As a child of the ’90s, I’ve had just one voice going through my head this week — that of Tom Anderson.

The neighbor of everyone’s favorite teenage dumbasses, Beavis and Butt-head, Tom’s vision is, well, not what it used to be. And he’s never quite sure if the two teenagers in front of him are the two teenagers who painted his cat’s butt, stole his riding mower or that he found invading his toolshed.

When Tom comes across the two, be it at Burger World, in his front yard or looking for Spanish tiles for his new pool cabana, he often utters the same line:

“You look kinda familiar.”

That’s Laramie this weekend, in one sentence, as the 2024 Wyoming high school football season comes to a close.

For the third consecutive year, Cheyenne East and Sheridan meet in the Class 4A championship. Star Valley and Cody are also facing off for the third consecutive year in the 3A title game. And, oh yeah, Burlington and Snake River are also meeting for a third straight season in the Class 1A six-man title game. Kinda familiar.

Then in the 2A title game, Cokeville and its 22 state championships meet Big Horn, which is going for its eighth title since 2003 and is in its eighth championship game since 2013. Kinda familiar.

About the only new faces are in 1A nine-man, and even that’s a half-truth. Pine Bluffs is back in Laramie for the fourth time since 2016 (by the way, the Hornets are 3-0 at the War). Then there’s Lingle, unbeaten this season and playing in the title game for the first time since 2009, the title games’ first year together in Laramie.

So if this weekend looks or seems or feels familiar, it is. Same teams, sure. But different names, different approaches, different tactics and different stakes. It might be the same show, but it’s a new season, even as familiar as they look.

Even Tom Anderson can see that.

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Here is a quick look at this weekend’s championship games, set for Friday and Saturday at War Memorial Stadium at the University of Wyoming:

Class 4A, 4 p.m. Saturday
Cheyenne East (3, 9-2) vs. Sheridan (1, 11-0)
Series record: Sheridan leads 35-15.
Last meeting: Sheridan beat Cheyenne East 48-18 on Sept. 20 in Sheridan.
Last playoff meeting: Sheridan beat Cheyenne East 31-3 on Nov. 11, 2023, in the Class 4A championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Cheyenne East five, most recently in 2020. … Sheridan 30, most recently in 2023.
Previous title game record: Cheyenne East, 5-5. … Sheridan, 20-7.
The path to the title game: Cheyenne East shut out Thunder Basin 27-0 in the quarterfinals and then b-a-r-e-l-y got past Campbell County 35-34 in the semifinals. … Sheridan beat up on Laramie 48-6 in the quarterfinals and topped Natrona 24-8 in the semifinals.
The case for the Thunderbirds: East showed its ability to be malleable to best fit its talent. After several years of emphasizing balance between run and pass, this year’s East team has 4A’s top rushing offense and a 1,000-yard back in Keyshawn Brown. The T-Birds’ only two losses this year were to 4A’s top two seeds (Sheridan and Campbell County), both on the road, and one of those got avenged last week in Gillette in the semifinals.
The case for the Broncs: I mean, 42. Forty-freakin’-two. It’s been that many victories in a row for the Broncs, including three state championships and two undefeated seasons. This season, Sheridan’s closest victory was last week’s 24-8 win against Natrona, and even then Natrona didn’t score until the final moments. The Broncs have 4A’s top rushing defense and an offense that’s diverse enough to keep opposing defenses guessing. Did I mention 42 straight victories?
The pick: I’m beginning to wonder if Sheridan will ever lose again. However, that’s just the kind of overconfidence the Broncs are great at rejecting. East will be ready, and prepared, but Sheridan’s players will be the kind of confident only a run like theirs can create. Sheridan 32, Cheyenne East 21.

