Big Horn’s 2018 playoff run in historic context

by ⋅ 4 Comments

It’s been almost a month now since Big Horn finished an unbeaten season by demolishing Cokeville 56-3 in the Class 1A 11-man championship game.

Big Horn’s 11-0 season was indeed historic, but until now I hadn’t really considered the true proportions of the Rams’ playoff run.

The Rams lambasted their postseason opponents, beating Wind River 67-8 in the quarterfinals and Pine Bluffs 68-13 in the semis before thumping Cokeville by 53 in the title game. And you get the feeling it could have been worse.

Big Horn’s 191 total points in three playoff games — an average of 63.67 ppg — was impressive regardless. But dig this:

Prior to this year, only one other 11-man team in an eight-team playoff bracket — Cokeville in 2002 — had ever averaged more than 50 points per game in the playoffs on their way to a state title. The Panthers in 2002 were a bit weird, as they scored 54 points in every playoff game (winning 54-0, 54-8 and 54-0). Even I can figure out that that’s an average of 54 ppg; Cokeville totaled 162 points. No other team to win a state title in an 11-man eight-team bracket, instituted in 1990 for most classes, had scored even 150 points total in their three games.

Well, prior to Big Horn’s 191 this year.

The list of teams that have scored at least 45 points per game in the playoffs on their way to a title (in an 11-man eight-team bracket) is pretty short. The Rams rank so high above them all that it seems weird to have them on the same list.

Team Class Year Total Average
Big Horn 1A 11 2018 191 63.67
Cokeville 1A 2002 162 54
Buffalo 2A 2018 149 49.67
Sheridan 4A 1993 149 49.67
Mountain View 2A 1995 148 49.33
Lusk 1A DI 1999 145 48.33
Southeast 1A 2007 144 48
Mountain View 2A 2014 140 46.67
Douglas 3A 2009 140 46.67
Rocky Mountain 1A DI 1998 139 46.33
Big Horn 2A 2004 135 45

Another way to think of it is like this: The Rams averaged 63.67 points per game; 10 other programs have won state titles without even scoring 60 TOTAL points in three games in an 11-man eight-team bracket.

The biggest anomaly in that group is Cokeville’s 1994 Class 1A 11-man title team, which scored only 31 total points in three games — an average of 10.33 per game — but won the title. Cokeville won playoff games that year by back-to-back 7-6 scores in the quarterfinals and semifinals before winning the title game 17-8.

The programs scoring less than 60 points in an 11-man eight-team bracket title run are:

Team Class Year Total Average
Cokeville 1A 11 1994 31 10.33
Glenrock 3A 2003 43 14.33
Natrona 4A 1996 44 14.67
Riverside 2A 2007 48 16
Big Piney 3A 2006 49 16.33
Pine Bluffs 1A 11 2016 52 17.33
Southeast 1A 2008 53 17.67
Guernsey 1A 2006 54 18
Cheyenne East 4A 2013 55 18.33
Cokeville 1A DII 1998 59 19.67

In short: We all knew Big Horn’s 2018 playoff run was impressive. But when we stack it up against other high-scoring playoff runs, the Rams of 2018 clearly stand alone, setting a standard that may go unmatched for years to come.

–patrick

Collier tabbed as new head coach at Glenrock

by ⋅ 9 Comments

Ryan Collier, who spent four years as an assistant coach at Glenrock, will lead the Herders as the program’s new head coach.

Glenrock activities director Julie Kuhlman announced Collier’s hiring on Wednesday via an email to media.

Prior to coming to Glenrock, Collier was the head coach at Otis High School in Colorado for six years. At Glenrock, he has coached a variety of positions, including defensive line and offensive backfield, in addition to being the co-offensive coordinator.

He is also the head track and field coach at Glenrock and teaches social studies at the high school. He is a native of Denver.

“Ryan will continue to bring a wide knowledge base of the game of (football) to our Herder program, as well as a mission to inspire, teach, and motivate our students to be outstanding (football) players, but even better citizens,” Kuhlman said in the email.

Collier replaces Ray Kumpula, who retired at the end of the season after a total of 23 years as head coach of the Herders over two separate stints.

