For a third straight year, the Laramie Plainsmen were eliminated in the first round of the 4-A playoffs. They lost at top-ranked Gillette 73-33 Friday night.

Gillette (10-0) put points on the board on their first 11 possessions of the game in their 15 consecutive victory in the series.

Laramie (3-7) hung around for just over a quarter, but failed to stop the Camels.

Roo Aten ran for 139 yards and four touchdowns. Dalton Holst threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns, plus he added a TD run for Gillette.

Taylor Dodd passed for 274 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. Three of those TD passes went to Conor Beeston, who had six catches for 176 yards for Laramie.

The Plainsmen took a 7-0 lead on the game’s opening possession. Dodd hit Beeston from 11-yards out. The Camels answered and tied it at 7-7. Dodd connected with Beeston on an 81-yard TD pass, but the P-A-T was blocked, which made it 13-7.

Gillette came right back and took the lead for good at 14-13. Laramie responded with Dodd to Beeston from 50 yards out just a minute into the second quarter. The Plainsmen went for two and failed. That made the score 21-19.

Then the Camels scored the next 52 points. It was 56-19 at halftime and reached 73-19 before Laramie scored twice in the fourth quarter.

Gillette also capitalized on three Plainsmen turnovers. They out-gained L-H-S 639-to-404 in total offensive yards.

It’s still been 15 years since Laramie won a playoff game.

The Plainsmen will return seven starters on offense and six on defense for the 2016 season.

More From KOWB 1290