Class 3A, 3 p.m. Friday
Cody (2W, 9-1) vs. Star Valley (1W, 11-0)
Series record: Star Valley leads 29-13.
Last meeting: Star Valley beat Cody 52-35 on Oct. 11 in Afton.
Last playoff meeting: Star Valley beat Cody 27-0 on Nov. 10, 2023, in the Class 3A championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Star Valley 14, most recently in 2023. … Cody seven, most recently in 2021.
Previous title game record: Star Valley, 13-10. … Cody, 7-7.
The path to the title game: Cody swamped Torrington 63-6 in the quarterfinals and then held off a comeback attempt in Douglas to beat the Bearcats 49-42 in the semifinals. … Star Valley’s defense has come alive in the playoffs, with two shutouts — 52-0 over Lander in the quarterfinals and 40-0 over Riverton in the semifinals.
The case for the Broncs: Cody has been one of the most remarkable 3A programs over the past decade, with four state championships since 2014 and a 50-5 record since 2020. The offense is averaging 51 points per game — a total that would be third-best among 11-man teams in state history if they can keep the pace going — and leads 3A in yards per game. The only hitch over the past few years? All five of the Broncs’ losses in that span have come from Star Valley.
The case for the Braves: Six championships in the past nine years. Twenty consecutive victories. Class 3A’s top defense and its No. 2 offense. The offense is consistently scoring, breaking 40 points in all but one game and averaging more than 47 points per game; quarterback Smith McClure could be just one big game away from 3,000 yards this year. And the defense has found another level in the playoffs, not allowing a single point across all eight quarters of postseason play.
The pick: Despite all the Braves’ success and championships, the program has never in school history three-peated. And they’ve had just one unbeaten season (2019) in the playoff era, which began in 1975. This Star Valley team, though, has the goods to make those little tidbits history, not precedent. Cody will make it tough, absolutely, and the Braves will have to be on point. They’ve given no one any reason to think they won’t be, though. Star Valley 38, Cody 28.

Class 2A, noon Friday
Cokeville (3W, 7-3) vs. Big Horn (1E, 10-0)
Series record: Big Horn leads 4-3.
Last meeting/last playoff meeting: Big Horn beat Cokeville 55-7 on Nov. 16, 2019, in the Class 1A 11-man championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Cokeville 22, most recently in 2014. … Big Horn eight, most recently in 2022.
Previous title game record: Cokeville, 21-8. … Big Horn, 8-11.
The path to the title game: Cokeville won a pair of road games to make it to Laramie, eking out a 28-20 victory against Newcastle in the quarterfinals and thumping West top seed Mountain View 40-14 in the semifinals. … Big Horn beat two West teams in the first two rounds, beating Worland 34-13 in the quarterfinals and surging past Lovell 35-25 in the semifinals.
The case for the Panthers: Don’t underestimate the heart of a champion. Class 2A’s smallest school, by orders of magnitude, has also been at its best in the playoffs. The Panthers have had to win two road games to get here, traveling about 1,000 miles round-trip in their vanquishing of Newcastle in the first round and making a shorter, but probably scarier, trip to Mountain View and absolutely dominating the West’s top seed on its home field. Senior Kayson Walker leads the way on both offense and defense, and the rest of the squad has been just like Cokeville likes, consistent and prepared.
The case for the Rams: Class 2A’s last remaining undefeated team has a ton of experience in late-season action. This is Big Horn’s 16th championship game appearance since 2000 — yeah, 16 out of 25 is a pretty good track record. The Rams were absolutely dominant in East Conference games but have also been tested, with two close victories against West No. 2 seed Lovell helping to show the Rams how they might match up against the West’s best. And there’s this little thing about having Class 2A’s top offense AND top defense. Not a bad combo to have.
The pick: I’ve picked against Cokeville twice this postseason, and the Panthers have won both times. So the Panthers are probably hoping I’ll pick the Rams. Well, Cokeville, you’ve got your wish. I do legitimately think Big Horn will win this game, but a resurgent, improved, tough and, most importantly, confident Cokeville team will make this one an absolute epic. Big Horn 24, Cokeville 20.

Class 1A nine-man, 1 p.m. Saturday
Pine Bluffs (2E, 9-1) vs. Lingle (1E, 10-0)
Series record: Lingle leads 42-25-2.
Last meeting: Lingle beat Pine Bluffs 30-27 on Oct. 18 in Lingle.
Last playoff meeting: First meeting.
State championships: Pine Bluffs three, most recently in 2022. … Lingle one, in 1990.
Previous title game record: Pine Bluffs, 3-3. … Lingle, 1-2.
The path to the title game: Pine Bluffs overwhelmed Greybull 75-22 in the first round and beat Saratoga 42-12 in the semifinals. … Lingle demolished both of last year’s title-game participants in the first two rounds, throttling Wind River 57-0 in the quarterfinals and Big Piney 52-6 in the semifinals.
The case for the Hornets: Pine Bluffs is the only team to give Lingle a true test this season, and it wasn’t even close. The Hornets played point-for-point, play-for-play with the Doggers right up to the end of that 30-27 loss in Week 7, a game that truly could have gone either way. Outside of that, Pine Bluffs has been dominant, winning by an average of 51-12. They enter the championship game with 1A nine-man’s top offense and top defense in terms of yards, and that’s usually a combination that leads to championships.
The case for the Doggers: From the outset, 2024 was supposed to be the Doggers’ season. Deeply talented, experienced and skilled, Lingle started the season as the favorites and have lived up to that expectation. Outscoring opponents by an average of 52-10, the only time that Lingle was truly tested was against Pine Bluffs in Week 7. Aside from that, the closest game that Lingle had was a 29-point victory against East’s sophomores. Over the last three games, Lingle has a 161-6 advantage. The Doggers are hot at the right time. Maybe most importantly, they have 1A nine-man’s top rushing offense and top rushing defense, huge keys to success in November.
The pick: This game right here is the one I’ve been thinking about all week. If this game anything like the one we saw transpire in Week 7, everyone in War Memorial Stadium will get their money’s worth. Both teams have had great seasons, and whoever wins, it won’t be a fluke. Lingle 21, Pine Bluffs 20.

