Wheatland Bulldogs secure No. 2 seed in east 2A conference

For the Record-Times

WHEATLAND — In the 2A state game of the week this past Friday, the No. 5 ranked Wheatland Bulldogs faced the No. 4 ranked Newcastle Doggies with a home playoff game on the line.
It would be hard to top last year’s nail bitter when the Bulldogs stopped a two-point conversion at the end of the game to come out on top 28-27. In a series that has historically been dead even, Newcastle held a slight edge in the all-time record, 23-22-2.  This year’s game would be just as evenly matched as the Bulldogs would tie the all-time series with a win.

Wheatland would come out of the locker room with two scores: A six-yard TD pass from Trevor Vaughn to Trigg Peasley and a two-yard run by Colton Caves to jump out to a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.  Caves would finish with 150 yards rushing and four touchdowns to lead the Dawgs.  Cam Quigley would find Dylan Tidyman in the end zone to pull back to 14-7.  
A turnover by the Bulldogs would set up Newcastle for a two-yard TD run by Lyle Whitney to tie the score 14-14. Vaughn would find Zac Gunter for a 35-yard pass to go up 20-14 after the missed conversion.  The Bulldogs would have trouble containing the Doggie’s kick returns all night.  A 45-yard return near the end of the half would set up the Doggies to score again at the end of the half to put Newcastle up 21-20 at halftime.  
To start the third quarter, Vaughn would find Kobey Preuit on a 37-yard deep throw and Caves would score again from two yards out later in the series to go up 26-21.  Whitney would score for Newcastle on the next series to go up 28-26. Caves would score on the next possession from three yards out and Wheatland would end the third quarter up 32-28.  
Neither team would punt the ball after the second quarter as they traded 10 consecutive touchdowns in a game that would go down to the final second. Quigley would run from two yards out and Newcastle went up again after Clayton Iacovetto blocked the extra point 34-32.  In the Bulldogs final possession, Wyatt Crane would bust the middle for a 34-yard run.  Back to back holding penalties would stall the drive and Wheatland faced a fourth and 17.  Trevor Vaughn would throw a 31-yard TD pass to Zac Gunter in the end zone and the two-point conversion was good.  
The Bulldogs would go up 40-34 with four minutes left in the game.  With another short field following a long kickoff return, Newcastle seemed ready to pull ahead at the end of the game.  The Bulldog defense had not held the Doggies out of the end zone for the entire second half.  Newcastle would convert a fourth and one by inches to have first and goal from Wheatland’s six-yard line with 1:22 left in the game.  
After giving up five consecutive scores, the Wheatland defense would rise to the challenge with an epic goal-line stand, by stopping Newcastle on four consecutive plays inside the six yard line as time expired.  With the 40-34 win, Wheatland would tie the all time series 23-23-2.  Wheatland secured the No. 2 seed in the east 2A conference and will host a playoff game 10/27.  Wheatland finishes the season next week on the road in Moorcroft against the 3-4 Wolves.