Wyoming high school football rankings: Your burning questions answered

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When I posted last week that weekly rankings for Wyoming high school football back to 1984 had been researched and published, I knew I would have lots of different questions I could answer with the new information.

This post is answering some of those.

Below, I have outlined answers to four different questions I immediately had: (1) Which team has spent the most consecutive weeks ranked in the top five? (2) Which team has spent the most consecutive weeks ranked No. 1? (3) Which season/classification had the most teams ranked No. 1 during the year? (4) Which season/classification had the most stability in a single season?

While some questions were limited to answers since 1984 only, some answers could be tracked back to the mid-1950s, when statewide polls began. I hope to publish weekly rankings from the 1950s through 1983 as soon as I think it’s in a state worthy of sharing publicly. It’s not there yet. 🙂

As for answers? Well, here you go:

Consecutive weeks

Cokeville had an amazing run of 194 consecutive polls in which they were ranked in the top five. That stretch ran for 23 years, from 1993 to 2015.

Sheridan had the second-longest run of consecutive polls ranked, with 114 in a row from 2009-20.

Since 1984, the top 10 streaks of being ranked somewhere in the top five are:

  • Cokeville: 194 weeks (1993-2015)
  • Sheridan: 114 weeks (2009-20)
  • Campbell County: 87 weeks (1996-2007)
  • Buffalo: 77 weeks (2003-11)
  • Cokeville: 77 weeks (1984-92)
  • Big Horn: 73 weeks (2012-20)
  • Lusk: 73 weeks (1994-2003)
  • Lovell: 70 weeks (1987-95)
  • Campbell County: 68 weeks (2010-16)
  • Lusk: 66 weeks (2008-15)

The longest active streak is Star Valley, which has been ranked in the last 63 polls back to 2015.

Meanwhile, Sheridan spent the most consecutive weeks at No. 1, going 23 polls between 1991 and 1993 ranked first.

The top 10 streaks of being ranked No. 1 since 1984 are:

  • Sheridan: 23 weeks (1991-93)
  • Cokeville: 21 weeks (2001-03)
  • Powell: 21 weeks (2012-14)
  • Meeteetse: 20 weeks (1989-91)
  • Natrona: 20 weeks (2011-13)
  • Douglas: 19 weeks (2009-11)
  • Snake River: 19 weeks (2010-12)
  • Big Horn: 18 weeks (2018-19)
  • Glenrock: 18 weeks (2016-17)
  • Cheyenne Central: 18 weeks (1989-90)

Most different teams ranked No. 1

The classification and season with the most variability was Class 3A in 1986. In that season, six different programs were ranked No. 1. While Evanston was the preseason No. 1 (and there was no poll prior to Week 2), Jackson was ranked first in Week 3, followed by Star Valley (Weeks 4-5), Glenrock (Week 6), Powell (Week 7), Torrington (Weeks 8-9) and Powell again (Week 10).

The fact that there was so much variability at the top in 3A that season was no surprise. In all, no team in 3A that season finished with fewer than three losses, but nine of the 12 programs in 3A finished with at least four victories. Jackson (6-4) beat Douglas (5-5, and never ranked No. 1) in the 3A title game that year.

No single classification in any other season has had six teams ranked No. 1, although six other seasons have had five teams ranked No. 1 in a single season. This happened most recently in 1996 in Class 4A. It also previously happened in Class AA (1966, both AP and UPI), Class A (1979, AP, and 1974, UPI) and Class B (1979, UPI).

Most stability

As noted in my first post about rankings, going wire-to-wire as No. 1 is not uncommon — 60 teams have done so since 1984 alone.

However, in one season we saw the top four teams go unchanged all season long, and it wasn’t that long ago.

In 2020, Southeast, Rocky Mountain, Lusk and Shoshoni held down the top four spots in Class 1A nine-man all season long, in order, never changing their spots. It’s the only time in Wyoming history that I can find where the top four teams remained in the same four spots all season long.

In fact, only one other time did the top three teams in a classification stay that way all season. That came in 1995, when the top three teams in Class 1A-Division I went Rocky Mountain, Lusk, Moorcroft, in that order in every poll. Eight other seasons have had the same two teams go 1-2 in every poll, most recently in Class 4A in 2017 with Sheridan and Natrona.

Got anything else you’re curious about with the weekly polls? Leave a comment and I’ll see if I can answer it.

–patrick

Single-seasons turnarounds in Wyoming high school basketball: The best, and worst

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Last season, the Kelly Walsh boys basketball team finished 3-15.

So far this season, the Trojans are 11-1.

