EVANSTON — In a game that was closer than the final score might indicate, the Evanston High School football team fell to Star Valley 40-14 Friday at Kay Fackrell Stadium, though the No. 1 team in 3A had their hands full for much of the night.

“It definitely didn’t feel like a 40-14 game to me,” said EHS head coach Steve Moore. “The first half was pretty back-and-forth there, and we created some opportunities for ourselves. I thought the kids played well, for the most part.”

The game got off to an inauspicious start, when Star Valley’s Bryson Nield fielded the opening kickoff in his own end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown. With the extra point, the Braves (8-0, 4-0 in 3A West) led 7-0, with under a minute gone in the first half.

While some teams might have taken this as a sign of a long night ahead, the Red Devils (3-5, 2-2 in 3A West) proved — as they have all season — to have a short memory. After Timber Fitch reeled in a muffed kick, Evanston set up shop on their own 25-yard line, and proceeded to march down the field, converting a pair of 4th downs in the process, and eventually scoring a touchdown of their own. Setting up the score was a 35-yard pass from quarterback Braunson Sims to tight end Clayton Cook, a 7-yard pass to Brayden Wallace to pick up a first down, a 13-yard run by Braxton Hanks, culminating in a 10-yard keeper by Sims for the touchdown. Jordan Mendez’ PAT split the uprights, and the game was tied 7-7 with six minutes to play in the first quarter.

“I was proud of the way the kids responded to that [kickoff return],” Moore said. “They punched us, and we punched them right back. We were answering what they were doing, and we felt really good about that first drive — coach [Roy] Barker did a great job stringing some plays together, and I think we converted a couple of fourth downs on that drive.”

“We knew going into the game we were going to have to take some chances,” Moore added. “Those 4th-and-short situations, we knew we were going to have to go for a few of those. We have some plays in our back pocket that we felt pretty comfortable with, and I was really proud of how the kids responded, driving down the field and putting the ball in.”

Star Valley retook the lead on their next possession, a 1-yard touchdown run by Tayson Titenser. The extra point made it 14-7 in favor of the Braves heading into the second quarter.

‘The Red Devils came up with a big defensive stand early in the second quarter, forcing Star Valley into a punting situation deep in their own territory. Defensive lineman Grady Ivie fought through his man to block the punt, which landed in the waiting arms of Caden Marler, who — for the second straight week — was in the right place at the right time to make a play, giving Evanston 1st-and-10 from the Star Valley 11. Sims scored his second touchdown of the night a few plays later on a 1-yard keeper, and the game was tied once again, 14-14.

The Braves scored twice more before the end of the first half, to take a 27-14 lead into the break. Needing a little momentum to begin the second half, the Red Devils appeared to have it, with the defense once again coming up with a big stop, holding Star Valley on a 4th-and-8 on the Evanston 43-yard line for a turnover on downs. But just as the offense came onto the field, a late flag nullified the play, a phantom defensive holding call that gave Star Valley the ball back with a fresh set of downs, and changed the complexion of the game. The Braves scored a few plays later to make it 33-14.

“That defensive holding call on fourth down — we were kinda building some momentum there, the kids were excited,” Moore explained. “Then after that call, the air went out of our sails, a little bit. I tell the kids all the time that momentum is huge, especially in high school football. If you can get it on your side, things can happen in a hurry. I felt like we were kind of changing the tide a little bit there, but again — that’s football. It was frustrating, but you have to regroup, and move on.”

“Some calls didn’t go our way, but that’s football — that’s life, sometimes,” Moore added, diplomatically. “Things don’t go your way. It would be nice if things did, though, once in a while.”

Down 40-14 late in the fourth, the Red Devils continued to play hard, and appeared to put one more score on the board, when Sims hit Cook for an 81-yard touchdown. Evanston was called for an ineligible man downfield, however, taking the touchdown off the board. The game ended a couple of minutes later, with the Braves returning home with a 40-14 win.

“We tell the kids, ‘Hey, football games come down to a handful of plays,’” Moore said. “You just don’t know what handful they’re going to be. It was frustrating, for sure.”

Sims led the charge offensively for the Red Devils, completing 10 of 17 passes for 125 yards; he also rushed 11 times for 24 yards and two scores. Brooks Searle caught four passes for 37 yards, while Cook hauled in three passes for 58 yards. Ryker Pace caught two passes for 23 yards and Wallace caught one for seven yards.

Wallace was the team’s leading rusher, with 40 yards on 13 carries; Braxton Hanks finished with 20 yards on six carries.

Defensively, Searle and Ivie finished with 13 points apiece, followed by Bridger Roberts and Brecken Rich with 11 each. Caden Marler and Domonik Stuart tallied nine points apiece.

“Playing at home, we play emotional football — I thought the kids played hard all four quarters,” Moore said. “I think in the second half, we did get worn down a little bit. But I thought our communication — on both sides of the ball — was much better. Getting in a rhythm offensively was good, and defensively — they did catch us in a couple of things, missed assignments, things of that nature. But I felt like we played all four quarters. And again, it comes down to a handful of plays. We need to be focused on every play, and grind it out, every play.”

“It really comes down to, mentally, we have to believe we can beat those teams,” Moore added. “I was proud of the kids, and I told them that. We’ll get back to work Monday, and get back after it. And they will. They’ll be sore, and a little banged up — that was a physical football game — but we’re gonna rebound, and get back after it, like we always do.”

Playoff bound

With Powell (5-3, 2-2 in 3A West) taking care of business against Jackson Friday 34-14, the Red Devils are headed to the postseason for the second consecutive year. This Friday’s game against the Panthers will decide who goes into the playoffs as the No. 3-seed out of the 3A West.

“We’re in the playoffs, so that’s a good thing — that’s always a big achievement, especially in the 3A West,” Moore said. “But now we have a chance to get the No. 3-spot, and I don’t know that since we’ve moved down to 3A if we’ve ever finished any better than fourth. So we have a chance to do something we haven’t done in quite some time. And we’re at home — chances are it will be the last home game for our seniors, so we can send them off the right way.”

On paper, the Red Devils and Powell look to be evenly matched, with both teams eager to prove their worth.

“Looking at Powell, I think we’re two comparable football teams — they’re really good defensively,” Moore said. “I think it’s going to be a great game — I think it’s two similar teams that are going to be battling it out. It’s going to be highly competitive, for sure.”

“The kids were upset, and it’s OK to be upset, because our expectation is always to win — not just play with them,” Moore said. “We expect to go out, and we expect to win. So they were upset, but I told them to get their heads up — they had nothing to be ashamed of. I thought they played a good game. A couple of breaks didn’t go our way, but it’s definitely something we can build on, and get better from.”