WOLSEY — Wolsey-Wessington was fueled all offseason by its two losses against Gregory.

The Gorillas defeated the Warbirds twice last season, including a 34-19 victory in the Class 9A quarterfinals en route to the state championship. 

On Friday, the No. 3 Warbirds turned the tables and defeated No. 1 Gregory, 48-32, in a Missouri Valley Conference high school football game. 

“Our boys have worked for this,” Wolsey-Wessington coach Hayden Hooks said. “After our game with them last year, we posted that score in the weight room and every day we were lifting, every day we were running, thinking about that game. So it feels good to see that hard work pay off.”

After a seesaw first half, Wolsey-Wessington (2-0) pulled away from Gregory (0-1) and Hooks anticipates it won’t be the only meeting this season. 

“We know this was their first game,” Hooks said. “You are not going to be at your best in the first game. We have to expect to play them again and be prepared for them.” 

Wolsey-Wessington sophomore Caleb Richmond, a shifty and explosive quarterback, finished with three passing touchdowns and one rushing score. He threw touchdown passes to Moshe Richmond, Colin Hughes and Peyton Rainford. Moshe Richmond, who is a 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior, used his big frame to snag passes out of the air against the Gregory defense.  

“We have known those guys have been coming up for a few years now and it’s exciting to see it actually on the field on the varsity level,” Hooks said. 

Gregory's Rylan Peck pitches the ball as Wolsey-Wessington's Moshe Richmond attempts to bring him down on Friday in Wolsey. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)
  

In the second half, Wolsey-Wessington’s defense complemented its offensive attack. Wolsey-Wessington was clinging to a 28-20 halftime lead and held Gregory to 12 second-half points, with the final score coming as time expired. 

“We knew what we were supposed to do in the first half,” Wolsey-Wessington senior tight end/defensive end Tate French said. “We really just stepped it up in the second. We really just came together and played our game.”

Gregory all-state quarterback Rylan Peck, last year’s Class 9A Joe Robbie MVP, threw two interceptions. Ashton Hill and Austin Wyant both intercepted passes for Wolsey-Wessington. 

“I think they did a great job,” French added about the defense. “They work hard every day in practice and it showed today. I am proud of those guys.”

On Gregory’s opening possession of the second half, Wolsey-Wessington sacked Peck and recovered a fumble, setting up Gabriel Case's touchdown run. The Warbirds tacked on another score for a 42-20 lead in the third quarter, highlighting a key 22-0 surge. 

“We came into this game knowing it was going to be a battle and we just battled and took care of it,” Hooks said. “We are happy to come away with the win.”

Gregory added a third-quarter score, a Lincoln Juracek 15-yard touchdown run. Wyant scored for a 48-26 lead before Gregory’s score as time expired.  

The teams traded touchdowns in an entertaining first half, with both teams scoring on their opening possessions. After Caleb Richmond connected with Moshe Richmond for a score, Gregory’s Gannon Thomas TD run made it 8-8.

Peck connected with Luke Stukel for a 37-yard touchdown strike and Caleb Richmond answered with a 46-yard touchdown hook up with Hughes. 

French rumbled in for a 35-yard touchdown run and Thomas evened it up at 20-20 with a 15-yard touchdown score on the next possession. Moshe Richmond’s touchdown score made it 28-20 just before halftime and Wolsey-Wessington seized momentum after that.

“It feels great,” French said. “But we are going to come back tomorrow and put in the work. Because we will probably meet them again with the bigger game. We are going to keep working.”