Class 1A six-man, 10 a.m. Saturday
Burlington (1N, 8-1) vs. Snake River (1S, 9-0)
Series record: Snake River leads 7-2.
Last meeting: Snake River beat Burlington 70-18 on Sept. 7 in Baggs.
Last playoff meeting: Burlington beat Snake River 42-39 on Nov. 11, 2023, in the Class 1A six-man championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Burlington three, most recently in 2023. … Snake River five, most recently in 2022.
Previous title game record: Burlington, 3-3. … Snake River, 5-2.
The path to the title game: Burlington thumped Farson 92-16 in the quarterfinals and then survived in a triple-overtime shootout with Encampment, 74-68, in the semifinals. … Snake River has relied on its defense in the playoffs, beating Meeteetse 71-8 in a one-half quarterfinal and Dubois 67-0 in the semifinals.
The case for the Huskies: The defending state champions have lived up to the high expectations that followed them into this season. Burlington won every North Conference game by mercy-rule standards, with the closest game still a 46-point difference in the Huskies’ favor. They’ve got huge momentum that only a triple-overtime semifinal victory can provide. And even despite their Week 1 loss to Snake River (70-18, ugh), the Huskies know they can beat the Rattlers in Laramie — a claim that no other six-man team has been able to make the past few years.
The case for the Rattlers: Maybe last year’s title game was just an aberration. Maybe the Snake River team we should have seen that day just didn’t get off the bus. Maybe we should look at the last four years, in which the Rattlers have gone 39-1, and concentrate a heck of a lot more on the 39 and a heck of a lot less on the one. The Rattlers score more points than the Huskies and allow fewer. And they’ve got revenge on their side — which, when channeled instead of distracted by, can be a great motivator.
The pick: This is the third consecutive year the Huskies and Rattlers have met in the championship game, so it’s safe to say these two teams know each other and know what they’re going to try to do to win a championship game. Week 1’s blowout victory for the Rattlers is a decent indicator of which team is the favorite, but I’d be really surprised if the Huskies don’t play significantly better this time around. Still, I think Snake River has the advantage. But the Rattlers did last year, too. Snake River 48, Burlington 37.

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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 8-2 (80 percent). This season: 235-58 (80 percent).

Well. We made it. Final week, championship games, The War. What are your big takeaways from the 2024 season as we enter its final stages? Alternatively, who’s your favorite “Beavis and Butt-head” character? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

Well, this looks familiar.

Of the 10 semifinal games this weekend, seven are repeats from the regular season. Those games, in order from ugliest to most nerve-wracking, were:

• 1A-6: Snake River beat Dubois 56-0 in Week 5 in Dubois.
• 1A-9: Pine Bluffs beat Saratoga 63-7 in Week 7 in Pine Bluffs.
• 3A: Cody beat Douglas 49-0 in Week 2 in Douglas.
• 4A: Sheridan beat Natrona 29-7 in Week 2 in Casper.
• 2A: Mountain View beat Cokeville 14-6 in Week 3 in Mountain View.
• 2A: Big Horn beat Lovell 28-24 in Week 1 in Lovell.
• 4A: Campbell County beat Cheyenne East 29-26 two weeks ago in Gillette.

Of the remaining three games that aren’t rematches from the regular season, two are rematches from last year’s semifinals. Both games — Encampment at Burlington in the 1A six-man bracket and Big Piney at Lingle in the 1A nine-man brackets — aren’t just rematches; they’re also in the same locations as last year’s semifinal games. Last year, Burlington outscored Encampment 80-73 while Big Piney went on the road and thumped Lingle 51-27.