Glenrock is the first program statewide to name a new head coach for 2019, as Wyoming Indian and Lovell are also looking for new head coaches. If you know of other head coaching changes statewide, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Updates: Moorcroft, Glenrock, Big Horn, Guernsey, Sunrise, Clearmont, Ranchester, Dayton, 1940 all-state

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Some additional research in yearbooks posted online has helped me make the following additions:

Added five games concerning the six-man Northeast play in 1947: Big Horn’s 22-6 victory at Dayton on Oct. 5, 1947; Big Horn’s 64-21 victory at home against Dayton on Oct. 17; Clearmont’s 19-13 loss to the Gillette JV between Oct. 18-23 (added to the missing games list because a date and location couldn’t be found); Big Horn’s 41-39 victory at home against Clearmont on Oct. 24; and Clearmont’s 49-28 victory at home against Big Horn on Oct. 31. This was the first indication of any team in this season for either Big Horn or Dayton and added to two existing games for Clearmont for this season. Also added the coach for Big Horn (Dayton’s coach couldn’t be found and is on the coaches project page).

Added Ranchester’s 18-12 loss to Lodge Grass, Mont., at home on Oct. 30, 1942; also noted that the game scheduled for Sept. 25 between the same two teams was not played.

Added the result for Glenrock’s 39-6 victory against Guernsey on Oct. 13, 1950; also added Glenrock’s 25-19 victory against Sunrise at Glenrock in the last weekend of September (added to the missing games list because a specific date couldn’t be found).

Added the result for Edgemont, S.D.’s, 25-0 victory against Moorcroft on Sept. 20, 1968.

Noted that Clearmont’s victory against Ranchester on Nov. 11, 1948, was via forfeit.

Noted that the Sept. 24, 1948, game scheduled between Lyman and Hanna was not played.

Also, thanks to Jim Craig’s continuing research, I added first names and corrected the school for one player on the 1940 all-state team. Thanks, Jim!

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

–patrick

Wyoming Indian coach Ghormley resigns

by ⋅ 10 Comments

After five seasons as the head football coach at Wyoming Indian, Todd Ghormley has resigned.

Ghormley confirmed his resignation via email Friday to wyoming-football.com.

Ghormley said he was planning to stay at WIHS, where he teaches science and is also the head wrestling coach. He said a replacement has not yet been named.

The past two seasons, the Chiefs have played mostly sub-varsity opponents in an effort to gain experience and keep the program running. The team is 3-34 the past five years, including 1-4 last season.

Wyoming Indian joins Lovell and Glenrock as schools looking for new head coaches for 2019. If you know of other head coaching changes statewide, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Casper Star-Tribune releases 2018 Super 25 teams

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

The Casper Star-Tribune announced its annual Super 25 selections on Friday.

This year’s first-team Super 25 selections included players from 17 programs: Big Horn, Buffalo, Cody, Cokeville, Douglas, Evanston, Glenrock, Greybull, Jackson, Kelly Walsh, Mountain View, Natrona, Sheridan, Star Valley, Thunder Basin, Torrington and Upton-Sundance.

Glenrock’s Tucker Bopp, Big Horn’s Kade Eisele and Seth Mullinax, Torrington’s Bryan Lemmon and Kelly Walsh’s Brock Spiegelberg, all seniors, were all named to the Super 25 first team for the second time.

The paper also announced its second-team and third-team Super 25 picks.

The annual offensive player of the year, defensive player of the year and coach of the year awards will be announced tonight at the Super 25 banquet in Casper.

Previous Super 25 first-team selections are available here.

–patrick

Lander schedules switch to artificial turf

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Lander will become the latest school to switch from grass to artificial turf on its football field.

County 10 reports the overhaul of Bill Bush Stadium will also include new lights and a new track in addition to the new playing surface. The report says the changes will be made in time for the start of the 2019 football season.

For more details on stadiums statewide, click here.

–patrick

Lovell coach Gardner dismissed after one season

by ⋅ 4 Comments

Lovell’s Jeny Gardner was let go as the Bulldogs’ head football coach on Wednesday.

Gardner said via Twitter direct message with wyoming-football.com that the decision to change coaches was not her choice.

