A frustrating season came to an end Friday for the Kemmerer High School football team, as the Rangers played hard but came up short in a 21-12 loss to visiting Worland.
“Obviously, we’d have loved a different outcome, but I was super-proud of the response from our boys in terms of the way we handled ourselves,” said KHS head coach Bart Jernigan. “I thought our kids competed, and played with a level of physicality that was good, and that we hadn’t had in the last couple of weeks. I was proud of how our kids stepped to the plate. They found a way to bring that physicality against Worland’s inside-run game in particular — I thought we did a good job of taking that away from them. Super-proud of the growth there.”
The Warriors (3-5, 2-5 in 2A West) scored on the game’s opening possession, though the Rangers (1-7, 0-7 in 2A West) answered with a touchdown of their own when quarterback Sam Thatcher hit Noah Parks out of the backfield for a 16-yard touchdown.
Worland scored twice more in the second quarter, and the Rangers trailed 21-6 at the break. Kemmerer’s defense proved stout in the second half, holding the Warriors scoreless over the last 24 minutes of the game. The Rangers scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 3-yard run by Parks, though that was as close as the home team would get in a 21-12 loss.
“Offensively, I thought we did some good things in spurts,” Jernigan said. “Consistency was a little lacking at times, but we had some drives where we made some good plays. All in all, very proud of our kids’ effort. We played hard; we didn’t just let the end of the season happen — we went out and attacked it, and came close to stealing that game.”
Asked what he liked from his team in the final game of the season, Jernigan said the Rangers’ toughness stood out to him most.
“The toughness, the grittiness to get out there and knock heads with a physical team was great to see,” Jernigan said. “Part of Worland’s calling card is that they’re gonna come out, line up across from you and punch you in the mouth; overwhelm you with what they have in terms of skill, size and talent. Our kids did a great job of standing in front and combatting that with our own physicality, taking away some of the core things they really wanted to do with the inside-run game.”
Parks was the workhorse on the ground for the Rangers, rushing for 87 yards and as touchdown on 14 carries.
“Noah Parks looked as healthy as he’s been in a month or so,” Jernigan said. “He did a great job of handling the ball, getting tough yards and gritting it out.”
Thatcher carried the ball nine times for 55 yards.
Under center, Thatcher completed 12 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, though he did throw two interceptions in the loss. Parks caught five passes for 44 yards and a touchdown; Marcus Reachel caught four passes for 19 yards. Levi Rudy, Heston McMillan and Haiydn McGuire each caught one pass for 11 yards, seven yards and zero yards, respectively.
“I thought our O-line did a good job of getting movement — we moved the ball better this week than we have in a couple of weeks, so I was proud of that growth, as well,” Jernigan said. “Our skill kids were great — Sam Thatcher added a real element to our offense, where we took steps forward in our passing game. In the running game, we’ve become more comfortable with the schemes that we’re trying to run. The comfort level with these schemes has really helped us take some big strides this year.”
Senior linebacker Colter Krell was all over the field against the Warriors, finishing with 27 points (19 tackles, 7 solo, 1 for loss). Jernigan said Krell will be missed, having provided leadership for the team, on and off the field.
“Colter Krell has meant a ton to our program,” Jernigan said. “It’s not ideal when you have to put freshmen out there on varsity fields, but Colter was a kid who was put in that situation early in his career here, and he answered the bell. And against Worland, he had what I would call a crowning performance for his career — over 20 points defensively. Offensively, our run game got going off of some key kick blocks he was making, and a lot of things he did. Super-proud of Colter, not just for the player he’s become — he’s a great young man, as well. He deserves a lot of credit. Especially for the leadership he showed this year. I have incredible appreciation for what he’s done for this program.”
Sam Thatcher finished with 15 defensive points (5 tackles, 3 solo, 1 interception), while Parks tallied 13 (8 tackles, 2 solo, 3 for loss). Wyatt Miller rounded out the double-digit point earners with 11 (5 tackles, 3 solo, 1 forced fumble). Christian Pope was Johnny-on-the-spot for Miller’s forced fumble, coming up with the recovery.
With the 2025 season now in the books, Jernigan praised his three seniors — Krell, McGuire and Bryson McGill — for their hard work and dedication to the program.
“We ended up with a small group of seniors — Colter Krell, Haidyn McGuire and Bryson McGill,” Jernigan explained. “Those three kids sticking with it brought a lot to our program. A kid like Bryson steps into your program, and you figure out pretty quickly that we’d need to figure out a way to pass this kid the ball — he’s a legit receiving threat. It was a bummer to see his season get cut short. Haidyn is just a tough, hardworking kid — he’s been there for his teammates, and filled in roles where he hasn’t gotten a lot of attention. But he’s done a great job of elevating his teammates — and himself — over the course of his career here.”
Asked his takeaways from the season, Jernigan said he was grateful for the kids that stuck with it, through thick and thin.
“This was probably one of the most enjoyable groups I’ve ever coached — very little drama, no character issues,” Jernigan said. “Through the leadership of that senior class, everything was pretty low-key — the kids played hard, and we didn’t have a ton of issues. I’m grateful for that, and it doesn’t happen without the steadying presence of those three.”
