YODER – The Big Piney High School Punchers boarded the bus for a long, nearly seven-hour bus ride across the state to play the Southeast Cyclones in Goshen County on Friday, Sept. 6.

Big Piney’s young squad faced off against a tough, senior-stacked, experienced Southeast team while also battling intense afternoon heat. 

Southeast established a 30-0 lead by the beginning of the fourth quarter and Big Piney came up short in matching the Cyclones in scoring. The Punchers rallied to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter, though the final scoreboard favored Southeast, 30-8.

Big Piney took possession in the fourth quarter after junior Zeferino Zuniga forced a turnover on downs with a tackle for loss.

Sophomore quarterback Zach Ferguson and senior running back Caden Clifford drove the ball deep into Cyclones territory. Ferguson delivered a pass to sophomore Gerardo Galvan in the end zone to score a touchdown for the Punchers.

Ferguson drove the ball into the end zone to convert two extra points.

Overall, the Puncher offense totaled 158 yards rushing. Clifford tallied 67 rushing yards on 16 carries. Sophomore Zavier Clifford posted 25 yards rushing on seven carries with freshman Clayton Jenks at 21 yards rushing on four carries.

Ferguson completed five passes for 50 yards.

The Big Piney defense made solid plays throughout four quarters. Zuniga set the pace for the Punchers with 12 tackles, including one tackle for loss and one sack.

Clifford tallied 11 tackles, including one for loss, while sophomore Barrett Denison made nine tackles.

Galvan, Denison and Clifford each broke up one pass.

“This was a challenging week with only two full practices and a long bus ride across the state,” head coach Jeromy Moffat said. “We saw a lot of good, some not so good after our first week of 9-man. Being a young team, nerves and mental awareness played a role. Initially, we were able to move the ball but weren’t able to sustain any drives. Between the 40s, we had success. Defensively, I thought we played hard. Our tackling and reads up front and pass coverage need to be a little quicker. This will come with more varsity reps and experience.”

Big Piney travels to play conference rival Wyoming Indian High School on Friday, Sept. 13.

“This week, we will focus on intensity and mental toughness,” Moffat said. “We are also focusing on finding our team identity and trusting in each other as teammates. I’m very encouraged by what we are seeing and cannot wait to get into our conference schedule this week at Wyoming Indian.”