WHEATLAND – On the night of their first home game of the season, a literal “Homecoming,” the Wheatland Bulldog football team pounded their way to their second consecutive conference win on the strength of an unstoppable running attack, thundering to a 40-0 win over their 2A East rivals, the Glenrock Herders. Senior running back Waylon Milnes followed his offensive line’s massive push, literally carrying defenders on his back at times, and had a night to remember. Milnes ran the ball 31 times for 219 yards and three touchdowns.
It wasn’t all “ground and pound,” though. Jake Hyche threw for two touchdowns on the night, opening with a short goal line pass to Gabe Castellanos, and then on an exciting 64-yard play in which Cooper Meyer streaked by the defense, caught the ball in stride and cruised to the end zone. Scoring for the Bulldogs was rounded out by a powerful three-yard run from big senior lineman Bode Stone.
It was a stellar night for the Bulldogs on the offensive side of the ball. The offense exploded for 252 yards rushing and 93 passing yards, for a total of 345 yards. This was easily Wheatland’s best output of the season thus far.

The defensive effort Friday night was no less impressive. The Bulldog front stifled the Herders, allowing a mere 16 yards rushing, and the defensive back end flew around the field, allowing only three completions for 26 total yards.
It was a dominant performance all night long, and the Glenrock offense was never able to get anything going. Among the many defensive leaders for the Bulldogs were Jake Hyche, Bode Stone, Clayton Dahlstedt, and Abad Luna, who turned in the best defensive game he has played to date.
Coach Tony Borton was extremely pleased with the way the team has coalesced these past two weeks. He made what he termed “a very timely change” on the coaching staff, removing himself from the offensive coordinator position and handing the keys to the offense to new assistant coach Peter Fenster, whom Borton said, “...Knocked it out of the park.” This was evident, since for the first time this season, the offense hit on all cylinders. Borton also assigned the special teams’ duties to coach Curtis Hofrock.
Meanwhile, Borton remarked that defensive coordinator Jake Montoya is “...becoming an excellent defensive coordinator. His preparation and diligence has come to be pretty obvious in the way the Bulldogs execute their defensive assignments.”
In addition to the coaching moves made, several position changes took place this past week. Borton said, “A lot of a team’s success has to do with finding the right pieces for the puzzle. In that regard, both on the staff and on the field, some very positive changes have occurred.” Borton added, “I’m super proud and pleased with how our kids have responded to adversity this year, and how they’ve not allowed their spirits to sink, which could very well have happened early on.”
This Friday, Oct. 4, the Bulldogs will host the Burns Broncs in what could be a pivotal 2A East Conference matchup. As the season progresses, the eventual playoff picture begins to take shape, which lends extra importance to each game. Burns and Wheatland are both 2-1 in conference, with their only loss coming at the hands of Big Horn. Friday night’s game could possibly be a huge step toward a playoff berth for the winning team.