2011 football schedule updates

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

With Tongue River dropping its 2011 season, several of the Eagles’ opponents have scheduled games in their place.

Glenrock, Burns and Wheatland have announced they will play sub-varsity squads from Natrona. Glenrock will host the Natrona team at 7 p.m. Friday (Sept. 9), Burns will host Natrona’s squad at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, Wheatland will play the Natrona JV at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 in Casper.

Newcastle will keep its Week 6 date it had originally scheduled with Tongue River as an open week.

Lyman, who was scheduled to open the season with Tongue River, played Ririe, Idaho, last Friday.

Moorcroft (week 3), Wright (week 5) and Big Horn (week 7) have yet to announce replacement games and/or open weeks in place of the Tongue River game. When those schools confirm their plans for those weeks, that information will be posted here.

You can always see the full 2011 schedule and results by clicking here.

–patrick

Week 1 Humble Pie: Attentive cats, good signs and broken streaks

by ⋅ 5 Comments

The first week of the season always reminds us fans of one thing: History has little bearing on what takes place on the field year in and year out.

We were all reminded of that this week.

First of all, a multi-year streak, whether a winning or losing streak, only continues because the circumstances allow it to continue. Circumstances have changed for a pair of programs that carried long streaks into the 2011 season openers: Shoshoni and Douglas.

I make special mention of Shoshoni here (I usually save my slices of Humble Pie for teams that prove my picks wrong) because the Wranglers’ 19-game winning streak, the second-longest active losing streak in the state, came to an end with a 49-12 victory over Upton.

Green River, meanwhile, earned mad props for its 32-15 dismantling of Douglas, putting an end to the Bearcats’ 30-game win streak, a stretch that lasted two and a half seasons. The Wolves’ Kolby Kester was the pacesetter, rushing for 123 yards, while QB Colter Hamel added a combined 241 yards passing and rushing. It’s a solid victory for the Wolves in their re-entry to Class 3A, but how solid? We won’t know for a few more weeks. For now, the victory is important because of what Douglas had done in past seasons — not what the Bearcats have done this season.

The state’s second-longest winning streak also came to an end on Friday. Mountain View earned second mad props by snapping Cokeville’s 11-game winning streak as the Panthers fell 6-3 in overtime to the Buffalos. All the points came in overtime — Cokeville scored a field goal on its possession in extra time, Mountain View answered with the winning touchdown — and it signaled that the 2A West may be just as deep as everyone thinks it is.

By the way, the longest winning streak in the state now belongs to little ol’ Snake River, which has won 10 in a row heading into Saturday’s game with Ten Sleep. The longest active 11-man winning streak is now a paltry five games — the streak run up by Natrona.

Speaking of Natrona, third mad props to the Mustangs for grinding out a 20-6 victory over Sheridan. This game was one that was won in the final 12 minutes (it was 6-3 NC heading into the final quarter), which is a good sign for a team that didn’t have to work very hard in its season-opening victory over Cheyenne South last week.

Fourth mad props to Glenrock, which showed just how quickly a team can gain respect by beating up on two-time defending 2A champion Thermopolis 29-12. After a 2-6 season last year, expectations were tempered for the Herders this year, but this Week 1 victory will gain everyone’s attention. In a weakening 2A East, the Herders just jumped to the top of the heap — and makes that date with Wheatland in two weeks especially intriguing.

Fifth mad props to Burlington, which edged out Big Piney 21-13. We knew Burlington was going to be solid this year, but this victory over the Punchers should be a warning to the rest of the 1A West. The Huskies are legit.

Sixth mad props to Lusk, 12-7 winners over Burns in dramatic fashion. The Tigers scored the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter — and that came only after they converted a long fourth-down play on the winning drive. This is the type of game that can inspire (or demoralize) a team for weeks.

Seventh mad props to Star Valley, winners by the odd score of 10-9 over Snake River, Idaho. The 3A West is full of solid teams this year, and it’s been easy to overlook the Braves. That’s a mistake, because, as they proved on Friday, Star Valley has what it takes to make a run at the top teams in the west. Remaining nonconference games against Lander and Douglas may help further illustrate that point….

