YODER – The Southeast Cyclones football program finished the 2016 season with a 4-4 record after being bounced from the playoffs last week on the road against Cokeville.

The Cyclones opened the season with a win over Bayard, Neb. 48-32 in Week 1. The former 2A defending champions came to Yoder and bested Southeast 51-23 before the Cyclones rebounded in Week 3 to beat Wright in double-overtime.

Week 4 turned into an open week for the Cyclones after a contest against the Cheyenne Central JV squad was canceled. Returning home in Week 5, Southeast dropped a contest against Upton-Sundance, 28-14. The game against Tongue River was the biggest win for the Cyclones, who won 45-0. Taking on the 1A defending champions in Pine Bluffs in Week 7, the Cyclones dropped the contest 41-6.

To round out the regular season, Southeast played Lusk in what was essentially a playoff game, with the winner advancing to the postseason and the losers’ season coming to a close. The Cyclones picked up the win, 34-20, advancing to the quarterfinals as the fourth seed from the east, where they took on Cokeville. The Panthers beat the Cyclones 42-0, ending their season.

Southeast’s four losses this year came against the four teams remaining in the 1A 11-man semi-finals. Cokeville, Pine Bluffs, Upton-Sundance and Big Horn have a combined record of 32-4.

The strength of the Cyclones this year was their running game. Southeast had the highest team-rushing total in 1A this year with 581 yards against Bayard. Chase Lovercheck’s 288 yards in the contest not only broke a Southeast school record, but was the best single-game rushing effort in the class.

The Cyclones ranked third in 1A 11-man in rushing offense, averaging 272.4 yards per game. Their 25 touchdowns on the ground was fifth in the class, while their nine lost fumbles tied for seventh.

Lovercheck was the top rusher for Southeast, averaging 108.8 yards per contest, which is third in 1A 11-man. Dawson Beck was not too far behind, tallying 80.3 yards per game, while Brady Fullmer kicked in another 42.1. Lovercheck racked up eight touchdowns, while Lovercheck and Fullmer added seven apiece.

In the passing game, Southeast ranked ninth in the class, averaging 47.3 yards per game. The one passing touchdown was tied for 13th in 1A 11-man, while the Cyclones’ 12 interceptions was 11th.

Fullmer ranked eighth in the class is passing, accounting for all of the Cyclones’ passing yards this season. Sterling Werner was his top target, hauling in 15 receptions for 184 yards and a touchdown. Beck came up with 10.1 receiving yards per game, while Lovercheck and Brant Fullmer combined for 12.1 yards per game through the air.

The Cyclones’ 319.6 total yards per game put them fourth in 1A 11-man. They sat fifth with their 26 touchdowns and tied for 10th with their 21 turnovers.

Southeast was better at stopping the run this season, ranking 11th with opponents racking up 241.9 yards on the ground. They ranked 13th in both pass defense (124.6 YPGA) and team defense (366.5 YPGA). Southeast came up with eight turnovers this season, with four coming as fumble recoveries and four as interceptions.

Tanner Hort was the top defender for the Cyclones, ranking 10th in the class with 15.5 defensive points per contest. He finished the season averaging 7.2 tackles per game, while accounting for eight tackles for loss and a sack. Werner, who averaged 10.9 points per game, led the Cyclones in sacks, with two, while accounting for 4.7 tackles per game and 7.5 tackles for loss on the season.

Conner Smith finished the season averaging 9.9 defensive points on 4.3 tackles per contest and 5.5 tackles for loss and a sack on the season. Smith also had a fumble recovery this year.

Hayden Anderson was the top turnover forcer for Southeast, racking up three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Brady Fullmer also had an interception this year, while Brant Fullmer had two fumble recoveries.

Southeast had eight seniors on its roster this year, so that experience will need to be replaced moving forward. That being said, several underclassmen got piles of playing time this season. The experienced underclassmen supporting cast from this year will be looked at to step up in 2018.