Author Archives: Patrick

With apologies to the other four classifications, the best set of first round playoff games belongs to Class 1A 11-man.

Nowhere else do we get the intrigue of a No. 1 seed coming is as a decided underdog to a No. 4 seed.

Nowhere else do we get the rematch of two of the state’s best coaches re-staging one of the state’s best games of 2016.

Nowhere else do we see a matchup of teams who beat two common opponents by identical scores and a third common opponent by the exact same margin.

And nowhere else do we see an undefeated, defending state champion hosting a team that qualified for the playoffs by beating the two worst 11-man teams in the state and no one else.

The 1A 11-man drama starts in Shoshoni, where the Wranglers lost their final game of the regular season but won the top seed from the West by winning a coin flip. Coin flip karma kicked in immediately, though: Thanks to the flip, Southeast is coming back to Fremont County.

If you’re a Shoshoni supporter, you’re wondering if being the top seed is actually the worst possible outcome you could have had. After all, Shoshoni has yet to shake the shock of 2015.

Remember that? Remember how Shoshoni was 8-0 coming into last year’s playoffs, the top seed from the West, and not only got beaten but beaten down by East No. 4 seed Southeast?

Remember how they showed up on each other’s regular-season schedules this year? Remember how Shoshoni traveled to Goshen County and came back battered and beaten, 32-13?

Now, even as a No. 1 seed, Shoshoni is the underdog.

And right under that game in the bracket is the game between Tongue River and Cokeville.

Just like Shoshoni-Southeast, Tongue River-Cokeville is another rematch of a 2015 first-round playoff game. Last year, Tongue River and coach John Scott — who knows a thing or two about winning games in Lincoln County from his time as head coach at Kemmerer — went down to Cokeville and beat the Panthers 28-21 on their way to a berth in the state title game.

Cokeville would love to reverse roles this year, and why not? Cokeville’s already gotten some revenge, beating Tongue River this year. It was 12-7. In Dayton. For Cokeville coach Todd Dayton’s 300th career victory. There isn’t a single player in orange and black who’s scared of the trip to Sheridan County.

The other side of the bracket has more mystery but just as much intrigue.

Rocky Mountain and Pine Bluffs will meet in Cowley knowing that the other team is equally as good. After all, they both beat Lusk 35-6, and they both beat Wyoming Indian 70-0, and they both beat Wind River by exactly 41 points (Pine Bluffs 41-0, Rocky Mountain 47-6.) It’s like a mirror.

Finally, defending champ Upton-Sundance is just chillin’. The Patriots enter the playoffs on a 15-game winning streak, the longest active streak in 11-man. For earning the East’s top seed, Upton-Sundance draws Saratoga. And for Saratoga, this has to feel like the scary part of jumping on a trampoline — you don’t know you’re too high until you’ve already made the leap.

The Panthers qualified as the West’s No. 4 seed by beating Wind River and Wyoming Indian, who finished a combined 1-15, with the one win being Wind River’s win over Wyoming Indian. Saratoga itself lost to the East’s lowest-placing team, Lusk; Lusk went 1-7 but beat Saratoga 58-12.

The 1 vs. 4 games in 1A 11-man could not be any more different.

In part, that’s why the 1A 11-man playoff bracket might be the best in the state this season. It’s definitely the best of the quarterfinals.

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Other noteworthy pieces from the first round of the playoffs:

It’s a big week in Sweetwater County. Six-man Farson, which went through the regular season undefeated, will host a playoff game for the first time in program history when it takes on Hanna. Farson is 0-6 all-time in postseason games. Meanwhile, Rock Springs is hosting its first playoff game since 2002, the longest such streak outside of Farson that will be broken this week. …

Tongue River’s playoff run last year was something else. It was also all on the road. This week, the Eagles host their first playoff game since hosting the 3A title game in 2006. …

Pinedale is in the playoffs for the first time since 2008, a postseason drought that had been the second-longest in the state. Cheyenne South, meanwhile, is in the playoffs for the first time in its five-year history. That leaves Wyoming Indian (20 years) and Moorcroft (eight years) with the longest active playoff droughts in the state. …

There’s three first-time matchups in the quarterfinals this year: Pinedale/Big Horn, Saratoga/Upton-Sundance and Burlington/Kaycee. …

