Injuries piled up throughout the season for the Powell Middle School seventh grade football team, but the Cubs persevered throughout and nearly posted a winning record, finishing 3-4.

The team was dealt a blow from the jump, as the Cubs lost their starting quarterback in the first game of the season along with their starting running back — coach Juston Carter said even more injuries followed the rest of the year.

Despite those injuries, the Cubs pulled off an opening game victory over Riverton 12-6 in overtime. Highlights included a Rhett Goolsbey touchdown, Garrett Davis scoring the winning touchdown in overtime and Jonathon Haney having a key strip and fumble recovery late in the game.

“What really stood out to me was everyone’s willingness and effort to step up,” Carter said. “Overall, the team was sure tacklers — that kept us in all the games.”

Carter added that the Cubs were the only team to defeat Riverton this season, which went on to win the conference title.

Powell continued the early season momentum despite the injuries, earning a 28-8 win over Lovell that Carter called a “good team effort.”

After starting the year with two wins, the Cubs lost three straight by one score, starting with a 15-8 loss to Sheridan in a game in which special teams played a key factor.

“A kickoff return and a muffed punt were too much to overcome against Sheridan,” Carter said.

Following that close loss the Cubs lost to Worland 14-6 and Laurel 10-8 where turnovers and a late safety against Laurel proved to be the difference makers in those losses.

The final loss for the Cubs came against Cody, with Powell falling 12-0 to its rival.

“Cody was a physical team and was the only game that we did not tackle well in,” Carter said.

Ending the season on a high note the Cubs dominated Lander in a 33-0 game, with Carter saying the team converted its first successful extra point of the season in the game.

“They changed positions, learned new skills and just kept moving forward,” Carter said. “Watching the athletes showcase their skills against Lander to wrap up the season was a ton of fun and a great way to end the season,” he said.

Taking over at quarterback for the Cubs was the duo of James Haney and Jack Tietema, who connected with tight end Garrett Davis several times throughout the year for touchdowns.

Carter added that Tucker McDonald and Goolsbey were consistent running the ball while the whole defense played well and were sure tacklers throughout the season.

“The team just needs to keep working on their foundational skills because technique will win championships,” Carter said. “This group is not the biggest physically, so they need to win by consistently doing the little things right. This group is tough minded and coachable, so as long as they play as a team and stick together, the sky is the limit.”

He said that even though the win-loss record did not go the way of the Cubs, he and assistant coach Nick Fulton were proud of the growth from the team and that they are excited for the future of the team when they are healthy.

“The win-loss record did not end up the way we wanted, but the season was a good step in the right direction,” Carter said. “The athletes never gave up, filled in when needed and came to practice every day with the mindset to improve.”

He said that the coachability of the team and their willingness to compete will make them dangerous in the future and should help the group be competitive.

“This team has the potential to compete with any team but we just battled too many injuries this year to be at full strength,” Carter said. “We came together even stronger after we started getting our athletes back toward the end of the season, so the potential is great for future seasons.”