The only remaining game is 3A’s Cinderella, Riverton, traveling to Afton to face Star Valley. Those two last met in the 2023 regular season, with Star Valley winning 56-6.

So if this weekend has a familiar feeling to it, there’s a good reason.

Also, we’re seeing some familiar teams make it this far. Sheridan is in the semifinals for the 17th consecutive year. East and Cody are both in the semifinals for the eighth consecutive year.

But it’s not all familiar stuff. Three teams are in the semifinals for the first time in a while — Campbell County is in the semifinals for the first time in seven years, Riverton for the first time in nine years, Saratoga for the first time in 16 years.

Both Riverton and Saratoga are on the road for their semifinal games. Campbell County gets to host.

And of the remaining 20 programs, Riverton and Saratoga are the only two who have yet to play in a state championship game in Laramie.

In a weekend full of familiarity, a few threads of new will help keep it fresh.

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Picks, with a bit bigger breakdown of each game, with the predicted winners in bold. And, yes, in the seven repeat-from-regular-season games, I picked every team that won the regular-season game between the two teams. Does that make me boring? Maybe.

Friday
Class 4A
(3) Cheyenne East at (2) Campbell County: In Gillette on Friday? Or within a 100-mile radius? Then get your tuchus down to Camel Stadium and pay to get into this one. It will be worth every penny, and I’ll personally be envious of you. I’m taking the Camels, but I’m only about 51/49 on that decision. Game of the year?
Class 3A
(2W) Cody at (1E) Douglas: Douglas had a nice season. Cody is having a nice decade. And there’s that thing about 49-0 two months ago with these exact two teams in this exact place. It would be an all-time stunner to see the Bearcats make up that difference against a hot Bronc team with big goals.
(2E) Riverton at (1W) Star Valley: Dang, Riverton. Last week, you pulled off double-overtime playoff win at home for your first playoff win in like a decade. Sweet. The reward is a trip to Afton, where undefeated Star Valley is, um, better than average.
Class 2A
(3W) Cokeville at (1W) Mountain View: Watch out for the Panthers. They’re playing with confidence. The Buffalos are still the favorites, but Cokeville will not be a pushover. The one thing that Mountain View has going for it is that they know this fact and won’t be caught by surprise.
(2W) Lovell at (1E) Big Horn: This game epitomizes what the semifinal round of the playoffs is supposed to be. Two great teams, one spot remaining, gotta go through the other to get where they want to go. Big Horn has a slight advantage thanks to beating the Bulldogs by four on the road way back in Week 1, but Lovell has made huge strides and is absolutely capable of giving the Rams their first loss. Could be an all-timer.
Class 1A nine-man
(4E) Saratoga at (2E) Pine Bluffs: Saratoga earned a piece of my heart this season. What a great turnaround for a program that’s needed some good things to go its way. But Pine Bluffs has been scary good and scary consistent all season.
Class 1A six-man
(3S) Dubois at (1S) Snake River: Dubois has come on strong in the back half of this season, and the Rams’ quarterfinal victory against Riverside was super impressive. Snake River, though, had little trouble against the Rams a month ago in winning 56-0 and scored 71 in the first half (yes) last week. Whatever strides the Rams made, I don’t think it’s enough to make up 56 points.
(2S) Encampment at (1N) Burlington: If this game is anything like last season’s 80-73 semifinal shootout, fans will get their money’s worth. No team seems to be entering with any kind of advantage, at least that I can find on paper, so the only thing I can offer is that if you’re a fan of either team, be sure to bring your ibuprofen and Alka-Seltzer. You’ll need them.
Saturday
Class 4A
(4) Natrona at (1) Sheridan: I absolutely LOVE that these two teams agreed to meet on Saturday afternoon. There’s something about daylight football in November that’s just electric. Remember that Natrona is savvy and knows how to keep things interesting this time of year, and it’ll be Sheridan’s toughest test of the season because of that.
Class 1A nine-man
(2W) Big Piney at (1E) Lingle: If anyone thought unbeaten Lingle might overlook 5-4 Big Piney, your memory is failing you. The Doggers’ memory of their only loss in the past two seasons — a blowout loss to the Punchers in last year’s semifinals in Lingle — is certainly still there. If the Doggers can funnel that memory into focus this week and not let it overwhelm or over-excite them, they should be in good shape.

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 15-5 (75 percent). This season: 227-56 (80 percent).

