Top returning Wyoming high school football players of 2023, by uniform number

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It’s time to choose the annual summertime team that has become a staple of discussion in, well… my house, at least: Wyoming’s top returning high school players, as chosen by uniform number.

You’re probably reading this part last, if you read it at all. You’ve already jumped to the list by now, looking up the number of your favorite player to see if they were ignored. And I know, I know, I know… You think I “left someone off.” Trust me when I say no one was left off; every returning player was considered. And the decisions were TOUGH, just like they always are. Certain numbers are tough to choose because of an overload of returning talent; in particular this year were Nos. 1 and 8.

In the end, I had to make choices, because that’s what this exercise is really about. And how do you compare? I’ll simply say the process is different for every single number, in part because the players wearing each number bring different skills, and stats, to the discussion.

That doesn’t mean that players not on this list aren’t worthy of attention. There are returning all-state players who couldn’t crack this list, but players with single-digit defensive points last year who did. But that’s the beauty of a list like this. It narrows down your competition by 99%.

And if I’m a freshman this year, and No. 38 is available… I’m claiming that jersey like it’s worth its weight in gold.

(If you want to see how these teams have come together in the past, here are links to the 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 preseason teams.)

My annual disclaimer: I can’t guarantee that the numbers players wore last year will be worn again by them this year. I can’t even guarantee that they’ll go out, or that they haven’t moved since the end of last year. I used last year’s stat listings and rosters posted online to determine what jersey number players wore; if your team didn’t compile stats or didn’t post a roster, I didn’t (moreover, couldn’t) include those players. Also, at least two of these players wore more than one number last year; they’re noted with asterisks.

NumberNameSchool
1Jhett SchwahnPowell
2Drew JacksonCheyenne East
3Dane SteelSheridan
4Micah PetersenCokeville
5Jared MangusLovell
6Karsyn GurrBig Piney
7Nathan MirichCheyenne East
8Alonso AguilarThunder Basin
9Mason CounterCheyenne Central
10Cooper FrederickWind River
11Hazen CaminoBuffalo
12Connor CumminsTongue River
13Jayce SchultzMountain View
14Louden BremerLingle
15Isaiah SkalbergSnake River
16Eli PattersonBuffalo
17Cam HayesCheyenne East
18Chase MillsUpton-Sundance
19Ben MaloneLaramie
20Goodness OkereRock Springs
21Wyatt TremblyDubois
22Kolbe DierksCheyenne East
23Ryan ArendsThermopolis
24Jayden CrookStar Valley
25Thomas PrellNewcastle
26Brady RobertsEvanston
27Wyatt RamsbottomKaycee
28Noah SidesNatrona
29Trevon AbrahamPowell
30Jason MoodyMeeteetse
31Ty StrohscheinRiverside
32Nate BradyLyman
33Quade JordanEncampment
34Terran GroomsSheridan
35Jonah OardDubois
36Cole HansenSheridan
37Kaison MacyFarson
38No returners identified
39Jack MelgerTongue River
40Zane GraftPowell
41Justin CastagnoJackson
42Carter ArchuletaDouglas
43Alex BarkerTongue River
44Eli GillUpton-Sundance
45Randal ReddonFarson
46Caiden RobertsBuffalo
47Logan ClassCody
48J.D. HolmanGlenrock
49Jackson AsayCody
50Morgan HatchLyman
51Peyton Brown*Thunder Basin
52Colby OlsonCheyenne East
53Max GregoryLyman
54Zaryc ProsserRiverton
55Caden ParkerThunder Basin
56Caleb RuffCheyenne East
57Clay MerrittStar Valley
58Zaim CabrialesLander
59Nico McQueeneyCheyenne East
60Jethro AwtreyCokeville
61Colter PercifieldCampbell County
62Jesse GibsonStar Valley
63Colten PrindleCheyenne Central
64Malachy LehnenDouglas
65David MerryfieldPine Bluffs
66Jimmy DeesPowell
67Wesley DownesLander
68Tyler MairMountain View
69Noah WilliamsonSheridan
70Ty BennickTorrington
71Tiegen ThompsonSoutheast
72Noah ManevalTongue River
73Royal OlsenHanna
74Miles PackardBuffalo
75Lance RabelBuffalo
76Coby JonesMountain View
77Cooper SmithLingle
78Alex HaswellSheridan
79Tegen SeedsDouglas
80Mickey MaroniBurlington
81Vaun PiersonKaycee
82William Beastrom*Newcastle
83Prescott VeigelStar Valley
84Jacob OrmsethSheridan
85Beau WeaverShoshoni
86Brenner MooreRocky Mountain
87Nolan HottellThunder Basin
88Colter HanftTongue River
89Joe BassettBurlington
90Vaughn GrantRawlins
91Isaac GardnerWind River
92-98No returners identified
99Tyler EnnistLaramie

