Rebels to host Hulett as part of Military Appreciation Day

Rebels to host Hulett as part of Military Appreciation Day

By Nathan Oster

Five turnovers proved to be too much to overcome as the Riverside Rebels lost a non-conference game to Encampment, 44-6, Friday night in Basin.

“Encampment is a great team and deserves its No. 2 ranking,” Coach Matthew Jensen said, citing the results of last week’s poll in which the Tigers trailed only Little Snake River.

Despite the loss, Jensen said he liked a lot of what he saw. “We moved the ball well up and down the field offensively (at the start of the game) but just were not able to complete drives,” he said. 

The Rebels found themselves trailing 22-0 at the half and never recovered, losing by 38.

“We can’t expect to win many games when you turn the ball over five times.”

Leading offensive players included Corbyn Godfrey, who gained 33 yards on eight carries; Eli Jensen, who was 2-of-3 passing for 39 yards and caught four passes for 17 yards; and Paul Stone, who had one catch for 37 yards and a touchdown.

On the defensive side, Stone had  seven solo tackles, two assisted tackles and a pass-breakup; Zack Kuntz had three solos, one assist and one pass-breakup; Gavyn Cervantes, three solos, two assists and one pass-breakup, and Godfrey, four solos and two assists.

Moving forward

Jensen said he and his coaches will re-emphasize the importance of “taking care of the ball and limiting turnovers.

“Ball security will be a top priority as turnovers are significant momentum killers,” he said.

The Rebels open conference play later this week against Hulett. 

“They have a very athletic quarterback who throws and runs the ball well (and they) return a good amount of players from last year’s team that was able to put up points quickly,” said Jensen. “We will have a game plan defensively to try to limit their big plays, but the focus will be on us and what we need to do to get better. We need to find ways to make explosive plays and limit the mistakes. 

“After reviewing enough film over the past two weeks, us coaches need to adjust our game plans by figuring out what works, finding ways to make things better, and getting rid of what doesn’t. We’ll also add new wrinkles and put our players in better spots to be successful.”

While it hasn’t shown up in the win column, Jensen said he’s proud of the team and the progress it’s making, which he attributed to hard work in practice.

“We still have work to do, but we are growing as men and success will show itself sometime this season,” he said. “We need the mental toughness to keep fighting for daily improvement and to stay positive even when facing setbacks. That is what I love about football, it emulates life. Just keep fighting to get better every day!”

Riverside and Hulett play in a Military Appreciation Day game Saturday at 2 p.m. in Basin.

“We owe the opportunity to play this great game to the sacrifices of our service members. I am so grateful to all the community members that have been working hard to put this on. I’m so proud of our little town!”