Although they were posted a few weeks ago by the WHSAA, I have yet to mention the 2010 football schedules. There wasn’t much drama involved in them this year — for the most part, the 2009 schedule was simply flipped into the 2010 schedule, with only the locations of the games changing — so I didn’t really talk about them much when they came out. But now that we’re more than a month removed from the 2009 championships (and now that I’ve posted the update here!), I think we can officially start looking forward.
Here’s a little breakdown of each team’s 2010 season schedule outlook with a link to the full schedules:
4A Schedules
Gillette: One of the early favorites in 4A. The tough part of the season might come at the end. Road games at Sheridan and Natrona will probably be key for playoff seeds, but the Camels get Central, Kelly Walsh and Green River at home in the final four weeks of the season.
Central: Central has to replace a ton of seniors, and the Indians will be tested early. At Natrona to start, home against an improved Rock Springs teams, then at Evanston and at Laramie. Surviving that will be important.
East: Could be the turnaround story of ’10 and should be one of the early favorites. The schedule sets up favorably, too, but road games against Sheridan and Gillette the first two weeks will test the Thunderbirds’ mettle.
Evanston: A big question mark, the Red Devils still have a lot of rebuilding to do. Having Gillette, Natrona, Central and Green River the first four weeks will either be empowering or will be too much to overcome.
Green River: Will be underrated next season but should return enough talent to stay competitive. The Wolves look like they have a really balanced schedule, which helps, but starting with two road games the first two weeks (East and Kelly Walsh) won’t help.
Kelly Walsh: I’m thinking KW could be decent next fall, and the schedule shapes up beautifully. The rematch with Sheridan comes right off the bat (this time in Casper), which will help the team move past the loss. The only stumbling blocks appear to be road games with East and Gillette — and the Oil Bowl.
Laramie: It’s tough to get a read on the Plainsmen, who have to replace a ton of backfield talent. Unfortunately for Laramie, they’ll get some big tests the first four weeks: at Rock Springs, home against Gillette, at Natrona, home against Central. Survive that stretch, and Laramie will be dangerous.
Natrona: If the Mustangs find ways to win close games, they’ll be really good. The schedule appears to be bottom heavy, which might actually play into NC’s favor. Season ends with four toughies: at East, home against Gillette and Rock Springs, then at Sheridan.
Rock Springs: I’ve got high expectations for the Tigers. Weeks 2-7 (home vs. Gillette, at Sheridan, home vs. Kelly Walsh, at Green River in the Trona Bowl, home vs. East, then at Natrona) will be a grind, but it’ll also be a great way for a young team to prove itself.
Sheridan: Defending champs have a LOT of holes to fill and probably won’t start ’10 as the favorites. KW, East and Green River right off the bat will help the Broncs gauge where they’re at right away.
Half-educated made in December top 5 picks for 2010: 1. Gillette; 2. East; 3. Natrona; 4. Kelly Walsh; 5. Sheridan.
3A Schedules
Buffalo: Few schools consider a semifinal appearance a down year, but that’s how it is for the Bison, who have work to do but will start from a solid base of returners. Having its toughest three conference games (Douglas, Riverton, Torrington) on the road won’t help.
Cody: Could be a dangerous team if the pieces come together. The schedule shapes up well, too, with three home conference games, but drawing Star Valley and Worland for the road games will make it tough to go unbeaten in league play.
Douglas: The domination the Bearcats exhibited in 2009 makes them the early 2010 favorites. Back-to-back road trips to Jackson and Star Valley (the only change in the 3A schedule) in Weeks 2-3 will be a good early test. Douglas also gets Buffalo and Riverton at home.
Jackson: In a word: rebuilding. In two words: still rebuilding. On the plus side, the Broncs get their final two conference games, games that could be crucial to playoff seeding (or qualifying), at home, with Worland and Star Valley making the visits to Teton County in Weeks 7 and 8.
Lander: To steal a line from Dethklok, possibly awesome, possibly horrible. They’ll get to know the Bighorn Basin well, with trips to Worland, Powell AND Cody, which might be a good test but could also steal some of the Tigers’ thunder.
