Big first half propels Blazers to 31-9 victory

Andrew Towne
Posted 9/19/18

TORRINGTON – Torrington scored 28 of its 31 points in the first half, and it proved enough to knock off the Green River Wolves 31-9 in a rematch of last season’s Class 3A State Semifinal contest.

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Big first half propels Blazers to 31-9 victory

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TORRINGTON – Torrington scored 28 of its 31 points in the first half, and it proved enough to knock off the Green River Wolves 31-9 in a rematch of last season’s Class 3A State Semifinal contest.

After holding the visitors to a quick three-and-out, the Blazer offense went to work, and Bryan Lemmon broke a 54-yard run to the end zone for the game’s opening score.

Less than 30 seconds later, Torrington forced Green River to punt, and this time, it was Jared Lemmon who capped off the drive, punching the ball into the end zone from one yard out.

That was the story for much of the first half as the Blazer defense limited the Wolves to only two first downs in the first half, allowing the Torrington offense to put 14 more points on the board before halftime to take 28-0 lead into the locker room.

“Defensively, we played pretty well and it setup some things for us,” THS coach Mark Lenhardt said. “We did a really, really good job of playing the sticks. We did a good job of rushing the passer.”

Coming out of the break, the Blazers looked to continue to grow their lead.

On the opening drive, quarterback Casey Britton connected with Bryan Lemmon on what would have been a lengthy touchdown reception, but an offensive pass interreference wiped off the score. On the ensuing play, a holding penalty backed Torrington up even further.

“We have to be more disciplined with penalties,” Lenhardt said. “We aren’t going to win a lot of football games when it’s 2nd-and-25 or 3rd-and-30. There isn’t a lot on the call sheet I feel very comfortable about other than just trying to get some yards back and punt it.”

Green River got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter on an 8-yard run from Green River’s Kyle Ivie.

Heading to the fourth quarter, each team added a field goal, including a 39-yarder from Torrington freshman Chase Miller midway through the period.

When the final horn sounded, the Blazers racked up 377 yards of offense while limiting Green River to 164 yards.

“We had a lot of mental mistakes tonight. We had a lot of guys line up incorrectly, but at the end of the day, we made enough plays to get it done,” Lenhardt said. “We are going to have to play better to achieve our ultimate goal. I’m glad it’s a nonconference game, and we can find a way to get better before we go to Lander next week.”

Offensively, Bryan Lemmon rushed for 205 yards on 21 attempts, while Britton was 12-of-17 passing for 92 yards.

Defensively, Jared Lemmon paced the defense with 18 points, including two assisted and unassisted stops, an interception and two pass break-ups.

The Blazers (3-0) open conference play on Friday at Lander Valley (1-2). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

“John Scott is probably one of the best football coaches to ever coach in this state. He’s done a terrific job everywhere he’s been. He’s had success at the college level and hopefully, we can find a way to get a win. He’s a very, very good coach and he’s got them a lot better right away.”