“We all die twice — once when our heart stops beating, and again when our name comes out of someone else’s mouth for the last time.”

The origins of that quote, which has many iterations, are murky, and it’s kind of ironic that we don’t know who said it first. Irony aside, though, the spirit of the quote has been at the forefront of my mind as I pursued finding information that led to the selection of the all-decade teams you’ve seen both this week and that first came out last summer.

Even with all the work I did, I still feel like I barely scratched the surface of all the amazing personal stories that make up the tapestry of history of high school football in Wyoming.

Please take the time to check out the bios of each player. Know that for every sentence you read here, I probably read 50 or 100 sentences to make it happen. I loved every minute of it.

As a reminder: Each team has rosters of 53 players with the following breakdowns:

  • Offense: Two quarterbacks, five running backs, five wide receivers, three tight ends, nine offensive linemen.
  • Defense: Seven defensive linemen, seven linebackers, eight defensive backs, two rovers.
  • Special teams: One kicker, one punter, one return specialist.
  • Wild cards: Two “athletes” who could show up anywhere on the field.

Also, I wanted to share the direct links to the visualizations I created. The photos and text from clicking people’s faces will be bigger if you go to these sites directly, and that might make it easier to peruse, especially on a desktop or laptop. It’ll make it easier to actually look at their faces:

2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
1960s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s

The final count by school for the 530 spots available across the 10 decades of Wyoming high school football had players from 64 different high schools. The number of players per school is as follows:

  • Natrona: 56
  • Cheyenne Central: 47
  • Sheridan: 43
  • Laramie: 33
  • Rock Springs: 21
  • Campbell County: 19
  • Rawlins: 16
  • Lander, Worland: 15
  • Cody, Torrington: 14
  • Green River, Star Valley: 13
  • Powell: 12
  • Cheyenne East, Evanston, Riverton, Thermopolis: 11
  • Buffalo: 10
  • Lusk: 9
  • Douglas, Kelly Walsh: 8
  • Greybull, Lovell, Wheatland: 7
  • Jackson, Kemmerer: 6
  • Glenrock, Pinedale, Tongue River: 5
  • Basin, Cokeville, Midwest, Mountain View, Pine Bluffs: 4
  • Big Horn, Burns, Cowley, Moorcroft, Newcastle, Saratoga, Shoshoni, Southeast: 3
  • Big Piney, Byron, Guernsey-Sunrise, Riverside, Wright, players who attended multiple high schools: 2
  • Burlington, Cheyenne Seton/St. Mary’s, Deaver-Frannie, Dubois, Glendo, Hanna, Heart Mountain, Hulett, Lingle, Lyman, Manville, Rocky Mountain, Sundance, Ten Sleep, Thunder Basin, Upton: 1

For now, I’m done picking these kinds of teams. (Maybe see you in 2030?) However, as I noted the first time I did this, I really do hope that these lists inspire rather than quash conversation. Don’t think of these as the definitive choices; they’re just my opinion based on the information I could find. I say “find” specifically because, especially for the teams in the 1920s and 1930s but also heavily for the 1940s and 1950s, I could only rely on what was written and saved in newspaper accounts. The oldest player on these teams was born about 123 years ago. The only difference between the players on the 1920s team and the players on the 2010s team, though, is when they were born. Their faces give that away.

I’m almost certain that every player listed on both the 1920s and 1930s teams is dead, and that most of the players on the 1940s and 1950s teams have died, as well.

Well, their hearts have stopped beating.

Maybe this little tribute can be a way to help delay their second death, one we’ll all have in time.