Powell: Should be better than they were in ’09 — and shouldn’t crater like the ’09 team. Then again… back-to-back road games against Worland and Cody in Weeks 6 and 7, plus a tough non-conference schedule, will make it tough on the Panthers.
Rawlins: Nowhere to go but up. The Outlaws’ schedule fits into that “tough but it could be worse” mold, but Rawlins definitely got the short end of the stick by being forced to finish the regular season with road games at Wheatland and Buffalo in Weeks 7 and 8.
Riverton: The Wolverines? No clue. Should be decent, could be bad. I don’t know. Rough non-conference schedule, and draw both Douglas and Torrington for road games, but get Buffalo at home.
Star Valley: Got high hopes for the Braves, who should be among 3A’s best. The schedule shapes up decent, too, as the Braves draw both of last year’s championship game participants (Cody and Douglas) to Afton. Two road games to end the conference slate (Lander and Jackson) isn’t exactly the funnest way to end the regular season, though.
Torrington: The Trailblazers should have more balance, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. As for the schedule, the start (at Chadron, Neb., then at Worland) and the end (at Douglas) don’t look fun, but the rest looks manageable.
Wheatland: Under the radar, the Bulldogs could be a dangerous team in 2010. They’ll have to learn to win on the road, though, as they draw three tough conference games (Buffalo, Riverton and Torrington) away from Platte County.
Worland: A rebuilding team draws a decent schedule. Manageable, but no cakewalk, especially with road games against Buffalo, Wheatland and Star Valley in the first four weeks of the season.
Half-educated made in December top 5 picks for 2010: 1. Douglas; 2. Star Valley; 3. Cody; 4. Buffalo; 5. Powell.
2A Schedules
Big Horn: Write it down: The Rams will be a breakthrough team in 2010. Big Horn gets both Glenrock and Thermopolis at home in Weeks 4-5, and if the Rams can win both of those, watch the —- out. The road games are winnable, and matching up with Greybull at Greybull in Week 1 will be a great start.
Big Piney: For the Punchers, who could be a tough team to beat, they’ll have to prove their worth in the second half of the season. They draw road games against Kemmerer, Pinedale and Lovell in Weeks 5, 6 and 8 respectively, all sandwiching a heckuva tough home game versus Greybull in Week 7.
Burns: Wow. The Broncs couldn’t do much worse than this. Three of their four conference road games come against Big Horn, Glenrock and Thermopolis. Good luck with that, Burns. Road warriors, you must become.
Glenrock: Perennial contenders, the Herders have to get good fast, as they get Kemmerer, Thermopolis and Big Horn in Weeks 1, 3 and 4. A soft second half of the season, including drawing an improving Wright team at home, won’t help Glenrock prepare for the playoffs, either.
Greybull: The early favorites to win the West in 2010 have their toughest stretch in the second half of the season, as road games with Lovell in Week 5 and Big Piney in Week 7 sandwich a home game against always-tough Kemmerer in Week 6. Drawing Big Horn out of the gate in Week 1 will be a fun test, too.
Kemmerer: Rangers need to rebuild a bit but should still be in the hunt. The schedule looks balanced, although the games do appear to get tougher toward the second half of the season, and the big showdown with Greybull is a road game.
Lovell: The Bulldogs should again be pretty good, in part thanks to a decent, balanced schedule. The final two weeks — at Kemmerer in Week 7 and at home against Big Piney in Week 8 — will be crucial for playoff qualifying/seeding, so being on point for those will be key.
Lyman: The Eagle rebuilding project gets tested early and often in 2010. Lyman’s first four opponents are Thermopolis, Kemmerer, Lovell and Big Piney. Whew. If nothing else, Lyman will figure out quickly where it stands and how much improvement it still needs to make.
Moorcroft: A crash-and-burn finish to ’09 might be repeated in ’10, especially with how the schedule shapes up. The Wolves have it kinda easy early but draw Big Horn, Wright and Glenrock in the final three weeks of the season.
Mountain View: Work to do in the Bridger Valley, and with a schedule that starts with Cokeville, Greybull, Big Piney and Lovell (with only Greybull at home), that work will be put to the test early. Fortunately, the showdown with Kemmerer waits until Week 8. How nice. 🙂
Newcastle: There just aren’t any soft spots for the young Dogies in 2010. However, with home games against Wright and Glenrock in Weeks 4 and 5 respectively, Newcastle is at least in the position to KO some unsuspecting teams and draw a little momentum for a late run.
