The schedule-makers didn’t plan it this way.
Anyway, they couldn’t have if they tried.
It’s a stroke of luck that in the second week of the Class 4A football season, four of the five teams that won in the first week play each other this week.
That’s what we have with Friday’s games between Cheyenne East and Sheridan (at Sheridan) and between Natrona and Evanston (at Evanston).
All four of those squads won last week. They don’t have to wait long to figure out which teams belong at the top of the standings and which ones will spend a good portion of the rest of the year chasing the top spot instead of setting the pace.
East, Natrona and Sheridan were all expected to be here — East and Natrona due to their bevy of returning players, Sheridan due to the pride that comes with defending a championship. Evanston is the surprise team of the bunch, but no less deserving and no less legit than the teams who had the preseason hype.
The intrigue surrounding these two games is palpable. East vs. Sheridan in a possible playoff preview, Evanston vs. Natrona in a game that may make or break a season for either team. What’s more is that both games start at 6 p.m. — as if all four teams know it and just can’t wait until the traditional 7 p.m. start time to get out on the field and prove themselves.
It’s these early-season games that give us indications of a team’s potential. It really isn’t until about the third or fourth week that we really see what teams are capable of doing….
And because we’re looking at the teams that will win now, and not in November, I’ll go with the home teams. Sheridan showed last week that it has the defense to go with its offense; East’s defense was shaky last week and might bend a little too much against the defending champs. Meanwhile, people always sound surprised when somebody spits out the stat that Evanston has beaten Natrona three of the past four times that they’ve played, including last year’s game in Casper that was the Red Devils’ only win of the season.
When — and if — these teams meet in the postseason, though, these picks may switch. By then, potential will have given way to results, and Sept. 3 will seem like eons ago.
Here are the rest of this week’s picks, with projected winners in bold:
Friday
Class 4A
Gillette at Laramie: Neither team looked great in their season openers last week. The loser of this one has a long climb back into the playoff hunt; the winner is right back in the middle of things. 7 p.m.
Green River at Kelly Walsh: Simply put, the Wolves were more impressive in their loss last week than the Trojans were in theirs. 7 p.m.
Rock Springs at Cheyenne Central: Are the Tigers for real? This game will help us answer that question — because Central is stout enough to give Rock Springs a game, especially at home. This could be the best game of the week in 4A. 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Lander at Rawlins: This early-season matchup should go to the Tigers, who have beaten the Outlaws the past four times they’ve played by an average score of 54-4. 7 p.m.
Riverton at Powell: Powell has beaten Riverton five straight times, but the Wolverines were a bit more impressive than the Panthers last week. 7 p.m.
Worland at Buffalo: It’s a week of long streaks in 3A — Worland hasn’t beaten Buffalo since the 2003 state title game. The Bison have what it takes to keep that streak going. 7 p.m.
Class 2A
Big Horn at Greybull: Best game of the week. Right here. Bar none. Without a doubt. The Rams and the Buffs both have high goals this season, and thanks to the schedule we get to see them face off in Week 1. As awesome as that is, the game they might play against each other in Week 10 or 11 could be even better than this one. 7 p.m.
Kemmerer at Glenrock: This was, without a doubt, the classification’s best rivalry of the aughts. Let’s see if the magic of the competitive rivalry carries over to the teens. 6 p.m.
Lovell at Wright: Lots of folks are expecting big things from the Panthers this season. The Bulldogs will put that notion to the test, but with home-field advantage I’ll give this week’s edge to Wright. 7 p.m.
Thermopolis at Lyman: Lyman is better than it was a year ago. The scary part is that Thermopolis may be, too. 4 p.m.
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Big Piney: The Punchers were sharp in Zero Week. Although the Huskies will be game, look for BP’s momentum to keep rolling. 2:30 p.m.
Dubois vs. Upton: The Bobcats are 3-1 all-time in the “Halfway Bowl.” Both teams are rebuilding a bit, which should make it a great game — but the Bobcats have the historic edge on the fake grass, so I’ll pick them. At Casper (NCHS), 1 p.m.
Lingle at Saratoga: Can the Doggers remain a force in 1A-11 after losing a deep senior class? Short answer, yes. 3:30 p.m.