Who you got going to Laramie in a week or so? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

Here are some quick highlights of this year’s quarterfinal round, which will pare down remaining teams from 40 to 20 by the end of it all:

Consistency: Natrona is in the playoffs for the 33rd consecutive year, Cokeville for the 32nd consecutive year, Big Horn for the 26th, Douglas for the 23rd, Sheridan for the 17th, Kaycee, Snake River and Star Valley for the 16th. Rocky Mountain is out of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

Streak breakers: Greybull and Saratoga are both breaking three-year streaks of missing the playoffs. They’re both in the 1A nine-man bracket.

Welcome home: Riverside is hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2011, while Newcastle is hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2014. Every other playoff game host this season hosted the playoffs in either 2023 or 2022.

Underdogs: Laramie hasn’t won a playoff game in 23 years, Lander in 20. They’ve both drawn defending state champions in the first round, with Laramie facing Sheridan, winners of 40 consecutive games, in 4A, while Lander plays Star Valley, which enters the playoffs on an 18-game winning streak of its own, in 3A.

Nice to meet you: Four games in this year’s playoffs match up programs who have never played each other: Evanston/Douglas in 3A; Cokeville/Newcastle and Worland/Big Horn in 2A; and Greybull/Pine Bluffs in 1A-9. These kinds of games are always so cool to see.

Bus time: Shortest first-round matchup: 3.5 miles, Kelly Walsh to Natrona. Longest first-round matchup: 492 miles, Cokeville to Newcastle (or, 140.57 Kelly-Walsh-to-Natronas). Average first-round matchup distance, one way: 283 miles. Number of games (out of 20) where two schools are 300 or more miles apart, one way: 10, including four games where schools are more than 400 miles apart.

(Subjectively chosen by me as yeah I’d pay to watch these) best games of the week: Evanston at Douglas in 3A (evenly matched on paper in a first-time matchup); Powell at Riverton in 3A (rematch of a 7-0 Wolverine victory in Zero Week); Cokeville at Newcastle in 2A (another first-time matchup between two teams with high hopes); Saratoga at Shoshoni in 1A-9 (two teams that have made big progress from 2023 to 2024 and want to keep that good mojo going).

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It’s kind of odd to me that 20 teams’ seasons will end this weekend. Feels like we just got started. Regardless, here are the 20 teams I think will win this week, indicated in bold, and the 20 other teams that are ready to create mincemeat of workplace brackets statewide. Y’all do Wyoming high school football bracket challenges in YOUR workplace, don’t you? Why wait until March? Just don’t bet money. These are kids, and this is fun.

Friday
Class 4A
(8) Laramie at (1) Sheridan
(5) Kelly Walsh at (4) Natrona
(7) Rock Springs at (2) Campbell County
(6) Thunder Basin at (3) Cheyenne East
Class 3A
(4W) Evanston at (1E) Douglas
(3E) Torrington at (2W) Cody
(4E) Lander at (1W) Star Valley
(3W) Powell at (2E) Riverton
Class 2A
(4E) Wheatland at (1W) Mountain View
(3W) Cokeville at (2E) Newcastle
(4W) Worland at (1E) Big Horn
(3E) Burns at (2W) Lovell
Class 1A nine-man
(4W) Wind River at (1E) Lingle
(4E) Saratoga at (1W) Shoshoni
(3W) Greybull at (2E) Pine Bluffs
Class 1A six-man
(4N) Meeteetse at (1S) Snake River
(3S) Dubois at (2N) Riverside
(4S) Farson at (1N) Burlington
(3N) Kaycee at (2S) Encampment
Saturday
Class 1A nine-man
(3E) Southeast at (2W) Big Piney

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 26-4 (87 percent). This season: 212-51 (81 percent).

Are you ready for some postseason football? Who you got going all the way? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

A tip for Thermopolis this week in its game against Pinedale: forfeit.

Don’t go. Save the money, the stress, the potential for injury, the wear on the bus tires.

Instead, take Friday night and go to Worland.

After all, the Bobcats’ postseason fate will be decided there — by two teams that aren’t Thermopolis.

In one of the most helpless situations a football team can be in, Thermopolis’ best efforts this season have granted them nothing more than what amounts to a spectator’s role in whether its season will continue.

Win or lose against Pinedale this week in the final regular-season game of the 2024 season, Thermopolis is in the exact same position for the playoffs — the Bobcats need help. The only way the Bobcats make the playoffs is by Kemmerer beating Worland up in Washakie County on Friday.

