Wyoming Wins Battle Of The Border, Takes Series Lead

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