Eighth mad props to Jackson, 35-23 winners over Teton, Idaho, in one of the highest scoring games of the week. The Broncs are still finding their way a bit after a 1-7 season last year, but this start to the 2011 season should give Jackson some confidence — something they will need to keep pace out west.

And, finally, ninth mad props to Hardin, Mont., which beat Cody 34-27.

Saturday add: Tenth mad props to Hulett, which proved to be a quick study in the six-man game in its 42-14 victory over Guernsey. In case you’re wondering, the North Conference teams went 4-1 against their South Conference counterparts in a week full of interconference play. We may have seen where the strength of six-man is this year in the opening weekend.

Tuesday add: 11th mad props to Farson for beating Meeteetse in a game and a score that went uncorrected this weekend. Farson won 60-24.

It’s not unusual to have a bunch of unexpected finishes in the first week of the season. After all, we base our assumptions about what might happen in the season openers on what we’ve seen in the past. The 2011 season has no past, so it only makes sense to see some surprising finishes. Each season has its own identity, its own character, and this is just the first effort at shaping the 2011 season. It’s a lot of fun, isn’t it?

Some other things that drew my attention this week:

Greybull scored four defensive touchdowns — yes, four — in beating Big Horn 38-6. The Buffs are doing their best to make sure you don’t forget about them when you talk 2A West contenders. Interesting Buffs-Buffs matchup next week as Mountain View comes to Big Horn County. … Dubois passed its first six-man test with flying colors, beating Midwest 49-20. Snake River ventures to Fremont County next week. … Kaycee’s defense held Hanna to just six points in their six-man game. Don’t forget about the Buckaroos. … I may drive up to Buffalo next Friday for that Buffalo-Powell game. It’s about as big as a Week 2 game can get. …

How about you? What were some of the moments, teams, players and games that caught your attention this week? Post your thoughts below and we can chat about it all through the Labor Day weekend.

This week: 23-11 (68 percent). This season: 35-14 (71 percent).

–patrick

Week 1 picks

by ⋅ 3 Comments

Douglas’ current 30-game winning streak has been full of challenges.

No challenge to the streak, though, may be bigger than the one the Bearcats will face starting at 7 p.m. Friday in Green River.

Whether the Bearcats can continue one of the most impressive winning streaks in state history will rest on their ability to play up to the challenge that the Wolves are certain to bring.

Green River, after all, has spent the past 30-plus years as a member of Wyoming’s big-school football classifications (AA, 4A or 5A, depending on what it was called at the time). And this is the Wolves’ first game back at the 3A level.

This is the game the Wolves want — how do they stack up against 3A’s best team the past three years?

This is the game the Bearcats want — how do they stack up against a school that is more or less still a 4A school in terms of talent and experience?

This is the game the fans want — can Douglas keep its winning streak going while overcoming a long road trip and a tough team at the end of the trip?

All of those subplots come together in Sweetwater County on Friday night.

But, as mentioned before, this is not the first time Douglas has been challenged on its streak. Every time, though, the Bearcats have responded the way champions do. That’s why I am picking the Bearcats to win on Friday. (GR 1-0)

Here is a quick glance at the rest of this week’s games, with projected winners in bold:

