Despite a regular season with limited games, the Encampment Tigers are still making an effort to prove they have what it takes to punch their ticket to the 1A Six-Man Championship at War Memorial Stadium in November.

Smoke was in the air on October 4 as Saratoga hosted the Wright Panthers for a 1A 9-man conference game. While the smoke came from the fires in the northwest part of the state, it could have just as easily come from the defensive battle on the gridiron in the first half of the game.

It was a busy weekend for Saratoga Lady Panthers volleyball as they played in three conference games, going 2-1 for the weekend.

On September 27, the Lady Panthers were hosted by the Fort Washakie Lady Eagles and the Farson-Eden Lady Pronghorns for two critical wins. Then, on September 28, Saratoga was hosted by the Cokeville Lady Panthers in a conference loss.

 

In their first conference game of the season, the Encampment Tigers secured a vital victory against Casper Christian while on the road on September 28.

The Tigers, who have defeated all their other opponents so far in the season, delivered a nearly 50 point loss to Casper Christian. While it was a significant win for Encampment, Head Coach Kegan Willford said there was still room for improvement.

The Encampment Lady Tigers are getting closer to their goal - make it to state volleyball. The team played three rivals on the road last week and proved they fight for the wins.

Their only loss was to the Cokeville Panthers, a strong southeast conference opponent. Friday night, the Tigers fell to the Panthers 23-25, 15-25, 18-25. Despite the loss, Savannah Fagan had 12 digs and Kyenna Jackson scored with 50 percent of her kills.

Saratoga Panther Head Coach Jared Mason was thrilled with the win on September 20 against Lusk.

“What a defensive masterpiece,” said Mason. “The players were flying around on defense, doing their jobs, and making plays.”

The last time the Panthers defeated the Niobrara County Tigers was on October 8, 2004.