The turnaround that KW has seen so far is laudable, and if the Trojans keep it up, it could end up being one of the best single-season turnarounds the state has ever seen.

In April 2013, I brought to your attention some of the biggest single-season turnarounds and falloffs in Wyoming football history.

This post is designed to do the same, but this time for basketball: the 10 biggest turnarounds and the 10 biggest falloffs in both boys and girls basketball history.

Certainly, a lot goes into a dramatic increase or a dramatic falloff. Big improvements come from a variety of reasons, including classification changes and infusions of talent. For example, the single biggest turnaround in Wyoming’s basketball history (by far, just look at the numbers) came from the Big Horn girls team in 1998, which had a freshman unit that eventually won a pair of state championships and had an unbeaten season in their senior year. That’s something you just can’t coach.

The top four falloffs for boys, though, all involved a coaching change — more a signal of a coach abandoning a bad situation than anything else. (My dad, Jim, was involved in the No. 2 falloff of all time as the new head coach at Mountain View in 1978 after the Buffalos had won three consecutive Class B championships. That same season, though, he coached the MV girls to third at state.) However, the top four falloffs for girls all involved the same head coach for both seasons. So go figure.

Some changes, though, are a reflection of bigger happenings in a community. For example, the Superior boys in 1962 had little control of their fall from 24-4 to 2-14. The area’s mines closed at a precipitous rate that year, with the final closure of the D.O. Clark Mine in March putting more than 70 miners out of work and bringing about the closure of the high school. As for more of Patrick’s family connections, my uncle Lee moved to Wheatland in 1972 as a junior in high school and was part of the Wheatland 1972-73 turnaround that made the top 10, but that move just happened to coincide with the beginning of the construction of the Laramie River Station power plant near Wheatland that brought a big influx of new people to Platte County.

Here are the lists of the biggest single-season turnarounds, in both directions:

The top 10 biggest improvements, boys:
Lingle, 1990, .759 improvement (from 3-17 to 20-2)
Cokeville, 1941, .717 improvement (from 2-13 to 17-3)
Rock River, 1955, .711 improvement (from 1-13 to 18-5)
Meeteetse, 1976, .700 improvement (from 1-19 to 15-5)
Hanna, 1955, .657 improvement (from 3-16 to 22-5)
Torrington, 1985, .645 improvement (from 2-17 to 18-6)
Sunrise, 1939, .613 improvement (from 3-14 to 15-4)
Rozet, 1941, .607 improvement (from 6-16 to 22-3)
Wheatland, 1973, .601 improvement (from 4-17 to 19-5)
Riverton, 2017, .595 improvement (from 10-17 to 28-1)

Top 10 biggest falloffs, boys:
Burns, 2004, .870 falloff (from 20-3 to 0-19)
Mountain View, 1978, .850 falloff (from 24-0 to 3-17)
Pinedale, 2011, .778 falloff (from 21-6 to 0-23)
Arvada-Clearmont, 1991, .763 falloff (from 21-2 to 3-17)
Medicine Bow, 1980, .750 falloff (from 15-5 to 0-17)
NSI, 2003, .737 falloff (from 14-5 to 0-18)
Saratoga, 1984, .735 falloff (from 21-4 to 2-17)
Superior, 1962, .732 falloff (from 24-4 to 2-14)
Guernsey-Sunrise, 1998, .725 falloff (from 17-5 to 1-20)
Kemmerer, 2005, .715 falloff (from 23-4 to 3-19)

The top 10 biggest improvements, girls:
Big Horn, 1998, .783 improvement (from 1-19 to 20-4)
Laramie, 2006, .631 improvement (from 1-20 to 19-9)
Newcastle, 1978, .628 improvement (from 2-9 to 17-4)
Natrona, 2020, .619 improvement (from 1-20 to 16-8)
Dubois, 1989, .587 improvement (from 4-14 to 17-4)
Green River, 1982, .572 improvement (from 3-17 to 13-5)
Meeteetse, 1996, .549 improvement (from 2-15 to 12-6)
Mountain View, 2014, .546 improvement (from 2-22 to 17-10)
Riverton, 1983, .542 improvement (from 10-14 to 23-1)
Tongue River, 2003, .527 improvement (from 4-15 to 17-6)

Top 10 biggest falloffs, girls:
Lyman, 1996, .800 falloff (from 23-0 to 4-16)
St. Stephens, 2020, .794 falloff (from 23-3 to 2-20)
Rocky Mountain, 1994, .775 falloff (from 20-4 to 1-16)
Midwest, 1983, .747 falloff (from 17-4 to 2-17)
Dubois, 1981, .746 falloff (from 18-3 to 2-16)
Mountain View, 1999, .727 falloff (from 25-0 to 6-16)
Sundance, 1986, .720 falloff (from 17-5 to 1-18)
Wright, 2020, .715 falloff (from 19-6 to 1-21)
Big Horn, 1991, .714 falloff (from 15-6 to 0-19)
Guernsey-Sunrise, 2006, .713 falloff (from 26-1 to 6-18)

**Note that these are incomplete records, since I’m missing 354 boys season records since 1960 and 286 girls records since 1976. I’m sad about that. You can help.

