Week 4 picks

by ⋅ 10 Comments

Little brothers always face unfair comparisons.

The older one, the one that came before, always sets the standard. The younger sibling, for better or for worse, has to face the fallout from that relationship.

Class 1A 11-man football has two big brothers: Southeast and Cokeville. This week, those two older brothers have to face some young, confident and, most importantly, undefeated little brothers from their respective conferences.

Southeast has to travel south to play the upstarts from Pine Bluffs, who have yet to allow a point through three games this season — the only team in the state that can claim that honor. Both teams are 3-0 and both want to use this game, which starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, to gain an important edge in the East Conference standings.

Cokeville, meanwhile, plays host to undefeated Shoshoni at 1 p.m. Friday. I’m not sure, but this may be the first time ever that Shoshoni enters a game with Cokeville when the Wranglers are undefeated and the Panthers are not. The Wranglers, who broke a long losing streak in the season opener, come in at 3-0, while the defending state champs enter at 2-1, lambasting a couple of conference foes after losing to Mountain View 6-3 in overtime in the season opener.

The problem with being a little brother is that you get beaten up a lot.

Southeast has beaten Pine Bluffs nine times in a row dating back to 2002 and 16 out of the past 17 meetings. (Southeast leads the all-time series 25-10.)

Shoshoni’s even got it worse against Cokeville: Just one victory in 20 tries all-time, with the only victory coming in 1997.

So is this the week the little brothers finally stand up to the guys who have been pushing them around all these years?

My guess is no — Cokeville and Southeast are year in and year out the teams to beat in 1A, and this year is no different. I will pick both the Panthers and the Cyclones to win. But little brothers everywhere should be rooting for the Wranglers and the Hornets, especially since victories in these games would place them firmly atop the standings of their respective conferences.

Here are the rest of this week’s picks, with projected winners in bold:

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Cheyenne South: The last game of the Capital Bowl Series could give the Thunderbirds the city championship. 7 p.m. (First meeting)
Evanston at Cheyenne Central: The Red Devils’ two losses have been gut-wrenchers. I think they may just be tired of losing those close ones. 7 p.m. (CC 6-4)
Kelly Walsh at Natrona: KW’s reward for playing undefeated Gillette so close last week? Undefeated Natrona this week. 6 p.m. (NC 37-11)
Laramie at Gillette: The Plainsmen have to be playing with a lot of confidence right now, but the Camels might be the toughest team Laramie has faced this year. 7 p.m. (Lar 18-13)
Rock Springs at Sheridan: The Broncs can’t get caught looking ahead to the Energy Bowl next week; the Tigers could make them pay if they do. 7 p.m. (She 12-4-2)
Class 3A
Douglas at Buffalo: There have been so many good games between these rivals the past few years. This will be another good game — I don’t think this one will be decided by more than a touchdown. 7 p.m. (Buf 34-25)
Green River at Cody: Even though they lost last week, the Wolves have still proven just how much respect they deserve this year. 7 p.m. (Cod 12-6)
Jackson at Powell: Quite honestly, the most impressive team thus far in 3A just might be the Panthers. 6 p.m. (Pow 16-11)
Riverton at Rawlins: The Outlaws are beginning to show that they’re no pushovers anymore, but the Wolverines are coming off a solid victory a week ago and really want to keep that momentum rolling. 7 p.m. (Riv 27-19-1)
Star Valley at Worland: No conference game is ever small, but this one is really, really big. If either team wants to keep pace with the likes of Green River and Powell, they have to win this one. 6 p.m. (SV 21-14)
Torrington at Lander: One of these teams hasn’t lost yet. One of them hasn’t won yet. That makes my choice easy. 6 p.m. (Lan 1-0)
Class 2A
Big Horn at Glenrock: Both of these teams have done everything possible to earn the title of East Conference favorite. The winner here DEFINITELY seizes that title. A huge game for playoff qualifying and seeding. 6 p.m. (tied 2-2)
Big Piney at Lyman: How will the Eagles respond after a tough loss? Were the flames stoked up or fanned out? I’d say stoked. 4 p.m. (BP 44-30-1)
Kemmerer at Thermopolis: Both of these squads have struggled with bouts of inconsistency this year. This game comes at the right time for both of them — to see just how well they stack up against a team of similar talent. 7 p.m. (Kem 14-9)
Lovell at Mountain View: This just might be Lovell’s toughest road trip of the regular season. A rrreeeeeaaaallllyyy long trip to play a team coming off a big victory…. But I think the Bulldogs are up to the challenge. 4 p.m. (MV 8-3)
Newcastle at Wright: Yup. I’m on the Dogie bandwagon. 7 p.m. (Wri 4-2)
Pinedale at Greybull: The Buffs have Lovell on the schedule for next week. That’s next week, though. No looking ahead. 7 p.m. (tied 2-2)
Wheatland at Moorcroft: The Bulldogs got humbled last week. They’ll probably come out more focused against the Wolves. 2 p.m. (First meeting)
Class 1A 11-man
Lingle at Lusk: Both of these schools suffered difficult losses last week; neither one wants to lose two in a row. This should be one of those games that comes down to the wire. 7:30 p.m. (Lus 38-10-3)
Riverside at Burlington: I mentioned it last week, but I’ll mention it again here: Every game is a big game in the 1A West this year. Too much parity for anyone to overlook anyone. 3 p.m. (Rsd 12-7)
Saratoga at Wyoming Indian: Let me be clear: I’m really impressed with what the Chiefs did last week. But I’m also surprised to see the Panthers at 0-3, especially when you consider that they really haven’t played all that poorly. 6 p.m. (Sar 6-2)
Sundance at Upton: The Bobcats picked up their first victory of the season last week. Now the Bulldogs will look to accomplish that same feat against the Bobcats. 7 p.m. (Upt 38-31-5)
Class 1A six-man
Farson at Midwest: The Oilers are quietly building a nice little winning streak. 7 p.m. (Mid 2-0)
Saturday
Class 1A 11-man
Rocky Mountain at Wind River: I didn’t expect either one of these squads to lose last week. That makes this game much harder to pick. 1 p.m. (RM 16-6)
Class 1A six-man
Hanna at Guernsey: Both of these squads are desperate for a victory, but only one of them actually took the field last week. 3 p.m. (Gue 22-9)
Kaycee at Dubois: The winner of this game takes the fast track to the top of the North Conference standings. Dubois is fortunate enough to get this one at home. 1 p.m. (First meeting)
Snake River at Meeteetse: The Rattlers are the six-man frontrunners this year. Everyone else is playing catchup. 2 p.m. (SR 2-0)
Ten Sleep at Hulett: The Red Devils were impressive to me when I got to see them in person last week. I think they rebound against the Pioneers. 3 p.m. (Hul 10-4)
Interclass
Natrona JV at Burns: Please tell me the Broncs can finally get in the win column. Please? 1 p.m. (NA)
Normative Services at Big Horn JV: The Wolves’ losing streak has gone on long enough — and after playing Upton tough last week, NSI may be able to pull this one out. 3 p.m. (NA)

