton Cox Friday. h/t Carl Cote Jack Johnson gets his ankle taped up byAthletic Trainer Adam Simon during the Tigers’ game against Evanston. h/t Carl Cote
Lander’s defense showed it could hang with them. For long stretches the Tigers held up, closed off the run, and got Evanston off the field. The problem was what happened in between the Tigers’ showings of good defensive play. Every so often a hole opened wide enough for Evanston to take 30 yards and a touchdown out of it, and a defense that had been doing its job all series would come off the field down another touchdown. Against a team like Evanston, giving up those big plays tallies up big points.
Finn McFadden made plays for Lander the way he usually does. Afton Cox had the run of the night: a 35-yarder that turned into a pile 10 yards down the field, and Cox dragged the pile for 15 or 20 yards, refusing to go down while defenders and blockers fought around him. He came out the back of it alone with room in front, but off balance, and stumbled into a dive about 20 yards short of the end zone.
Lander got as close as 18-26 in the second half before Evanston answered with another long touchdown run in the fourth quarter to push the lead back to two scores.
Garett Romer threw the ball as he scrambled from Evanston’s pressure. h/t Carl Cote John Rounds walked off the field after speaking with the referees as Lander tried to hold the game to within a score. h/t Carl Cote Caleb Andrews is pushed out of bounds after catching a pass for the Tigers Friday. h/t Carl Cote Finn Mcfadden pulls down a deep pass for the Tigers in the second half. h/t Carl Cote
Head coach John Rounds had this to say after the game:
“Evanston was a good team that was physical and aggressive,” said Rounds. “In the first half we couldn’t get anything going, and they won the field position battle, which put a lot of strain on our defense. We hung in there as best we could. We made some adjustments at halftime and were able to close the gap in the 2nd half, but it was too little, too late. We still made some mistakes that we need to clean up, and as a coach, we always have things we can improve on as well. We will work to improve this next week heading into Star Valley.”
The Tigers head to Afton Friday to play the Star Valley Braves for the first time since their matchup in the playoffs at the end of last season.