Thursday
Interclass
Moorcroft at Sundance: This game was a tight one right down to the final gun last year. Expect the same this year. 4 p.m. (Mor 35-26)
Interstate
Lyman at Ririe, Idaho: Lyman came out on fire in Zero Week. We’ll see if that trend continues here as the Eagles play their second consecutive out-of-state foe. 7 p.m. (First meeting)
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Cheyenne South: The Bison will be fired up for their home opener, but the Indians have the upper hand in this one. 7 p.m. (First meeting)
Evanston at Kelly Walsh: If you didn’t know already, last week proved just how dangerous Evanston can be. Don’t sleep on the Red Devils just because they lost. 7 p.m. (Eva 10-4)
Gillette at Rock Springs: The Camels will be just fine this year. The Tigers, though, could present a challenge after last week’s gritty OT victory. 7 p.m. (Gil 11-5)
Laramie at Cheyenne East: I think both teams are better than they were last year. East just started from a better place than Laramie did. 7 p.m. (Lar 33-21)
Sheridan at Natrona: Game of the week in 4A. By the time it’s all said and done, it may be the game of the year. 7 p.m. (NC 51-41-6)
Class 3A
Buffalo at Worland: The Warriors haven’t beaten the Bison since the 2003 4A title game. Even so, don’t count Worland out of this one, especially at home. Either way, the winner wins by less than a touchdown. 6 p.m. (Wor 13-11)
Riverton at Powell: When you combine the scores from their two games from last year, these squads tied each other 20-20. I think this one will be another close, low-scoring type of game, one that may hinge on a big play late. 7 p.m. (Pow 36-29-3)
Class 2A
Glenrock at Thermopolis: The Bobcats proved last week that they’re still legit. 7 p.m. (Glk 17-12)
Greybull at Big Horn: This should be one of the best games of the week — if both teams play up to their potential. 1 p.m. (BH 12-3)
Wright at Lovell: If the length of the road trip doesn’t get to the Panthers, they have a chance. But the Bulldogs are pretty darn good this year. 7 p.m. (Lov 4-0)
Class 1A 11-man
Pine Bluffs at Wyoming Indian: Expect a solid effort out of the Chiefs in their first game back in the 1A ranks, but the Hornets will probably be just too much. 6 p.m. (First meeting)
Rocky Mountain at Normative Services: The Grizzlies have absolutely owned this series the past two years. Count on more of the same. 6 p.m. (RM 2-0)
Saratoga at Lingle: The Doggers have been somewhat lost in the discussion of 1A 11-man’s top  teams this fall. Watch for them to have a breakout game against the Panthers. 6 p.m. (Lin 14-9)
Upton at Shoshoni: You heard it here first — this is the week the Wranglers break their losing streak. (Well, unless the Bobcats see this and take my pick personally….) 4 p.m. (tied 1-1)
Class 1A six-man
Kaycee at Hanna: Ooh. What a great test for both teams right out of the gate. The winner of this game makes a huge statement to the rest of six-man. 3 p.m. (tied 1-1)
Midwest at Dubois: The Rams didn’t catch a break in drawing the Oilers in their first six-man game. Nevertheless, the Rams have the talent to win this one, although it might be uncomfortably close. 1 p.m. (Mid 5-4)
Interclass
Big Piney at Burlington: This is one game where school size may not be evident in the first quarter but will be clear in the fourth. 3 p.m. (BP 2-0)
Burns at Lusk: No Burns players have ever seen a Broncs victory in Lusk: The Broncs have not won at Fullmer Stadium since 1990. Look for that run to end on Friday. 7 p.m. (Lus 23-8)
Cokeville at Mountain View: Is Cokeville as legit as everyone seems to think they are? The Buffalos will be a great gauge for that assumption. 3:30 p.m. (Cok 31-16-1)
Lander at Wheatland: Interesting interclass matchup between two teams who have not played each other since 2000. To be honest, I’m not quite sure what to expect — which kind of makes me want to go watch this one. 6 p.m. (Lan 4-3)
Pinedale at Riverside: I make this pick based on location alone. In Pinedale, I would probably go Wranglers, but in Basin I will go Rebels. 7 p.m. (Rsd 5-2)
Southeast at Newcastle: One of the more interesting interclass games on the schedule the past couple years, the Cyclones have proven over and over again that they can play with the bigger schools. 7 p.m. (SE 2-0)
Wind River at Kemmerer: It’s kind of surprising to think about it, but neither one of these teams made the playoffs last season. Both squads are looking to improve on last year’s finishes, but in The Pit I will go with the Rangers. 4 p.m. (First meeting)
Interstate
Chadron, Neb., at Torrington: The Trailblazers have not beaten the Cardinals since 1999. This one should be close, but Chadron always seems to have Torrington’s number. 7 p.m. (Cha 15-1)
Hardin, Mont., at Cody: Cody had a rough opening weekend. They’ll learn from that experience, though. 7 p.m. (tied 3-3)
Rawlins at Sidney, Neb.: Rawlins’ first trip to Nebraska in program history will be a tough challenge to start the season. 7 p.m. (First meeting)
Star Valley at Snake River, Idaho: Snake River has a running back named Emmett Smith. Any defensive linemen on the Braves named Bruce Smith? 7 p.m. (Snake 4-1)
Teton, Idaho, at Jackson: Teton’s one advantage is the one victory it has under its belt. Still, this one could go either way. 7 p.m. (Teton 14-12)
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Hulett at Guernsey: This interesting north-south matchup may come down to the final possession. 2 p.m. (Gue 3-2)
Meeteetse at Farson: Farson has made strides the past two seasons and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Pronghorns knock off the Longhorns. Even so, I will take Meeteetse. 3 p.m. (Met 3-0)
Ten Sleep at Snake River: Ten Sleep was impressive last week, but the Rattlers are still the defending state champions…. 2 p.m. (tied 1-1)