Thoughts? You got ’em. You should post ’em below. And then I can reply and then we can start conversing about the midpoint of the high school football regular season.

–patrick

Share your Wyoming high school football photos!

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

I spent most of my free time on Saturday up in Kaycee, watching the hometown Buckaroos play the Hulett Red Devils in what turned out to be a pretty fantastic game of six-man football.

Oh, and I brought my camera, too.

I uploaded my photos to my Flickr account and then added them to the Wyoming-football.com group pool. The cool thing about that group is that it’s open to the public, and when you add photos to the pool, they become part of the slideshow that now graces this site’s front page.

So next time you take some photos at a game, please feel free to upload them to the Flickr group! I am excited to see what our shutterbugs across the state can come up with.

Below, I’ve added one of my favorite photos from Saturday: Hulett senior Austin Snook taking control of the huddle.

Hulett's Austin Snook

Hulett's Austin Snook takes control of the huddle during Saturday's game against Kaycee.

–patrick

Week 3 Humble Pie: Large loops, commonalities and broken streaks

by ⋅ 6 Comments

The trip from Sheridan to Evanston is a long one — about eight hours and about 470 miles, to be exact.

About the only thing the two communities have in common is that they are both in Wyoming and they both have Class 4A football teams.

It’s not much, but on Friday those similarities gave us a heck of a high school football game, accentuated by one heck of a running back.

Jordan Roberts’ 345 rushing yards carried Sheridan to a 42-35 victory over Evanston. The 345 yards is the best in Wyoming in at least the past three seasons (my records prior to 2009 are hidden away in my storage unit, buried underneath dishes and books and a couch), and certainly ranks among the best in state history because of the circumstances around it.

The Broncs fell behind early, 14-0 and 21-7, but Roberts and the Broncs swung the momentum quickly and went on a 35-7 run before the Red Devils scored a late touchdown to make it close. Both teams entered 2-1 and neither one wanted to fall behind Class 4A’s undefeated teams, Natrona and Gillette. The offensive statistics reflect that desperation: a combined 900 yards of total offense.