–patrick

73 players nominated for NFF Wyoming Chapter honors

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A total of 73 football players from 20 different programs have been nominated for Wyoming’s scholar-athlete awards given by the Wyoming Chapter of the National Football Foundation, the Wyoming Chapter announced in a news release Wednesday.

Nominees are seniors and have a GPA of at least 3.0.

From the list of 73 nominees, 10 will be chosen next month as finalists for the Wyoming Chapter’s top scholar-athlete award. Each of the 10 finalists earns a $1,200 college scholarship, while the winner earns an additional $1,200 scholarship. The winner will be decided by 40% football ability, 40% academic achievement and 20% on extracurriculars and work in their communities and schools.

The Wyoming Chapter gives out several other awards each year. Two University of Wyoming seniors will also be nominated and honored. Last year’s winner was Andrew Johnson from Cheyenne Central. Winners are usually honored at a banquet in March, although no banquet has been held the past two years due to COVID-19. A date for this year’s honors has yet to be set.

Nominated players include:

Big Horn: Josh Thompson.
Cheyenne East: Gavyn Aumiller, Gavin Goff, Matthew Jaquot, Landen LaRue, Brian Mead, Robert Pino, Cade Pugh, Kaleb Romero, Braxton Rosner, Tucker Smith, Floyd Tatum, Zaudan Wawhkyung, Landon Whitt.
Cody: Danny Becker, Kellon George, Drew Trotter, Jonathan Williams, Nathan Wilson.
Cokeville: Treyson Dayton.
Douglas: Jayden Archuleta, Kyle Logar, Rylan Wehr.
Encampment: Koye Gilbert.
Green River: Dylan Taylor.
Kemmerer: Matt McMillan, Tommy Skidmore.
Meeteetse: Dace Bennett, Jonathan Blessing, Kalvin Erickson.
Moorcroft: Zane Linder.
Natrona: Kaleb Borus, Braden Cantrell, William Garlick, Tyler Hill, Ashton Nash, Brendyn Nelson, Roman Overstreet, Kaeden Wilcox.
Pine Bluffs: Ty Sweeter.
Rock Springs: Brock Bider, Isaac Schoenfeld, Cadon Shaklee, Andrew Skorcz.
Sheridan: Carl Askins, Ezra Eckland Rich Hall, Matthew Ingalls, Cody Kilpatrick, Tyler Ormseth, Rudy Osborne, Brock Steel, Caden Steel, Jim Strobbe, Texas Tanner.
Shoshoni: Braeden Cash, Duke Gibbel.
Star Valley: Lucas Chappell.
Thermopolis: Wyatt McDermott.
Thunder Basin: Cade Ayers, Ryan Baker, Ethan Cox, Kolter DeKay, Justin Dennison, Isaiah Haliburton, McKale Hote, Ryan Jordan, Brandon Lanston, Aiden Mitchel, Caden Randall.
Wheatland: Rodee Brow, Jake Hicks, Kade Preuit.

Note: Post updated 9:44 a.m. MST Jan. 20 to include Hicks and Preuit on Wheatland’s list, who were unintentionally omitted from the original list of nominees sent out. This changes the total number of nominees to 73. … Post updated 11:06 p.m. MST Jan. 21 to correct Cade Pugh’s first name; the original list had the wrong name.

–patrick

Too-early top 5s for 2022: Returners make defending champs look tough

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Wyoming has never had four teams repeat as state champions in a single season, much less five.

The way 2022 is shaping up, though, it’s a distinct possibility that several of last year’s champs could end up as this year’s champs, too.

Most of the 2021 champions return loads of all-state choices, making them the early favorites in their respective classifications. Those numbers don’t always hold until the end of the following season — transfers, injuries and who knows what else will happen between now and November. But for now, here are the way-too-early top fives in each classification for 2022:

Class 4A
1. Natrona: A strong group of seniors-to-be has been waiting for this year, and a 4A-high five first-team all-conference returners will help the Mustangs cash in on their potential.
2. Cheyenne East: Like Natrona, East also has five first-team all-conference players coming back in 2022, and a 4A high three all-state players returning will put the T-Birds in the mix immediately.
3. Sheridan: Every 4A discussion has to include the defending champs, who return someone no one else has in Gatorade POY/4A offensive player of the year RB Colson Coon.
4. Thunder Basin: The ‘Bolts get back a pair of first-team all-conference picks and should be competitive thanks to their always solid depth.
5. Cheyenne Central: The Indians had an off year in 2022 but should be bolstered by the return of four first-team all-conference selections.
Wild card: Rock Springs. The Tigers’ run to the 4A title game last year was a blast to watch. But can they do it again after graduating 11 first-team all-conference players and seven all-staters?