In a tweet, Gardner thanked her players “for believing in what we were trying to do with Lovell Football.”

The Bulldogs finished 1-8 last season. In a Twitter message, Gardner — an assistant with Lovell for three years before she became the state’s first female head coach — said she feared the Bulldogs’ record this year could be used as an excuse to keep other women from coaching football teams. Gardner did say she hopes to continue coaching football.

Lovell joins Glenrock as schools looking for new head coaches this offseason. If you know of other head coaching changes statewide, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

2018 season wrap-up: When greatness overtakes excitement

by ⋅ 3 Comments

The 2018 season is done. All 310 games.

And I feel unfulfilled.

Maybe that’s just because of how the season ended. Natrona, Star Valley, Buffalo, Big Horn and Farson all won state championships, but none of the title games were all that thrilling. Natrona built a 21-0 halftime lead on its way to beating Sheridan; Star Valley had little trouble in wiping out Torrington 35-14; Buffalo led Mountain View by 29 after two quarters and won 43-18; Big Horn blew out Cokeville in every conceivable way to win 56-3; Farson toyed with Burlington for a quarter before running away to its first title and a 73-38 victory.

If you’re a fan of one of those five programs, that’s awesome. If you’re a fan of exciting football at the highest level the state has to offer, not so much. After all, last year we had Mountain View and Glenrock going down to the wire in 2A, and Pine Bluffs and Big Horn doing the same in 1A 11-man… in 2016, we had Big Horn and Greybull in 2A and Pine Bluffs and Tongue River in 1A 11-man provide nail-biters… in 2015, it was Gillette and Sheridan staging a 4A classic.

This year’s title games, by contrast, were all but anticlimactic at the end. Five deserving teams won state championships, and in a way the way they won proved that dominance. You won’t hear the winners complaining, anyway.

Honestly, maybe I’m just going to miss having football to look forward to every Friday.

+++

With the culmination of the 2018 season, high-scoring offenses from Farson and Big Horn set a few scoring records:

Farson’s 790 points finished second all-time in points in a season, finishing just short of Meeteetse’s 803 in 2013; however, Farson’s average of 71.82 points per game ranks first all-time. Also, Farson’s 90 points scored against Hulett in the quarterfinals of the six-man playoffs was the second all-time single-game playoff total.

Big Horn, meanwhile, finished with 577 points and an average of 52.45 points per game — both tops all-time among 11-man programs.

On the other side of the records was Dubois, whose 611 points allowed was the most ever from a Wyoming football program in a single season. The Rams’ 76.38 points allowed per game is No. 3 all-time.

+++

Speaking of scoring, and of streaks, Snake River has now scored in 95 consecutive games, which ranks sixth all-time. Big Horn has scored in 75 consecutive games, which is good enough for the top 20.

Meanwhile, Cokeville notched its 31st consecutive winning season and its 33rd consecutive non-losing season, extending the Panthers’ existing state records in both categories. And Laramie finished its 18th consecutive losing season, the second-longest such streak in state history.

+++

In the coaching ranks, Natrona coach Steve Harshman notched victory No. 200 in the semifinals and finishes the season with 201 in-state victories. He ranks third all-time in in-state victories and now needs just five victories to pass legendary Laramie coach John E. Deti for second place. Of course, Cokeville coach Todd Dayton leads all in-state coaches with 325 victories.

(A quick note on Dayton: He suffered the worst loss of his career, point-spread wise, in Saturday’s 53-point loss to Big Horn. Prior to that, Dayton’s worst loss at Cokeville had been by 32 points. That’s an amazing stat to me — that in 38 years, a Cokeville team had never lost by more than 32 until the Rams dumped them by 53. There isn’t another team in the state that can claim a run like that.)

Also this season, Douglas coach Jay Rhoades passed the 100-victory milestone this season; he now has 101 victories in Wyoming and ranks fifth among active coaches — fourth by 2019 when Glenrock’s Ray Kumpula makes his retirement official.

+++

If you take a look around the site, you should see that the 2018 season results are now a part of all the listings I have. (If they’re not, let me know!) I’m not done with 2018 yet, though. There’s still more to update here — the all-state, Super 25 and all-America listings will be updated when information is available to do so, and the individual records will be updated when final season stats are released.