There they are, the first full week of picks. Your thoughts? Where did I go wrong and what do you think I got right? Post your ideas below.

–patrick

How to stay in the loop

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

No more excuses — you have no reason not to be plugged in for the 2011 high school football season here in the Equality State.

After all, wyoming-football.com is on Facebook.

And on Twitter.

And we have our own Flickr album where you can upload photos you take at games. (Maybe you noticed the new slide show feature on the front of this site’s home page, where your photos can be seen and shared.)

This site is a lot more fun if you’re as involved as you can be. So like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and add some photos to our group on Twitter. Oh, and comment on this blog!

–patrick

Week 0 Humble Pie: Forgetfulness, regret and frustration

by ⋅ 6 Comments

Remember Thermopolis?

Yeah, the school that has the two-time defending Class 2A champions?

Those guys? Yeah. I do now. Shouldn’t have ever doubted them.

The Bobcats showed the rest of the state just how much they want to win a third straight crown when they beat Big Horn 21-6 in a rematch of last year’s 2A title game. And we should know by now that the Bobcats have the experience and the ability — and, maybe most importantly, the attitude — to make it back to Laramie in November.

Remember that the Bobcats are good at revenge. In 2009, the Bobcats lost to Glenrock in the regular season, only to beat them in the state championship game. And last year, Thermopolis lost to Big Horn in the regular season but avenged that loss in the title game, as well.

Maybe all Friday’s victory means is that Thermopolis won’t beat Big Horn in the championship game. Revenge can’t be served on a team that’s already been beaten. But what it does mean is that a return to Laramie can’t be ruled out for the Bobcats. As the old adage goes, they are the champions until someone proves otherwise. Friday was just another reminder that, so far, no one has done that yet.

Second mad props to Wheatland, which eked out a 14-10 victory over Torrington in a revival of a rivalry that has been played every year since 1934. Maybe after this one, the Trailblazers are regretting keeping the series going.

Third mad props to Miles City, Mont., which barely eked out a 21-20 victory over Powell.

Some other stuff I noticed this week:

Despite being utterly predictable, the opening week of 4A football helped us figure out which teams might indeed be contenders. Right now, who wouldn’t want to see a rematch of Evanston-Gillette? The Camels won 40-36 on a touchdown in the last minute (just as I predicted!). Sheridan looked sharp in beating Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East destroyed new-look Kelly Walsh and Natrona ran roughshod over Cheyenne South. Right now, we can include those five schools in the discussion. Next week, we really only get one game to help us clear up the confusion at the top, but it’s a big one: Sheridan at Natrona. …

Thermopolis’ victory stands out in the 2A West, but remember that Lyman and Greybull also won and Lovell definitely got better by scrimmaging Douglas. That is going to be a tough, tough conference this fall. …

Beware Worland. Beware Riverton. Both teams proved their moxie on Friday, even though Riverton came away with the 12-7 victory. Both teams will cause a lot of problems for the pre-ordained frontrunners in 3A this year. …

So what did you think of the first week of high school football? What teams, players or moments stood out for you? Post a comment below and we can chat about it.

This week: 12-3 (80 percent). This season: 12-3 (80 percent).

–patrick

Week 0 picks

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Wyoming football fans have the chance to see something somewhat rare at 7 p.m. Friday — the introduction of a new varsity football program.

On that night, for the first time as a varsity team, the Cheyenne South Bison will take the field.

That field? Cheney Alumni Field, home of the defending Class 4A state champion Natrona.

It will be a difficult but exhilarating challenge for the Bison and new head coach Tracy Pugh, who will be trying to win the school’s first varsity football game and will also try to do so with a roster completely lacking of 12th-graders.

