Laramie County high school football capsules

Kickoff: 6 tonight at Riske Field, Cheyenne

Twitter: @rmunoz307

Radio: KFBC (97.5 FM, 1240 AM)

Last week: Rock Springs won at Cheyenne South, 61-6; Central lost to Cheyenne East, 41-18.

Last meeting: Central won 20-16 in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs on Nov. 1, 2019, in Cheyenne.

Facts: The Indians committed five turnovers during their loss to East, reinforcing to coach Mike Apodaca that his team’s margin for error is really small. “In some of the bigger games we’ve played, we’ve limited turnovers, but this shows we can’t afford to turn the ball over against good teams,” he said. “We’ve got to learn how to stop the bleeding. That was tough to see. We’ve got to put our foot down when things start going south and get under control.” … Senior running back and linebacker Carter Lobatos suffered an injury early in the East game, and his status for tonight was up in the air as of Monday afternoon. … Rock Springs’ Collin Madsen is 10th in Class 4A in all-purpose yard average at 147.1 per game.

Kelly Walsh at Cheyenne East

Records: Kelly Walsh (3-4) at No. 1-ranked Cheyenne East (6-1)

Kickoff: 7 tonight at Okie Blanchard Stadium, Cheyenne

Twitter: @jjohnke

Radio: KRAE (101.1 FM, 1480 AM)

Last week: Kelly Walsh lost to Sheridan, 41-7; East won at Cheyenne Central, 41-18.

Last meeting: East won 55-0 on Sept. 6, 2019, in Casper.

Facts: Cam Burkett is averaging 106.3 rushing yards per game for the Trojans. That ranks fifth in Class 4A. “He is a big back, and he is fast,” East coach Chad Goff said. “We’re going to have to do a good job of getting guys to the ball and tackling.” … East senior Graedyn Buell continues to lead 4A in passing average (275.1 yards per game) and all-purpose average (318 ypg). … “Kelly Walsh is an improved football team from last year,” Goff said. “They bring different linebackers from all over the place, so we need to know what’s going on with our protections and checks based on how they align themselves.”

Pine Bluffs at Lingle

Records: Pine Bluffs (3-3 overall, 2-3 nine-man East Conference) at Lingle-Fort Laramie (2-4, 1-4)

Kickoff: 7 tonight at Kirk Field, Lingle

Last week: Lingle lost at Moorcroft, 41-25; Pine Bluffs beat Wright, 29-8.

Last meeting: Lingle won 35-27 on Sept. 11, 2015, in Pine Bluffs.

Facts: Pine Bluffs found some success on the ground in last week’s win against Wright (124 rushing yards), which hasn’t been so consistent for the Hornets this year. “We were able to be successful in the run game, which sets up a lot of our offense,” coach Will Gray said. … This week, the Hornets will look to continue that trend as they travel to face a Lingle-Fort Laramie team that ranks last in Class 1A nine-man in rush defense (359 ypg). … On the other side of the ball, the Hornets will look to stop the Doggers’ No. 2-ranked rushing offense, which averages 308 yards per contest. “Lingle runs a very confusing offense … and they do a good job of misdirection,” Gray said. “We have to be physical up front to put them in situations they are uncomfortable being in. They have speed on the edge, so we’ll need to keep the ball in front of us and tackle.” The Hornets and quarterback Stu Lerwick continue to pace the class in passing (208 ypg), with four receivers ranked in the top 10 in receiving. … “We love what our skill kids are able to do,” Gray said. “Lerwick doesn’t have to force the ball to anyone on the field. He can relax and find the open guy. Our skill guys have a lot of trust in each other, and it is starting to show.”

South at Laramie

Records: Cheyenne South (0-7) at Laramie (1-6)

Kickoff: 6 tonight at Deti Stadium, Laramie

Twitter: @michaellkatz

Radio: KFBC (kfbcradio.com)

Last week: South lost to Rock Springs, 61-6; Laramie lost at Thunder Basin, 47-7.

Last meeting: South won 36-35 on Oct. 11, 2019, in Cheyenne.

Facts: This is Laramie’s first home game since beating Gillette on Sept. 4. … Plainsmen running back Isaac Sell leads Class 4A in rushing average at 174.9 yards per game. He has scored nine touchdowns this season, and rushed for at least 212 yards three times. “They mix it up with running and passing, they go tight sometimes, and they spread it out sometimes,” South coach Dan Gallas said. “They do a nice job with their offense.” … The Bison have been focused on controlling what they can, Gallas said. “Our big emphasis this week has been attitude and effort,” he said. … Laramie’s Gavin Kopp moved into the top 10 in defensive points per game this week. He has 53 tackles (21 solo).

– Robert Munoz and Jeremiah Johnke, WyoSports