Rangers round up Buffaloes

The Hill City Rangers football team came out strong from the start, scoring on the opening drive of the 2025-26 season against Stanley County at home Aug. 22. The completion from quarterback Brensen Veneklasen to Zane Messick would be one of many that would help propel Hill City to a 72-32 win against the Buffaloes.
Quarter one play was tit for tat action, with both teams using runs and passes to score bac-to-back during each possession. The Rangers defense missed some key tackles, allowing the Buffaloes’ running game to eat away at the clock and the game’s momentum. By the end of quarter one the Rangers were trailing by three.
The start of the second quarter was hard for fans to watch as penalties and  turnovers caused the Rangers to punt for the first time. With 10 minutes left in quarter two, a fumble by  Stanley County led to a  Veneklasen running touchdown and a Rangers 28-24  lead. 
On their next possession the Buffaloes marched down the field, with a series of runs and a long pass to senior Brendon Bothwell. Poised to score, Hill City Rangers sophomore Alan Harvey intercepted the ball, placing the Rangers on the one yard line. Unable to move the ball out of the end zone, Veneklasen fell on the ball, giving the Buffaloes a rare safety and two more points, closing the narrow Hill City lead to 28-26.
It was another interception, this one by Messick, with 1:36 left in the half that put the Rangers on top as the half ended 35-26.
“We didn’t play a clean first half of football but I give credit to the Stanley County boys,” said head football coach Brett Eckert. “They made some really nice plays and capitalized on our defensive miscues. At halftime, we emphasized to the boys that they needed to just do their job, trust what they have been taught, and go play football. We played cleaner in the second half, but we still have lots of room for improvement.”
The second half of the game was all Rangers, with the Rangers defense stopping Stanley County’s  opening third quarter drive and answering with a huge play as Mason Wiese scored for Hill City, widening the Rangers’ lead to 42-26. The Rangers used a mix of runs and passes, receivers and running backs, to keep the offense in control during the second half of the game. 
Veneklasen, Wiese, Messick, Nick Schroeder,  Caleb Sobolik and Mason  Buehler each scored touchdowns in the romp against the Buffaloes.
“That has been our norm for the last couple of years, and our guys know it. We are blessed with a lot of pretty talented individual athletes,” Eckert said. “We feel that by spreading the wealth to all of our weapons it makes it much harder for opposing teams to prepare for us. When you are willing to sacrifice your own personal accolades for the team, you will have collective success.”
Overall the Rangers capitalized on the Buffaloes’ mistakes, with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries during the game.
“We don’t spend time working on those things specifically, but we do collectively throughout our practices,” said Eckert. “Our guys did a good job of making big plays when they had the opportunity. We emphasize when you get the chance to make a play, you need to make the play. Players make plays.”
The Rangers face Lemmon next, which Eckert called a well- coached team. They have, “some line up front on the offensive side of the ball with a nice physical running back behind them. They are a run heavy team, so we will have to try and take some of their physical run game away,” said Eckert. “We will need to be much cleaner on defense if we desire to slow them down.”
Game time is Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. at Lemmon Lions Field.