WyoPreps Playoff Spotlight: #1 Big Horn vs. #3 Lovell [VIDEO]

The Big Horn Rams and Lovell Bulldogs will meet in the football playoffs for a third straight year. It’s a semifinal game in Big Horn on Friday at 4 p.m. It is also a rematch of a Week 1 game the Rams won at home, 28-24. Top-ranked Big Horn enters with a 9-0 record this year. Lovell is 7-2 on the season. After dropping their first two games, the Bulldogs have rattled off seven straight wins.

WyoPreps caught up with Big Horn head coach Kirk McLaughlin and Lovell head coach Nicc Crosby. They both discussed how their team performed in last week’s playoff game, seeing each other again, making adjustments because they’ve already played this season, executing their game plan, and the benefits of playoff experience for a big game like this one.

These two are the top two offenses in Class 2A. Big Horn averages 369 yards and a class-leading 46.5 points per game. Lovell is right behind at 357 yards and 38.4 points per game. They have the top two passing offenses. The Bulldogs are No. 1 at 228 yards per game through the air, and the Rams are No. 2 at 189 yards per game. What separates the two is Big Horn’s top-ranked defense, which allows only 169 yards and 9.9 points per game. Lovell surrenders 280.3 yards and 17.7 points per game.

Cruz Hernandez leads 2A in rushing at 123.8 yards per game. He averages 8.6 yards per rush and has 20 TDs on the ground. Avon Barney throws for almost 159 yards per game. He has 19 TDs and only five interceptions and completes 65.3 percent of his passes. Owen Petty is No. 11 in defensive points at 16 per game.

Lovell counters with the top passer, Davin Crosby, at 226 yards per game. He has 26 TD passes to only three interceptions. Owen Walker and Matthew Newman are second and third in 2A in receiving yards per game. They combine for almost 167 yards per game and have caught 21 TD passes. Braxton Felkins anchors the defense at No. 6 in 2A with 17.3 defensive points per game.

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Five of the Previous 13 Meetings Have Been in the Playoffs

This game will be the 13th in the series. Big Horn leads 8-5 and has won three of the last four meetings, according to wyoming-football.com. The Rams have a 4-1 mark in playoff games. They won last year’s quarterfinal, 49-28. In 2022, Big Horn won the 2A championship in a last-second thriller, 8-7, over Lovell.

It is a 4 p.m. start at Big Horn Field.