Normative Services at Rocky Mountain: It always takes the Wolves a week or two to get going. Once they do, watch out. Until then, I’ll give my pick to the Griz. 5 p.m.
Shoshoni at Pine Bluffs: In a classic battle of youth vs. experience, I’ll go with experience — especially experience at home. 4 p.m.
Class 1A six-man
Kaycee at Snake River: This is a fantastic Week 1 matchup in Baggs. Both teams are brimming with optimism this fall, and with good reason. I’ll stick with Kaycee on this one, but beware the long bus trip that could flip things in the Rattlers’ favor as the game wears on. 3 p.m.
Meeteetse at Farson: This is a good opener for two teams that struggled a bit last fall. It will help both of them figure out exactly where they stand. 2 p.m.
Ten Sleep at Hanna: About the only thing the Pioneers lost after last season was the water they emptied from their water jug after the final game. That experience will pay off big time, especially early in the season. 4:30 p.m.
Interclass
Lusk at Burns: Lusk will be good this fall. Really good. Starting here. 7 p.m.
Mountain View at Cokeville: Cokeville may have something to prove this fall. Think last year’s finish isn’t sticking in their craw a bit? 2 p.m.
Newcastle at Southeast: More often than not, the Cyclones win in Yoder. The Dogies will keep it closer than last year, though… this could be a good game deep into the fourth quarter. 7 p.m.
Riverside at Pinedale: I’ll be honest: It’s been tough for me to get a read on either one of these teams this fall. I’ll go with the Wranglers for no better reason than they’re at home. 6:30 p.m.
Sundance at Moorcroft: The Crook County rivalry has been a bit one-sided the past three years, as the Wolves have won all three. Sundance will make it interesting, but the Wolves, at home, might be too much. 3 p.m.
Tongue River at Natrona sophs: In a late addition to the schedule, the Eagles head south to play the Mustangs’ sophomores. These games are always tough to read and I almost always go with the varsity team. No exception here… Eagles in a close one. 5 p.m.
Wyoming Indian at Wind River: This might be the year, just maybe, that the Chiefs beat the Cougars. That hasn’t happened since well before any of this year’s players were alive; actually, it last happened in 1987. But I’ll go out on a limb and call for Wyoming Indian to break tradition and give the Cougars a loss 23 years in the making. 7 p.m.
Interstate
Belle Fourche, S.D., at Douglas: When a team hasn’t lost in almost two years, you pick them. 7 p.m.
Cody at Hardin, Mont.: The Broncs couldn’t break the Montana hex last week. They should have better luck this week. 7 p.m.
Jackson at Teton, Idaho: Teton is better than it has been in a while, which may be bad news for the rebuilding Broncs, who haven’t lost to the Redskins since 2005. 7 p.m.
Sidney, Neb., at Wheatland: Sidney got rocked in its opener last week. That helps make this choice easier — even though Wheatland has lost to Sidney the past couple years, maybe this is the year things even out. 7 p.m.
Snake River, Idaho, at Star Valley: Never pick against the Snake. Ever. (There you go, Braves. Motivation.) 7 p.m.
Torrington at Chadron, Neb.: The Cardinals are one of Nebraska’s premier teams — and they’re 14-1 all-time against the Trailblazers. 7 p.m.
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Midwest at Guernsey-Sunrise: Maybe the hometown excitement is clouding my vision, but the way the Oilers took care of business last week was quite impressive. Obviously, the Vikings have the talent back to be a threat to repeat, but something about Midwest has me intrigued. Just a hunch. 3 p.m.
Off: Hulett.
I love this week because we get to figure out so much. A ton of intriguing games pop up on the non-conference schedules this week; for 4A and 1A six-man schools, that luxury doesn’t exist and the games already count for playoff seeding. I’m always confused on who to pick this week, but by about 11 p.m. Friday night we’ll have noticed several teams beginning the process of separating themselves from the pack…. And then we get Week 2 and many of those “certainties” become uncertain again. Oh, well. That’s what makes it fun!
So did I mess up somewhere along the way with my choices? Let me know — post a comment below and put down your picks for the week, or just make fun of mine. Either way, we all win! (?)
–patrick