Tigers Tear Into Conference Play

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.

“We didn’t start as fast in this game as we have in our previous two games. That is something that we will work on getting better at our next game,” said Willford. “Facing some adversity is never a bad thing and can better prepare our team for other moments like that later on in the season.”

The 1st quarter of the game was the tightest for Encampment with Casper Christian making the first touchdown. The Tigers responded with a touchdown of their own following a 9 yard rush from Kannon Gilbert. Casper Christian then completed a 10 yard rush to go 6-12 against Encampment.

Gilbert, again, scored for the Tigers with a 40 yard kickoff return. A successful point-after-touchdown (PAT) from Gunner Knotwell put Encampment ahead by just 2 points, 14-12, at the end of the 1st quarter.

In the 2nd quarter, the Tigers seemed to gain their momentum and knock the rust off as they scored 32 points to Casper Christitans’ 14 points. Gilbert completed a 59 yard rush for a touchdown followed by a PAT from Knotwell. Gilbert scored, again, with a 6 point conversion following a 31 yard pass from Knotwell who then completed another PAT to put the Tigers ahead 30-12. Casper Christian responded with a touchdown following a 41 yard rush and a one point conversion, to trail 30-19 against Encampment.

Gilbert rushed for 13 yards ending in a touchdown and Knotwell, again, secured another successful PAT. Casper Christian scored another touchdown in response following a 23 yard rush and another one point conversion.

To end the half, Gilbert completed a 38 yard rush for a touchdown while Knotwell secured another successful PAT. Entering halftime, the Tigers led 46-26 over Casper Christian.

Coming back into the second half, the 3rd quarter appeared to be more of a defensive game as there was no scoring from Casper Christian and only one touchdown from Encampment. That touchdown came from Gilbert completing a 4 yard rush. The Tigers continued to lead heading into the final quarter, 52-26.

With a significant lead, Willford’s less veteran players were able to get some time on the gridiron and earn their way into the scorebook.

Knotwell led the scoring in the 4th quarter with a touchdown following a 13 yard rush. Dashaal Baysinger then secured a 6 point conversion for Encampment following a 22 yard pass from Knotwell. A successful PAT from Knotwell pushed the Tigers to a 40 point lead, 66-26.

Casper Christian responded with their only scores of the final quarter, completing a 65 yard rush for a touchdown and a one point conversion following a 3 yard rush.

For the rest of the game, the Tigers continued to score. Gilbert scored another touchdown after a 6 yard rush which was followed by a PAT from Knotwell. Hayden Suttee also scored a touchdown, this one after a 4 yard rush, with Knotwell securing the final PAT of the game.

The final score was 82-33.

“It was a very hot day and I thought the team handled the heat well,” said Willford. “We will use this week of practice to work on improving in a few different areas as we try to be better each week.”

Gilbert was the rushing leader for Encampment with a total of 204 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns against Casper Christian. Knotwell was the passing leader as he passed for a total of 129 yards in the Tigers’ first conference game.

Following their win against Casper Christian, the Encampment Tigers now sit at the top of the 1A South Six-Man Conference with a season record of 3-0 and a conference record of 1-0.

The Tigers have another conference game this week as they are hosted by the Farson-Eden Pronghorns (1-2, 1-1) at 4 p.m. on October 4 in Farson.