Plainsmen Qualify For Playoffs With 28-7 Win At Kelly Walsh
Andy Pearson ran for two touchdowns and caught another, as the Laramie Plainsmen finished the regular season with a 28-7 victory at Kelly Walsh Friday night.
Laramie's (3-6) win clinched a berth in the 4A playoffs for a second straight year.
Neither team scored in the first quarter. The Plainsmen were able to move the ball in the first half, but hurt themselves with two turnovers and numerous penalties.
Kelly Walsh (3-6) took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter thanks to good field position at the LHS 46 yard line. Grant Murphy caught a 23-yard receiver screen pass from Lamont Frisby and did the rest for the score at the 9:42 mark.
LHS got on the board with 52 second left in the first half. The Plainsmen capitalized on a short field with a 28-yard drive that took five plays. Pearson punched it in from two-yards out. The score was tied at 7-7 at halftime.
Laramie took their first lead just 27 seconds into the second half. Tye Brown intercepted his second pass of the game and returned it nine yards for a touchdown for a 14-7 advantage.
The Plainsmen put together a monster drive that lasted 6:09 in the fourth for a 21-7 lead. The 12-play, 80-yard effort was punctuated with Pearson's 3-yard t-d run. Then, LHS iced the game just over two minutes later. Tristan Eickbush connected with Pearson for a 25-yard scoring strike after Kelly Walsh had turned the ball over on downs.
Pearson accounted for 261 yards of total offense. He ran for 149 yards on 25 carries. Pearson also caught seven passes for another 112 yards. David Corliss added 78 yards rushing, as the Plainsmen finished with 379 yards of total offense.
The defense stepped up with a dominant performance. LHS held the Trojans to 172 yards of offense and only eight first downs for the game.
Laramie earned the sixth seed in the playoff bracket. They will go to Gillette to face the third seeded Camels on Halloween night. Game time is at 6 p.m.