–patrick

The roster

Jim BarrusQBCody
Larry ZowadaQBSheridan
Howard CookRBWorland
Jim CrawfordRBGreybull
Al KilgoreRBThermopolis
Mike SchutteRBGreybull
Homer ScottRBSheridan
Gale ChristyWRSheridan
Boyd DowlerWRCheyenne Central
Marty/Martin HamiltonWRTorrington
Rudy “Chick” MagagnaWRRock Springs
Mike TiptonWRNatrona
Mack BallsTEStar Valley
Bob DollTENatrona
Lyle TrullingerTELaramie
Larry BensonOLCheyenne Central
Warren BensonOLLaramie
Gary EyreOLRawlins
George FusonOLCheyenne Central
Jack PugsleyOLTorrington
John RobinsonOLStar Valley
Dick SchnellOLTorrington
Robert TrewOLRawlins
Del WightOLNatrona
Gary ChristyDLSheridan
Bill ChungDLGreen River
Hilan JonesDLThermopolis
Charles McGawDLSheridan
Earl McPikeDLWorland
Wilbur RadosevichDLRock Springs
Ed WilkersonDLSheridan
George AdamsLBCheyenne Central
Tom AllenLBCheyenne Central
Jerry CampbellLBRawlins
Tom CarterLBRock Springs
Larry CundallLBGlendo
Jerry HillLBLingle
Virgil SandersLBByron
Chuck BakerDBCheyenne Central
Ralph BarkeyDBLaramie
Pat BisiarDBNatrona
Jim ColeDBLaramie
Dick HarkinsDBWorland
Dave MadiaDBSheridan
Mike McGillDBLaramie
Bud SpicerDBDouglas
Jerry IstaRoverHulett
Norm PerueRoverSaratoga
Neil WatersKLaramie
Clifford “Buddy” SnyderPWorland
Eddie KawanoRSPowell
John Deti Jr.ATHLaramie
Terry SmothermanATHWorland

Hardest players to leave off the team: Ronald Bodine and Ron Filbert (Sheridan); Tom Avery and Tex Thompson (Newcastle); Dick Dana (Star Valley); Lee Larson and Cliff Totten (Laramie); Marvin Mirich (Upton); Larry Madsen (Byron); Gary Stouffer and Joe Dowler (Cheyenne Central); Dick Yingling (Worland); Harold Farmer (Powell); Ernie Trujillo, Jack Allen and Larry Johnson (Natrona).

Impressions: Sheridan’s four players from the 1953 team are the most from any one team/year out of any of the all-decade teams. …

The longer I did research on this decade, the more amazing linemen came out of the woodwork. Guys like Torrington’s Jack Pugsley, Star Valley’s John Robinson and Sheridan’s Charles McGaw definitely deserve more recognition. (That’s why Natrona’s Ernie Trujillo made the honorable mention twice — I just kept finding more dudes with super-impressive resumes.) …

Make sure you read punter Buddy Snyder’s bio. Then try to imagine someone pulling off what Snyder did at the highest level of college football in 2025.

Up next: The final breakdown of all of the all-decade teams, Friday.

–patrick

The roster

Jack RatliffQBRiverton
Tommy RhoneQBCheyenne Central
Bill BushRBThermopolis
Harold HandRBRiverton
Leroy PearceRBNatrona
Harold “Hardy” RollinsRBGreen River
Joe ZowadaRBSheridan
Edgar “Ed” ChenowethWRWorland
Vern GardnerWRStar Valley
Dewey McConnellWRLaramie
Don OlcottWRCheyenne Central
Floyd “Tally” StevensWREvanston
Keith BloomTEPowell
John PilchTEThermopolis
George WatersTESheridan
Jim ClaytonOLLander
Charles CooperOLRawlins
Jim GodfreyOLCheyenne Central
Bill LucasOLSheridan
Deroy SmithOLNatrona
J.C. SollarsOLRiverton
Fred TaucherOLRock Springs
Richard “Dick” VinerOLLaramie
Bob WildermuthOLRock Springs
Fran ConnorDLRock Springs
Lyle CovingtonDLNatrona
John DasovichDLRock Springs
Edward “Ted” LaymanDLNatrona
Bill RoneyDLPowell
Marvin StrauchDLCheyenne Central
Dale TerwilligerDLGreen River
Dick BowmanLBNatrona
George BozanicLBLander
Bill HielmanLBNatrona
Ray HobbsLBSheridan
Bill MartinLBCody
Gene SmithLBLaramie
Nimmo TaylorLBCheyenne Central
Dick CampbellDBSheridan
Vinton FarleyDBNewcastle
J.B. FordDBDouglas
Ray HaskinsDBTorrington
Tony KatanaDBRock Springs
Babe NomuraDBHeart Mountain
Selmer PedersonDBLander
Jim StoreyDBCheyenne Central
Jack LoganRoverLaramie
Bill SweemRoverSheridan
Charles “Timer” MosesKMidwest
Chuck SpauldingPNatrona
Frank StineRSGreen River
Peter CookATHCheyenne Central
Lowell EarlATHLovell

Hardest players to leave off the team: Carl McManis and George Grace (Sheridan); Ronnie Stevens and Boyd Henderson (Evanston); Jim Federer, Bob Huss and Danny McKinney (Cheyenne Central); Russell Zimmer and Jack Canfield (Torrington); Dick Sedar, Bill Tobin, Corky Marburger and Art Pierce (Natrona); Stanley Leggara and Al Tamayo (Kemmerer); Corman Sessions (Byron); Frank Freese (Lander); Scott Welch (Cowley); Raymond Beaver (Manderson); Leland Davis (Newcastle); Dick Heasler (Powell); George Kienlen (Green River); Jim Fagan (Lusk); Jim Bishop (Campbell County).