*-Brown also wore #84; Beastrom also wore #85.

–patrick

Wyoming players star in CanAm Bowl XXV; game tentatively set for Wyoming in 2024

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Four Wyoming players helped Team USA to an 84-16 victory against Team Canada in the 25th annual CanAm Bowl six-man all-star game on Saturday in Hanna, Alberta, Canada.

Former Farson assistant coach Scott Reed, a Team USA coach, said the four Wyoming players — Kannadis Peroulis, Hadley Myers and David Hernandez from Snake River and Clayton Rux from Dubois — all had a hand in the victory.

Peroulis scored twice and had 237 rushing yards on just four carries. Myers added 106 rushing yards, threw a 21-yard touchdown pass and scored on an 88-yard kick return. Hernandez intercepted a pass and blocked a punt. And Rux played center, despite never playing the position previous to the CanAm Bowl, and was in on every offensive play for Team USA.

The 84 points scored by Team USA on Saturday was a CanAm Bowl team record, Reed said.

Reed said the CanAm Bowl will be played in Wyoming for the first time — and in the United States for just the second time — next year. CanAm Bowl XXVI is slated for July 6 in Meeteetse. The first CanAm Bowl to be played in the United States came in 2021 in Lambert, Montana. This year’s game in Alberta was the only other game in CanAm Bowl history to be played outside Saskatchewan.

–patrick

Four Wyoming players head to Canada for six-man all-star game

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Four Wyoming six-man football players will take part in the 25th CanAm Bowl, a six-man all-star game between teams from America and Canada, this week.

Snake River’s Hadley Myers, David Hernandez and Kannadis Peroulis and Dubois’ Clayton Rux will be a part of a group of six-man players from Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska and Texas to play in the game, which will be played Saturday in Hanna, Alberta, Canada.

The game will stream live on YouTube. The game will start at 1 p.m.

Team USA has been practicing in Lambert, Montana, since Monday. The team leaves Friday for Alberta.

Former Farson assistant coach Scott Reed and Snake River assistant coach Sam Weeldreyer, along with Thomas Tritz of Oakwood, Texas, will comprise the coaching staff.

Team USA won last year’s game 71-30. The game wasn’t played in 2020 or 2021. Team USA leads the series 19-5.

–patrick

State basketball, but everyone’s invited

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The NCAA basketball tournament — “March Madness” — is the best sporting event in America. This is simply a fact, not a debate.

That experience is only one small step from being replicated at the high school level in Wyoming.

With only 67 boys teams and 66 girls teams playing high school basketball in Wyoming in 2023, the conditions are almost perfect for what could be the state’s greatest sporting event: a one-classification, single-elimination, all-teams-invited state basketball tournament.

The scheduling for such an event isn’t as crazy as it seems. Over one week, Wyoming’s own version of March Madness could take place across four basketball courts, likely in Casper; between boys and girls, it would be 126 games, plus five “pigtail” games, something that could be accomplished in six days. I broke it down, and the logistics are possible.

And let’s face it: The tournament would be awesome.

Seeding the teams

Each team in the state would be seeded either 1-67 (boys) or 1-66 based on a ranking system, to be determined. For now, we’ll use last season’s Maxpreps ratings for boys and girls, which have their own problems but will suffice as an example of what’s possible.