Class 3A
1. Cody: Cody has six returning all-state players. The rest of Class 3A has four combined. That about sums it up… and it makes the Broncs the clear 3A favorites.
2. Douglas: The Bearcats lose a lot but get back four all-conference players, including their QB Jackson Hughes and a pair of key linebackers in Karson Ewing and Luke Skeen.
3. Star Valley: Outside of Cody, Star Valley is the only team in the 3A West to return any all-conference selections. That experience gives the Braves the early edge in chasing down Cody.
4. Buffalo: The Bison get back five all-conference players, most in the East, and WR Blake Bell is the only returning all-state receiver in 3A from 2021.
5. Lander: The Tigers return four all-conference selections and have experience returning in basically every area.
Wild cards: Jackson and Powell. Both of these programs have the ability to reload. That ability will be put to the test in a season where they combine for zero all-conference returners from 15 combined selections.

Class 2A
1. Lyman: Much like Cody, Lyman has a big advantage in all-state returners. The two-time defending champion Eagles have three, while the rest of 2A has four combined.
2. Torrington: The Trailblazers return three all-conference players from a conference championship team — a good place to start.
3. Wheatland: The Bulldogs should be tough again with their three all-conference picks also coming back, but most of the big offensive weapons have graduated.
4. Cokeville: The Panthers look like one of the strongest teams in the West to challenge Lyman, with four returning all-conference players. But the transition to a new coach will be an adjustment.
5. Lovell: The 2021 runners-up lose a lot but return the Nichols twins to build around on both offense and defense.
Wild cards: Newcastle and Big Horn. Both the Dogies and Rams return three all-conference players, so big things could come from either team if everything lines up.

Class 1A nine-man
1. Shoshoni: The defending champs return seven of their nine all-state players, experience that will be necessary in an absolutely stacked nine-man field in 2022.
2. Pine Bluffs: The Hornets return the bulk of their contributors and four all-state players, so they will be ready for any challenge that comes their way.
3. Rocky Mountain: The Grizzlies were runners-up last year and have five all-state players coming back — normally the recipe for a title run. But (see above) there’s a lot of competition for that.
4. Wind River: Last year’s Cinderellas return four of their five all-staters and are out to prove last year was no fluke. (Have we mentioned nine-man is gonna be crazy?)
5. Lusk: The Tigers are on the outside looking in right now, but they could be a surprise contender if their younger talent grows around the three all-conference returners.
Wild card: Lingle. The only team in nine-man to return every single one of its all-conference players, Lingle with its four key guys back should be a significantly improved team.

Class 1A six-man
1. Snake River: The defending six-man champs return four all-state players, so they’re set up well for another deep playoff run and a shot at back-to-back titles.
2. Encampment: Last year’s runners-up get back a pair of all-staters in Quade Jordan and Ryan Miller and should contend in a deep South Conference.
3. Dubois: The Rams return two all-state choices (Wyatt Trembly and Ryan Wells) and have the experience to hold up in close games.
4. Hulett: Last year’s East champs return a couple of all-conference players and benefit from the confidence built by a dominating run through that conference last year.
5. Burlington: The Huskies don’t have a ton of decorated players back but should improve on last year’s mark with Seth Wardell leading the way.
Wild card: Midwest. No team in the rejuvenated North Conference returns as many all-conference players as Midwest does with its three, but none of them will be seniors in 2022.

Who do you have pegged as the teams to beat in 2022? Leave a comment and let’s get into this discussion way earlier than anyone ever should realistically.

–patrick

Thrash hired as Pinedale’s new head coach

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David Thrash, who previously was an assistant and freshman coach in Gillette, will be the new head football coach in Pinedale.

Thrash’s hiring was approved during Thursday’s meeting of the Sublette County School District No. 1 board and confirmed Friday via email from Thrash to wyoming-football.com.

Thrash said he was inspired to apply by a desire to help players gain skills for a lifetime of success.

“When I heard that this position was posted, I felt a desire to put in and help provide a chance for student/athletes to become a part of a team and sport where the chance to learn skills and characteristics that can be used well beyond high school,” he wrote.