Impressions: Natrona’s 1948 state champions have three selections in Ted Layman, Bill Hileman and Chuck Spaulding. Rock Springs’ 1940 team, as well, has three representatives, with Francis Connor, John Dasovich and Tony Katana. The Tigers shared the title in 1940 with Sheridan. …

The 1940 season’s 11 players is the most of any year on any team. …

Some day, I’ll get around to telling the story of Evanston’s Stevens brothers, represented here by Floyd “Tally” Stevens, future head coach at BYU. Four of the Stevenses were all on the roster at Utah in the SAME season. That’s bananas. …

Two of the ends on this team, John Pilch (Thermopolis) and Vern Gardner (Star Valley), ended up playing in the NBA. …

Natrona’s Dick Bowman has an interesting, and all-too-short, story. After graduating from NCHS, he made the move to Missoula to attend Montana. He was Montana’s starting quarterback for two years and also played basketball for the Grizzlies before he joined the U.S. Marines to fight in World War II. After the war, he was ready to resume his college football career. However, while on active duty in Hawaii after the war in January 1946, he was diagnosed with leukemia; he died just six weeks later, at age 23. …

Many players of the early 1940s had their collegiate playing careers interrupted by World War II. In fact, there is a strong case to be made that some of the best college football teams ever organized came immediately after the war, in the years 1946-49-ish, with many veterans returning after serving with several years of eligibility remaining, as well as the toughness that they earned in that delay. …

The record for fastest military enlistment probably goes to Newcastle’s Vinton Farley. The Dogies’ back signed up for military service the same week of Pearl Harbor, halfway through his senior year of high school. The attack was on Dec. 7; Farley left for service on Dec. 10.

Up next: The 1950s, Thursday.

–patrick

The roster

Jerry HendersonQBBasin
Maurice WrightQBKemmerer
Sammy BootheRBEvanston
Dominic FeeleyRBCody
Lee KizzireRBGreybull
Martin KrpanRBRock Springs
Clayton WardellRBCowley
Dale BastonWRCampbell County
John HancockWRNatrona
Stan HendricksonWRNatrona
Lewis RoneyWRPowell
Merrill WatersWRSheridan
Melvin EngstromTERawlins
Ken GardnerTEStar Valley
Leonard ScottTENatrona
Forrest BirdOLSheridan
Morgan DavidsonOLCheyenne Central
John EricksonOLCheyenne Central
Joe KurtzOLSheridan
Gene MooreOLNatrona
Dan SedarOLNatrona
Earl “Bud” SuterOLRiverton
Clayton ThobroOLRock Springs
Roy ThompsonOLSheridan
Walter BentleyDLNatrona
Ken BirdDLSheridan
Sam MavrakisDLSheridan
Fremont MillerDLLander
Pete SedarDLNatrona
Ken SturmanDLLusk
Fay ThompsonDLMidwest
Fred KostenbauerLBBuffalo
Lucien MonciniLBSheridan
Vic NiethammerLBNatrona
Bob PriceLBNatrona
Carl RollinsLBGreen River
Ivan ThreetLBLovell
Johnny WinterhollerLBLovell
Willis BallDBRock Springs/Sheridan
Walter CookDBNatrona
Thurlow DoyleDBSheridan
Fred MarbleDBCheyenne Central
Dan MelinkovichDBRock Springs
Paul SandersDBBasin
Lee ShrumDBNatrona
Eddie TodorovichDBThermopolis
Erv CheneyRoverLander
Wesley ChristensenRoverLaramie
Bill AlbrightKNatrona
Bill StranniganPRock Springs
Jeff DoyleRSSheridan
Henry “Hank” BrownATHLander
Earl “Shadow” RayATHNatrona

Hardest players to leave off the team: Joc Willey and Pat Feeley (Cody); Bud Hallock and Johnny Lee (Lander); John Kobelin (Thermopolis); Fon Johnson (Cowley); Wilfred Atterbury and Kirk Coulter (Campbell County); Kenneth Tottenhoff and Don Tottenhoff (Cheyenne Central); Ray Leonard (Natrona); August Moncini and Charles Endicott (Sheridan); George Okano (Rock Springs); Leonard Sprague (Worland).

