Meeteetse’s Dace Bennett threw three touchdown passes and ran for two more as Wyoming won the 11th Battle of the Border, Nebraska/Wyoming 6-Man All-Star Shootout 68-44 over Nebraska on Friday night.
It was a back and forth battle for the first 19 minutes of the first half as teams exchanged touchdown’s, but Wyoming broke a 16-all tie when Bennett connected with Encampment’s Koye Gilbert to give the Cowboy state the lead for good with just :12 left in the first half. On Nebraska’s final offensive play of the first half, Gilbert came up with a pick six to extend the Wyoming lead to 30-16 at the break.
Nebraska had momentum to start the 2nd half as Arthur County’s Bryce Hanna ran for a score and then dialed up a 21-yard strike to Daniel Diessner of Spalding Academy to pull within 30-28 after a pair of missed PAT’s.
Bennett and Hanna exchanged rushing touchdowns to get the score to 38-36 before Wyoming finished it off with four of the last five trips across the goal line.
Wyoming now leads the series 6-5 and tied a record for most points scored in the series with 68.
First Quarter
Wyo- 7:13 Zander Risner (Snake River) 2-yd Run (2-PAT) 8-0
Neb- 4:20 Peyton Sterkel (Cody-Kilgore) 1-yd Run (2-PAT) 8-8
Second Quarter
Wyo- 8:36 Dace Bennet (Meeteetse) 41-yd Run (2-PAT) 16-8
Neb- 5:17 Bryce Hanna (Arthur County) to Sterkel 6-yd Pass 16-16
Wyo- :12 Bennett to Koye Gilbert (Encampment) 16-yd Pass 22-16
Wyo- :00 Gilbert Interception Return For TD (2-PAT) 30-16
Third Quarter
Neb- 7:11 Hanna 26-yd Run 30-22
Neb- 6:03 Hanna to Daniel Diessner (Spalding Academy) 21-yd Pass 30-28
Wyo- 2:53 Bennett 5-yd Run (2-PAT) 38-28
Neb- 1:39 Hanna 36-yd Run (2-PAT) 38-36
Wyo- 1:12 Bennett to Cree Jones (Farson-Eden) 11-yd Pass (2-PAT) 46-36
Fourth Quarter
Wyo- 7:39 Bryce Ackerman (Hulett) 4-yd Run (2-PAT) 54-36
Neb- Dawson Murphy (Spalding Academy) to Diessner 5-yd Pass (2-PAT) 54-44
Wyo- Ackerman 17-yd Run (2-PAT) 62-44
Wyo- Bennett to Risner 3-yd Pass 68-44