Thrash previously was a varsity offensive and defensive line coach for five years in Gillette; he also helped coach freshman teams in Gillette.

Thrash came to Pinedale in 2019. He is an assistant principal at Pinedale Elementary. He graduated from the University of Wyoming and is a native of North Carolina.

Thrash replaces Clay Cundall, who led the Wranglers each of the past three seasons. Pinedale, a Class 2A West program, went 3-21 in that span, including 0-8 last season.

Pinedale is the first football program to hire a new head coach for 2022. Cheyenne South and Cokeville are both seeking new head coaches. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Four-time all-state across Wyoming high school sports

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For the five team sports offered by the WHSAA — basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball — four-time all-state selections are quite uncommon.

In fact, among those five team sports, only 14 boys and 48 girls have been four-time all-state choices.

As noted previously here, only 21 players — five boys, 16 girls — are four-time all-state basketball selections.

Oddly enough, a similar ratio exists for fall and spring team sports. For fall, three boys are four-time all-state football selections, while 13 girls are four-time all-state volleyball picks. And in spring, two boys and 19 girls have been four-time all-state soccer choices.

Softball was first sanctioned in 2021, so no four-time all-staters will come from that sport until at least 2024.

Lyman’s Tayler Anderson and Kelly Walsh’s Madison Vinich are the only players to be four-time all-state in two different team sports; both were four-time picks in volleyball and basketball.

The fall four-time all-state selections are:

Volleyball
Wendy Anderson, Cokeville, 1987-90
Stephanie Laya, Tongue River, 1993-96
Katie Nate, Cokeville, 1996-99
Meggie Malyurek, Big Horn, 1997-2000
Erin Scherry, Big Horn, 1997-2000
Tayler Anderson, Lyman, 2005-08
Paige Neves, Burlington, 2006-09
Madison Vinich, Kelly Walsh, 2014-17
Haedyn Rhoades, Douglas, 2015-18
Danilynn Schell, Kelly Walsh, 2016-19
McKenzie Earl, Rawlins, 2017-20
Demi Stauffenberg, Lander, 2018-21
Alexis Stucky, Laramie, 2018-21

Football
Ty Barrus, Meeteetse, 1987-90
James Caro, Kaycee, 2009-12
Drake Lamp, Lusk, 2017-20

For soccer, the four-time all-state choices are:

Girls
Marcee Owens, Natrona, 1988-91
Liza Schmidt, Cheyenne Central, 1991-94
Erin Bowler, Cheyenne East, 1995-98
Jenny Watkins, Lander, 1995-98
Lindsey Sosovec, Cheyenne East, 1995-98
Monica Trujillo, Cheyenne East, 1995-98
Jessie Zebroski, Lander, 1997-00
Melissa Speiser, Natrona, 1997-00
Enedina Vasco, Riverton, 1998-01
Ariela Schreibeis, Laramie, 2007-10
Bridget Schumacher, Cody, 2009-12
Jessica Freeze, Jackson, 2010-13
Sarah Erickson, Cheyenne East, 2011-14
Hannah Bailey, Cody, 2014-17
Taylor Stoeger, Green River, 2014-17
Casey Wassum, Worland, 2015-18
Lexi Pulley, Laramie, 2015-18
Eli Olsen, Buffalo, 2016-19
Grace Roswadovski, Campbell County/Thunder Basin, 2016-19

Boys
Jared White, Cheyenne East, 1992-95
Robert George, Kelly Walsh, 2013-16

+++

Individual sports are harder to track because what constitutes “all-state” varies from sport to sport. However, across a variety of individual sports, we can keep track of four-time state champions, something that’s maybe even harder to do than all-state in a team sport.

Cross country: Three girls have won state cross country four times, one each at the 4A, 3A and 2A levels:

Sarah Balfour, Natrona, 4A, 2001-04
Emily Higgins, Rocky Mountain, 2A, 2002-05
Sydney Thorvaldson, Rawlins, 3A, 2017-20

No boys have ever won state cross country titles four times, although Saratoga’s Grant Bartlett has a chance to do so at the 2A level next season.

—-

Golf: Two boys and two girls have finished as four-time state champions:

Boys
Easton Paxton, Riverton, 4A, 2013-16
Hardy Johnson, Thermopolis, 2A, 2018-21

Girls
Mardi Johnson, Buffalo, 3A, 1991-94
Whittney Coon, Lusk, 2A, 2003-06

—-

Gymnastics: Although no longer sanctioned by the WHSAA, two boys (across four events) and four girls (across six events) have been four-time event or all-around champions.