The Bison will also be fighting against history. Traditionally, schools unveiling their programs have not done well in their first varsity game. Here is a quick rundown of the results of new programs’ first games since 1960 (first game in program history OR first game after an absence of 5+ years; new program in bold):

1960: Buffalo JV 34, Arvada-Clearmont 32
1960: Cheyenne East 27, Torrington 6
1963: Hanna 0, Guernsey-Sunrise 0, tie
1965: Gillette 20, Kelly Walsh 0
1966: Hanna 41, Goshen Hole 0
1967: Goshen Hole 54, Burns 0
1968: Jackson JV 31, Dubois 6
1969: Moorcroft JV 20, Arvada-Clearmont 6
1969: Burlington 18, Wind River 6
1972: Bow-Basin 36, Wyoming Indian 0
1972: Dubois 1, Ten Sleep 0, Dubois win by forfeit
1977: Shoshoni 14, North Big Horn 0
1977: Saratoga 20, Southeast 18
1983: Lovell 19, Rocky Mountain 0
1984: Wright 44, Moorcroft JV 0
1987: Big Piney 40, Farson 14
1987: Big Horn 45, Riverside 45, tie, 3OT
1988: Hanna 18, Encampment 0
2000: Normative Services 8, Upton 0, OT
2009: Hanna 56, Farson 14
2009: Kaycee 56, Snake River 36

Since 1960, Wyoming programs in their first games have gone 5-16-2. Two of those five victories — Bow-Basin’s victory over Wyoming Indian in 1972 and Kaycee’s victory over Snake River in 2009, came in games where two newly minted programs faced each other.

Of course, this has absolutely no bearing on Cheyenne South’s chances on Friday in Casper. The game will be won the old-fashioned way, by the team that has the best players executing the best game plan.

It doesn’t seem fair that South drew Natrona on the road to start the season. But to their credit, the Bison have not complained about the draw, or about being asked (or forced, depending on your opinion) to play 4A football despite not yet having the ability to draw from a full school.

Every step of the way, the Bison have looked at these not as problems, but as opportunities. And they have the opportunity to pull off an eye-popping upset on Friday.

Will it happen? Probably not. My pick is Natrona.

But the opportunity is there. That is all the Bison need. Or want.

Here is a quick rundown of the remaining Zero Week contests. Projected winners are in bold. All-time series records, something new to the picks process this year, are in parentheses:

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Sheridan: The past few seasons, both the Broncs and the Indians have been perennial contenders. After tonight, both teams will have a great idea of how they might fare in 4A this year. 6 p.m. (She 34-27-1)
Cheyenne East at Kelly Walsh: The Thunderbirds return some solid talent, but role players will need to find their niche for East to KO what should be a hyped-up Trojan team in new coach Jon Vance’s debut. 7 p.m. (KW 24-19)
Evanston at Gillette: Evanston embarrassed Gillette in the season opener last year. The Camels, at home, will be eager to return the favor — although this one may come down to a last-minute score to win. 7 p.m. (Gil 3-2)
Rock Springs at Laramie: Last year’s two non-playoff qualifiers need to win this one out of the gate to establish some confidence. 7 p.m. (Lar 45-31)
Class 3A
Worland at Riverton: The Wolverines are ready to start turning heads. The improving Warriors will be the first challenge to Riverton’s plans. 7 p.m. (Riv 42-35-1)
Class 2A
Big Horn at Thermopolis: How big of an influence will Tongue River’s combo with Big Horn have? I’m guessing significant. We will see on Friday. 7 p.m. (The 2-1)
Interclass
Riverside at Greybull: New Greybull coach Josh Heinemeyer makes his debut with the Buffs against the traditional rivals from the south. Emotion may carry the blue and gold. 7:30 p.m. (Rsd 13-11)
Interstate
Altamont, Utah, at Lyman: Even though Altamont has won the past two years against the Eagles, this may be Lyman’s year to break the streak. 4 p.m. (Altamont 2-0)
Saturday
Interclass
Big Piney at Wind River: The Punchers might surprise some people (namely me) in the 2A West this year. Also, in five previous meetings with Wind River, not only has Big Piney won all of them, but they have yet to give up a point to the Cougars. Odd statistical anomaly or trend? 1 p.m. (BP 5-0)
Natrona sophs at Midwest: The Oilers have the experience in six-man, but the young Mustangs will be a fun test in the opener. 10 a.m. (NA)
Riverside JV at Ten Sleep: This game will be of the six-man variety, and the Pioneers have a bit more experience in that game. Noon. (NA)
Torrington at Wheatland: I’m SOOOOO glad to see this series continue! I had a fear that the two teams, who have played each other every year since 1934, may part ways due to the classification changes, but fortunately both schools wanted to keep the series going. Glad to see it! 6 p.m. (Tor 73-18-1)
Interstate
Custer, S.D., at Newcastle: The past two games between these teams have been decided by a combined four points. Bank on another close one here. 7 p.m. (Custer 24-16-3)
Laurel, Mont., at Cody: Laurel has had the upper hand in this series for a little while now. Beware the Broncs at home, though. 7 p.m. (Laurel 8-4)
Miles City, Mont., at Powell: Powell’s trip to Miles City got cut short by lightning last year. A complete four quarters is the goal in this one in what may be the best game of the week, as Montana’s defending Class A champions venture south. 6 p.m. (tied 2-2)

