Cokeville eyes 21st state title under longtime coach Dayton against top-ranked Big Horn

But this season has been different than those that came before.

As Dayton, his coaching staff and his players got together before fall camp in August, they established one goal for themselves – to be the most improved football team by the end of the season.

Cokeville started the season off with just one player, senior Garrett King, an offensive and defensive tackle, who didn’t switch positions from the 2018 campaign. After a win over Big Piney to kick off the season, the Panthers suffered a 41-0 thumping at the hands of Mountain View.

Sitting at 1-1, the Panthers’ goal was still attainable.

Cokeville (10-1) strung together nine straight wins, including a 16-7 upset over No. 2-ranked Upton-Sundance in the Class 1A state semifinals to advance to today’s 1 p.m. championship game against No. 1-ranked Big Horn.

As far as the Panthers’ preseason goal of being the most improved team after two-plus months of battle, “maybe we are,” Dayton said. “It’s been a long process, a hard process, but they’ve worked at it, and they’ve gotten better every week.”

The quest to hoist the program’s 21st state title under the leadership of Dayton poses an even tougher challenge.

Big Horn (10-0) owns the longest active winning streak in the state – 21 games – entering this afternoon’s showdown, and the Rams are the defending 1A state champs.

Their opponent in last November’s championship game was, of all teams, Cokeville, whom the Rams routed, 56-3.

“We’ve looked at it,” Dayton said of last year’s state final game film. “That was a tough ballgame for us, and hopefully we’ve learned from it as coaches, so we can get our kids a little better prepared so that they can do better this time.”

The Panthers will line up against the top-ranked offense in the state in Big Horn (442.2 ypg), a unit that features a heavy and experienced offensive line combined with a bevy of explosive players who have gashed opposing defenses all season. Senior running back Will Pelissier has rushed for a 1A-best 23 touchdowns and more than 1,200 yards, while classmate Quinn McCafferty leads 1A with 19 passing touchdowns and boasts a 1A-best 198.9 efficiency rating. Junior Carson Bates is arguably the most explosive all-around player in 1A, averaging more than 25 yards per reception and six touchdowns, while also getting his fair share of carries and returning kickoffs.

“They have an excellent offensive and defensive line, and that’s where I’ll start,” Dayton said. “They’re very solid wherever you look. And then they’ve got so much experience back at quarterback and running back and wide receiver that they have everything.”

The Rams have feasted off of big plays all season. Bates, who also has rushed for more than 1,000 yards, had an 84-yard run on Sept. 6 vs. Thermopolis. He had a 91-yard kickoff return against Greybull on Sept. 13. He also hauled in a 78-yard reception a couple of weeks later against Upton-Sundance on Sept. 27.

“We can’t turn over the ball, and we can’t give up big plays, and they do that very well – big plays,” Dayton added. “That’s just part of their game, and we can’t let them have the big plays or we’re in trouble.”

But the Panthers also pose a legitimate threat to the Rams, despite that lopsided state championship loss last year.

Cokeville owns the third-best offense in 1A (357.5 ypg) and features a run-first offense, but also keeps opposing defenses honest with a lethal passing attack.

Junior running back Nate Barnes leads the team with 941 rushing yards, while senior quarterback Matt Thomas has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior Devyn Donahue is a threat both in the backfield and in the slot. The Cokeville standout has rushed a team-best 11 touchdowns and has hauled in 10 catches for 410 yards.

“Just like any other Coach Dayton team, they’re going to be well-disciplined, they’re going to execute their scheme at a high level,” Big Horn coach Kirk McLaughlin said. “They’re going to play hard. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. … They’ve done what they’ve needed to do to be in this position for another state championship, and I know they’re going to be well-coached and ready for this game, and that’s what keeps me up more than anything at night.”

Dayton knows his squad will be a heavy underdog coming into today’s tilt, but the longtime legendary coach likes those odds. The Panthers have pulled off upsets before, so what’s one more?

“Hey, we’re going down there, we think we’ve got a chance, and that’s all we want,” Dayton said. “Just a chance. We’re going to go down there and see if we can make it happen.”