The Scouting Report: A weekly digest

A really bad day, recording an eclipse, wine award, Wienermobile cometh

The South Dakota School of Mines football team had a tough day on Oct. 14. After suffering a blowout loss to their rivals at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado, the team was headed home via bus when one of the buses caught fire.

And that bus burned, big time.

The incident occurred in Lusk, Wyoming. Thankfully, players and staff were able to escape the bus before it burnt. The Cowboy State Daily reports the bus burnt to its frame. 

The Niobrara County School District came to the rescue.

“Used to helping out stranded motorists during Wyoming’s famously harsh and windy winters, the local school district mobilized a couple of school bus drivers to come pick up the players and coaches and took them to the Niobrara County Fairgrounds,” Cowboy State Daily reported.

The rescued football team received cots and blankets while transportation back to Rapid City was organized. Lusk and Rapid City are separated by about 150 miles.

A statement from the media office of South Dakota Mines on Oct. 16 downplayed the drama. The opening paragraph said, “we encountered issues with a vehicle carrying student-athletes and coaches.” Only in the final paragraph did it mention that, oh yeah, a bus caught on fire. Nor did it describe the extent of damages, which were catastrophic.

Nonetheless, all were safe, and that’s what matters.

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