Boys
Chris Santistevan, Laramie, vault, 1984-87
Steven George, Laramie, pommel horse, rings and all-around, 1989-92

Girls
Jennifer Perry, Laramie, uneven parallel bars, 1979-82
Amanda Murdock, Kelly Walsh, floor exercise, vault and all-around 1985-88
Julie Kasper, Campbell County, all-around, 1996-99
Kaitlyn Balfour, Natrona, uneven parallel bars, 2005-08

—-

Nordic skiing: Jackson’s Willie Neal is an eight-time champion, winning both races at state every year from 2005-08. Jackson’s Anna Gibson won the freestyle race four years in a row from 2014-17 and won six individual titles in all after winning the classic races in 2016 and 2017, the most individual championships for any one skier on the girls’ side.

—-

Swimming: Three boys and five girls have the distinction of being eight-time individual champions, never losing an individual race at state (as swimmers are capped at two individual races at state). They are:

Boys
John Green, Sheridan, 1984-87
Phil Rehard, Rawlins, 1993-96
Jake Rehard, Rawlins, 1995-98

Girls
Cindy Miyake, Laramie, 1974-77
Yvonne Brown, Campbell County, 1980-83
Shelly Smith, Greybull, 1981-84
Marsha Landowski, Newcastle, 1987-90
Katie Peck, Buffalo, 1996-99

(Note that individual swimming records at the state meet are woefully incomplete prior to the 1970s.)

—

Track and field: Eight boys and 58 girls have won a single event four consecutive times. See that list here. However, no track athlete has ever won 16 individual championships (winning your maximum of four individual events every year for four years). The closest to that mark is Mountain View’s Amber Henry, who won 15 individual titles from 2005-08, and Campbell County’s Emily Moore, who won 14 from 2003-06. (Those don’t include relay titles.)

The boys with the most individual championships are Byron’s Tom Bassett and Medicine Bow’s Leonard Padilla. Basset and Padilla both won 12 individual championships, Bassett from 1974-77 and Padilla from 1969-72. However, both competed in eras prior to the cap of four individual events per person at the state meet.

—-

Wrestling: In all, 24 wrestlers have finished their careers with four state championships. They are:

Dave Edington, Saratoga, 1957-60
Ray Sanchez, Cheyenne Central, 1962-65
John Lucchi, Rock Springs, 1970-73
Lanny Schneider, Worland, 1984-87
Russell Davis, Upton, 1988-91
Bobby Thoman, Wind River, 1995-98
Troy McIlravy, Campbell County, 1995-98
Cody Grant, Torrington, 2001-04
Jeff Wood, Campbell County, 2004-07
Jared Hatley, Torrington, 2005-08
Kasey Garnhart, Greybull-Riverside, 2005-08
Tyler Cox, Campbell County, 2006-09
Auston Carter, Powell, 2007-10
Dani Fischer, Campbell County, 2010-13
Bryce Meredith, Cheyenne Central, 2011-14
Justin Lewton, Worland, 2011-14
James Teichert, Cokeville, 2012-15
Tevis Bartlett, Cheyenne East, 2012-15
Kye Catlin, Powell, 2013-16
Donny Proffit, Kemmerer, 2016-19
Tate Stoddard, Glenrock, 2016-19
Dawson Schramm, Kemmerer, 2017-20
Jace Palmer, Kelly Walsh, 2017-20
Analu Benabise, Kelly Walsh, 2018-21

—-

Indoor track and alpine skiing have never had a four-time champion in any one event, although alpine skiing records are incomplete.

–patrick

Wyoming Shrine Bowl assistant coaches named for 2022 game

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The coaching staffs for the 2022 edition of the Wyoming Shrine Bowl all-star football game have been set.

Wyoming Shrine Bowl Executive Director Frank Selby announced the coaching staffs Monday night via email news release.

The 2022 Shrine Bowl’s North team, led by Thunder Basin’s Trent Pikula, will also have Jason Gill (Thunder Basin), Rob Hammond (Buffalo), Kirk McLaughlin (Big Horn), Richard Despain (Rocky Mountain) and Boz Backen (Hulett) on staff.

The South team will be led by Rock Springs’ Mark Lenhardt and will have Blaine Christensen (Rock Springs), Jay Rhoades (Douglas), Robb Nicolay (Torrington), Brandon Gifford (Lingle) and Keegan Willford (Encampment) assisting.

Coaches will now put together their rosters of 36 players per team from nominations of 155 players, Selby said in the release.

The game is in its 49th year. The North leads the series 25-19-3, but the South won last year’s Shrine Bowl 34-32. This year’s game will be June 11 at Cheney Alumni Field in Casper.

