WyoPreps Playoff Spotlight: #3 Riverton vs. #5 Powell [VIDEO]

A first-round rematch of a seven-point regular season game in Class 3A is one of our games in the WyoPreps spotlight. No. 3 Riverton hosts fifth-ranked Powell on Friday night. The Wolverines beat the Panthers in Powell in Week 0, 7-0. After that meeting, Riverton recorded a 7-2 record, while Powell was 6-3 in the regular season.

One key matchup in the game is Riverton’s No. 4 offense, which averages 306 yards and 22.3 points per game, against Powell’s No. 2 defense, which gives up only 242 yards and 18.1 points per game.

The series features three previous playoff meetings. The Panthers won a 3A semifinal over Riverton, 26-21, back in 2001. The Wolverines have won the last two playoff games, which were both in the quarterfinals, 10-7 in 2010 and 42-26 in 2014.

WyoPreps spoke with both head coaches about the rematch in the playoffs. Riverton head coach Mark Lenhardt discussed how his young team has progressed throughout the season, found ways to win, how special teams can make a difference, what he sees in Powell and more. Panthers’ head coach Chase Kistler said his team is about as healthy as they’ve been all season, likes how they’re playing in the last couple of weeks, how they’ve been in playoff mode for a while, how being on the road has been better for his group, and more. Both admitted you can’t take anything from the Week 0 game over two months ago.

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The teams have met 82 times. Powell holds the series lead at 46-33-3. The first football game between the two schools was in 1939. The series’ history is courtesy of wyoming-football.com.

It is a 6 p.m. start at Wolverine Stadium in Riverton.