The scenarios are clear, if not a bit odd.

• If both Thermopolis and Worland both win, they tie for fourth place and the final playoff spot from the Class 2A West Conference; Worland wins that by the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage that it earned by beating Thermopolis 21-6 all the way back in Week 2. If Thermopolis loses and Worland wins, then Worland is alone in fourth place. So, no matter what, if Worland wins, Thermopolis is out.

• If Thermopolis wins and Worland loses, Thermopolis is in, alone in fourth. If Thermopolis loses and Worland loses, the three teams (Thermopolis, Worland and Kemmerer) tie for fourth place and the final spot, and Thermopolis wins the tiebreaker by having a victory against the highest-ranking non-tied team, thanks to last week’s 13-6 upset of previously unbeaten Mountain View. So, no matter what, if Worland loses, Thermopolis is in.

Both games — Thermopolis vs. Pinedale and Kemmerer vs. Worland — kick off at 6 p.m. Friday.

Forgive the Bobcats if they’re not totally focused on Pinedale.

What happens in Pinedale really doesn’t matter to Thermopolis’ playoff hopes. Maybe the efforts are better placed in the stands in Worland, rooting for Kemmerer.

About the only good thing that comes out of this for Thermpolis is that the Bobcats get to root for Kemmerer instead of having to root for Worland, its traditional regional rival.

I hope it’s clear that I’m only kidding. Thermopolis absolutely should play this week, and try to win.

If they do win on Friday, regardless of whether they make the playoffs, give the Bobcats credit for succeeding in a helpless spot that no team would envy.

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The final week of the regular season presents a multitude of games affecting playoff seeding, but two Fremont County teams play in the only two pure winner-in, loser-out games of the week. And they’re both at home. The first is Lander, which hosts Buffalo in a game that will decide the No. 4 seed from the 3A East. The other is Wind River, which hosts Rocky Mountain in a Thursday game that decides the No. 4 seed from the 1A nine-man West. Oddly enough, the winner knows who they’ll see in the first round — the Buffalo/Lander winner drawing Star Valley and the Rocky Mountain/Wind River winner taking on Lingle. …

Campbell County and Cheyenne East meet in a game that we well might see again in two weeks in the 4A semifinals. The only things at stake on Friday are the No. 2 and 3 seeds, which represent hosting duties and who the first-round opponents will be. Obviously, both teams want to win and have the opportunity to host in the semis (assuming they both win in the first round, which in the playoffs is always a big if), but is it worth it to empty the playbook and show all your secrets against a team that you could see again not too far away in the playoffs? It’s the eternal conundrum, and it’ll be fun to see play out Friday night in Gillette. …

Speaking of 4A, the multitude of playoff scenarios are dizzying for seeds Nos. 5-8. Right in the middle of the fun are Rock Springs and Kelly Walsh, who will play Friday in Casper to help settle much of the confusion. Based on score comparisons, which are fraught with their own problems but are still the best way to determine how teams match up, this one could be a doozy. …

Finally, we’ve reached the point in this week’s analysis where we talk about the only game matching up two undefeated teams, and they just happen to both be six-man teams in Carbon County. Snake River heads across the hill to meet Encampment in a game that’s quickly turned into one of six-man’s best rivalries. Although Encampment has won only one of the teams’ six matchups since 2020, the Tigers do get to host, and they have yet to be beaten at home since… well, Snake River two years ago. By the way, this WILL be the last game, guaranteed, between two undefeated teams this season. Entering this week, only Lingle (1A-9), Big Horn (2A), Star Valley (3A) and Sheridan (4A) remain undefeated, and those four teams, plus the winner of Saturday’s Snake River-Encampment game, are guaranteed not to run into any other undefeated team at any point in the playoffs. So enjoy it while you can.

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Here are my choices for winning teams in the final week of the regular season, with my choices in bold. Quick shout-out to all the seniors playing in their final games this week. Enjoy it, savor it, remember it:

Thursday
Class 1A nine-man
Rocky Mountain at Wind River
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Natrona
Cheyenne East at Campbell County
Cheyenne South at Thunder Basin
Rock Springs at Kelly Walsh
Sheridan at Laramie
Class 3A
Buffalo at Lander
Cody at Jackson
Green River at Star Valley
Powell at Evanston
Riverton at Rawlins
Torrington at Douglas
Class 2A
Big Horn at Upton-Sundance
Cokeville at Lovell
Glenrock at Tongue River
Kemmerer at Worland
Lyman at Mountain View
Moorcroft at Burns
Newcastle at Wheatland
Thermopolis at Pinedale
Class 1A nine-man
Lusk at Wright
Saratoga at Lingle
Southeast at Pine Bluffs
Class 1A six-man
Burlington at Midwest
Meeteetse at Riverside
Saturday
Class 1A nine-man
Greybull at Wyoming Indian
Shoshoni at Big Piney
Class 1A six-man
Casper Christian at Dubois
Kaycee at Ten Sleep
Snake River at Encampment
Interclass
Hanna at St. Stephens
Open: Farson, Hulett.