Impressions: Natrona’s 1939 squad (which went 28-3 in its last three seasons, including two state titles) has three representatives on the team: Stan Hendrickson, Vic Niethammer and Earl “Shadow” Ray. …

Cowley’s Clayton Wardell deserves an explanation. He played in 1931; the 1931 school year was his fifth in high school, making him ineligible; the (new) Wyoming High School Athletic Association, in retribution, suspended all of Cowley’s athletics from playing any other Wyoming school for a full year. And the protest? Well, that was filed by Lovell, just down the road. Ouch. But he made good at Utah State, becoming team captain. …

Sheridan’s Forrest Bird and Ken Bird are brothers, part of a big flock of athletic Birds from up in Bronc country. Sheridan sent a LOT of players to BYU in the 1930s, the Birds among them. Natrona’s Dan and Pete Sedar are also brothers, two of a bevy of athletic Sedar high schoolers who suited up for the Mustangs. …

Evanston’s Sammy Boothe deserves much more recognition. He played at Navy when the Midshipmen were one of the nation’s most consistent winners, and his death — in a training flight off the coast of Florida right at the end of World War II — came much too soon. …

We know a lot about Lee Kizzire, but this research was the first time I heard about Walter Bentley. The Natrona star, and later UW Cowboy, was killed in action while fighting in the South Pacific near the end of 1944. I personally think it’s long overdue for both Kizzire and Bentley to be honored with some sort of plaque or other kind of physical recognition at the place the Cowboys play, which is, after all, named War Memorial Stadium.

Up next: The 1940s, Wednesday.

–patrick

Just a quick reminder — the all-decade teams that are coming out this week are a continuation of a project launched last summer. Combined 1920s/1930s and 1940s/1950s teams were already selected. The next four days will give specific recognition to players in each of those decades.

The roster

Don HarkinsQBWorland
Irvin RedhairQBSheridan
Wayne ColvinRBCheyenne Central
Carl DirRBWorland
Paul “Ted” GeorgeRBLaramie
Buster LongRBBuffalo
Ray ThompsonRBThermopolis
Harry BraistedWRLaramie
Ralph CottrellWRWorland
Howard DicksonWRDouglas
James Storey Sr.WRCheyenne Central
Wedge ThompsonWRThermopolis
Taft HarrisTENatrona
Ben JoyceTESheridan
Ed MillerTEManville
Jack AstleOLCheyenne Central
Stanley DuncanOLSheridan
Oscar EricksonOLCheyenne Central
Verle HarlowOLNatrona
John HazenOLThermopolis
Thomas KassisOLNatrona
Bert KernsOLSheridan
Tim MoynihanOLRawlins
Clarence SmithOLCheyenne Central
Hugh CrawfordDLCheyenne Central
Win CroftDLLovell
Edward “Eddie” MuchoDLGreen River
Paul O’BryanDLNatrona
Vince SmithDLCheyenne Central
Ralph StewartDLThermopolis
Wilbur WorthamDLWorland
Herbert GageLBCheyenne Central
Leo HofferLBLander
Frank JohnsonLBRawlins
Walt McDonaldLBWorland
Francis MontagueLBLusk
Addison SwearingenLBSheridan
Lewis WilliamsLBLaramie
Harry BarnesDBWorland
Buell CottonDBSheridan
Franklin “Duke” DeForestDBLaramie
Jesse EkdallDBCheyenne Central
Stanley KrepsDBPowell
Bill LesterDBNatrona
Bill LoganDBNatrona
Glenn StantonDBNatrona
Sam McPikeRoverWorland
Verbon ToucherRoverRock Springs
Henry “Lips” PalmerKCheyenne Central
Charles CoughlinPLaramie
Golden WelchRSCowley
William “Kayo” LamATHGlenrock
Orlando MajorATHCody

Hardest players to leave off the team: Walter Kingham and Jerry King (Cheyenne Central); George Vandeveer, Lawrence Ormsby, Johnny Groves, Walter Dowler and Lloyd Dowler (Natrona); Reid Cottrell (Worland); Blake Fanning and Jack Markley (Laramie); Lawrence Hart (Riverton); Ed Ross (Campbell County); Floyd Jones (Thermopolis); Frank Swearingen (Sheridan); Francis LaNoue (Greybull).