The 2019 schedule, meanwhile, will most likely be mostly an inverse of the 2018 schedule. The statewide scheduling meeting is coming up this week in Casper, and I’ll post the 2019 schedule after I receive schedules from schools statewide.

+++

My picks for the title games went well… as in perfect. That helps me overcome a slow start and finish above 80 percent correct for the year. This means something only to me, I’m sure, but indulge me:

Last week: 5-0 (100 percent). This season: 245-58 (81 percent). 14-year overall record: 3,334-830 (80 percent).

+++

Finally, if you like what you’ve seen from this site, consider a page sponsorship. I have to pay for my own web space, and page sponsorships are my way of making sure that I don’t pay out of my own pocket to keep the site running. Sponsorships for single pages run $20 per year — a small contribution to a labor of love that provides me a lot of happiness. I hope it provides you the same. Thanks for your support all season, and in seasons past; it’s a lot more fun to share my passion with others who share it with me.

Now, on to wyoming-basketball.com. …

–patrick

2018 championship game picks: A weekend at the War

by ⋅ 3 Comments

I’m not ready for the 2018 season to end. But all good things must, right? Over the next two days, five games will bring the 2018 season to a close. Here’s what to look for in each of them:

Class 1A six-man, noon Friday
Burlington Huskies (4W, 6-4) vs. Farson Pronghorns (1W, 10-0)
Series record: Farson leads 4-1.
Last meeting: Farson beat Burlington 47-41 on Oct. 12 in Burlington.
Last playoff meeting: First playoff meeting.
State championships: Burlington two, most recently in 1994. … Farson zero.
Previous title game record: Burlington, 2-1. … Farson, 0-2.
The path to Laramie: Burlington rallied in the second half to beat East top seed Hanna 61-36 in the first round before thumping Meeteetse 57-18 in the semis, with both games on the road. … Farson destroyed Hulett 90-22 in the first round and topped Snake River 62-19 in the semis.
The case for the Huskies: The Huskies started slow. And they finished slow. And they came into the playoffs at 4-4. But anyone who was paying attention knew how good the Huskies were. They’ve finally shown it in the postseason, beating two excellent opponents with ease. Moreover, a six-point loss to Farson — the only team to hang within 40 points of the Pronghorns all season — should be a huge confidence booster.
The case for the Pronghorns: Aside from that 47-41 victory against Burlington, the Pronghorns have been absolutely destroying teams. Farson is on pace to have the highest average scoring offense in state history. In six-man terms, its defense is as solid as it gets. Their senior class is loaded and motivated, and Lain Mitchelson will likely eclipse 2,000 rushing yards for the season by the time this game is done. Anything else?
The pick: Don’t let Burlington’s record fool you. The Huskies are more than capable. But the Pronghorns were the anointed team in six-man all season, and they’ve lived up to that hype. All that’s left to do now is close out the season holding the trophy that’s eluded them the past two seasons. … Farson 54, Burlington 42.

Class 3A, 3 p.m. Friday
Torrington Trailblazers (1E, 10-0) vs. Star Valley Braves (1W, 9-2)
Series record: Star Valley leads 10-2.
Last meeting: Star Valley beat Torrington 38-14 on Sept. 8, 2017, in Afton.
Last playoff meeting: Star Valley beat Torrington 42-27 in a 3A semifinal game on Nov. 6, 2015, in Torrington.
State championships: Torrington three, most recently in 1990. … Star Valley 10, most recently in 2016.
Previous title game record: Torrington, 2-10. … Star Valley, 9-10.
The path to Laramie: Torrington took care of Evanston 34-7 in the quarterfinals and then eked past Jackson with a touchdown and two-point conversion with no time on the clock to win 22-21 in the semis. … Star Valley notched a pair of shutouts, beating Worland 48-0 in the quarterfinals and Cody 33-0 in the semifinals.
The case for the Trailblazers: First of all, Torrington is undefeated. Second, Bryan Lemmon is one of the best running backs in the state. Third, the Trailblazers should be plenty motivated to win in Laramie after coming up short last season. Fourth, they have a deep and talented senior class. Sounds like a champion to me.
The case for the Braves: I’ll be honest: After seeing how many seniors the Braves lost last year, I didn’t have high hopes for them this year. But new players stepped into big roles quickly, and after a 1-2 start the Braves have won eight in a row. No single team in the state may have improved as much from last November to this November as Star Valley.
The pick: I’ve been ride or die with Torrington all season. The Trailblazers were my preseason No. 1 and were my No. 1 vote in every weekly poll this season. With what happened last week, this feels like their time, their destiny. So of course it won’t happen. … Star Valley 28, Torrington 24.