Pinedale: The upside for the struggling Wranglers comes in the schedule in that most of the toughest games are at home. Kemmerer, Greybull and Big Piney all have to come to Pinedale — and it’s always easier to pull off upsets at home.
Thermopolis: The defending champs, and the early favorites to win it all in ’10, drew a decent-but-it-coulda-been-easier schedule…. The two games that will arguably be toughest, Glenrock in Week 3 and Big Horn in Week 5, are both on the road.
Tongue River: Rebuilding continues in Dayton, where, aside from a home game against Glenrock to kick off the conference season in Week 2, the tough side of the schedule comes at the end. The Thunder Bowl with Big Horn is Week 7, and a road game at defending champ Thermopolis comes in Week 8.
Wright: Could be the breakthrough team in 2A this year, but have the misfortune of sharing a conference with Thermop, Glenrock and Big Horn….. and Wright draws both the defending champ and the runner up on the road in Weeks 2 and 6. Big Horn does come to Wright in Week 3, though.
Wyoming Indian: The Chiefs caught no favors to start league play. After opening with Big Piney at home in Week 2, the Chiefs go to Greybull in Week 3, then to Kemmerer in Week 4…. Survive that stretch without a ton of injuries, and Wyoming Indian has a chance.
Half-educated made in December top 5 picks for 2010: 1. Thermopolis; 2. Greybull; 3. Glenrock; 4. Kemmerer; 5. Big Horn.
1A 11-man Schedules
Burlington: The best team to not make the playoffs last year, the Huskies could be decent. The three toughest games of the season might come at the end, though, as the Huskies sandwich home games against Wind River in Week 6 and Cokeville in Week 8 with a trip to Byron to face Rocky Mountain in Week 7.
Cokeville: Could be the best of the bunch of 1A come 2010. The only trouble is that three of the toughest conference games are all road games: Riverside in Week 2, Wind River in Week 7 and Burlington in Week 8. It’s a tough schedule, but Cokeville is used to the long road trips and shouldn’t be fazed.
Dubois: No soft spots on the Rams’ schedule next fall, and the games against semifinalists Wind River (Week 3) and Cokeville (Week 6) are both road games. Dubois does draw some other key games at home, though: Rocky, Burlington, Riverside and Shoshoni all make the trip to Dubois.
Hulett: The Red Devils were senior-laden and have a lot of rebuilding to do. On the plus side, all the long trips to the southeast corner aren’t happening in 2010 as Pine Bluffs, Lingle and Southeast all have to come to Hulett. That’ll definitely help Hulett keep its legs.
Lingle: Lost a lot of talent but should still be strong next season. The Doggers get to face both Lusk and Southeast at home this season, so that should help them as they try to set the pace out East.
Lusk: It looks more and more like Lusk could break out in 2010, and we’ll know early in the season if that’s the case. Southeast comes to Lusk in Week 3, while the Tigers go to Lingle in Week 4, and Lusk could win both; everything outside that two-week stretch looks more than winnable.
Normative Services: The Wolves have plenty of work to do, but at least they’ll get to do a bunch of it closer to home this year. The long road trips to Lusk and Pine Bluffs are now home games, but the hellish stretch of Weeks 5-7 (Southeast, Lingle and Lusk in that order) still exists.
Pine Bluffs: The Hornets have potential, and if it wasn’t for a two-week stretch at the season’s midpoint, I’d be high on Pine Bluffs. As it is, road games in Weeks 4-5 against Southeast and Lusk respectively looks like a tough sore spot to overcome….
Riverside: To be honest, I’m not quite sure which direction the Rebels are headed. Even so, the conference schedule is bookended by a pair of key home games, vs. Cokeville in Week 2 and vs. Wind River in Week 8. In between are a bunch of winnable games.
Rocky Mountain: Not sure why, but I feel good about the Grizzlies next fall. They’ll need to make their hay early, though: three of the Grizzlies’ last four games are on the road, including LONG trips to Cokeville and Saratoga.
