(Riverton, WY) – Riverton’s thrilling 36-35 double-overtime win over the Powell Panthers Friday night at Wolverine field was the best game of all 20 opening-round contests in Wyoming’s five football divisions.
Trailing 20-0 at the half, the Wolverines displayed great determination in sending the game into the first overtime, then winning it in the second.
Over the 102-year history of football at Riverton High School there have 13 overtime games, and before the overtime rule was implemented in 1979, there were 25 ties.
The first time dates back a full century with Riverton and Lander walking away from a 6-6 deadlock on October 10, 1924.
The last tie by a Riverton team came against Rock Springs on September 17, 1971, with a 7-7 decision against the Tigers.
Historically, the odds are against the red and black, with Riverton winning five and losing seven before entering Friday night’s opening round playoff game with Powell.
It was the second double-overtime game in Wolverine history. The first came in the post-season as well with a 38-37 loss to Worland on October 30, 2009, in the opening round of the Class 3-A playoffs.
Wolverines and Panthers – h/t Randy Tucker
Riverton’s first overtime win came on October 8, 1982, with a 28-26 triple-overtime win over the Cody Broncs.
They played another triple-overtime game 21 years later with an early season 40-34 loss to the Gillette Camels on September 12, 2003.
The most recent, and most interesting overtime game came just two seasons ago against Lander at Wolverine field. Lightning postponed the Friday tilt to Monday evening and Lander emerged with a 29-28 overtime win 72 hours after the opening kickoff.
Another overtime game with the rival Tigers came on September 19, 1997, with a 24-17 Riverton win.
The remaining overtime games are a testament to the bouncing up and down of Riverton football over the years from Class 3-A to 4-A, 5-A and back down to the 3-A division again.
Natrona edged Riverton 23-17 in overtime back on September 28, 1990, and the Wolverines broke a scoreless deadlock against Douglas 7-0 on October 25, 1996.
Sheridan took a 24-21 win via a field goal on September 20, 2002, and Riverton won their first Class 4-A overtime game the following year with a 21-14 win over Cheyenne East on August 29, 2003.
Next Friday’s semi-final opponent, the Star Valley Braves fell 13-10 to Riverton in the 2008 season opener.
Douglas edged the Wolverines on October 25, 2019, in the extra period.
Friday’s win was the second overtime played between Powell and Riverton and avenges a 20-14 win by the Panthers almost four decades ago on September 26, 1986.
The most overtimes ever played in a high school football game was nine and has happened twice.
In 1977, Detroit, Michigan metro schools, Southeastern and Northeastern played for almost four hours before Northeaster took a 42-36 win.
More recently, Bothell won in nine overtimes over Pasco 43-40 in a game played in Washington state.
In high school football, the California Playoff System is used.
A coin toss is held and the winner chooses either offense or defense. The ball is placed at the 10-yard line and the first team has four plays. After their series is over, whether they are scoreless or score 3, 6, 7 or 8 points, the other team gets four plays to win, lose or tie the game.
This is repeated until one team is the winner.
Theoretically a team could win with a safety but in almost five decades of the California Playoff System, that has never occurred.