–patrick

Weekly rankings for Wyoming high school football back to 1984 posted on wyoming-football.com

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I’ll be honest: During the season, one of the things I look forward to most between games is the weekly rankings.

I love them because they are a great gauge for perspective. Is that team as good as I think it is? What do others think? Are y’all seeing what I’m seeing?

I also love them because it gives every team in the state except for the five teams ranked No. 1 some motivation. You know, “everyone” is overlooking us, “no one” thought we could do it, etc. Motivation can come in many forms, but rankings are the most public. Without them, how could anyone ever feel slighted?

Most of all, though, I love them because they are basically one big way for coaches and media types to have a conversation about who they think are the best teams without ever having to talk to each other.

The problem with rankings is that they’re only good for a week. Friday comes along, a whole slew of games are played, and that new information is incorporated into a new set of votes for next week’s rankings.

However, looking at old rankings can give us lots of insight into a season. Who rallied after a poor start? Who was the team that everyone knew was coming and lived up to expectations? Who lived fast and died young?

Since I want to know the answers to those questions, I started tracking down every single weekly poll for Wyoming high school football, all the way back to the start of such statewide polls.

This research took several weeks of evenings and weekends, most of which was spent either on wyopreps.com or the Casper Star-Tribune archive on newspapers.com. To this point, research has taken me back to 1952, which I believe is the first year for a coordinated statewide effort at an actual poll and not just rankings put out by individual newspapers.

I’m ready to share a big chunk of that research today.

Starting today, weekly polls from 1984 to 2021 will be available on wyoming-football.com. Polls for each year will be linked from the results by year page.

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Highlights

With 38 years of week-by-week rankings now part of wyoming-football.com — and with more to come — we can take a quick look at which teams have done what in the polls.

Most weeks ranked, most weeks at No. 1: It should be no surprise that Cokeville has spent the most weeks ranked (313) and the most weeks ranked No. 1 (141). With 345 weekly rankings available — and with not every week containing a ranking for the classification that Cokeville was in at the time — the Panthers have been ranked more than 90% of the time and have been No. 1 more than 40% of the time.

Not coincidentally, the same five programs that spent the most time both at No. 1 also spent the most time in the rankings, period.

Behind Cokeville in time in the No. 1 spot is Natrona at 94 weeks, Big Horn at 92, Star Valley at 86 and Sheridan at 80.

Behind Cokeville in total weeks ranked is Natrona (279), Sheridan (265), Big Horn (263) and Star Valley (259).

Cokeville is also the program that has spent the most weeks ranked at No. 2 with 82 weeks, tied with Lusk for the most time spent in the second slot.

Who’s been No. 1: In all, 38 teams since 2010 have been ranked No. 1 for at least one week, and since 1984 all but eight programs have failed to reach the top spot. Those who haven’t been ranked No. 1 since 1984 include:

  • Saratoga (last reached No. 1 in the final AP poll of 1982)
  • Pinedale (last reached No. 1 in the UPI poll in Week 9, 1981)
  • Newcastle (last reached No. 1 in the UPI poll in Week 5, 1980)
  • Rawlins (last reached No. 1 in the AP poll in Week 10, 1974)
  • Cheyenne South, Encampment, St. Stephens, Wyoming Indian (never ranked No. 1, according to currently researched polls)

Five more programs (Hulett, Kelly Walsh, Ten Sleep, Tongue River and Moorcroft) have been ranked No. 1 for just one week since 1984.

Of the teams that have been around since 1984, Wyoming Indian (15 weeks), Rawlins (29 weeks) and Saratoga (36 weeks) have spent the least amount of time ranked. Every other program that has existed since 1984 has spent at least 42 weeks ranked. Of the eight Class 4A programs that have existed since 1984, Kelly Walsh has the fewest weeks at No. 1 (one week) and the fewest total weeks in the polls (93 weeks).

No. 1 all season long: In all, 60 teams have gone wire-to-wire ranked No. 1, most recently Southeast and Farson in 2020. Of those 60, 41 eventually won a state championship.

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At the end of this post is a table that notes the total weeks at No. 1, the total weeks ranked and the last time ranked No. 1 for each program.

Prior to 1984, two polls existed for most years — the Associated Press poll and the United Press International poll. Research is continuing on those, and I hope to share them, or at least what we can find, soon. Poll information from 1952 to 1983 is much more spotty, but I will share it all once I feel like it’s in a “shareable” state; right now, it’s not quite there yet.

Remember, weekly polls from each season from 1984-2021 are on the results by year page. More blog posts are coming, so keep your eyes open! I’m still exploring the current data, including figuring out who’s spent the most consecutive weeks ranked and the most consecutive weeks at No. 1.