The rest of the Zero Week schedule is as follows:

Scrimmages and Jamborees
Friday
Rocky Mountain at Cody JV, 7 p.m.
Snake River at SoRoCo, Colo., 7 p.m.
Saturday
Glenrock at Kelly Walsh JV, 11 a.m.
Green River at Littleton, Colo./Erie, Colo., jamboree, TBA
Jackson at Pinedale, 1 p.m.
Lander at Kemmerer, 1 p.m.
Lovell at Douglas, 6 p.m.
Pine Bluffs/Southeast at Burns jamboree, 9 a.m.
Rawlins at Mountain View, 11 a.m.
Wright at Lusk, 10:30 a.m.
Wyoming Indian at Shoshoni, 10 a.m.

If you see any errors with the Zero Week schedule, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com or post the info below.

As always, I make these picks all in good fun. I absolutely love it when teams prove me wrong — and I absolutely love it when my picks are right. No matter who wins each game, I end up having fun! Please have fun along with me this season.

–patrick

Season forfeits and seasons on JV

by ⋅ 6 Comments

With last week’s news that Tongue River is forfeiting its 2011 season, I started thinking about how common/rare of an occurrence such a dramatic step is in Wyoming high school football.

I did a brief scan of the site and found that, since 1962, seven seasons have been canceled completely, and another nine seasons have been reduced solely to junior varsity games.

Tongue River’s season falls into the former category, as the Eagles will combine with Big Horn for this fall and take on the Rams’ junior varsity and freshman schedule.

Here is a quick look at the seasons since 1962 that have been lost due to low numbers. These lists do not include seasons where a full schedule of varsity teams was played under nine-man, eight-man or six-man formats and the teams were subsequently ineligible for the 11-man playoffs, or seasons in which programs were in their first year and did not field varsity teams.

Cancellations of entire seasons
Burlington 1989
Dubois 1986
Hanna 1986, 1993
Hulett 1982
Meeteetse 1982
Ten Sleep 1990
(47 times total, mostly during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s)

Forfeiture of varsity schedule/played sub-varsity schedule
Dubois 1998
Hulett 2010, 1981
Meeteetse 1995, 2002
Midwest 2002, 2008
Ten Sleep 2007, 2008 (Montana six-man)
(Farson forfeited the final half of its 1990 schedule; Normative Services forfeited the final half of its 2002 schedule.)

When entire seasons are forfeited prior to the start of the season, the games scheduled for that season are not counted in season records, either for the forfeiting team or the non-forfeiting team. When teams start but don’t finish a season, those forfeits are counted in season records. (This goes against the way the WHSAA has recently tallied entire season forfeits, but I find this system to be more consistent with how such problems have been handled in the past. It also allows for those schools playing sub-varsity schedules to have their seasons recognized more accurately.)

–patrick

Current series records

by ⋅ 9 Comments

Thumbing through some series records the other day prompted me to think about Wyoming’s longest-lasting rivalries.

