Woulda paid good money to see William Jumping Eagle play....
William Jumping Eagle han an entertaining senior season for Little Wound despite not making the playoffs.
By Rich Winter
It's kinda interesting how football goes for players that sorta toil in anonymity on teams that aren't great enough to make the playoffs. No one gives a crap about those teams or the players on said teams unless they're knocking down the playoff door or putting together winning streaks like Red Cloud has of late.
About six weeks ago I got a little note in my Panic Button outbox on Facebook that suggest I keep an eye on Little Wound senior William Jumping Eagle. While I tried to do that, finding recaps and stats on Little Wound is seriously like trying to find a needle in a haystack that's located out yonder somewhere.
Wondered a little bit about the Mustangs this season, having lost some elite skill guys from a year ago. And, sure enough, the Mustangs struggled out of the gates, losing 14-12 to St. Francis and 40-28 to Custer. A 51-0 loss to Chamberlain followed before the Mustangs thumped on 2016 punching bag, Crow Creek, 46-0.
Judging by what was going on from the comparative score game, the Mustangs weren't very good early and that was reaffirmed with a 35-3 loss to Bennett County.
And then, something special happened! Not sure if it was the opponent (Red Cloud) the moment or the switching around of positions but Little Wound gave 11B quarterfinalist, Red Cloud, everything they wanted in a 41-40 loss. Seriously, probably the best, most competitive game in the area this year, and Little Wound dang near pulled off the upset.
After a bye week, Little Wound beat Lead/Deadwood, in Lead, 22-18. The playoffs ended up just out of reach after a 32-12 loss to Pine Ridge in the final game of the season. So, while Little Wound didn't make the playoffs they showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts and kept playing till the end...that's honorable!
So, big shout out to coach Jacey Mesteth and the Little Wound Mustangs, who I'm sure will look to build on a strong finish to the 2016 campaign. Looks like quite a few junior linemen returners and a ton of skill kids back that were just 9th and 10th graders this fall.
No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Grade
1 Tayten Shangreaux WR/DB 5'11 140 9
3 Triston Janis RB/LB 5'9 160 10
4 Carlos Romero Jr RB/LB 5'9 175 12
5 William Jumping Eagle FB/LB 5'9 175 12
7 Michael Richards WR/DB 5'7 148 12
10 Tyrone Pourier QB/DB 6'0 185 11
19 Clancy Clifford RB/LB 11
20 Verlin Old Horse WR/DB 5'10 142 10
21 Shadow RedOwl WR/DB 5'9 142 10
24 Sayvon Mesteth RB/DB 5'9 135 12
25 Robert Martin WR/DB 6'1 170 10
28 Ivan Reddest WR/DB 6'1 155 12
31 Dawson Gourd RB/LB 6'0 180 12
32 Joell Bear Heels WR/DB 5'8 150 10
42 Jerome Gangone RB/LB 5'8 180 11
44 Justin Phelps RB/LB 5'9 180 11
48 John Rondeaux Jr WR/DB 5'10 150 12
50 Isaiah Pourier RB/LB 5'5 185 9
51 Arthur Red Owl OL/DL 5'10 195 12
52 Brent Tallman OL/DL 6'6 235 10
54 Cetan Luta RB/LB 5'6 168 9
55 Terri Dawn Vocu OL/DL 5'7 135 12
58 Melvin Swallow RB/LB 11
59 Tyler Bettleyoun OL/DL 6'2 185 11
60 Reuben Stands OL/DL 5'8 180 12
61 Teron Hopkins OL/DL 6'4 201 10
62 Chance Rowland OL/DL 6'0 215 9
64 Skylar Rowland OL/DL 6'5 300 10
65 Keane Pretty Weasel OL/DL 6'0 240 12
66 Reuben Means OL/LB 5'5 194 9
68 Jacey Eagle Heart OL/DL 5'10 217 12
69 Gabriel Pulliam OL/DL 5'7 160 10
70 Stryder Gangone OL/DL 5'8 210 9
71 Marco O'Rouke OL/DL 5'6 160 9
73 Triston Rowland OL/DL 6'0 205 12
79 Alex Clifford OL/DL 6'1 208 9
80 Chayden Miller WR/DB 5'5 120 9
81 Arrow Iron Cloud WR/DB 11
84 Tajan Kills In Water WR/DB 10
88 De'Shaun Pourier WR/DB 6'3 140 9
89 Emilio Cespedes WR/DB 5'5 115 9
Waylan Hunter OL/DL 9
8 Oct 14 6:00 p.m. MT Lead-Deadwood Deadwood 22-18 W 44 3-5
9 Oct 20 7:00 p.m. MT Pine Ridge Kyle 12-32 L 33 3-6