Roberts had 345 of those on the ground, but more importantly scored four times to help his team overcome all it had to — the long trip and the big stakes — to win a heck of a football game.

Second mad props to Buffalo, which overcame a long road trip of its own to beat Green River 17-14 in overtime. For a while, it looked like the Bison left their game on the bus, as they fell behind 14-0 at halftime. But the Bison came alive in the second half, scored late in regulation to force overtime, then let their special teams take over: Buffalo blocked a field goal attempt by the Wolves in overtime and then kicked one of their own to seal it. Don’t look now, but the only remaining undefeated team in 3A is Lander…. This game, however, may have been a demonstration more in the parity atop 3A this year.

Third mad props to Glenrock, which straight took it to Wheatland on the Bulldogs’ home field and won in impressive fashion. That 35-6 score may not have been an aberration, either. The Herders frustrated the Bulldogs all night long and intercepted seven Wheatland passes. Are the Herders now the clear favorite in the 2A East? If they aren’t, I don’t know who is.

Now, in a series of crow-eating for a bunch of wrong picks in the 1A West: Fourth mad props to Wyoming Indian. The Chiefs beat Wind River for the first time since 1987 and earned the right to celebrate big time with their 14-8 victory. The Chiefs’ 11-game losing streak, dating back to the 2009 season, is broken. The Chiefs’ 14-game losing streak to their county rivals is snapped, as well. This is the type of victory that can carry a team for an entire season, and with the Chiefs playing a couple key league games the next two weeks (Saratoga and Burlington), the blue and red could be a dangerous team in the West if they can build on the momentum from this one.

Fifth mad props to Shoshoni (3-0!), which beat Burlington in an old-fashioned OK-Corral-style shootout, 41-36. The 36 points Burlington scored is the most ever for the Huskies in a losing effort. In the parity-filled midsection of the 1A West, this may end up being a huge game when we come to the end of the season and look at playoff seeding and/or qualifying. The Wranglers, meanwhile, are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since starting 6-0 in 2001.

Sixth mad props to Riverside, which knocked off Rocky Mountain 22-13. Excuse me while I repeat myself, but it’s just as true for this one as the last one: In the parity-filled midsection of the 1A West, this may end up being a huge game when we come to the end of the season and look at playoff seeding and/or qualifying. At least one or two really good teams may be left out of the 1A playoffs because of these types of key losses. Riverside bought itself some time with this victory; Rocky Mountain now has to scramble, with Wind River, Cokeville, Shoshoni and Burlington — in that order — on the docket the next four weeks. This loss makes each one of those games unusually large for the Grizzlies.

Seventh mad props to Newcastle, which thumped on Burns in a 31-6 wipeout. I’m still a little confused about the Dogies this year, but you can’t argue with the 2-0 start Newcastle has put together in conference play. The schedule the next four weeks will be critical, as Newcastle faces Wright, Glenrock and Wheatland, all on the road, in addition to an unexpected bye week created by the loss of the Tongue River game. Nevertheless, the Dogies proved Friday that no one can overlook them, and if all goes right they could be hosting a playoff game….

Eighth mad props to the Cheyenne East sophomores, who beat Lingle in a high-scoring 46-34 game on Thursday night.

Here is some other stuff that caught my attention this week:

Four of the five road teams won in Class 4A this week. The lone exception was Cheyenne East, which beat Cheyenne Central, which was barely a road game for the Indians. … Staying in Laramie County, how about the Pine Bluffs Hornets? The purple and yellow still have not allowed a point this season after shutting out Sundance 20-0. The Hornets host Southeast in a key 1A East game next Friday. … The final game at Tonkin Stadium went well for the Riverton Wolverines, eh? 35-20 over Cody is not a bad way to close the old stadium out. … Pay attention to these words: Don’t forget about Big Horn. … I know no one wants to see half of a football game just disappear into the ether, but Mountain View’s 41-0 victory over Big Piney on Friday was cut short at halftime by lightning. Imagine what the score may have become if the second half had been completed. Mountain View’s biggest victory ever over Big Piney was by 51 points. … How have I gotten this far and not mentioned two of the biggest games of the week? Lovell and Southeast both picked up huge victories on Friday; both came against teams they may see later in the season. …

I had the pleasure (indeed, the pleasure) of attending the Gillette-Kelly Walsh game on Friday night. The winless Trojans put a heck of a scare into the undefeated Camels before falling 30-23. The game was tied 16-16 deep in the third quarter, and after the Camels went ahead 30-16, the Trojans scored with 15 seconds remaining and then recovered the onside kick. KW couldn’t convert from there, but that’s what this game is all about, right? Having the chance? It was a great finish to a great game, a game I could take 1,000 words to explain and still feel like I didn’t do it justice.

