Prep Athlete of the Week: Dalton Schaefer, Pine Bluffs

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - Championship weekend officially wrapped up for high school football, and the Pine Bluffs Hornets finished the job in the 1A 9-Man Championship against Shosoni to complete a perfect season.

They had one of their star players back in the fold after missing most of the year due to injury; Dalton Schaefer put on a monster performance when it mattered most.

He said that while he was out he worked a lot on keeping a good mentality throughout the process.

“It was mostly a mental battle for me. I didn’t really lose too much physically. I worked my legs out on the bike and stuff, but trying to stay positive about it, doing all of my rehab for it, and just focusing on getting back was the main thing I went through,” Schaefer said.

He got injured in just the second game of the season but returned for their semifinal game against Rocky Mountain, yet it was in the championship where he made his presence felt all game long.

Schaefer ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score with just 53 seconds left in the game.

He said that being a champion means everything to him; Schaefer watched the Hornets before him accomplish this feat, and that inspired him to help carry on the winning legacy.

“I’ve been wanting it for so long. I watched our high school guys back when I was younger in 2017; I just watched them win and I was like ‘that needs to be me one day.’ So I set a goal, and I got to meet that this year. I’m really happy about it,” Schaefer said.

Congratulations to Dalton and the Hornets on the championship.

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