Jackson offense sputters to life, Broncs vanquish Star Valley 5-1

JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — The Jackson Broncs got a taste of just how the intensity level is ratcheted up in the post season. After dispatching Star Valley twice during the regular season by a combined 25-1 score. It wouldn’t be nearly as smooth sailing Friday afternoon as the two teams met in Round 2 of the 4A West Regionals.

Jackson 5, Star Valley 1

Jackson showed a little rust after a first-round bye parked the club Thursday while Star Valley pulled off a thriller against Green River with a late goal and a 2-1 win.

“They know us pretty well at this point,” coach Matt Hoelscher said. “It’s tough to beat a team three times in the same season, and we weren’t expecting it to be another lopsided one.”

It wasn’t until the 25-minute mark that the Broncs finally broke the 0-0 tie after Chris Tzompa was dumped just outside the box. Instead of the penalty kick from 12 yards out, it would be a 19-yard free kick. Jackson tried to be mysterious about who was taking the shot but, in the end, it was Teddy Opler with a far side dart to make it 1-0 Jackson.

Jackson midfielder Sahir Romero was taken off the pitch after contact with Star Valley’s Cayden Roberts. No sooner was Romero off the field and being tended to than Star Valley’s Mason Brown launched a moonshot from his side of the 50. It looked like a set play because Braves’ striker Kaleb Fila took off like a shot, outrunning Kai McClennen and Charlie Barden for the breakaway goal to tie the game at 1-1 with 11:02 to play in the opening half.

Jackson did not wait long to reestablish their lead. Minutes later Jonathan Vazquez Vargas made a phenomenal dribble down the left side, right turn along the end line, and by the time he headed for the goal there were at least 5 Braves in pursuit. That’s when Vazquez Vargas dished the rock to Opler who was all alone 10 yards from keeper Derek Astle. Opler poofed the net with his second, team second, and it was 2-1 Jackson with 9 1/2 minutes left in the 1st.

Pretty as they come.

Except for maybe Jackson’s final goal of the half. Charlie Hoelscher fed a seeing-eye pass to Thomas Dewell in the box. Dewell dangled in traffic for what seemed like a full 10 seconds before he slipped one neatly to a charging Jensen Smock who stepped into it with authority and a 3-1 lead with 5 minutes left in the first 40.

The Broncs seemed content to lay back in the final 40 with the wind in their face but Opler might not have got the message. Jackson’s leading scorer loves playing Star Valley. He tallied a hattrick in the team’s last meeting just 8 days ago, and duplicated the effort with a rebound score off a Charlie Hoelscher shot fired with such force it knocked Braves keeper Derek right on his Astle.

Jackson played keep-away for the remaining 10 minutes adding a little padding with a late goal from Chris Tzompa after Jackson junior defender Johan Garcia Castelan turned the play the other way to Hoelscher, who fed a perfect through ball to Tzompa.

Next up

Jackson (14-1) will match up with Kelly Walsh (14-2) Saturday at 3pm to determine the top seed I the 4A West. The Trojans won a 4-2 shootout after a 0-0 tie with Rock Springs earlier Friday. Kelly Walsh is the only team to beat Jackson this year—a 2-1 final on April 9 in Casper. The Broncs returned the favor with a 2-0 shutout of KW on April 29 at home.