Scheduling logistics

The first-round games would be Monday and Tuesday, with boys games one day and girls games the other, rotating every other year. With 32 games to be played, eight games apiece could be played at the Ford Wyoming Center, Casper College, Natrona County and Kelly Walsh using a schedule similar to the first-day schedule already in use by the WHSAA — 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (The last four games are an hour earlier than the current schedule, just to keep things rolling.)

Pigtail games, or “first four” games, could be played on Monday/Tuesday morning in nearby gyms, such as Glenrock or Midwest, or at one of the middle-school gyms in Casper such as Centennial, Dean Morgan or CY, which are all capable of hosting a small high-school game. The schedule would be set so that pigtail winners would play in the late time slots on Monday/Tuesday night.

The second-round games would come on Wednesday, with another 32 games (16 boys, 16 girls) to be played at the four main sites, with sites rotating every year between boys and girls.

Thursday brings third-round games, or the Sweet 16 round. With only 16 games to be played, eight games apiece could be staged at the Ford Wyoming Center and Casper College, with boys and girls rotating sites annually.

Friday is the fourth round, the Elite Eight, with four games apiece between boys and girls to be played that afternoon and evening at the FWC and CC.

Saturday brings us the Final Four and championship rounds, all at the FWC, with semifinal games at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. … and championships at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Just like the NCAA Tournament, there would be no consolation rounds. When you lose, you’re done.

Here’s what the 2023 brackets would look like for boys and girls using the Maxpreps rankings at the end of the season, boys first:

Then girls:

Benefits

With a one-class, single-elimination tournament, the need for regional tournaments is eliminated. Without a need to qualify for state, the qualifying tournament can go away.

The “time out of school” argument also loses a bit of sway here, too. With regional tournaments, every team in the state — more or less — is already missing two days of class, and those who qualify for state are missing two more. In the proposed all-comers state tournament, since more than half the teams leave after the first round/pigtails, most teams would only need one day out of class to participate. Additionally, teams that play in the Monday round could potentially return to school and have class on Tuesday, and then return to the tournament for continued play on Wednesday. Three-quarters of teams would be back in class by Thursday morning.

Also, with classifications eliminated for state, regular-season scheduling could take on a whole new dynamic. Teams would no longer be required to schedule certain conference teams and could instead focus on a regionalized schedule that reduces travel or a more challenging schedule with more challenging teams to prepare for the rigors of the state tournament — or to boost that power ranking for a better seed.

And upsets! The potential for upsets and Cinderella runs is heightened in a single-elimination, all-class affair.

Are you serious?

I’m only half-joking when I suggest this. Wyoming’s setup now is absolutely fine and in line with what other states do to crown state basketball champions.

But there’s something inside me that thinks it’d be a lot of fun to watch every team battle it out across a week in Casper.

Forget the NCAAs. This would easily replace it as the must-watch sporting event of the year.

–patrick

Thermopolis hires Bowker as new head coach

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Boone Bowker, who has previously been an assistant coach with Thermopolis, will be the Bobcats’ new head football coach this fall.

Bowker confirmed his hiring via email this week with wyoming-football.com. Bowker said the hiring was finalized in April.

Bowker works at the school as a physical education teacher. A native of Big Piney, Bowker played football collegiately at Black Hills State. He was also the head football coach at Gordon-Rushville in Nebraska for three seasons, from the fall of 2018 to the fall of 2020.

He replaces Matt McPhie, who had coached the Bobcats for the previous seven seasons. Thermopolis was 20-40 over that span and had one playoff victory, in 2019.

Statewide, Campbell County, Rock Springs, Evanston, Green River, Lander, Riverton, Glenrock, Wheatland, Guernsey, Rocky Mountain, Saratoga and Wright have also hired a new head coach for the 2023 season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

What’s in a name? Different dudes, similar accolades for Wyoming football players.

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There have been 106 total cases in Wyoming’s high school football history where players with the same names ended up as all-state selections. Most were coincidence — not everyone has a unique name. Some were father-son senior/junior situations. And some were just plain weird.

