PINE BLUFFS – The Southeast Cyclones were missing multiple starters on Friday evening in Pine Bluffs with home field advantage throughout the playoffs on the line.

The end result was a 63-7 loss to the Pine Bluffs Hornets.

“I had no starting linebackers and no starting running backs,” coach Mark Bullington said. “I was playing freshmen against seniors. I wasn’t about to jeopardize a couple of them just to get them in.”

The Cyclones were without the services of Wyatt Campbell, Matthew Chapman and Kannon Tippetts, who never saw the field on Friday.

Then, mix in a first quarter injury to Emmett Coxbill, and it proved to be a long game for the Cyclones.

Pine Bluffs led 16-0 after one quarter and 56-0 by halftime.

With a running clock in the second half, each team found the end zone once. Both scores coming in the final 12 minutes of the game.

Southeast’s lone score came in the fourth quarter on a quarterback sneak by sophomore Ayden Desmond.

“We told the kids, forget about the score,” Bullington said. “The younger guys are going to get some playing time. At one point, I had a sophomore and two freshmen as linebackers. They weren’t ready, and they were out-manned.”

Now, the Cyclones have to quickly turn the page on the 56-point loss to the Hornets.

Heading into the opening round of the Class 1A 9-Man playoffs, Bullington said the health of the team is improving.

“Emmett is still a little banged up, but the rest of them are okay,” he said. “We had some sickness, and Wyatt tweaked his knee on Thursday at practice.”

The Cyclones are the only team dealing with the injury bug. Wind River has delt with its fair share of injuries in recent weeks as the Cougars were without a quarterback and running back during last week’s 35-0 loss to Rocky Mountain, according to Bullington.

Bullington is unsure of their status going into the playoffs.

“They are big and will run it right at you. That’s their MO. They love to play smash-mouth football. We’ll have hands full,” he said. “It’s nothing we’ve not seen. We’ll scheme and try to get some matchups we like. We’ll spread them out a little bit on defense so we can get some one-on-one stuff with our guys on the outside. They do some good things. They are well coached. They will come out and get you.”

Both teams hold a 6-2 record this season.

The loss to Pine Bluffs snapped a six-game winning streak for the Cyclones, while Wind River has lost two straight after starting the season 6-0. In those two losses, the Cougars were outscored 60-14 by Shoshoni (25-14) and Rocky Mountain (35-0).

Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday at Teeters Memorial Field in Yoder.