Wyoming Outlaws-20, Uintah Basin Oilers-35
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Vernal, Utah- Uintah High School Field

Courtesy of Jeremy Conetah, Uintah Basin Oilers.

 

The Wyoming Outlaws made the trek to Uintah High School for the 1st of 2 meetings against the Uintah Basin Oilers in Vernal, Utah.  Both teams were looking to take over sole possession of 2nd place in the division, and both teams showed up ready.  

 

After a few traded possessions by both teams it would be the Outlaws to steal the momentum first with a long and steady dose of running by John Herrera and Micha Roper as they would gain yards in chunks until QB Hugo Herrera would find Jamis Short for a yard touchdown over the middle.  The ensuing 2-point attempt would be no good as the ball would be snapped over the quarterback’s head for a 6-0 lead.  

 

The Oilers would answer back quickly after receiving good field position. Jake Ihde would complete a 21 yard pass to Travis Maxfield, who would take it down to the 2-yard line.  RB Jared Ihde would then have a 2 yard touchdown run negated by an illegal formation penalty to put the Oilers back to the 7-yard line.  On the next play, Jake Ihde would scramble for his life, running back and forth in the backfield to avoid the Outlaw defenders and would make a throw to the short corner of the endzone where Keenan Harvey would make the toe-dragging sideline catch.  The extra point would make the score 7-6 for the Oilers.

 

The second quarter would turn into a tough, physical battle as both teams would gain good yards but the opposing defenses would step up and shut them down.  It was not until about 2 minutes left in the half that an interception by Travis Maxfield would be returned 42 yards for a touchdown.  This was Maxfield’s first defensive score of the year, and moved him in as the interception leader of the league with 5 INTs.  Right before half a melee would ensue with an ejection being handed out as the physicality of the game started to heat up in this closely contested match.

 

The Outlaws would come back with a vengeance in the third quarter moving the ball with quick passes and hard runs.  Eventually, John would find pay dirt on a 12-yard run up the middle of the Oilers defense.  A Roper 2-point conversion would tie the game at 14.  The Outlaws would then force the Oilers to punt but would make a costly mistake as Jeff Giles of the Oilers picked off a pass, and the turnover would result in a Jake Ihde to Dan Yelenowski 33 yard touchdown on the very next play.  Ihde’s extra point kick would push the score 21-14 in favor of the Oilers to bring the third quarter to a close.

 

The Outlaws would lose starting quarterback Hugo Herrera to an undisclosed injury in the second half and would rely on Roper to fill in for the rest of the game.  The Oilers would add two scores in the first part of the fourth quarter; a 33 yard miracle pass to Carl Dieckmann with his first of the year and a 12 yard pass to Yelenowski for his second touchdown of the game.  These scores would push the tally to 35-14 in favor of the Oilers.  The Outlaws would not quit though as they drove down the field and would score on John Herrera’s second rushing touchdown of the game.  Jared Ihde’s fumble recovery inside a minute left in the game would seal it as the Oilers would win by the final of 35-20.

 

Outlaw QB Hugo Herrera completed 6-of-11 pass attempts for 95 yards and a touchdown to Jamis Short, who finished with 2 catches for 20 yards.  John Herrera led the rushing attack with 96 yards on 19 carries and 2 touchdowns followed by Micha Roper with 47 yards on 10 carries and Justin Antonino with 43 yards on 2 carries.

 

Zach Marler led the Outlaw defensive effort with 9.5 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.  Wayne Cook followed in contribution with 6.5 tackles.  Nate Jeppsen also had 1.5 sacks on the day.

 

Oiler QB Jake Ihde had a strong performance, completing 11-of-18 passes for 187 yards and 4 touchdowns.  He also led the rushing performance with 16 yards on 4 carries.  Ihde found multiple targets in Parker Manning with 2 catches for 42 yards, Travis Maxfield with 2 catches for 45 yards, Dan Yelenowski with 2 catches for 53 yards and 2 touchdowns, Carl Dieckmann with a 33 yard touchdown catch, and Keenan Harvey with a 7 yard touchdown catch.

 

Devin Mackay and Jared Lujan led the Oilers defense with 4.5 tackles apiece.  Lujan added two sacks to his performance.  Tariu Pulufana and Jared Ihde also finished with 4 tackles apiece.

 

This week, both teams will have a bye week before heading back to the action with the Oilers hosting the Utah Cobras and the Outlaws traveling to Blackfoot, ID to face the Anarchy on May 7th.