Impressions: Worland’s 1926 team is putting its stake in the ground as one of the most individually talented, with three players (Wilbur Wortham, Walt McDonald and Sam McPike) coming from that squad, along with Harry Barnes (1927) and Carl Dir (1928) also playing key roles on that squad in their junior and sophomore years, respectively. …

Laramie’s 1924 squad also landed three players on the team in Harry Braisted, Ted George and Charles Coughlin, all of whom later played at UW. …

Best nickname goes to Henry Palmer from Cheyenne, who had the nickname “Lips.” I wondered how he earned that nickname — until I saw his senior photo. Then it became obvious. He could have modeled lipstick with a mug like that. …

Two brothers are on the offensive lineup in Thermopolis brothers Wedge and Ray Thompson. We also have two Smiths from Cheyenne in Vince (DL) and Clarence (OL), but I couldn’t deduce if they were related. …

The Sheridan Press, in picking an all-decade team in 1924, made special note of Bronc lineman Addison Swearingen being limited to playing on one side of the line — the one where his good ear was pointing to the quarterback. Swearingen was partially deaf. …

Oddly enough, the 1920s were a huge year for Wyoming players going well beyond the state to find success, with Palmer at Georgia, Thermopolis’ John Hazen at Northwestern, Natrona’s Thomas Kassis and Rawlins’ Tim Moynihan at Notre Dame, and Sheridan’s Bert Kerns at Oregon all playing at schools in states that didn’t border Wyoming. …

Finding weights for players in the 1920s isn’t too challenging, as most newspaper coverage focused on which team outweighed which and by how much. But heights? Yeah, no one cared. That’s why the “height” is blank on so many of the players in the graphic above. (Make sure you click/tap on those faces to read more about each selection!)

Up next: The 1930s, Tuesday.

–patrick

Longtime Southeast football coach Mark Bullington, who was on the Cyclones’ sidelines for more than four decades as both the head coach and as an assistant coach, died on Wednesday morning.

Bullington had been diagnosed with cancer and had been undergoing treatment for the past couple years. This past week, Bullington went to Nebraska to spend his final days with family.

A native of Hyannis, Nebraska, where he graduated high school in 1975, Bullington started his coaching career in Lyman, Nebraska, in 1979. He moved across the Wyoming/Nebraska border to Southeast in 1982. He taught and coached in Yoder for more than four decades, coaching football, wrestling, and track and field. In that time, he was head football coach for 25 years, winning nine state championships, including four straight from 2006-09. He retired after the 2023 season with 172 victories, good for sixth all-time in Wyoming.

He was selected for the Wyoming Coaches Association’s hall of fame in 2023.

For more on Bullington’s coaching career, check out this Torrington Telegram article from last year.

Bullington was a graduate of Chadron State College, where he played football and wrestled. He married his wife Kerry (Pomeroy) of Fort Laramie in 1979.

Services are pending.

+++

That’s the news story. The personal one is that Mark Bullington was among a handful of coaches in my 20 years around football who always made me feel special — a feeling I’m certain he recreated across his career with most anyone who had the chance to spend more than 30 seconds talking with him.

It only really took that long with him to understand why he engendered such appreciation from his players and from opposing coaches. As a coach and a source, he was always open, transparent, helpful and appreciative. Our best conversations were off the record.

I’ll miss his surprise texts — usually when Southeast won when I didn’t predict it — and his ability to break things down so even I could understand it. He accepted both winning and losing with grace, even though he didn’t lose much.

Cancer cut short what should have been a long and enjoyable retirement. This holiday season, consider a donation to the cancer research nonprofit group of your choice.

–patrick

When I was 17 months old, my mom — in a letter to a relative — made a list of all the words I could say. It included the important words, like Mama, and Daddy, and Aggie (the name of our dog). But there were others. Lots of others:

A list of words at 17 months old. The letter says:

at 17 months old: Mama, Daddy, Aggie, doggie, kitty kat, bear, bird, nice hug, book, block, bath, towel, cheese, please, cookie (his word for cracker), sock, shoe, diaper, no, down, don't, bottle, juice, cup, baby, basketball (believe it or not!), T.V., chair, eyes, ears, hair, mouth, nose, chin, light, hot, yes, nummy, good, peek-a-boo and tree. He also knows the sounds that some animals make: moo, meow, quak, wee, wee, wee (little piggys), baaaa (lamb), and hee, haw (for donkeys). I didn't realize, until I wrote them down, how much he was saying. Do you think we've got a language expert on our hands? (Words I forgot - done, go, hi, bye, peas, kaboom, good boy.) He does talk all the time. All the books I've seen said at this age his vocabulary shoudl be less than 10 words. He's obviously doing something great, but we don't know what we're doing right. Maybe the books are wrong?

