Cokeville too much for Saratoga football

When you go to play a powerhouse team like Cokeville, some pre-game jitters are to be expected. But Saratoga football head coach Scott Bokelman said the jitters ended up getting the best of them in their 48-9 loss to the Cokeville Panthers.

Bokelman said his team did not play nearly as well as he expected. “We came into the game just a little bit intimidated,” he said.

The game against Cokeville was a wake-up call for the Panthers, Bokelman said. He said in order for them to compete in future games, they have to work on their confidence. Playing games against tough opponents earlier in the year will hopefully help them down the road.

“In games like this, we want our kids to take out of it that we can compete with the best,” Bokelman said. “We need a little more self-confidence. We kind of had the deer in the headlights look going into it … They will get better and more confident as the season goes along.”

The Saratoga Panthers have scored an average of 10.5 points per game this season, while the defense gave up an average of 47.5. Bokelman stressed his team needs to see continual improvement on both sides of the ball.

“We need to start tackling like we did against (Fort Laramie-Lingle),” he said.

Bokelman said he would also like to see more production out of his running backs as well.

On a positive note, Bokelman said he continues to see improvement from his young team. He said he has seen a lot of improvement up front with the offensive line. Bokelman plans on moving some of his players around in this week’s practice to fill positions better.

The Panthers were able to move the ball through the air against Cokeville, Bokelman said. He said quarterback Thatcher Speiring and running back Seth Harrison both played well against Cokeville.

The Panthers will be taking on the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies from Cowley, Wyo., in a conference home game this weekend. Rocky Mountain is a team stacked with seniors, and is led by Kirby Winland who is a four-year starter at quarterback for Grizzlies.

Bokelman said the Grizzlies will be running out of the I-formation along with some double-wing formations and will try to run between the tackles. While the Panthers match up better with Rocky Mountain then they did with Cokeville, Bokelman said his team will need to play physical to stop the Grizzlies.

“Rocky Mountain will be tough. We have to hit and tackle well this Friday,” he said.

Kickoff is at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Saratoga High School Football Field.

 

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