My huge gratitude goes out to “Stat Rat” Jim Craig and his help for finding a few of the polls I couldn’t. Do a search for his name on this blog and you’ll see how helpful he has been for many, many years, and he’s also one of the key architects to the work posted on sister site wyoming-basketball.com. Thanks again, good sir!

I’m always looking for new information I can post to wyoming-football.com. What do you want to see next?

–patrick

Weekly poll rankings, 1984-2021

TeamWeeks at No. 1Total weeks rankedLast ranked No. 1
Cokeville141313Playoffs 2017
Natrona94279Week 2 2019
Big Horn92263Playoffs 2019
Star Valley86259Week 1 2020
Sheridan80265Week 4 2021
Meeteetse66145Week 5 2021
Mountain View54217Week 8 2020
Southeast54218Preseason 2021
Campbell County51239Playoffs 2016
Powell49199Week 4 2020
Rocky Mountain46135Playoffs 1999
Buffalo46202Week 3 2019
Lovell42219Week 2 2020
Snake River39107Playoffs 2021
Glenrock37164Week 4 2018
Rock Springs36131Playoffs 2021
Torrington35169Preseason 2021
Lusk33229Week 2 2021
Jackson30144Week 2 2021
Big Piney30152Week 2 2007
Lander29112Week 8 2004
Thermopolis28105Week 5 2010
Kemmerer28120Playoffs 2008
Lyman28127Playoffs 2021
Cheyenne Central28154Week 6 2020
Guernsey27131Week 4 2015
Cody27185Playoffs 2021
Green River24143Week 6 2016
Wheatland22145Week 3 2021
Douglas22188Playoffs 2014
Farson2179Playoffs 2020
Laramie21124Week 8 1996
Burlington21163Playoffs 2008
Dubois20106Week 4 2013
Riverton20117Week 7 2014
Greybull17121Week 5 1991
Shoshoni15121Week 5 2021
Worland1493Playoffs 2003
Midwest13132Week 3 2010
Thunder Basin1257Week 1 2021
Riverside1276Week 3 2007
Kaycee1289Playoffs 2017
Upton-Sundance1173Playoffs 2016
Evanston11117Week 5 2007
Cheyenne East11182Preseason 2021
Pine Bluffs9101Playoffs 2021
Sundance886Week 2 2006
Wright762Week 4 2005
Lingle786Week 7 2015
Upton7106Week 2 2006
Wind River544Preseason 1998
Burns363Playoffs 2013
Hanna266Week 5 2000
Moorcroft154Preseason 1997
Tongue River169Preseason 2007
Ten Sleep191Week 4 1987
Kelly Walsh193Week 4 2006
Hulett193Week 6 1994
Rock River00Never
St. Stephens00Never
Basin04Never
St. Mary's/Seton05Never
Cheyenne South07Never
Wyoming Indian015Never
NSI025Never
Encampment029Never
Rawlins029Week 10 1974
Saratoga036Playoffs 1982
Pinedale042Week 9 1981
Newcastle043Week 5 1980

Note: Post updated 5:49 p.m. Jan. 18, 2022, to reflect Newcastle’s last No. 1 ranking in 1980.

Updates: Laramie, Newcastle, Saratoga, Hanna, Snake River, Farson, Clearmont, Carpenter, Huntley

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Some digital digging around over the holidays led me to one new game, a couple corrections and a couple other updates of note:

Added Laramie’s 11-6 victory against the UW third team on Nov. 14, 1898. This is Laramie’s first victory as a high school team that I can find.

Fixed the opponent for Laramie’s game against the UW third team on Oct. 18, 1901 — it wasn’t against the UW varsity.

Noted that Hanna beat Saratoga on Oct. 21, 1949; I’m still searching for a final score.

Noted that the Sept. 25, 1954, game between Hanna and Baggs and the Nov. 2, 1951, game between the same two teams were not played.

I also found three coaches for the Coaches Project — Hanna’s coach for 1949, Ted Rogers; Clearmont’s coach for 1935, Chester Stiteler; and Farson’s coach for 1951, Keith Sorenson. I also found the first name for Carpenter’s head coach in 1941, Devon Clark, and for Newcastle’s head coach in 1930, Ollie Hulse. Also, Huntley’s head coach in 1961 and 1962 was Bill Perich, not LeRoy Cundall.

All the updates have been made on all the relevant pages.

–patrick

Coaching records on wyoming-football.com

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I added records for the top 100 coaches in state history by number of victories this week to wyoming-football.com. I had posted these records sporadically on the blog before, but I wanted to give them a permanent home.

Here it is.

–patrick