So, yeah, you could say I was born for this career path. When one of your first words is “basketball,” and you’re like 400% ahead of what is typically the case for language acquisition at a given age (the books weren’t wrong, Mom), I guess it makes sense I became a sportswriter.

That phase of my career lasted five years, and in that time I started wyoming-football.com. As I transitioned from sportswriter to college journalism professor and student media adviser, what I’ve been doing professionally since January 2012, I’ve added wyoming-basketball.com and champlists.com to the world. I continue to work on Wyoming sports history projects related to those three sites and on other projects that are, as of this moment, still not public. I hope to share them with you in the future.

While I have truly enjoyed both doing and continuing this research, it has come at a price.

A couple years ago, I made the decision to step back from live coverage during the football season. And that was the right decision, both then and now.

Moving forward, I am going to continue to step back from in-season coverage by stopping two traditional staples to the site — weekly in-season picks and preseason coverage. Also coming to an end are in-season score updates, standings, schedules and playoff brackets. All such material will be uploaded at the end of the season, much like I do with Champlists now for other sports and with wyoming-basketball.com for hoops.

At this point, I do not know if the annual Wyoming high school football preview magazine will continue. I hope it does, and I hope the publishers can find someone to pick up where I left off and make this tradition even better.

Without the knowledge I gain from the preseason interviews, though, that also means I will no longer produce the class-by-class previews and predictions or the top returning players, which typically publish in July and August leading up to the first week of games. I will also not track offseason coaching changes. Furthermore, I will no longer be in a position to make even somewhat informed picks for upcoming games. So, after 20 years of doing so, all the way back to 2005 and my days picking games for the Casper Star-Tribune and the old Sports Goulash blog (where my posts and your comments have long since been sacrificed to the link rot gods), those weekly posts will come to an end.

As for wyoming-basketball.com, it’s time once again to thank “Stat Rat” Jim Craig for all the research he has done into Wyoming high school basketball history. As long as he is willing to do the research, I will continue to post and promote it, hopefully giving it the home and the platform it deserves.

I will be deleting my Twitter account, @wyomingfootball, after more than a decade of posting there, as well as the related accounts @wyominghoops and @champlists. I am strongly opposed to my work being used to train AI models without my consent, and my continued presence there, even in an archived form, would go against what I think is ethically appropriate. The platforms are also intentionally limiting the reach of posts that include links, which is, well, most of mine. Time to go.

A few paragraphs ago, I noted the price of this work. Let’s be clear: The price has been my time. Hundreds of hours each year go toward the current football season alone. It’s time I’m no longer willing to invest. Over the past two decades, but especially over the past decade as I transitioned from sportswriter to educator, I have continually denied myself both personal and professional opportunities so I would have the time to devote to you, this site and this history that, if you’re reading this, you probably think is important, too. For a variety of reasons, those are sacrifices I’m no longer willing to make.

That said, I’m still interested in sharing stories about Wyoming’s sports history, like those of Richard Luman, the 1930 all-state football team, the Queen Marie trophy (still has yet to be found), the history of Armistice Day games, historical fanfic about the state of Absaroka, tracksters like Ned Turner and Bob Wood, or series I’ve done like Wyoming’s underdog teams and all-decade recognition.

For football, I put 26,613 Wyoming high school football games, the records of 5,880 seasons, in one place. Across all sports on Champlists, I’ve strung together 16,022 individual/relay state champions across 20 individual sports and 22,623 all-state selections across seven team sports, and I’ve posted more than 3,100 team champions. Thanks to the research therein, we’ve been able to answer questions that were previously unanswerable without, well, the investment in time that those answers would have required — like, who’s Wyoming’s winningest high school basketball coach? or who were the state football champions in World War II? or, well, how did we get here?

That’s the kind of storytelling I am eager to continue. They are the kind of stories that I hoped my research would help to unearth in the first place.

I’m still digging. But I’m also close to done, and I’m proud of the archives I’ve built and that you all have helped me to build. I hope the archives I’ve created long outlive me, and I hope they can be used to answer questions I haven’t even thought to ask yet.

