Wolves move to 4-1 with home win over Jefferson

After falling behind 7-0 early in the fourth quarter of their September 22 conference home game against Jefferson High School (Boulder), the Three Forks High School football team would respond emphatically, not allowing another Panthers score and controlling the chains on offense en route to an impressive 22-7 victory.

Moments after the victory in a game that featured a steady rain from kickoff to the final whistle, an emotional Head Coach Connor Sullivan praised the squad and the journey to their first Southern B Conference win since the 2018 season.

"It's amazing, and it has been a long road. It's my first conference win, and they came out and competed and battled. That's a great football in Jefferson, and we knew that coming in. We had to play our best football tonight, and while the conditions weren't great, we got the job done," Sullivan said.

After giving up the early score and trailing 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Wolves would get on the scoreboard with a bang when senior quarterback Shane Williams connected with freshman Kanon Reichman for an 85-yard touchdown. A successful two-point try would put Three Forks up 8-7 with 10:12 left in the first half.

While neither team would score again in the first half or third quarter, the Wolves were able to control the final quarter. Three Forks took a two-possession lead after a 23-yard Williams rushing touchdown and a successful two-point play pass play from Williams to Tallyn McCauley with 11:51 left in the fourth.

On the next Jefferson possession, Three Forks would make a crucial stop on a fourth and three at the Wolves 25-yard-line with 7:32 left in the game.

The Wolves would score the game's final points on a 12-yard touchdown run from Colten Hayder with 1:41 left in the quarter.

Sullivan said he was really proud of the Wolves' offensive line and the offense in general.

"The boys executed and competed at a high level. The offense stayed on track and ahead of the chains most of the game," he said.

The Wolves finished with a balanced attack on offense, with 194 yards rushing and 159 through the air.

The Wolves stopped the final Jefferson drive of the game with an interception from senior Trevor Davis, who also recovered a fumble in the victory. Cole Sloan had a big night for the defense with a team-high ten tackles. Williams finished with nine tackles, Sawyer Andersen had eight, Jack Hayder finished with seven, and Dylan Swenson had five tackles.

Sullivan said after the first score of the game by Jefferson, it was a situation his team had been in before.

"Shepherd also came down and scored right away on us. It was kind of getting the nerves out, and then we locked in on defense. I've got a lot of emotions. It has been a long road, and I am proud of them," he said.

The Wolves (4-1, 1-0 Southern B) will have another home game this week when they host Broadwater County (Townsend) on Friday, September 29, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. at John Overstreet Field.