In four cases, players with the same name made the all-state team in the same year for different teams:

  • Clay Cundall: Made the all-state teams for both Greybull and Guernsey-Sunrise in 2009.
  • Shawn Kelley: Made the all-state teams for both Cody and Dubois in 1994.
  • Mike Williams: Made the all-state teams for both Natrona and Kemmerer in 1971.
  • Phil Martin: Made the all-state teams for both Buffalo and Lingle in 1970.

An honorable mention here goes to the two Larry Sessions from 1960; Moorcroft Larry was an all-state honorable mention in Class B eight-man in 1959 as an underclassman and was all-conference in 1960. Byron Larry was an all-state selection in B 11-man in both 1960 and 1961.

Meanwhile, the most common name for an all-state football player in Wyoming is Mike Johnson; mentioning “Mike Johnson” always has to come with the caveat of “Which one?” Some of the more common names for all-state selections:

  • Mike Johnson: Six Mike Johnsons have been all-state: The Byron one (1964), the Thermopolis one (1969-70), the Bow-Basin one (1976), the second Thermopolis one (1978), the Southeast one (1979-80) and the Wheatland one (1997-98).
  • Bob Johnson: Four Bob Johnsons have been all-state: The Natrona one (1954), the Rock Springs one (1959), the Huntley one (1965) and the Wheatland one (1973). There was also a Rob Johnson (Tongue River 2005-07).
  • Bob Wilson: Four Bob Wilsons have been all-state: The Sheridan one (1952), the Big Piney one (1958-59), the Glenrock one (1965) and the second Big Piney one (1979).
  • Jim Anderson: Four Jim Andersons have been all-state: The Douglas one (1960), the Natrona one (1967), the Cheyenne East one (1973) and the Laramie one (1979).
  • Bill Miller: Three Bill Millers have been all-state: The Cheyenne Central one (1958), the Cowley one (1965) and the Campbell County one (2003). There was also a Will Miller (Campbell County, 2020-21).
  • Don Anderson: Three Don Andersons have been all-state: The Cody one (1946), the Greybull one (1961-62) and the Ten Sleep one (1988).
  • Don Miller: Three Don Millers have been all-state: The Natrona one (1935), the Cheyenne Central one (1954) and the Burlington one (1987).
  • Mike Smith: Three Mike Smiths have been all-state: The Kemmerer one (1973), the Rawlins one (1974-75) and the Ten Sleep one (1983-84).
  • Mike Thompson: Three Mike Thompsons have been all-state: The Cody one (1982-83), the Cheyenne Central one (1988) and the second Cody one (2007).

Note that these lists don’t account for all possible first name variants such as Bob/Robert, Mike/Michael, etc. But it’s a pretty close approximation.

You can explore the all-state listings for yourself using the new searchable and sortable all-state database, which includes all selections from 1920 to 2022, minus the three all-state teams that have yet to be found (1926 all-class, 1932 all-class and 1994 1A nine-man).

–patrick

Wheatland finds its football coach

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Tony Borton, a longtime assistant with the Wheatland football team, has been hired as the Bulldogs’ next head coach.

Borton’s hiring was confirmed during the Platte County School District No. 1 board meeting on Monday and confirmed via email Wednesday to wyoming-football.com by WHS Principal Josh Sandlian.

Borton has had two sons go through the program, and one son, Justis, completed his senior season at UW in 2020. Borton is a pastor at Wheatland Bible Church.

Statewide, Campbell County, Rock Springs, Evanston, Green River, Lander, Riverton, Glenrock, Guernsey, Rocky Mountain, Saratoga and Wright have also hired a new head coach for the 2023 season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Platte County just closed two high schools…

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Maybe I’ve just missed it, but there’s been surprisingly little chatter about the recent closing of two Wyoming high schools.

The schools in two Platte County communities, Glendo and Chugwater, were closed by a vote of the Platte County School District No. 1 on May 15.

The Platte County Record-Times reported the 9-12 portion of the Glendo school was closed, while the entirety of the Chugwater school was closed — in part due to the new Prairie View Community School, a charter school, opening in Chugwater this fall.

