It was oh-so-close for the Riverton Wolverines on the road Friday Night in faraway Uinta County In non -non-conference action with the Evanston Red Devils. The Wolverines spotted Evanston 13 points before roaring back to tie the game twice at 20 and then 27 before falling 34-27. The loss leaves Riverton at 0-2 on the season with a trip to Afton this Friday to play the top-ranked, defending state-champion Star Valley Braves.
Evanston quarterback Cohen Morrow put on a show completing 15 of 19 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns through the air, with another on the ground, but he didn’t shine any brighter than Riverton senior Darrick DaVries who connected on 20 of 32 attempts for a whopping 301 yards.
“We fought, I just wish we made a few more plays,” Riverton head coach Mark Lenhardt said. “To their credit, Barker and their quarterback, Morrow played a heck of a game.”
His two favorite receivers were Nick McIntosh and Ty Sheets. Sheets tallied 58 yards on eight receptions, but McIntosh had a field day, amassing 226 yards on 10 catches and scoring all three Riverton touchdowns.
The Red Devils led 13-0 on a pair of long runs early in the game, but Riverton mounted a solid drive late in the opening period capped by a 25-yard field goal from Hunter Thompson.
“The offensive line blocked things well,” Lenhardt said. “We’re trying anything we can do to run the ball better.”
McIntosh was lightning in a bottle early in the second quarter, snagging a ball in stride from DaVries and racing 60 yards to cut the Evanston lead to 13-10.
Morrow found Drew Barker for a 10-yard touchdown to end the first half with Evanston leading 20-10.
Riverton played their best ball of the season so far in the third period scoring 10 unanswered points to knot the game at 20.
Saltsgaver hit another field goal, this one from 33 yards, and McIntosh broke open on a 30-yard pass from DeVries with 3:29 remaining in the third.
Evanston scored on a long drive to regain the lead as the quarter ended on a 10-yard pass from Morrow to Barker.
“It’s a small victory, at least we’re getting them third and long. It’s just going to take more snaps and more time,” Lenhardt said.
The Wolverines rallied one more time, again on a DaVries to McIntosh connection, this one from 22 yards out, tying the game a final time at 27.
Evanston put the game away with another Morrow pass, this time to Kai Barker from the 17 for the win with 3:17 left in the game.
Riverton stalled on their final position short of the goal line but moved the ball.
“It’s disappointing we have a holding call on a screen with a minute left and moving,” Lenhardt said. “We decided to go for two if we had had the chance.”
Playing the Braves in Star Valley isn’t for the faint of heart. They have a winning tradition at home going back generations, and this year’s team is no different.
“I think we’re getting better,” Lenhardt said. “We’re doing things a little bit better every week, If we do positive things against these guys we’re doing okay.”
Evanston 13 7 14 7 – 34
Riverton – 3 7 10 7 – 27
First Quarter
EVN – Gabe Hutchinson 25-run (Jordan Mendez kick) 7:13
EVN – Cohen Morrow 69-run (kick failed) 4:58
RIV – Hunter Saltsgaver 25-field goal 1:43
Second Quarter
RIV – Nick McIntosh 60-pass from Darrick DeVries (Saltsgaver kick) 7:38
EVN – Drew Barker 10-pass from Morrow (Mendez kick) 2:28
Third Quarter
RIV -Saltsgaver 33-field goal 4:30
RIV – McIntosh 30-pass from DeVries (Saltsgaver kick) 3:29
EVN – Barker 7-pass from Morrow (Mendez kick):35
Fourth Quarter
RIV – McIntosh 22-pass from DeVries (Saltsgaver kick) 6:31
EVN – Kai Barker 17-pass from Morrow (Mendez kick) 3:17
Total Offense: Evanston – 443, Riverton – 399
Rushing Offense: Evanston – 33-259, Riverton 33-301
Passing Offense: Evanston – 15-186, Riverton 22-98
Individual Rushing: Evanston – Cohen Morrow 3-68, Brady Roberts 23-183, Gabe Hutchison 7-53, Riverton – Darrick DeVries 7-33, Ty Sheets 3-20, Hunter Saltsgaver 1-0, Talon Thoman 1-2, Blake Gantenbein 8-50, Jordan May 2- (-7)
Individual Passing: Cohen Morrow 15-19-0 186, Riverton – 20-32-1 301
Individual Receiving: Evanston Drew Barker 2-27, Brady Roberts 2-24, Jordan Mendez 2-18, Braunson Sims 2-18, Kai Barker 7-99, Ty Sheets 8-58, Branson Saltsgaver 1-9, Nick McIntosh 10-226, Clay Sheets 1-8