Huskies headed back to state title game

Huskies headed back to state title game

By Stephanie Tolman 

The Huskies solidified their spot in the state championship game with a win against Encampment. The rankings have remained consistent all season, with Encampment ranking second and Burlington ranking third, which led to what promised to be an exciting game in Burlington. 

“I thought the game was a good fight. I know they have low numbers, but they always make it a battle,” said Coach Trent Aagard. “They had a few injuries that really hurt them, but hats off to them for coming in and making it interesting for quite a while. I thought our guys got more comfortable as the game progressed. There were a few calls and things early that we had to overcome, but going through things together makes you better as a team.” 

The game started off slow, compared to the Huskies previous games, going into halftime with the Huskies up 14-6, but picked up in the second half. Offensively, Burlington earned 349 yards, 136 rushing yards and 185 yards through the air. Paul McNiven and Kole Walker each had a rushing touchdown, Taft Winters had two receiving touchdowns, Matt Tempany also had a receiving touchdown and Chase Bassett returned a punt for a touchdown and Walker, Tempany and Trigdon Aagard added in successful PAT kicks, resulting in the final score of 43-6. “We started good and then had a lull but I thought especially in the third quarter we got after them. We had good contributions from a lot of kids. They played like they wanted to go to Laramie and we were able to get the win,” said Aagard. 

Defensively, Burlington had over 60 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions and held Encampment to just one touchdown. “I thought our defense really rose to the occasion. Anytime you hold a six-man team to one touchdown, that’s a good outing. Across the board we had great contributions. These guys have really battled and bought into what we are doing. Their growth over the season has been impressive. I’m super proud of them and how they have worked all season, but we aren’t done.”

The state championship game will be held at the War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, with a kickoff time of 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15. Burlington will be playing Little Snake River in the championship game for the fourth year in a row. The Huskies won previously in 2023. 

“We have made it to state for four years in a row now. It is not something that comes easy. LSR has been to five championships in a row and they are a very tough opponent. This week we will have to continue to work hard and prepare to play them. Nothing about it will be easy. They have a good thing going down there, so we need to show up and give our best effort. You only get so many games like this, so we are going to give it our best,” said Aagard. 

BURLINGTON 43, ENCAMPMENT 6

RUSHING – Burlington 26-136 (Kole Walker, 11-86 and 1 touchdown; Paul McNiven, 9-47 and 1 touchdown). 

PASSING – Burlington 16-of-28 for 185 yards (Walker, 12-of-21 for 148 yards). 

RECEIVING – Matt Tempany, 4 catches for 60 yards and 1 touchdown; Taft Winters, 4 catches for 57 yards and 2 touchdowns).

DEFENSIVE STANDOUTS – Chase Bassett led the Huskies with 32 points (10 solo tackles, 3 assisted tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 pass breakup and 1 fumble recovery) followed by Walker with 24 points (6 solo tackles, 5 assisted tackles, 1 pass breakup and 1 interception), Tempany with 23 points (9 solo tackles, 3 assisted tackles and 2 tackles for loss) and Paul McNiven with 22 points (4 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 blocked kick).