POWELL — Rain and unfastened rocks led to a harmful scenario within the Wind River Canyon on Saturday night time after a rock slide blocked visitors in each instructions.
The Powell Excessive College boys’ soccer crew was heading residence from a protracted highway journey to Pinedale and arrived simply after the slide occurred.
“We had been one of many first automobiles there, and we had some mother and father on the opposite facet of it that noticed it occur of their rearview mirrors,” Panther boys’ Head Coach David Gilliatt mentioned.
On the scene, the Panthers had been hesitant to take a look at the slide, as a result of they had been not sure if there have been extra rocks sliding down. However understanding that the Wyoming Division of Transportation was unlikely to reach for an prolonged time period, the Panthers sprung into motion.
“I feel all of us simply agreed after taking a look at it that we might get the rocks out of the highway on the far left facet and at the very least give it a attempt to see if different automobiles and our bus might get by way of,” Gilliatt mentioned.
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Going through the incident head on, Gilliatt and the crew had a plan of motion, as they’d folks watching the cliffside in case extra rocks fell down. Additionally they deliberate the place they’d run ought to extra rocks fall down the canyon.
The crew labored shortly and moved sufficient rocks inside seven minutes so {that a} semitruck — in addition to different automobiles — might match by way of the hole.
Gilliatt mentioned that the crew relayed the message past the canyon to oldsters and PHS Athletic Director Scott McKenzie that it was going to be late due to the incident.
The one harm reported within the incident was one participant’s minor reduce, which was handled with a Band-Support. The bus did lose a latch for one of many storage compartments beneath, but it surely was capable of squeeze by way of in a good hole.
“I don’t suppose we thought of it being some large factor,” Gilliatt mentioned. “We simply type of determined ‘Let’s see if we are able to deal with this ourselves.’ Many fingers made fast work of it.”
Simply behind the Panther boys crew was Michele O’Brien-Hampton, the mom of PHS women crew gamers Jaedyn and Sarah Hampton. The ladies crew made it by way of the canyon 45 minutes prior, and O’Brien-Hampton was simply minutes behind the boys’ bus after she completed watching their sport in Pinedale.
When she arrived, she was additionally simply behind the Worland boys soccer crew bus.
She was advised that there was a rock slide up forward. She, together with the Warriors’ coaches, went as much as see what had occurred. The Worland boys hopped out to assist clear the highway, however the Panthers already cleared the trail sufficient for automobiles to go by way of.
“You possibly can see they really are a crew in each sense of the phrase,” O’Brien-Hampton mentioned. “That comes from nice teaching too.”
As she was passing by way of, regulation enforcement had arrived to take management of guiding visitors. When she drove by way of the cleared opening, it struck her as some extent of delight that it was “our soccer crew” who sprung into motion to assist clear the highway.