My focus on this site now will be nearly exclusively on the past, much like I already do with other sports. I’ll leave the present and the future to others, at least when it comes to Wyoming sports.

I’ve been reminded many, many times in the past 20 years that there are bigger things in life than sports. “Cheese,” “kitty kat,” “tree,” “kaboom” — maybe those words from my baby word list are just as deserving of my time as “basketball.” Maybe more deserving. Maybe it’s time to devote my talents and time to those. For now, the three words I’m choosing to focus on that even 17-month-old me knew how to say? “Hug,” “done,” and “bye.”

–patrick

After Lingle’s big comeback against Pine Bluffs in the 2023 regular season, I put out the call on social media for the state’s biggest high school football comebacks. Then, in 2024, Wyoming had (at least) two more such comebacks. So now’s a good time to share this and continue to build. Here are all the Wyoming high school football games I can verify, so far, with a comeback of at least 20 points — and where the team that was behind ended up winning:

  • 2023 (24 points): Lingle is down 24-0 to Pine Bluffs in the second half; Doggers rally to send the game into overtime and win 31-30 after stopping Pine Bluffs on a potential game-winning 2-point conversion on the final play of OT.
  • 1999 (24 points): In the Class 3A semifinals, Powell races to a 24-0 lead on Douglas, but Douglas scores 28 straight, including the winning TD with 20 seconds to go, to win 28-24 and reach the 3A title game.
  • 2024 (23 points): Midwest falls behind 59-36 to Hulett, in the second quarter no less, before rallying for a 94-93 victory in the game that sets the state record for most combined points in a single game.
  • 1999 (23 points): Midwest (in my senior year as an Oiler) takes a 31-8 lead on Meeteetse in the third quarter; Longhorns score the game’s final 36 points and win 44-31.
  • 2021 (22 points): Star Valley takes a 22-0 lead on Jackson at the half; Broncs score 28 unanswered after halftime and win 28-22.
  • 2005 (21 points): Douglas jumps out to a 21-0 lead against Wheatland; Bulldogs rally and win 22-21 on the final play of the game.
  • 2024 (20 points): Riverton falls behind 20-0 to Powell in a 3A playoff game; the Wolverines rallied to tie the game at 20 by the end of regulation, eventually winning 36-35 in double overtime.
  • 2013 (20 points): Midwest trails Dubois 62-42 with less than three minutes to go in the 1A six-man semifinals; Oilers score three touchdowns in that span to win 64-62 and advance to a state title game.
  • 2019 (20 points): Burns led Moorcroft 20-0 after one quarter; Moorcroft came back and eventually came away with a 38-32 victory.
  • 1982 (20 points): In a Class B semifinal playoff, Saratoga falls behind to Moorcroft 20-0 in the third quarter, but David Jones scores three straight touchdowns to send the game to overtime; Panthers win 28-20 in extra time.

If you know of others, please let me know! I will gladly add them to this list, and I hope we can make this list grow together.

–patrick

Edit: Updated Dec. 11, 2024, to add the 2019 game between Moorcroft and Burns.

Here’s to 2024…

Champions: Sheridan, Star Valley, Big Horn, Pine Bluffs, Snake River.

All-state: Four players joined Wyoming’s small club of three-time all-state selections: Burlington’s Joe Bassett; Lingle’s Louden Bremer and Kaiden Riggs (2023 with Torrington); and Upton-Sundance’s Eli Gill.

Another 42 players made first-team all-state for a second year: Big Horn’s Avon Barney and Kolby Butler; Big Piney’s Caden Clifford; Buffalo’s Hayden Jawors; Burlington’s Rykael Andrew, Jordan Casey and Weston Gotfredson; Campbell County’s Trent Rosenau; Cheyenne Central’s Brycen Bailey; Cody’s Maddax Ball, Wyatt Barton, Chase Hatch, Grady McCarten, Trey Smith and Warren Sorenson; Douglas’ Carter Archuleta; Greybull’s Lucas Bolzer; Lingle’s Anthony Arnusch, Colt Brown and Cooper Smith; Lovell’s Davin Crosby; Lusk’s Raynce Brott and Jackson Smith; Lyman’s Max Gregory; Mountain View’s Justus Platts; Pine Bluffs’ Shawn Shmidl; Powell’s Doug Bettger and Keona Wisniewski; Shoshoni’s Quinton Clark; Snake River’s Bridger Cozzens and Mason Jones; Southeast’s Ayden Desmond and TJ Moats; Star Valley’s Cooper Lawson, Smith McClure, Bryson Nield and Grant Thomson; Thunder Basin’s Cort Catlin and Logan Mendoza; Torrington’s Kaden Romig; Wheatland’s Jake Hyche; and Worland’s Brody Thiel.