The language used in the reporting was that the board voted “not to staff” the schools. But let’s be real about what just happened.

Chugwater and Glendo are the first public Wyoming high schools to be closed in two decades, since Albin High School closed after the 2003 school year.

In part, I think some of the reason for the quiet is that the schools’ inabilities to field athletic programs the past few years has pushed them out of the statewide public eye. Glendo fielded a girls basketball team just once since 2016, that in 2020; the boys team had been active just twice (2017 and 2020) since 2015. Glendo last fielded a volleyball team in the fall of 2020. Meanwhile, Chugwater hadn’t had boys basketball since 2012 and girls basketball since 2011. Chugwater last had volleyball in the fall of 2018.

The only individual sport at the schools, track, had participants but not necessarily success. Chugwater’s boys last scored points at the state meet in 2016, the girls in 2018; Glendo last notched points at the boys meet in 2018 and girls in 2015.

Enrollment figures from the Platte County School District No. 1 show Chugwater with 30 total students in grades K-12 and Glendo with 27, as of May. Enrollment data submitted to the state last October listed nine students in grades 9-12 at Chugwater, including two seniors and no juniors, while Glendo had eight students in 9-12, with four seniors and no juniors.

The next-smallest high school in Wyoming, after Chugwater and Glendo, is Ten Sleep, which had 28 students in grades 9-12 last year.

+++

Public Wyoming high schools to close in the last 70 years include:

1954: Manville
1956: Ranchester/Dayton (to form Tongue River)
1958: Egbert, McFadden, Reliance, Rozet
1961: Elk Mountain
1962: Superior
1963: Sunrise
1966: Hawk Springs/Veteran/Yoder (to form Goshen Hole)
1969: Morton/Pavillion (to form Wind River), Hillsdale
1970: Fort Laramie
1971: Arvada, Carpenter
1980: Huntley/Goshen Hole (to form Southeast)
1983: Cowley/Deaver-Frannie/Byron (to form Rocky Mountain)
1987: Basin/Manderson (to form Riverside)
1992: LaGrange
1997: Jeffrey City
1998: Medicine Bow
2003: Albin
2023: Chugwater, Glendo

–patrick

Two coaches named for 1A nine-man East teams

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The head coaches for both Wright and Guernsey, two Class 1A nine-man East programs, have been set for 2023.

Wright will have a familiar face coming back to the head coaching position, as Larry Yeradi will be the Panthers’ acting head coach this season. Yeradi was the Panthers’ coach from 1995-2021 and was an assistant coach on Adam Shankle’s staff last year. Shankle resigned to take an administrator position in Rock Springs.

Yeradi’s hiring was finalized on June 12 at the Campbell County School District No. 1 board meeting. Yeradi confirmed his hiring via email to wyoming-football.com.

Guernsey’s new head coach will be Neal Hughes. Hughes’ hiring was confirmed late last week by Guernsey activities director Jolyn Hillen.

Hughes is a Guernsey native and has worked as a pastor in the community. He replaces Curtis Cook, who resigned after seven years as head coach.

Statewide, Wheatland is also searching for a head coach for next season. Meanwhile, Campbell County, Rock Springs, Evanston, Green River, Lander, Riverton, Glenrock, Rocky Mountain and Saratoga have hired a new head coach for the 2023 season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Weber takes over as Saratoga’s coach

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Todd Weber, the head coach of Saratoga’s junior high football program, will take over as the head coach for Saratoga High School.

Saratoga activities director Greg Bartlett confirmed the hiring with wyoming-football.com last week.

Weber was the Panthers’ junior high coach and was named the Wyoming Coaches Association junior high/middle school coach of the fall season in 2021.

He was also the former head coach at Worland, going 5-11 combined in 2015 and 2016. Before that, he was an assistant coach at Douglas.

He replaces Logan Wright, who resigned after five years as head coach.

Statewide, Wheatland, Guernsey and Wright are also searching for a head coach for next season. Meanwhile, Campbell County, Rock Springs, Evanston, Green River, Lander, Riverton, Glenrock and Rocky Mountain have hired a new head coach for the 2023 season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick