A strong showing on the gridiron led to an undefeated season for the seventh grade Powell Middle School football team, as the Cubs went 7-0 and claimed the Yellowstone Conference title this fall.

Powell started the season with a game against Riverton, as the Cubs rolled to a 28-8 win.

“The line blocked really well and controlled the line of scrimmage,” coach Juston Carter said.

Cody Nicholson had an interception in the game, while Danen Oram had some big runs on the ground, Carter noted.

The second contest of the season came against Lovell, as the Cubs rolled to a 32-0 victory.

“The line blocked really well again, leading to some big Oram and Nicholson runs,” Carter said. “There was a great complete team effort where everyone contributed.”

Kane Coombs snagged an interception in the win.

One of the more difficult games of the season came against Sheridan, where the Cubs faced adversity from the start.

Sheridan opened the game with an onside kick that they recovered, but the defense stood tall and got the ball.

Unfortunately on their first possession the Cubs fumbled, but the defense held again and got the ball back.

Powell moved all the way downfield before being stopped at the 2-yard line, setting off a chaotic game where the Cubs dug down and earned a 24-6 win.

“Despite the early action the team stuck together and dug out of the trenches to pull together for a win,” Carter said.

Continuing against nonconference foes the Cubs took on Laurel, taking advantage of a big second half to earn a 28-0 win.

“Laurel was big physically and was a good test for us,” Carter said. “We were up 8-0 at halftime and we were able to wear out the bigger team and control the whole second half, leading us to victory.”

The Cubs kept rolling after the midway point of the season, defeating Worland 28-14 and pulling out another close win.

“The game was close for much of it, but the Cubs proved to be fighters that don’t give up resulting in the win,” Carter said. “Kaile [Lasson] had a great game defensively and Paele [Rapp] had an interception.”

The closest game of the season came against the Cubs closest rivals, as they needed a strong effort to take down Cody 14-7 at home.

“Cody came ready to play and gave us our toughest challenge of the year,” Carter said. “The defense had to make a stand at the end of the game to get the ball back and seal the victory, and they did that to narrowly beat Cody.”

In the final game of the season the Cubs rolled past Lander 44-13 to finish undefeated.

The Cub ‘B’ team added games with a 12-7 loss to Riverton and a 40-14 win over Cody.

“It was an awesome season with a great group of athletes,” Carter said. “To have as good of a season as we did, it takes a complete team and that’s what we had.”

He said that while there were so many strong athletes on the team, Oram and Lasson led the way with their effort and play on the field.

Overall, Carter and coach Nick Fulton enjoyed having the opportunity to coach the team, adding they had a sense of maturity and belief for such a young age.

“They showed up to practice every day willing to work and because of the team’s effort, we could see them improving every week,” Carter said. “They showed maturity and a belief in one another to not panic if things didn’t go their way right away. Coach Fulton and I look forward to following the success of these talented athletes.”