No. 5 Powell one win away from Laramie

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. For the members of the fifth-ranked Powell High School football team, simply having a second chance might be enough.

“We’ve just got to believe,” senior Zach Thiel said shortly after the Panthers put the final touches on a 45-6 quarterfinal beatdown of Lander last week. “We need to play together as a team and surprise them.”

The Panthers pulled plenty of surprises out of their hat in the quarterfinals, using a strong defensive performance to spring a 10-turnover tirade against the Tigers. Powell also blocked a punt in that game.

While nobody is expecting another 10-takeaway game this Friday, simply a solid performance on the defensive side of the ball would go a long way to erasing memories of the final week of the regular season. In that game, the Panthers’ defense was unable to come up with a third-down stop until late in the first half, after the Wolves had already produced five touchdowns.

Green River’s offense continued to roll last weekend. The Wolves tallied seven touchdowns in a 49-21 blowout of Riverton. Green River quarterback Colter Hamel and running back Skyler Bloom combined for more than 400 yards of offense in that contest.

Despite the fireworks, Green River’s lead was a shaky 28-21 in the second half until a whirlwind of late scoring produced the deceptively wide final margin.

Green River and Powell take the Class 3A’s top offenses into their semifinal encounter. The Wolves are producing 419 yards on the field each game. Powell averages 366.2 yards of offense, a stat they increased after producing 468 yards against Lander last Friday.

Defensively, the Panthers rank No. 3 in overall defense, surrendering just shy of 246 yards to each opponent. Green River enters with the No. 8 defense, allowing 293.3 yards per game.

The Panthers have forced 27 turnovers this season, eight more than any other 3A program.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday in Green River. The latest weather forecast calls for game-time temperatures in the 20s, the chance of a 15-25 mile per hour wind and rain changing over to snow, throughout the afternoon and evening.