Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Ryan Malone, left, and Tate Stinson finished their high school football careers on a high note in June. The two played on the Wyoming team in the Six-man Shootout against Nebraska. Both boys saw action during the shootout which features top football players in the state.
The Six-man Shootout was a close game - for the first 15 seconds.
"[Team Nebraska] threw a pass over my head and scored on the first play," former Saratoga High School football player Tate Stinson said.
But after the opening scoring drive by Nebraska, Stinson and Ryan Malone went on to lead Team Wyoming to a 68-26 win over Team Nebraska in the third annual Six-man Shootout.
Out of 18 available roster spots, both Malone and Stinson were selected by Team Wyoming head coach Matthew Jensen, from Meeteetse High School.
Roy Tompkins, of Hanna-Elk Mountain, joined Stinson and Malone on Wyoming's roster.
Once the boys were selected, they spent a week with Wyoming coaches and players learning plays and practicing.
"We all kind of knew each other already, and we got along really well," Malone said about his teammates.
Stinson added it was a fun experience to finally play with several players they had competed against during the regular season.
The Six-man Shootout is an exhibition game between the best six-man senior football players in Wyoming and Nebraska's best six-man players.
Every year, the game's location alternates between Nebraska and Wyoming. This year's game was played in Kearney, Neb.
Wyoming is now 3-0 in the yearly competition.
Malone played middle linebacker during the six-man shootout. He said he made several tackles throughout the game.
Stinson played wide receiver and corner during the game. After the first drive, Stinson proceeded to score on a 43-yard run in the second quarter and an 11-yard reception in the fourth.
Playing with some of the top players in the state Malone said the big reason for their success was their teammates, saying "there was just so much talent on this team."
Stinson and Malone's high school football career came to a close this weekend, but both are planning on playing football in college. Even though it has its separate rules and playing style, both Stinson and Malone don't anticipate the transition from six-man to 11-man football to be extremely difficult, as they both played 11-man in 2012.
Both Stinson and Malone said they are looking forward to their opportunities with football in the future.
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