Casper rivals Kelly Walsh and Natrona meet in the playoffs for the fifth time in their Oil City rivalry. Natrona has won the previous four, including last year. …

On to the picks, where the team I think will win is indicated in bold and most of them are home teams because this is the playoffs and normally in the playoffs the home team is the favorite so a lot of home teams are bolded because they’re good:

Class 4A
(8) Cheyenne South at (1) Gillette: Gillette beat South 46-28 in their first game against each other this season. It wasn’t that close. And South comes into the playoffs riding a six-game losing streak. So much for momentum. (First playoff meeting.)
(5) Natrona at (4) Kelly Walsh: This will probably be the best game of the quarterfinals, regardless of classification. I go with the Trojans because of the past four weeks: KW is 4-0, including a victory against Natrona; NC is 1-3. Nevertheless, count on a ton of nibbled-off fingernails littering Harry Geldien Stadium by this one’s end. (Rematch of a 4A quarterfinal playoff game from last season.)
(7) Cheyenne East at (2) Sheridan: East has a better-than-average chance to upset Sheridan. The Broncs barely squeaked past the Thunderbirds in Week 3 in Cheyenne (21-16). But the Broncs are at home this time, and that will help. (First playoff meeting since 2013 4A semifinals.)
(6) Laramie at (3) Rock Springs: Laramie is a tough first-round matchup for Rock Springs, and the Plainsmen have the talent and the confidence to pull off the upset. But Rock Springs has the edge in history (beat Laramie 29-21 in Laramie earlier this season) and in offensive firepower (112 combined points the last two games). (First playoff meeting since 1998 4A semifinals.)
Class 3A
(4W) Cody at (1E) Douglas: The Bearcats handled the Broncs fairly easily back in Week 2, 36-12 in Cody. Douglas has the upper hand in the rematch at home. (Rematch of 2014 3A championship.)
(3E) Riverton at (2W) Star Valley: This is the matchup Riverton wanted to avoid. Now? They’ve got to go to Afton to play a team that beat them 49-7 back in Week 2. (First playoff meeting since 2013 3A quarterfinals.)
(4E) Lander at (1W) Powell: Both teams are in the seed they’re in, at least in part, because of a coin flip. But the circumstances are very, very different. (First playoff meeting since 2012 3A quarterfinals.)
(3W) Green River at (2E) Torrington: The top three teams out of the West are all contenders for a title. Oh, and Green River beat Torrington 28-14 in Torrington in Week 3. The Wolves should be confident. (First playoff meeting since 1954 Class A semifinals.)
Class 2A
(4E) Newcastle at (1W) Mountain View: They’ve met in the playoffs in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The home team has won every time. Let’s stick with that trend. And to boot, Mountain View has won 13 straight at home, the longest active home winning streak in Wyoming. (First playoff meeting since 2014 2A semifinals.)
(3W) Pinedale at (2E) Big Horn: The idea of “mystery” is quaint in 2016, when we have Hudl and any other number of ways of getting film on an opponent. Still, it’s fun to think what might happen when two teams who have never played each other, ever, get together. (Obviously, first meeting.)
(4W) Lyman at (1E) Glenrock: Two weeks ago, the Herders went down to Lyman and got a true test before winning 22-12. Glenrock will be ready for the rematch — no sneaking up on them. (First playoff meeting since 2011 2A semifinals.)
(3E) Wheatland at (2W) Greybull: Even though it comes in at 4-4, Wheatland is still the defending 2A champion. But do you think that means anything to the Buffs — who are 7-1, with the lone loss by a single point? (Rematch of a 2A semifinal playoff game from last season.)
Class 1A 11-man
(4E) Southeast at (1W) Shoshoni: As punishment for winning the top seed from the West, the Wranglers draw Southeast — the team that’s been their nemesis the past two seasons — out of the East. It’ll be closer this time, but the Cyclones definitely have the mental edge in this one. (Rematch of a quarterfinal game from last season, obviously.)
(3W) Cokeville at (2E) Tongue River: I know I said Natrona-Kelly Walsh will probably be the best game of the quarterfinals. Looking at this game, though, I might want to change my vote. The road team has won the last two; I think a home team is due to win one. (Rematch of a quarterfinal game from last season, again, obviously.)
(4W) Saratoga at (1E) Upton-Sundance: Upton-Sundance is an undefeated juggernaut right now. