YODER – There are 36 days until the first Southeast Cyclone football of the 2017 season. With a little over a month to go, here is a look at the numbers of the program from last year.
2016 was the second-straight year the Cyclones reached the playoffs and the 19th time in the past 20 years. Southeast went 5-4 last fall after being bounced from the playoffs in the quarterfinals.
The Cyclones started the season with a narrow road win over Bayard, Neb. 18-14. They managed to go on a run to start the year 3-0 after beating Shoshoni 32-13 and Saratoga 46-6.
After mounting a 3-0 record, Southeast hit a bit of a skid, losing three straight. Tongue River came to Yoder and picked up a win, 21-6, a week before the Cyclones fell to Upton-Sundance on the road by a score of 34-12. On Homecoming, Pine Bluffs came out on top over Southeast, winning 32-0.
Southeast righted the ship after their three losses to end the regular season with two wins. They ruined Lusk’s Homecoming by getting a win 30-14. In the final week, the Cyclones bested Wright 30-15.
Their 5-3 record in the regular season put the Cyclones fourth in the East, forcing them to hit the road for Shoshoni for the first round of the playoffs. Shoshoni reversed the outcome of the regular season game, beating Southeast 29-18.
The rushing attack proved to be the key to Southeast’s offense, ranking sixth in 1A in yards per game on the ground (208). The team averaged 4.9 yards per carry and racked up 18 rushing touchdowns during the season. Their touchdown total was seventh in the classification last season.
In the aerial assault, Southeast ranked eighth in 1A, averaging 60.5 yards per game. There were eight passing touchdowns by the Cyclones in 2016, which was tied for fourth.
As a total offense, Southeast averaged 268.5 yards per game, ranking them seventh in the classification. The Cyclones racked up 26 touchdowns during the season and 22.3 points per game, both of which were seventh in the class. One nagging issue throughout the fall was turnovers. Southeast’s 27 turnovers paced all of 1A, with Wyoming Indian and Wind River tying for second with 21.
On an individual level, Brady Fullmer was the biggest cog of the Cyclone offense, averaging 105.9 total yards per game. He was the team’s starting quarterback, accounting for all of Southeast’s passing yards and touchdowns. On the ground, he racked up 45.4 yards per contest, putting him second on the team.
Jacob Cushman was the team’s leading rusher, averaging 72.4 yards per game and racking up six touchdowns. Chance Werner had the most rushing touchdowns for Southeast, with seven, while contributing 39.1 yards per game. Mick Steinhausen (25.8 YPG) and Chase Lovercheck (14.6 YPG) also made significant contributions on the ground.
In the air, Jacob Schmitt was the top receiving option, averaging 15 yards per game. Cushman (13.5 YPG), Lovercheck (13 YPG) and Werner (10.8 YPG) were not far behind the mark set by Schmitt. Lovercheck was the only Cyclone with multiple receiving touchdowns, recording three.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cyclones were better at stopping the run than they were the pass. They allowed 163.6 yards per game on the ground (sixth), while giving up 94.4 yards through the air (10th). They ranked fourth in the class in both rushing (14) and passing touchdowns (six) allowed.
As a team, Southeast racked up 10 sacks (eighth), 11 fumble recoveries (fourth), five interceptions (eighth) and 56 tackles for loss (second).
Overall, Southeast ranks sixth in team defense, allowing 258 yards per game. They gave up 20 touchdowns, while coming away with 16 turnovers.
Werner proved to be the top defensive option for Southeast, racking up 14.9 defensive points per game. He averaged 6.1 tackles per game, while tallying up 6.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and two interceptions.
Tanner Hort and Dalton Keller both proved to be solid defenders, accounting for 6.4 and 6.6 tackles per game, respectively. The duo combined for nine tackles for loss, a sack and two fumble recoveries.
Rounding out the top-five defensive options are Jasper Heggem and Schmitt. Heggem was third on the team in tackles per game (6.3) and second for Southeast in tackles for loss (nine). Pacing the Cyclones in tackles for loss was Schmitt, who filled his stat sheet with 12.5 throughout the season, paired with 5.3 tackles per game. Porter Ross led the team in sacks, with 2.5, while Schmitt was not far behind with two.
Looking at last year’s roster, there were nine seniors, including some big contributors. Werner, Cushman, Schmitt, Keller, Heggem and Ross are some of the biggest names lost to graduation. There were eight seniors from last season’s roster that need to fill some big holes starting this fall.
Check future editions of the Telegram for an in-depth look at the Lingle-Fort Laramie Doggers by the numbers.
*Many of the stats used were compiled by WyoPreps and Wyoming-football.com.