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 28-4 (88 percent). This season: 186-47 (80 percent).

Thoughts entering the last week of the regular season? I know you’ve got ’em. Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

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–patrick

Heading into this week’s schedule, I can’t escape the words of Al Michaels.

In describing the lead-up to the Miracle on Ice in 1980, he also encapsulated what it feels like could be happening on in Wyoming on Friday. If he were here, and wanted to plagiarize himself, his pregame might go like this:

“What we have at hand, the rarest of sporting events. An event that needs no buildup, no superfluous adjectives. In a regional or communal sense, I’m sure this game is being viewed with varying perspectives, but manifestly, it is a football game, Campbell County and Sheridan on a patch of turf in Sheridan, Wyoming.”

That’s the kind of drama that you can get when two undefeated teams are facing off in — at least until the playoffs — is as big as a game can get. Longtime regional rivals, both eager to prove they’re the best that Wyoming’s Class 4A has to offer, meet on a patch of turf on Friday in Sheridan.

Thus far in 2024, the Broncs and the Camels have answered every challenge, and they both enter 7-0. They have both relied on defense, with the Camels allowing just 36 points all season and the Broncs 37. Campbell County has won in a variety of fashions, from games as close as two points to winning by forfeit against a team so afraid of injury it refused to play. Sheridan has been remarkably consistent, with no team coming within more than 22 points of the Broncs by the time the final buzzer sounded.

If there’s an edge to be found, it’s with the Broncs and their recent history in the Energy Bowl. Sheridan has won seven straight against Campbell County, no game closer than 31 points in that span. The Camels’ last victory in the series came in 2016, the final year of Gillette’s one-high-school days; at that point, the Camels had won six straight against the Broncs and 20 of the past 24.

Sheridan, of course, comes into this weekend with Wyoming’s longest winning streak, both active and of all-time, at 38 games. Just in case the game wasn’t already intriguing enough.

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What’s scary about everything I just shared with you is that it could be repeated almost word-for-word with another game being played on a patch of grass in Lingle, where the undefeated Doggers host undefeated Pine Bluffs.

Like Sheridan and Campbell County, Lingle and Pine Bluffs are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the WyoPreps coaches and media poll this week. However, the Doggers and Hornets are meeting while undefeated in Week 7 for the second consecutive season.

Last year’s meeting was an all-time classic, as Lingle rallied from a 24-0 deficit to tie the game and force overtime, eventually winning 31-30 to spoil Pine Bluffs’ unbeaten season and end the Hornets’ 17-game winning streak.

This one figures to be just as interesting as they fight for the top spot from the 1A nine-man East in the playoff bracket and a chance to stay at home in the first two rounds of the playoffs (always with the caveat that, hey, lose the first one of those and you don’t have to worry about the second).

They have both been scary efficient, with Lingle winning by an average score of 55-12 and Pine Bluffs winning by an average of 56-7. Actually, Pine Bluffs’ average scoring edge is much closer than one point, with the actual averages being Pine Bluffs with 55.7 and Lingle with 55.4; just a two-point conversion (or safety) over the course of a season is all that separates them right now.

No unnecessary buildup, no superfluous adjectives.

Four undefeated teams, two games.

Let’s see what miracles unfold.

