WyoPreps Game of the Week: #3 Saratoga at #2 Pine Bluffs [VIDEO]

Another top-five showdown in Class 1A 9-Man football was the WyoPreps Game of the Week as voted on by the fans. No. 3 Saratoga faces the second-ranked Hornets in Pine Bluffs on Friday night. Both teams are 5-0 on the season and 3-0 in conference games. The winner will be tied for first in the East Conference after this one.

WyoPreps previews the game with Saratoga head coach Jared Mason and Pine Bluffs head coach Will Gray. Coach Mason was proud of his team’s start after battling through some hard-fought games. He discussed the makeup of the Panthers this season, their stingy defense that has allowed single digits in every game they’ve played, the difficulty of facing the Hornets, and what he’s emphasizing in preparation for this game. Gray said his team has been very coachable, focused on the fundamentals, just wants to win, trying to prep for the Panthers, and what his message to his team has been.

Pine Bluffs has the No. 1 offense and defense in 9-man football entering this week. They are averaging 417 yards and 54.2 points per game. They back it up with the top defense which allows only 113 yards and 7.4 points per game. QB Carsten Freeburg is the top passer in the division and enjoys weapons in Shawn Shmidl and Justin Lerwick at receiver. Lerwick leads Pine Bluffs on defense.

Saratoga is averaging 229 yards per game on the ground. They add 82 yards through the air. That’s good for fourth in total offense at 311 yards and 34.8 points per game. Defensively, the Panthers are No. 2 and allow 182 yards and 6.8 points per game. Hazen Williams is averaging 105 yards per game rushing and has 6 TDs. Jace Westring triggers the offense at QB and has Griffin Bartlett on the outside to target. Skyler Wood anchors the Saratoga defense at 17.2 defensive points per game.

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Friday night is the 27th meeting between the two schools on the football field. The Hornets have won six in a row against the Panthers and hold a 17-9 edge in the series. One game was canceled, according to wyoming-football.com.

The kick-off is at 6 p.m. at Carlstrum Field in Pine Bluffs.