So what caught your attention this week? Post your thoughts below and we can chat about all that happened in Week 3.

This week: 24-8 (75 percent). This season: 88-25 (78 percent).

–patrick

Week 3 picks

by ⋅ 6 Comments

One Class 2A game has center stage this week, and deservedly so. This is the game that may end up deciding the West Conference championship.

The game: Lyman at Lovell, 7 p.m. Friday.

The game is a contrast in styles — Lyman’s fast-paced offense isn’t afraid to go to the air, while Lovell’s more traditional offensive sets strike a “here we come, try and stop us” attitude.

So far, no one in the regular season has really succeeded at slowing down either one of these programs.

Lyman was supposed to have its big test last week when it faced Kemmerer. The Eagles came away 41-0 victors.

Lovell drew Wright and Pinedale in its first two games. Combined, the Bulldogs beat those two teams 99-8.

Eventually, yes, there are several other teams in the West Conference that will have a say in who wins the conference championship. But there is no denying that the two most impressive teams out of the gate are the two teams that are playing Friday night in Lovell.

My choice is Lovell, but the real winners are the people within driving distance of Lovell, the folks who have the chance to go watch what may be the state’s best game of the week. (tied 4-4)

Here are the remainder of this week’s picks, with projected winners in bold and projected teams plotting upsets in non-bold:

Thursday
Interclass
Cheyenne East sophs at Lingle: The Doggers might be the quietest 2-0 team in the state. Expect them to be 3-0 when they face Lusk in a big one next week. 6 p.m. (NA)
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Cheyenne East: The Indians showed they can compete with the best in the state in last week’s loss to Natrona. However, we already knew that about East. 5 p.m. (CC 41-18)
Gillette at Kelly Walsh: This one breaks down pretty simply: 3-0 vs. 0-3. But it won’t be a walkover; the Camels will have to earn this one. 7 p.m. (Gil 29-20)
Laramie at Cheyenne South: The Plainsmen have some momentum building. They need it with what they have coming after this trip to Bison Stadium: at Gillette, home vs. Central, home vs. Sheridan, at Natrona. 7 p.m. (First meeting)
Natrona at Rock Springs: The Mustangs are in the middle of a brutal stretch of games where they travel to four road games in five weeks — and the one home game is the Oil Bowl. Nevertheless, NC should win this one. 7 p.m. (NC 43-19-3)
Sheridan at Evanston: This may be the best game in 4A this week. This one won’t be a blowout either way. All I did was pick the home team. 7 p.m. (She 9-2)
Class 3A
Buffalo at Green River: Ooooohhhh. I love this matchup. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bison win this one, but it’s hard to overlook what the Wolves have done so far this year. 7 p.m. (GR 1-0)
Cody at Riverton: Is this the game where Cody finally breaks through? Or is this the loss that demoralizes them for the rest of the season? Neither one of these teams wants to lose this one. 7 p.m. (Cod 33-32-2)
Jackson at Lander: Loving what Jackson has done so far this season. Loving what Lander has done so far this season more. 7 p.m. (Lan 21-10)
Powell at Torrington: It’s a long trip down, but the Panthers have the ability to make it a short trip home. 6 p.m. (Pow 2-0)
Star Valley at Douglas: The Braves may give the Bearcats some struggles, but Douglas appears to be back on track after winning big last week. 7 p.m. (Dou 4-1)
Worland at Rawlins: Once they get on a roll, the Warriors may be tough to stop. Look for Worland’s momentum to keep on growing. 7 p.m. (Wor 8-6)
Class 2A
Big Piney at Mountain View: An 0-2 start for the Punchers is surprising. What makes it worse is that they have to make back-to-back trips to the Bridger Valley the next two weeks. 4 p.m. (BP 38-32)
Burns at Newcastle: I never expected Burns to start 0-2. I still don’t expect them to be 0-3 — even against a tough Dogie squad at Schoonmaker. 7 p.m. (tied 1-1)
Glenrock at Wheatland: The West Conference gets most of the 2A attention this week, but don’t overlook this game in the East. The Herders and Bulldogs have been the East’s two most impressive teams so far. This one, too, may end up deciding the conference title. 7 p.m. (Whe 12-11)
Greybull at Thermopolis: Another big one in the West. The Greybull defense has been opportunistic all season long and if that continues, they could give the Bobcats fits. 7 p.m. (The 41-19-4)
Pinedale at Kemmerer: These two teams combined for zero points last week. Offenses need to get going early in this one, and the Rangers at home should get this done. 2 p.m. (Kem 21-6)
Wright at Big Horn: Don’t count out the Rams just yet. They proved last week they still have what it takes to be one of the East’s top teams. 1 p.m. (BH 7-4)
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Shoshoni: Both these teams have been impressive in their respective 2-0 starts. This one will hinge on which run defense shows up to play. 6 p.m. (tie 14-14)
Cokeville at Saratoga: Just mark me down for Cokeville victories until we get to November. Then we’ll talk. 2 p.m. (Cok 19-5)
Lusk at Southeast: They don’t get much bigger than this in Yoder. The winner takes the fast track to the top of the East Conference standings; the loser is still in the hunt but has a lot more ground to make up. 7:30 p.m. (Lus 21-13)
Pine Bluffs at Sundance: Can the Hornets keep their shutout streak going? I remember watching Pine beat the Bulldogs 42-0 last year. … Really, I don’t think they’ll mind if the streak ends, as long as they come away with the victory. 3 p.m. (PB 6-2)
Rocky Mountain at Riverside: After a couple easy victories to start the season, now we have the chance to see just how good the Grizzlies really are. 7 p.m. (RM 16-4)
Upton at Normative Services: Both squads are aching to notch their first victory of the season. This will probably be the best chance for both teams. 7 p.m. (Upt 8-3)
Wind River at Wyoming Indian: The Chiefs have played the Cougars tough each of the past two seasons and may come away with the victory in this one. Yet I still pick the Cougs. Weird. 7 p.m. (WR 22-5)
Class 1A six-man
Midwest at Hanna: Which fossil fuel do you choose? Oil or coal? Well, coal is 0-2 so far this season and oil had a nice victory over ranchers last week…. 3 p.m. (Han 8-3)
Ten Sleep at Farson: The only nonconference game of the week in six-man is really intriguing and should help us sort out some of the hierarchy in the middle of the classification. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a toss-up. 3 p.m. (TS 3-2)
Interclass
Moorcroft at Natrona JV: This game for the Wolves comes in place of the game they lost when Tongue River canceled its season. 2 p.m. (NA)
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Meeteetse: A rough loss for the Rams last week shouldn’t affect them too much against the struggling Longhorns. 3 p.m. (Met 11-6)
Guernsey at Snake River: Did you hear? The Rattlers are good. Really good. 3 p.m. (SR 1-0)
Hulett at Kaycee: This is a huge game in six-man this week. Both teams are 2-0 and are trying to do their best to lock up some home-field advantage come playoff time. This game is a big step toward that. 3 p.m. (First meeting)