Individual records: Star Valley’s Bryson Nield set the state’s 11-man single-season receiving record with 1,283 yards, breaking the old record by 20 yards. Nield also set the single-game record with his 291-yard receiving effort against Powell on Oct. 4. Star Valley’s Smith McClure finished eighth all-time for passing yards in an 11-man season with 2,726. Jackson’s Tyson Kendall finished sixth in 11-man single-game receiving yards with 248 this season against Bear Lake, Idaho.

In six-man, Hulett’s Kyle Smith shattered the single-season passing yards mark with 2,508, breaking the old record by more than 300 yards. Hulett had two receivers crack the top six all-time in six-man receiving yards with Hudson Reilly (third, 1,072 yards) and Ben Harrison (sixth, 910). Smith also finished with three of the top four passing games in six-man history, including a six-man record 519 yards through the air against Midwest. Reilly also set the single-game six-man receiving yards record in that game with 321 receiving yards. Also in six-man, Snake River’s Bridger Cozzens finished second all-time with 2,492 rushing yards this season, and his 482-yard rushing effort — in the championship game against Burlington, no less — was the third-best all-time single-game six-man rushing effort.

Scoring records: As noted a couple times, Wyoming had its combined single-game scoring record broken — destroyed, really — in Midwest’s 94-93 victory against Hulett. The 187 combined points beat the old record by 25 points. Hulett was also involved in the No. 3 all-time scoring game this season in its 85-74 victory (159 combined points) against Hanna in (get this) Midwest. Burlington’s 92-point effort in the first round of the six-man playoffs against Farson tied for second-most points ever by one team in a playoff game. Snake River’s 87 points against Burlington was the most points ever in a championship game. Oh, and Burlington and Encampment tied the state record for most overtimes in a playoff game with three, tying Laramie and Cody from their 1976 Class AA championship classic.

In 11-man, Cody’s 49-42 victory against Douglas in the 3A semifinals ranked as the ninth-highest scoring 11-man playoff game in state history at 91 points.

Streaks: We know the big ones. Sheridan has the new state winning streak record at 43 consecutive games; Cheyenne South holds the new state losing streak record at 47. However, Sheridan has also climbed into a tie for second place with a 29-game home winning streak, while South now has the state record with a 22-game home losing streak.

Snake River and Star Valley now rank second and third, respectively, in consecutive games scoring, with Snake River scoring in 155 straight games and Star Valley in 140. The record is 175.

Cokeville had its 37th consecutive winning season, as well as its 39th consecutive season at .500 or better, both by far state records. Meanwhile, Sheridan continued in second place in the consecutive winning seasons category with its 18th. Laramie also continued its state record streak with its 24th consecutive losing season and tied the state record with its 24th consecutive season at .500 or worse.

Coaching: Both Lyman’s Dale Anderson and Wright’s Larry Yeradi reached the 100-victory mark for their careers this season; they’ll enter 2025 tied for fourth among all active coaches in total victories statewide with exactly 100 apiece. Mountain View’s Brent Walk (97 victories) and Cody’s Matt McFadden (95) could reach the mark next season. Natrona’s Steve Harshman, with 241 victories as head coach at Natrona, continues to lead all active coaches in victories, with 101 more than second-place Chad Goff at Cheyenne East, who has 140. Upton-Sundance’s Andy Garland is third at 116.

Rankings: Star Valley will enter 2025 having been ranked for 93 consecutive weeks, fourth-best all-time. Snake River’s state record of 24 consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 ended this season.

Picks: Oh, yeah. Here are the results of my picks from championship week and this season:

Championship week: 4-1 (80 percent). This season: 239-59 (80 percent). Total over 20 (!) (?) (!) seasons: 4,764-1,125 (81 percent).

By the way, everything from the 2024 season should be uploaded to its respective page. If anything looks weird, wrong, misspelled, in the wrong place, or generally discombobulated, please let me know! I’m at pschmiedt@yahoo.com, or you could publicly call me out with a comment. That works, too. 🙂

–patrick

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.

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–patrick

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