Big Horn Wins 2A Football Title in a Comeback for the Ages [VIDEOS]

In an instant classic, the Big Horn Rams scored with 11 seconds left and added a two-point conversion to beat Lovell, 8-7, to win the Class 2A football state championship.

Big Horn won its eighth title in school history and its' first since 2019 on Friday in Laramie at War Memorial Stadium.

With no timeouts and 1:41 left, Big Horn trailed 7-0 and had the ball at its own 2-yard line. After a spike and two sacks by Lovell, the Rams faced fourth down and 19 from their own 18-yard line. Cooper Garber found Dawson Richards for 21 yards to the 39. Three plays later, the same two hooked up on a wheel route down the west sideline for a 61-yard TD.

Big Horn opted for a two-point conversion try and used a double-reverse pass to Garber for an 8-7 lead.

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A squib kick was recovered by the Rams, and after a kneel-down, Big Horn completed a miraculous comeback for the 2A title.

Lovell scored on its opening possession. Ben Nichols ran it in from three yards out and a 7-0 lead. That capped an 11-play, 62-yard drive which took 5:11 off the clock. From there, the defenses took over. The Bulldogs had 154 yards in the first half, and Big Horn had only 116 yards.

In the game, the two teams combined for five possessions which resulted in a turnover on downs in the opponent’s territory. The Rams had a goal-line stand in the second quarter that prevented Lovell from taking a two-score lead.

Big Horn finished with 291 yards of total offense. Garber threw for 266 yards, one TD, and one interception. Richards had four catches for 111 yards and the game-winning TD. Dylan Greenough-Groom added seven grabs for 100 yards. Wyatt Brown had 15 tackles on defense for the Rams. Kiefer Dunham added 14 tackles, which included two tackles for loss.

Lovell had 260 yards on offense. The Bulldogs ran for 241 yards. Jared Mangus had 117 yards, while Nichols added 111 yards.

Both teams had one turnover in the game. They combined for seven punts.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Lovell, who has lost the last two Class 2A state championship games by a combined three points.

Both teams concluded the season with 10-1 records.