–patrick

Final game for Tonkin Stadium

by ⋅ 5 Comments
Tonkin Field. Photo courtesy Ernie Over.

Tonkin Stadium. Photo courtesy Ernie Over.

Tonkin Stadium, the home of the Riverton Wolverines, will end its run as the school’s home field on Friday night when Riverton hosts Cody.

The field is unique due to its placement, dug into the side of a hill. The stadium’s location allows for one of the most unique and intimate settings for high school football in the state.

Riverton will begin playing home games at the new Wolverine Stadium after the Cody game.

Do you have a story or memory to share about Tonkin Stadium? What events helped make Tonkin the unique place it is today? Share some of your thoughts below and let’s help send the stadium out on a high note on Friday.

Tonkin Field. Photo courtesy Ernie Over.

Tonkin Stadium. Photo courtesy Ernie Over.

–patrick

Moorcroft, Natrona JV tentatively move Friday game time

by ⋅ 1 Comment

Moorcroft and the Natrona junior varsity have tentatively rescheduled their game on Friday for 2 p.m. The game, which was originally scheduled for 7 p.m., will be at Cheney Alumni Field in Casper. The game takes the place of Moorcroft’s scheduled game with Tongue River, which forfeited its season prior to the first game.

–patrick

Wyoming’s top high school football coaches — a timeline

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

No matter our profession, we have people we chase — the people we respect because of their work in our shared field, the people whose successes we wish to emulate. That goes for high school football coaches as much as it does bankers, doctors or engineers.

When victories are used as the measuring stick of success, we know that we have the most successful football coach in state history currently working in Cokeville. We know the coach whose mark he had to beat in order to earn the title he now has.

But who did he have to overtake? And who did he have to overtake? And who did he have to overtake?