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You don’t have to be undefeated to be playing in an interesting game, though. Some that deserve a bit of extra-special attention heading into the final two weeks of the regular season:

The 3A East has quickly become the conference of parity, and any of the top four teams could be a sleeper playoff spoiler. That makes this week’s round of games, with Douglas visiting Buffalo and Riverton stopping by Torrington, both intriguing and important. That’s a good combo to have for a football game. …

Tongue River has had its focus and mental toughness challenged more than any other team this season. The Elk Fire has rightly taken a bunch of the team’s attention. When the Eagles play Big Horn this week in a regional rivalry game, expect high intensity but also high empathy for two neighbors who have been through more than just football this season. …

Also in the 2A East, two teams with the best turnaround stories of 2024 will play each other as Newcastle hosts Burns in a game that’s been shifted to Saturday. Both teams are in good position to make the playoffs at 4-1 in 2A East play, and this week’s winner has a really, really, really solid shot at hosting a playoff game — something Burns has done just twice since winning the 2A title in 2008 and something Newcastle hasn’t done since 2014. …

Neighbors Riverside and Burlington are both still unbeaten in Class 1A six-man North Conference play. They’ll also meet up this week in a game with huge playoff implications and (even bigger?) regional bragging rights. …

Class 1A six-man has some big make-or-break games this week with Dubois hosting Farson and Kaycee hosting Hulett. Six-man’s mid-ranks have been a ton more competitive this season, so watch for both of these games; anything could happen, and that’s what makes it fun.

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Here is a quick look at playoff possibilities entering the second-to-last week of the season. So far, 16 teams have solidified one of the 40 available playoff positions, while only five teams are mathematically eliminated. A conference-by-conference look:

Class 4A
In: Campbell County, Sheridan, Cheyenne East, Natrona.
Well positioned: Kelly Walsh, Rock Springs.
On the bubble: Laramie, Thunder Basin, Cheyenne Central.
Need help: Cheyenne South.

Class 3A East
In: Torrington, Douglas.
Well positioned: Riverton.
On the bubble: Buffalo.
Need help: Lander, Rawlins.

Class 3A West
In: Star Valley.
Well positioned: Cody, Evanston.
On the bubble: Powell, Jackson.
Need help: Green River.

Class 2A East
In: Big Horn.
Well positioned: Newcastle, Burns.
On the bubble: Wheatland, Upton-Sundance.
Need help: Moorcroft, Tongue River.
Out: Glenrock.

Class 2A West
In: Mountain View.
Well positioned: Cokeville, Lovell.
On the bubble: Worland, Kemmerer, Thermopolis.
Out: Pinedale, Lyman.

Class 1A nine-man East
In: Lingle, Pine Bluffs.
On the bubble: Saratoga, Southeast, Lusk.
Need help: Wright.
Out: Guernsey.

Class 1A nine-man West
In: Big Piney.
Well positioned: Shoshoni, Greybull.
On the bubble: Rocky Mountain Wind River.
Out: Wyoming Indian.

Class 1A six-man North
In: Burlington, Riverside.
Well positioned: Midwest.
On the bubble: Meeteetse, Kaycee, Hulett.
Out: Ten Sleep.

Class 1A six-man South
In: Encampment, Snake River.
Well positioned: Farson.
On the bubble: Dubois, Hanna.
Need help: Casper Christian.

Several conference’s top seeds could be decided this week. However, Sheridan, Star Valley, Big Horn, Mountain View, Pine Bluffs and Riverside can win their conference’s top seed in the playoffs with a victory and no other help this week.

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Picks. I bold them so they stand out. No one has complained about the method yet, so I’ll keep rolling with it. I only get complaints about the choices, not the method, so I guess that’s one less thing to worry about.

Friday
Class 4A
Campbell County at Sheridan
Cheyenne East at Rock Springs
Kelly Walsh at Cheyenne Central
Natrona at Cheyenne South
Thunder Basin at Laramie
Class 3A
Douglas at Buffalo
Green River at Cody
Jackson at Powell
Rawlins at Lander
Riverton at Torrington
Star Valley at Evanston
Class 2A
Glenrock at Upton-Sundance
Lovell at Kemmerer
Lyman at Pinedale
Mountain View at Thermopolis
Tongue River at Big Horn
Wheatland at Moorcroft
Worland at Cokeville
Class 1A nine-man
Pine Bluffs at Lingle
Rocky Mountain at Shoshoni
Southeast at Saratoga
Wright at Wyoming Indian
Class 1A six-man
Encampment at Hanna
Midwest at Meeteetse
Riverside at Burlington
Interstate
Big Piney at Rich County, Utah
Saturday
Class 2A
Burns at Newcastle
Class 1A nine-man
Wind River at Greybull
Class 1A six-man
Farson at Dubois
Hulett at Kaycee
Snake River at Casper Christian
Ten Sleep at St. Stephens

Lusk picks up a forfeit victory against Guernsey-Sunrise this week. For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 28-3 (90 percent). This season: 158-43 (79 percent).

What are you looking for out of the last two weeks of the regular season? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick