(Torrington, WY) – In a game filled with many emotions Friday night, third ranked Riverton prevailed over forth ranked Torrington 28-12.
The week 7 contest was the first time that Wolverine second-year Head Coach Mark Lenhardt returned to his former home. Lenhardt coached at THS from 2011-2018, leading the Trailblazers to six playoff appearances in a row, and two state runner-up honors. Torrington had not lost to a Wyoming opponent all season entering their Senior Night game.
Riverton took their opening possession 63 yards, burning nearly 6 minutes of game time to the end-zone. The drive was capped-off by a 14 yard Blake Gantenbein touchdown run. At the 8:54 mark of the second quarter, Torrington scored thanks to a Colby Sandusky 2 yard run. However, Wolverines senior Ryan Cox blocked the extra point attempt, making it 7-6 RHS at halftime.
Riverton started the second half scoring with a 21 yard pass from Gantenbein to Jackson Larsen. Less than two minutes of game time later, Dane Cox picked off a pass setting the Wolverines up on the Torrington 20 yard line. Blake ran from 2 yards out just four plays later, putting Riverton up 21-6 with 4:19 remaining in the third. Gantenbein wasn’t done scoring, punching it in on 4th and goal from the 1 with 8:12 left in the 4th quarter. Torrington scored on a trick play with just 19 seconds remaining in the contest, making the final score 28-12.
The win secured a playoff spot for Riverton with one regular season game left to go. If RHS beats Rawlins this Friday on the road, the first round of the playoffs will very likely be played at Wolverine Field against either Powell or Evanston. Should Rawlins upset Riverton, the Wolverines would likely go to Cody for the first round of the playoffs. Keep in mind, there are a few unique tie-breaking scenarios that could come into play.
Riverton fans will need to keep an eye on another 3A East battle, with Torrington going to Douglas. If Riverton and Douglas both win, RHS will be the east’s #2 seed. If Riverton and Torrington win, there will be a tie-breaker between Riverton, Douglas, and Torrington. WyoPreps explains playoff scenarios here.
County 10 will be in Rawlins this Friday with video coverage of the game on our YouTube channel and radio coverage can be heard on 105.1 JACK-FM!