Laramie Plainsmen Take Their Shot At Number 1 [VIDEO]

The Laramie Plainsmen get their shot 4-A’s top team. Laramie heads to Gillette to play the top-ranked Camels Friday.

Laramie (2-5) comes off a 22-point home loss to 5th-ranked Cheyenne East last week. Turnovers played a significant factor, as East pulled away in the second half.

No. 1 Gillette (7-0) went on the road and won at 4th-ranked Rock Springs, 43-15.

Laramie Plainsmen head coach Chuck Syverson joined David Settle, ‘voice of the Plainsmen,’ to discuss last week’s tough loss; called Gillette the best team they’ll play; the Camels schemes; and with no school if that can be something they can take advantage of.

The Camels have won 13 straight games against the Plainsmen. That includes a pair last year in which Gillette scored 48 twice. They beat Laramie at Deti Stadium, 48-32, in the regular season and followed that with a 48-3 victory in Gillette in the first round of the playoffs.

This year’s match-up will be a tough one for the Plainsmen defense. The Camels have the best passing attack (261.9 yards per game) and are number one in total offense (421.3 ypg) in the entire state of Wyoming. Laramie is last in pass defense (200.1 ypg) and total defense (407.1 ypg) in 4-A.

Gillette senior quarterback Dalton Holst has thrown for 1,728 yards and 17 touchdowns with only three interceptions. His top target, junior Madden Pikula, leads 4-A with 598 yards on 36 receptions with four TD’s.

On the flip side, the Plainsmen might be able to have success of their own through the air. They’re averaging 156.3 yards per game, but the Camels are No. 9 in pass defense (172.7 ypg). L-H-S is led by quarterback Taylor Dodd and receiver Conor Beeston, who is now second in 4-A behind Pikula. Beeston has 508 yards on 29 catches with five scores. Dodd has passed for 1075 yards with 9 touchdowns, but six picks.

This game will also feature the second and third best players in 4-A defensive points. They are Gillette linebacker Zach Taylor (144) and Laramie linebacker Carless Looney (139).

A victory would not only be an upset of number one, but also the first in the series since 1996.

Kick-off is at 7 p.m. from Camel Stadium in Gillette.

David Settle and VerDon Hoopes will call the action from Gillette on KOWB (AM 1290). Coverage will start at 5:30 p.m.