Here is a look at the coaches with the most victories in state history — and who they had to chase down in order to be known as such:

The current leader is Todd Dayton, the coach at Cokeville, who entered the 2011 season with 253 career victories. Dayton, who took over as the Panthers’ head coach in 1980, has averaged more than eight victories per season — a heck of a feat when you consider that, for a lot of Dayton’s career, the regular season in Wyoming was only seven or eight games.

The game he took over as Wyoming’s coaching victories leader: Cokeville defeated Mountain View 30-26 on Sept. 23, 2005, to give Dayton his 206th career victory.

Dayton had to overtake John E. Deti, who piled up 205 victories in 35 years as a head coach, 33 with Laramie. Deti also spent a year in both Meeteetse and Shoshoni. He retired in 1976 with a 205-94-8 career record. His tenure at Laramie included seven undefeated seasons (the Plainsmen have only had two other undefeated seasons in school history) and 14 state championships.

The game he took over as Wyoming’s coaching victories leader: Laramie defeated Sheridan 20-7 on Nov. 1, 1968, to give Deti his 150th career victory.

Deti had to overtake Okie Blanchard, who had 149 victories at five different schools. Blanchard, the first coach in the state to crack the 100-victory mark (and he obviously went well beyond that), spent 11 years at Cheyenne Central, eight years at Rock Springs, three years at Natrona and one year each at Glenrock and Cokeville. He was also head coach at the University of Wyoming for the 1941 season. He started his career with the Herders in 1925; he stepped away from coaching in 1952 with an all-time high school record of 149-55-7.

The game he took over as Wyoming’s coaching victories leader: Cheyenne Central defeated Alliance, Neb., 26-7 on Oct. 15, 1943, to give Blanchard his 95th career victory.

Blanchard had to overtake John Powell, the longtime coach at Cheyenne Central who notched 94 victories with the Indians before retiring in 1939. Powell led the Indian squad for 16 years, compiling a 94-50-7 record. His run with the red and black included one unofficial state championship, which came in 1929, and only two losing seasons.

The game he took over as Wyoming’s coaching victories leader: Cheyenne Central defeated Laramie 12-0 on Nov. 12, 1929, to give Powell his 41st career victory.

Powell had to overtake Wilbur “Web” Wright, who coached Sheridan for eight seasons and finished with 40 victories. Wright led the Broncs from 1919 to 1926, finishing with a record of 40-15-2; Wright’s run included three consecutive state championships from 1921-23 and undefeated seasons in 1921 (7-0) and 1923 (8-0).

The game he took over as Wyoming’s coaching victories leader: Sheridan defeated Buffalo 58-0 on Oct. 29, 1921, to give Wright his 12th career victory.

Wright had to overtake C.A. Jones, the first high school coach in Wyoming to win more than 10 games in his career. Jones finished his brief coaching career, which spanned three seasons (1912-14) with Cheyenne Central, with 11 victories; his overall record with the Indians was 11-8-2.

Coaching records prior to this time are spotty at best. I doubt anyone was even thinking about career records when Jones, Wright or Powell took the reins at their respective schools. They may not have even known at the time they were the most successful coaches in state history when they decided to step down.

We know differently now. We know that, even for a while, they were the coaches everyone was trying to chase down.

–patrick

Week 2 Humble Pie: Directions, preseason attitudes and your plans for next week

by ⋅ 30 Comments

Maybe the Lander Tigers benefited from being under the radar throughout the offseason.

Maybe the Tigers didn’t mind that all the preseason talk was focused on Douglas and its winning streak, Green River and its drop from Class 4A, Powell and its returning all-staters, Cody and its potential, Buffalo and its tradition.

Maybe the guys in green used their offseason as a chance to improve and prove — improve their game to prove their doubters wrong.

The secret is loose, now, of course, after Lander made the trip to Afton and came away with an impressive 35-16 victory over the homestanding Star Valley Braves — and after the Tigers demolished Wheatland 44-7 in Week 1.

This Lander team is a force; the Tigers could, and probably should, be 4-0 when they take on Douglas in Week 5. And now everyone is aware of just how good the Tigers could be this fall.

Second mad props to another Fremont County squad, Shoshoni, which ended 10 years of futility against Wind River and beat the Cougars 29-20. The last time the Wranglers had beaten the Cougars was 2001 — and between then and about 6 p.m. Thursday night, the Cougars had a 278-18 scoring advantage on the Wranglers in that time span (yes, you read that right). But Shoshoni showed the moxie necessary to shake off that history, even after falling behind 13-0 at halftime. And don’t look now, but the Wranglers, the team that started the season on a 19-game losing streak, is now 2-0.