Oddly enough, series rivalry records are the one thing I have avoided tallying since I started this research in 2004. It was a lot of work, and I wasn’t sure about the payoff. But this week inspired me to start.

The logical starting place was tallying series records for this year’s games. After all, most longstanding series will continue no matter the year. So I tallied up the series records for all of this year’s games, and found three series with more than 100 games played. Here are the 10 most played current rivalries in Wyoming:

10 most played existing series
1. Cheyenne Central-Laramie: 126 games (Central leads 62-58-6)
2. Lander-Riverton: 114 games (Riverton leads 58-49-7)
3. Cody-Powell: 110 games (Cody leads 59-47-4)
4. Natrona-Sheridan: 98 games (Natrona leads 51-41-6)
5. Cheyenne Central-Natrona: 97 games (series tied 47-47-3)
6. Big Piney-Pinedale: 96 games (Big Piney leads 54-42)
7. Torrington-Wheatland: 92 games (Torrington leads 73-18-1)
8. Greybull-Lovell: 83 games (Lovell leads 52-27-4)
9. Douglas-Torrington: 82 games (Torrington leads 54-26-2)
10t. Laramie-Natrona: 78 games (Natrona leads 43-34-1)
10t. Riverton-Worland: 78 games (Riverton leads 42-35-1)

There were 22 other current series in Wyoming that topped 60 meetings. Those series included:

Other series of note (at least 60 games)
Laramie-Rock Springs: 76 games (Laramie leads 45-31)
Big Piney-Lyman: 75 games (Big Piney leads 44-30-1)
Evanston-Rock Springs: 74 games (Rock Springs leads 43-26-5)
Sundance-Upton: 74 games (Upton leads 38-31-5)
Jackson-Star Valley: 73 games (Star Valley leads 59-14)
Laramie-Sheridan: 72 games (Laramie leads 43-29)
Lovell-Thermopolis: 72 games (Thermopolis leads 42-30)
Cody-Worland: 71 games (Cody leads 38-32-1)
Lyman-Mountain View: 71 games (Mountain View leads 42-29)
Big Piney-Mountain View: 70 games (Big Piney leads 38-32)
Powell-Riverton: 68 games (Powell leads 36-29-3)
Powell-Worland: 68 games (Worland leads 39-29)
Cody-Riverton: 67 games (Cody leads 33-32-2)
Green River-Star Valley: 67 games (Star Valley leads 32-30-5)
Lyman-Pinedale: 66 games (Pinedale leads 38-28)
Gillette-Sheridan: 65 games (Sheridan leads 38-26-1)
Natrona-Rock Springs: 65 games (Natrona leads 43-19-3)
Greybull-Thermopolis: 64 games (Thermopolis leads 41-19-4)
Mountain View-Pinedale: 63 games (Mountain View leads 36-25-2)
Cheyenne Central-Rock Springs: 62 games (Cheyenne Central leads 40-18-4)
Cheyenne Central-Sheridan: 62 games (Sheridan leads 34-27-1)
Moorcroft-Sundance: 61 games (Moorcroft leads 35-26)

Remember, though, that this list ONLY encompasses series that are continuing this year. It does not account for other longstanding rivalry games that will not be played this year, including Evanston-Star Valley, Green River-Rock Springs, Douglas-Wheatland, Thermopolis-Worland, Evanston-Green River and others.

Some day, I hope to have series records for all schools. However, the research I have already accomplished gives me a neat little side note to add to the blog this year. In addition to my weekly picks, you will see the series record for each game noted in parentheses. While the past games have little bearing on this year’s games, it is fun to look back and see just how well two schools have stacked up against each other in the past.

–patrick

Newsbreak: Tongue River forfeits season

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Low numbers force Tongue River to forfeit season (Sheridan Media).

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In the interview with Sheridan Media, Sheridan County School District No. 1 Superintendent Marty Kozba said Tongue River did not have enough players to safely play the sport. The Eagles will co-op with Big Horn for this season.

–patrick

4A season preview

by ⋅ 2 Comments

The wyoming-football.com look-ahead at the 2011 season comes to an end today with a look at Class 4A.

