Cowboys ground the Thunderbirds in season opener

Even with temperatures still reaching the nineties and the daylight lasting well into the evening there is just a hint of fall in the air.  Although pumpkin spice and the hunting season has not quite arrived the leaves have begun to change and for me the biggest signal that fall is in the air is the beginning of high school football.

By virtue of them having no lights the North Gem Cowboys once again were our first local team to hit the gridiron last Friday afternoon in the sweltering heat.  The Cowboys said goodbye to some talented athletes from last season and with low numbers the last few years some wondered if they would even have enough bodies to put on the field.  Thanks to a strong freshman class not only do the Cowboys have enough to field a team they have the most players they have had in three years.  Most Cowboy fans already knew that the team would lean heavily on the senior leadership from Haydn Frandsen and Craig Yost but as the season opener got underway there were some other pleasant surprises.

The Cowboys opened the season at home taking on the Thunderbirds from the Utah Military Academy.  The Cowboys started the game on defense and watched the Thunderbirds slowly move the ball down the field. With the Thunderbirds moving well freshman Clay Johnson stepped up and pulled in an interception that ended the drive for Utah.  This put the ball in the hands of Yost and the offense.  It only took three plays for the Cowboys to find the endzone as Yost held the ball high as he sauntered in for the first touchdown of the year.  That would be all the scoring for the first quarter of play and the game would stay tight in the second quarter.  Yost earned his second touchdown four minutes into the second and the Cowboys took a two score lead.  The Thunderbirds were not going away however as they finally found the endzone themselves and cut the lead to six.  After a quick three and out by North Gem Utah found the endzone again and the score was all knotted up.  On the ensuing kickoff once again Johnson impressed as he went ninety-nine yards for the score only to have it called back on a penalty.  A few plays later Johnson would finally get his first varsity touchdown off of a pitch and ten yard run from Yost, and Clay was just getting started.  Following another Utah score the teams went to the halftime break separated by just one two point conversion with the Cowboys holding the slim lead.  

The Cowboys started off the third with a fumble on their first play from scrimmage, but their defense really put the squeeze on the Thunderbirds forcing a turnover on downs.  The rest of the third quarter was more of the Clay Johnson show.  The freshman added two touchdowns and finished the quarter by recovering a muffed kick return by Utah.  Just one minute into the fourth quarter Johnson added one more score and the Cowboys doubled up the Thunderbirds.  The rest of the fourth quarter was a defensive slugfest with neither team being able to add to the scoreboard.  The Cowboys were victorious in this game by the score of 40-20.  

The Cowboy defense played well in this game especially in the second half where they were able to hold the Thunderbirds scoreless.  Despite Johnson putting on a show in his first high school game plenty of credit needs to go to Yost for his facilitating from the quarterback position and his tough running between the twenties.  

The Cowboys have a huge game this Friday as they take on Camas County for homecoming.  There will be plenty of excitement to take part in including a chili cookoff.  This week’s game kicks off at 3:30 so bring your lawn chair, pull your car right up to the field and enjoy some more Cowboy football.