Class 2A, 10 a.m. Saturday
Mountain View Buffalos (1W, 9-1) vs. Buffalo Bison (1E, 9-1)
Series record: Series tied 3-3.
Last meeting/last playoff meeting: Mountain View beat Buffalo 18-0 in a 2A semifinal game on Oct 31, 1997, in Mountain View.
State championships: Mountain View five, most recently in 2017. … Buffalo five, most recently in 2005.
Previous title game record: Mountain View, 5-6. … Buffalo, 5-10.
The path to Laramie: Mountain View busted up Thermopolis 41-0 in the quarterfinals and scored 26 unanswered points in the second half against Glenrock in the semifinals to win 33-21. … Buffalo cruised past both Kemmerer (56-20 in the quarterfinals) and Wheatland (50-7 in the semifinals).
The case for the Buffalos: In case you forgot, the Buffalos won here last year. Their small senior class is more than made up for by a cadre of juniors who play like seniors. They’ve won nine in a row, almost all of them by wide margins. Their offensive diversity makes them tough to scout, and their defense stacks up against any in 2A.
The case for the Bison: When we learned Buffalo was moving from 3A to 2A this year, everyone in the state knew the Bison were going to immediately contend for a state title. And here we are. Buffalo’s only loss this year was to Douglas in Week 1, and since then the Bison have been on fire. Moreover, they’ve jumped to another level in the playoffs.
The pick: This is an excellent matchup, and I would pay good money to watch this game. I don’t know that either team has an advantage. When I think too hard about it, my head hurts, so I’ll go with my gut instead, and think about a foot (as in Buffalo kicker Luke Glassock) that might be the hidden game-breaker. … Buffalo 31, Mountain View 28.

Class 1A 11-man, 1 p.m. Saturday
Cokeville Panthers (1W, 10-0) vs. Big Horn Rams (1E, 10-0)
Series record: Cokeville leads 3-2.
Last meeting/last playoff meeting: Big Horn beat Cokeville 12-7 in a 1A 11-man semifinal game on Nov. 3, 2017, in Cokeville.
State championships: Cokeville 22, most recently in 2014. … Big Horn five, most recently in 2016.
Previous title game record: Cokeville, 21-6. … Big Horn, 5-10.
The path to Laramie: Cokeville flexed its muscles in the first round by beating Wright 61-8 in the quarterfinals and topping Upton-Sundance 25-6 in the semifinals. … Big Horn laid waste to its two postseason opponents, beating Wind River 67-8 in the quarterfinals and Pine Bluffs 68-13 in the semis.
The case for the Panthers: If you have to even ask if Cokeville’s a legit contender, you’ve been paying attention to the wrong state. Cokeville is ALWAYS a contender, and always will be with Todd Dayton as coach and entire community on its sideline. Beyond that, the Panthers are undefeated (and beat Mountain View for goodness sake!), relying on a defense that’s only allowed 65 points all season, by far the lowest mark in the state, to carry them.
The case for the Rams: Big Horn isn’t just the best team in 1A this season. The Rams are trying to make a case for one of the best 1A teams in the history of this state. They’re undefeated, but with potential record-setting efficiency: With 24 more points, the Rams will finish as the highest-scoring 11-man offense in state history; with 45 more points, they’ll have a higher scoring average than any other 11-man team in state history.
The pick: Cokeville is having a great season. Big Horn, somehow, is eclipsing even that, with a season for the ages. … Big Horn 40, Cokeville 24.