Four questions to answer
What can we expect from Cheyenne South in its first year of varsity football? If the past is any indication, not much. The last two new schools to start at the 4A/AA level — Cheyenne East in 1960 and Kelly Walsh in 1965 — were a combined 2-14-1 in their first year of varsity football. Without any seniors, South seems destined for a similar fate, but don’t expect the Bison to use that as an excuse. The squad could pull off a couple upsets, should garner respect from its opponents and may sneak into the playoffs if the young players play up to the level demanded by 4A ball.

Is this the year parity reigns in 4A? Maybe. With defending state champion Natrona decimated by graduation, three new head coaches (see below), only three first-team all-state players returning and a new face in Cheyenne South, no team is the absolute preseason favorite.

What can we expect out of the schools with new head coaches? Actually, don’t expect much change. Kelly Walsh, Rock Springs and Cheyenne South all have new head coaches this fall. However, new coaches Jon Vance at Kelly Walsh and Tom Jassman at Rock Springs were both assistants in their respective programs before taking over as head coach, while Tracy Pugh comes into a much different situation at South (see above).

Did Jordan Roberts really move from Gillette to Sheridan? Sure did. And it changes the dynamic of the entire season. Sheridan, with Roberts’ 1,357 yards anchoring the backfield, will be one of 4A’s top teams. Gillette will still be Gillette, though — eager to prove that, no matter the circumstances (or tailbacks), it is always ready to strap on the helmet and play with the best teams in the state.

Four players to watch
Jeremy Woods, Cheyenne East. Class 4A’s leading rusher last season (225 carries, 1,506 yards, 11 touchdowns), Woods was inexplicably left off the all-state team. He’s even more dangerous as a punt returner, and teams know it; he only had six returns last year, but ran those kicks back for 129 yards — more than 20 yards per return.

Jordan Roberts, Sheridan. Roberts was Gillette’s featured back last year (see above), running for 1,357 yards and, more importantly, 16 touchdowns. On a Sheridan team that lost a ton of offensive talent to graduation, Roberts will be an important boost.

Matt Eddington, Evanston. If you couldn’t already tell, 2011 will be the year of the running back in 4A. Three of the top four yard-gainers from 2010 are back this year, including Eddington, who ran 172 times for 1,229 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Matt Carver, Cheyenne Central. Carver, a starter on the Indians’ defense since his sophomore year, will again fulfill an important role in the middle of Central’s defense. He was Central’s top defender last year and was ninth in 4A with 146 defensive points, notching 32 solo tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss.

Four key games
Evanston at Gillette, Week 0. It’s kind of easy to forget about the Red Devils because of how quickly they left the 2010 postseason race. But two of the three returning first-team all-state players in 4A belong to Evanston — and, don’t forget, the Red Devils smacked Gillette in last year’s season opener.

Sheridan at Natrona, Week 1. Rematch of last year’s state championship game. Need we say more?

Cheyenne Central at Cheyenne East, Week 3. With the Indians and the Thunderbirds both eager to prove themselves this year, winning the Capital Bowl will be crucial to gaining respect and gaining a good seed for the postseason. (By the way, with South in the picture now, is this still the Capital Bowl? Or is the Capital Bowl Series? Maybe the Capital One Bowl, Capital Two Bowl, Capital Three Bowl?)

Sheridan at Gillette, Week 5. The Energy Bowl takes on an interesting twist with Jordan Roberts’ move (see above), but his presence alone won’t decide this game. A ton of other players on both sides will help swing the game one way or the other in a game where there may be as much at stake as deciding home-field advantage in the playoffs.

Predicted order of finish
Sheridan; Evanston; Gillette; Cheyenne East; Natrona; Cheyenne Central; Kelly Walsh; Rock Springs; Laramie; Cheyenne South. (This is BY FAR the most difficult of the five classifications to forecast.)

Trivia
Cheyenne Central and Laramie have a rivalry that dates back decades — all the way back to the first meeting between the schools in 1909. Between 1909 and today, how many times have the Indians and Plainsmen faced each other? Bonus trivia: What is the all-time series record, and who leads it? And, a legit question, because I don’t know the answer: Is this the most-played series in Wyoming’s high school football history? Comment below with your guesses to the trivia or to comment on any aspect of the upcoming 4A football season.

–patrick