Rough start to season for Patriots

The US Patriots kicked off the 2022 season against a familiar foe in the Big Horn Rams, on a cool Friday night at Croell Fiend in Sundance. It was Big Horn who took the opening kickoff but the Patriots quickly gained control of the ball when Chase Mills knocked it out of the Rams possession on the first play of the game.

The Patriots took over on offense, pushing their way towards the goal line. Facing a fourth and seven, the Patriot offense went for it but came up just a little short, turning the ball back over to the Rams, without reaching the endzone.

The Rams offense took the field once again and, having got their jitters out on the first play, began to dominate the field. Quarterback Cooper Garber found Roanin Irby on a long pass up the sideline putting the Rams on the scoreboard with a score of 6-0.

The Patriots struggled on offense throughout the rest of the half, while the Rams slowly added points to the board, as their sustained offense marched down the field. The half drew to a close with the Patriots trailing the Rams 34-0.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Big Horn found their way onto the scoreboard once again with a three-yard run into the endzone, upping their score to 34. The Patriots found their way onto the scoreboard in the fourth quarter when quarterback Keaton Mills connected with cousin Chase Mills for a one-handed touchdown reception.

This would close out the scoring for both teams for the night and the Rams left Croell Field with a 40-6 victory over the Patriots.

The Upton-Sundance Patriots will face the Tongue River Eagles on Friday night at 7 p.m. in Upton.

Offensive Stats

Rushing – 31 attempts for 121 yards:

Keaton Mills – 13 carries for 47 yards

Ryder Downey – 10 carries for 40 yards

Eli Gill – 7 carries for 25 yards

Rhett Watt – carry for 9 yards

Passing – 9 completions on 24 attempts, 87 yards, 1TD, 1 INT:

K. Mills – 9 completions on 24 attempts, 87 yards, 1TD, 1 INT                   

Receiving:

Chase Mills – 3 receptions for 52 yards and 1 TD

Kaedyn Fletcher – 4 receptions for 24 yards

Jesse Harmon – 1 reception for 7 yards

Rhett Watt – 1 reception for 4 yards

Defensive Stats

Individual Leaders (Top 10):

Eli Gill – 23 points - 11 assisted tackles, 2 unassisted tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass breakup, 1 fumble recovery                              

Keaton Mills – 18 points -1 assisted tackle, 5 unassisted tackles, 1 blocked kick                           

Kaedyn Fletcher – 14 points -8 assisted tackles, 3 unassisted tackles,                          

Jackson East – 10.5 points -4 assisted tackles, .5 sack, Fumble Recovery                              

Jameson Fleenor – 7.5 points -4 assisted tackles, 1 unassisted tackle, .5 tackle for a loss,                            

Ben Miller – 7.5 points - 4 assisted tackles, .5 sack                         

Ryder Downey – 7 points -1 assisted tackle, 2 unassisted tackles, 1 pass breakup                            

Jeral Nehl – 6.5 points -5 assisted tackles, .5 tackle for a loss                         

Jaedyn Keller – 6 points -2 assisted tackles, 2 unassisted tackles                              

Chase Mills – 3 point -3 assisted tackles                         

Rhett Watt – 3 points -1 assisted tackle, 1 unassisted tackle                             

Special Teams Stats

Kickoffs:

Keaton Mills – 2 kicks for 80 yards and 20 yards returned, long 45 yards

Punting:

Keaton Mills - 6 punts for 186 yards, 18 yards returned, long 45 yards

Kickoff Return:

Kaedyn Fletcher – 3 returns for 56 yards, long 33 yards

Keaton Mills – 1 return for 10 yards