Class 4A, 4 p.m. Saturday
Sheridan Broncs (3, 9-2) vs. Natrona Mustangs (1, 10-1)
Series record: Natrona leads 57-47-6.
Last meeting: Natrona beat Sheridan 34-7 on Sept. 7 in Casper.
Last playoff meeting: Sheridan beat Natrona 28-14 in the 4A championship game on Nov. 11, 2017, in Laramie.
State championships: Sheridan 26, most recently in 2017. … Natrona 17, most recently in 2014.
Previous title game record: Sheridan, 16-6. … Natrona, 10-7.
The path to Laramie: Sheridan beat Rock Springs 41-8 in the quarterfinals but needed a touchdown in the final 31 seconds to overcome Thunder Basin 14-7 in the semis. … Natrona topped Kelly Walsh 35-7 in the quarterfinals, but needed a touchdown with less than 4 seconds remaining to beat Cheyenne East 21-14 in the semifinals.
The case for the Broncs: Anyone else going for a four-peat this weekend? Yeah, that’s what I thought. Even with a new coach in Jeff Mowry, the Broncs are still the Broncs, tradition lives on and the quest for a fourth consecutive championship is still alive. The two losses Sheridan had back in Weeks 2-3 are basically distant memories now, and with the lessons learned from those losses, everything is lining up well for that fourth title in a row.
The case for the Mustangs: One point is all that separates Natrona from being unbeaten right now. The Mustangs have 4A’s highest-scoring offense, and the defense has been up to the challenge when called upon. Natrona has balance, athleticism, diversity, coaching and momentum — everything you need for a title. All that’s in the way is the same thing that’s been in the way the past two seasons: Sheridan.
The pick: This pick should be easy. After all, Natrona beat Sheridan 34-7 earlier this season. The Mustangs are a no-brainer, right? Except when it’s November, in Laramie, and it involves Sheridan. Ah, what the heck. … Natrona 21, Sheridan 20.

I keep track of who wins and loses games. I also keep track of how well I choose the winners and losers prior to the games being played. This is a tally of how I’ve done with those choices this season:

Last week: 8-2 (80 percent). This season: 240-58 (81 percent).

For a full schedule including kickoff times, as well as results from past weeks, click here. Click on “Championships” on the top of the page for this week’s schedule. For playoff brackets, click here.

Championship weekend is finally here! It’s better than Christmas. Let’s share in that joy together by gathering around the comments section, sharing stories and drinking hot cocoa.

–patrick

The myth of “momentum” from a semifinal game

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

The theory about championship games is that the hot team, not the best team, will come away with the title.

But if “hot” is measured by a semifinal performance, that theory may be misleading.

Inspired by this post, I looked into the margins of victory for semifinal playoff games to see if the teams that won by bigger margins in the semifinals were more likely to win the state championships.

I found that, since 2009 when title games moved to the neutral War (isn’t that an oxymoron?), the teams that win big in the semis are actually LESS likely to win the title game — but just barely.

Since 2009, the team that has won its semifinal game by fewer points is actually more successful in the title game, going 23-22. However, teams that win their semifinal games by wide margins that play teams that won their semifinal games by small margins do have an advantage.

Of the 11 instances since 2009 when a team that won its semifinal game by more than 25 points played a team that won its semifinal game by single digits, the team that won by 25-plus is 9-2 in those title games. The only teams not to uphold this were Douglas in 2014 (won its semifinal by 27, lost the title game to Cody, which won its semifinal by 8) and Tongue River in 2016 (won its semifinal by 31, lost the title game to Pine Bluffs, which won its semifinal by 6). This weekend, this scenario applies to Star Valley (won by 33; opponent Torrington won by 1).

However, simply winning big in a semifinal is no guarantee of title-game success. Of teams that won their semifinal games by at least 30 points, those teams are just 14-11 in title games. This includes five instances of each team playing in the title game after winning their semifinals by at least 30 points, four of those in six-man. This year’s six-man title game matches this scenario.

Looking ahead to this weekend, don’t be fooled by conventional wisdom. Even though it would seem that Star Valley, Buffalo, Big Horn and Farson would have the advantage, having won their semifinals by a wider margin than their opponent, we’ve seen that winning big in the semis guarantees nothing a week later.

–patrick