Desert Shields end two-game skid by beating Mustangs

October hasn’t been kind to Cheyenne, which dropped two Northwest League games in six days to open the month.

The Desert Shields took out their frustrations Friday night on a visiting Shadow Ridge.

The trio of Tyler Spight, Kenneth Counts and Myloe Lewis led a three-headed rushing attack to 345 yards on their way to Cheyenne’s 36-13 victory.

The Desert Shields (5-2, 4-2 Northwest) took a 14-7 edge at the break, and quickly exploded in the second half.

“They (Shadow Ridge) aren’t a bad football team,” Cheyenne coach David Cochran said. “We have played ugly football the last couple of games and it was certainly good to get back on track.

“Still, nothing is accomplished yet in this league. We still have much work to do.”

The Desert Shields took their first possession of the second half for points, capped by Tyler Power’s 57-yard scoring strike to Spight and a 13-point advantage.

The Mustangs (0-7, 0-6) responded with one of their best drives of the season, an 18-play, 78-yard push capped by J Henderson’s second TD of the game from two yards out, to pull within 20-13.

Cheyenne went to Kenneth Counts in the final quarter, and he responded with a pair of touchdowns.

Counts, who finished with 94 yards on 14 carries, had a five-yard run and a 25-yard reception to put the game away.

“We made adjustments at halftime,” Cochran said. “Being able to run the ball is crucial in our system.

We are still trying to find what works for us, but we know running the ball is important.”

Lewis led all rushers with 129 yards on 12 carries for Cheyenne. Spight, who scored on runs of 77 and 5 yards in the first half, added 122 on 11 trips.

Henderson completed 13 of 29 passes for 179 yards for Shadow Ridge. Alex Wise caught five passes for 80 yards for the Mustangs.