Third mad props to Big Horn, which made the long trek to Burns but found a way to come out with a 27-22 victory in a seesaw affair. The Rams struggled the past two weeks, which made them easy to overlook in a game where a long trip and a good team were not enough to slow down the defending 2A runners-up. This victory may have just saved the Rams’ season. And with dates with Wright, Glenrock and Wheatland coming the next three weeks, the timing could not be better for the maroon and yellow.

And that’s this week’s mad props. But here are some other gleanings from Week 2’s games:

Gillette stepped up big time in its 30-21 victory over Cheyenne East in an early showdown of undefeated teams. Now, the Camels and Natrona are the only two undefeated teams in 4A. But don’t look ahead to that Week 8 Camels-Mustangs showdown just yet. There’s some parity at the top of 4A, as NC’s 20-13 squeaker over Cheyenne Central on Friday demonstrated. …

Green River and Riverton set the early mark for combined points between 11-man teams in the Wolves’ 54-30 victory over the Wolverines. Both teams proved they can pile up the points. …

Congratulations to Kyhler Cummings, who scored Cheyenne South’s first varsity touchdown. Even in a 62-6 loss (to Sheridan), there is reason for optimism in the Bison camp. …

I’ll just go ahead and say it now: Game of the week next week is Lyman-Lovell. If you’re within a 100-mile radius of Lovell at 7 p.m. Friday, you need to gather your buddies, get in your car and motor on down to the KPR to watch this game. …

Pop quiz: The only team in Wyoming that still hasn’t allowed a point this season? That’s right. Pine Bluffs. …

Congratulations go out to Southeast coach Mark Bullington, who notched his 100th career victory in the Cyclones’ 41-14 victory over Sundance. He is the 22nd coach to accomplish the feat and is only the third active coach in the state to reach the century mark.

As for me? Well, it was a better week this week than last week:

This week: 29-3 (91 percent). This season: 64-17 (79 percent).

–patrick

Week 2 picks

by ⋅ 5 Comments

Five years ago, this game was the making of pure fantasy.

Two years ago, this game was possible, but impossible.

This week, this game takes center stage.

The game: Snake River at Dubois. The two teams that have already asserted themselves as among the best six-man teams in the state will meet at 3 p.m. Saturday to give the six-man classification its 2011 favorite.

The Rattlers, of course, are the defending six-man state champions and have what is now a state-best winning streak at 10 games. A program that was more than 50 years dormant until 2009 has already established itself as a perennial contender.

The Rams were stragglers in the 11-man ranks for several years but had a tremendous 2010, finishing 7-2 in their final year of the 100-yard game before moving to six-man this season.

In addition to their impressive 2010 seasons, both squads put up impressive victories in Week 1 of 2011: Snake River 45-6 over Ten Sleep, Dubois 49-20 over Midwest.

Now, the first meeting ever between the two programs just might be a preview of a November playoff game, maybe even the big one they play in the big stadium. The six-man game is explosive in its very make-up, and based on what these two teams have already accomplished, it’s fair to say that this game may come down to the final possession. This is the type of matchup that could create the game to show everything six-man football can be.

As the defending champs, I choose Snake River to win, but I know Dubois has the potential to become Wyoming’s six-man frontrunner, too.

All this from a game we could have only foresaw in our imaginations just a few years ago.

Here are the rest of the picks for the week, with projected winners in bold:

Thursday
Class 1A 11-man
Shoshoni at Wind River: Both teams played in what amounted to blowouts last week. The strength of both teams was probably obscured a bit by the quality of competition in both cases. This one should be a much better game for both, probably decided by a touchdown or less. I’m just picking the home team. 7:30 p.m. (WR 27-18)
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Gillette: The biggest 4A game of the week is right here, as two undefeated squads face each other. Big? No. It’s HUGE. And it’s hard to pick against the Camels at home in a huge game. 7 p.m. (Gil 21-16)
Cheyenne South at Sheridan: Doesn’t matter who Sheridan was facing this week — I was picking them. The Broncs have to be eager to shake off last week’s loss. 6 p.m. (First meeting)
Kelly Walsh at Laramie: This one could go either way quite easily. Whoever wins this one will likely win by less than a touchdown. Coin flip this one…. my penny says Laramie. Sorry, Trojans. 7 p.m. (Lar 19-16)
Natrona at Cheyenne Central: I think it’s clear now: the Mustangs are reloading, not rebuilding. 7 p.m. (tied 47-47-3)
Rock Springs at Evanston: I had the chance to watch Evanston in person last week and I came away impressed. Rock Springs will keep it interesting, but I think the Red Devils win it. 7 p.m. (RS 43-26-5)
Class 3A
Cody at Douglas: Find me one person who realistically expected neither one of these teams to have a victory heading into this game. 7 p.m. (Dou 1-0)
Green River at Riverton: The Wolves may have been the most impressive team in the opening week of the 3A schedule. 7 p.m. (GR 19-10)
Lander at Star Valley: This is a game that has kept me sleepless all week. The reason I am going with the Braves? Location. 7 p.m. (SV 19-7)
Powell at Buffalo: Is this a preview of the 3A title game? Maybe, maybe not, but the Panthers and the Bison are both clearly in the upper echelon of 3A football teams. 7 p.m. (Buf 18-16)
Rawlins at Jackson: The Broncs  were the more impressive of these two teams in their Week 1 interstate matchups. Watch for Jackson to keep rolling. 7 p.m. (Jac 3-2)
Torrington at Worland: The Warriors’ offense has had a slow start to the season, but if they can get rolling against the Trailblazers, watch out. 6 p.m. (Wor 6-3)
Class 2A
Big Horn at Burns: Despite the loss to Lusk last week, I’m still confident the Broncs are one of the best teams in the East this year. 6 p.m. (BH 3-2)
Kemmerer at Lyman: Maybe the game of the week in 2A. The Rangers are eager to prove they belong in the discussion of the West’s top teams; the Eagles are already there and want to stay in the discussion. 5 p.m. (Kem 23-10)
Lovell at Pinedale: One of these teams had an impressive Week 1 performance. The other did not. 7 p.m. (Lov 5-1)
Mountain View at Greybull: Another one keeping me awake at night. As usual, when I can’t decide between what looks like two evenly matched teams, I pick the home team — and it’s a long ways from Mountain View to Greybull. 7 p.m. (MV 3-2)
Newcastle at Moorcroft: This is a really interesting game that, when it’s all said and done, we may look back on and say, “That one was for a playoff spot.” 1 p.m. (New 10-7)
Thermopolis at Big Piney: A little pride check after last week’s loss to Glenrock won’t hurt the Bobcats in the long run. 2:30 p.m. (tied 6-6)
Wheatland at Wright: Both teams are coming off difficult Week 1 losses and want to make a good first impression in conference play. 7 p.m. (First meeting)
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Saratoga: I like what both of these teams did in their season openers. It’s just that one of these teams was impressive in a victory and the other was impressive in a loss. 2 p.m. (Brl 2-0)
Lingle at Upton: Lingle has outscored Upton 117-7 in their meetings the past two years. Tough to overlook a number like that. 7 p.m. (Lin 4-2)
Normative Services at Pine Bluffs: Speaking of dominance, the Hornets have outscored the Wolves 99-6 in their past two matchups. 5 p.m. (PB 2-0)
Riverside at Cokeville: Even with a loss last week, Cokeville is still Cokeville — although the Rebels will put up a stout challenge. 2 p.m. (Cok 7-1)
Sundance at Southeast: Can you say “revenge game”? The Cyclones are still probably a bit angry about what the Bulldogs did to them last year. 7 p.m. (SE 6-2)
Wyoming Indian at Rocky Mountain: The Grizzlies have beaten the Chiefs 15 times in a row. Last week gave us no indication that this run is about to abruptly end. 4 p.m. (RM 16-2)
Class 1A six-man
Farson at Kaycee: The game of the week may be in Dubois, but the Buckaroos are going to have a say in who wins the six-man state championship this year by the time we get to Laramie. 3 p.m. (Kay 1-0)
Hanna at Hulett: The Red Devils put up an impressive showing in their official six-man debut last week. At home, they will get a challenge from the Miners, but I still like what Hulett is putting together this fall. 2 p.m. (Hul 4-1)
Meeteetse at Midwest: The Oilers should bounce back from a tough loss to Dubois last week. 5 p.m. (Mid 10-6)
Interclass
Natrona JV at Glenrock: The interesting subplot here is the presence of former Natrona lineman Taylor Millay, who’s now with the Heders… but with 21 other guys on the field at any given time, it’s the Herders as a whole who should win this one. 7 p.m. (NA)
Interstate
Lusk at Hill City, S.D.: The Tigers sure sent a statement last week, didn’t they? Gotta like Lusk in this one, too. 6:30 p.m. (First meeting)
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Guernsey at Ten Sleep: Neither one of these squads had the start to the season that they had hoped for. Nonetheless, both have the chance to turn it around right here. 3 p.m. (tied 1-1)

Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas? Rants? Post ’em below and let’s talk Week 2 football!

–patrick