Saratoga: Another team that I can’t quite feel out yet… But the schedule doesn’t shape up very well. The Panthers start at home against Lingle, then have road trips to Burlington and Cokeville to start 1A West Conference play. Starting with those three games will certainly give Saratoga a test early.
Shoshoni: For a team that went winless in 2009, there’s nowhere to go but up. Unfortunately, the schedule provides no reprieve, as the Wranglers face six teams in the first six weeks that finished at .500 or better: Pine Bluffs, Wind River, Burlington, Cokeville, Riverside and Rocky Mountain, in that order.
Southeast: Five straight? Why not? Southeast has enough coming back to make it possible. The schedule, especially in conference, will be a test, though, as the first two and two of the last three league games for the Cyclones are on the road.
Sundance: The Bulldogs should be an improved team in 2010, but the schedule will test that improvement, especially on the road. Sundance has to go to Lusk, Pine Bluffs and Lingle (including Lusk and Lingle back to back in Weeks 5-6), three long trips to face three teams that were playoff qualifiers in 2009.
Upton: Improving on last year’s 2-6 record will take some work. The back end of the schedule does not shape up well for the Bobcats, either, who travel to Pine Bluffs and Southeast in back-to-back weeks, then face Lusk at home in the regular-season finale.
Wind River: The Cougars lose a bunch of talented seniors but should have enough back to stay in the thick of things. The schedule is definitely tougher in the second half than in the first, though, and WR has to make three tough trips into the Bighorn Basin (Riverside, Rocky Mountain and Burlington).
Half-educated made in December top 5 picks for 2010: 1. Cokeville; 2. Lusk; 3. Southeast; 4. Lingle; 5. Wind River.
1A 6-man schedules
(The six-man schedules see the most change in 2010, as Fort Washakie/the bye week is removed and a whole new schedule was developed. Each team will play a seven-game regular season, with a bye week in Week 8 before the playoffs.)
Farson: With a year under their belts, the Pronghorns should be more competitive next fall and should pull off a couple victories. Their best chances come early, with Meeteetse at home in Week 1 followed by road dates at Hanna and Snake River. But Farson only has three home games.
Guernsey: As reward for winning the state championships, the Vikings get maybe the kindest schedule in the division. Guernsey gets four of its first five games at home, but has to travel to Ten Sleep and Kaycee to close the season in Weeks 6-7, which will be tough.
Hanna: Five of the seven weeks of the 2010 season shape up really well for the Miners, who should be among the division’s best despite losing some talented players. The two not-so-fun weeks? Weeks 3-4, when the Miners have back-to-back road games against ’09 runner-up Kaycee and champ Guernsey.
Kaycee: Another year on the gridiron, plus a bunch of talent coming back, could put Kaycee right back in the championship game in 2010. The Buckaroos didn’t draw a great schedule with only three home games and with three of the first four on the road, but the entire season is manageable.
Snake River: The Rattlers draw a pretty balanced schedule and with more experience should be able to take advantage of it. Snake River is the only six-man team that gets a home-road alternating schedule all season, and they got a good mix of what’s at home and what’s not.
Meeteetse: The Longhorns have some work to do before they can challenge six-man’s top teams, and the 2010 schedule doesn’t shape up too well. There are only three home games, but on the plus side, the Longhorns get some of their toughest competition at home (Guernsey, Hanna and Snake River).
Midwest: With a decent number of returners, the Oilers should be good again this fall, but they’ll get tested right away. Midwest gets a road date with Guernsey and a home matchup with Kaycee the first two weeks of the season. After that, the rest of the schedule is tolerable.
Ten Sleep: Numbers are always the concern for Ten Sleep, but for 2010 the schedule is interesting, too. The Pioneers have early road games against Hanna and Midwest but get both Kaycee and Guernsey at home late in the season.
Half-educated made in December top 5 picks for 2010: 1. Guernsey; 2. Kaycee; 3. Midwest; 4. Ten Sleep; 5. Hanna.
So there it is, your first glance at the 2010 season. What do you think — either about how the schedules break down or who might rise to the top next season? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Post a comment below and we’ll talk about it.
Looking forward to 2010….
–patrick