Laramie Plainsmen Fall to #3 Natrona, 37-6

Field position and penalties played big role in Laramie's 37-6 loss to the 3rd-ranked Natrona County Mustangs Friday night at Deti Stadium. NC Sr. QB Sam Turner ran for two touchdowns and threw for two more, as they beat the Plainsmen for the eighth straight time in the series.

Natrona (2-1) scored on three of its first four possessions. Turner's sneak from 1-yard out put the Mustangs up 7-0. Then he connected with Josh Harshman on a 5-yard pass in the first and Logan Wilson on a 21-yard scoring pass in the second quarter. That gave the Mustangs a 21-0 lead with 4:38 left in the first half.

Laramie (1-2) rallied with a pair of Kyle Russell field goals in the last few minutes of the first half. Russell hit from 29 yards out with 1:18 left in the second and knocked in a 27-yarder as time ran out in the half. That cut it to 21-6 at the break.

N-C tacked on three more scores for the final margin. Wilson made a 23-yard field goal in the third, followed by Turner's second 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth. With 10:38 left in the game, Wilson capped the scoring, as he returned an interception 31 yards for a t-d. The final was 37-6.

The Mustangs finished with 253 yards of total offense. Six of their 10 offensive drives started beyond their own 35-yard line, including four in Plainsmen territory. They had scoring drives of 18, 4 and 29 yards, respectively.

LHS was able to generate 232 yards of total offense, but couldn't overcome poor field position most of the game and 12 penalties for 79 yards.

Plainsmen head coach Chuck Syverson said, "The big thing offensively is we can't afford to have those penalties. We did a pretty good job of running the ball on normal down and distance, but in longer situations, it's pretty tough to run against a team like this."

Unfortunately for Laramie, they missed on some opportunities offensively.

Syverson added, "It's the same kind of thing we've had the first few weeks. We've had some good moments and then not so good moments. We just need to consistently be a little bit better up front, both offensively and defensively."

The Plainsmen return to action next Friday night at Deti Stadium, when they host the Evanston Red Devils (1-2) at 7 p.m.

You can listen to Laramie Plainsmen football on KOWB (AM 1290), online and on your mobile device with the radioPup app. Coverage will start at 5:30 p.m. next Friday night. David Settle and VerDon Hoopes will call the game.