In emotional game, Wolverines fail to hand Rhinos a loss

DRAPER — The Utah Wolverines had a chance to make history this past Saturday. The Ogden Rhino-Raiders came to Draper to visit the Wolverines for the first time, while the Wolverines sought to complete a little history of their own — handing the Rhinos their first division loss in league history.

After traveling to Ben Lomond High School for a road game against the same Rhinos earlier this season and losing 35-6 in a game that was much closer than the final score made it seem, the Wolverines found themselves with a 1-4 record and on the verge of elimination from the playoffs with four games left in the season.

The team then rattled off two straight road victories to find itself back in playoff contention leading up to the showdown with the Rhinos at Juan Diego Catholic High School.

Emotions were high even before the kickoff took place.

After exchanging punts back and forth for most of the first quarter, the Wolverines finally broke through on a long drive only to stall inside the Ogden red zone. Josh Clark nailed a 32-yard field goal to put the Wolverines up 3-0 leading into the second quarter.

The Wolverines' defense looked to be holding the Rhinos' potent offensive attack for yet another punt after Roger Shulze tackled the Rhinos' Rashad Kennedy for a loss of five and placing Ogden deep in their own territory and looking at a long third down from their own 10.

Then Damon Greenberry, the Rocky Mountain Football League's single-season touchdown record holder, did what he does best, breaking free for a 90-yard pass-and-catch. The extra point was good to put the Rhinos up 7-3. The Wolverines' emotions carried them for the next few minutes, until RMFL All-Star Linebacker Matt Shoda was ejected from the game with about nine minutes left following an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

"(I feel) severe distraught," Shoda said after the game. "I don't even know how to explain it."

Still, going into the half, the Wolverines were still close to making history, trailing by the same score. The second half opened up, and it was all Rhinos. The opening kickoff was returned by David Stroshine for a touchdown. and all of a sudden the Wolverines were down 14-3.

Wolverine quarterback T.J. Stokes said: "They pretty much came out on top. They came out fired up, ready to go."

The Wolverines kept attacking the Rhinos, only to stall or make mistakes during keep points of their drives.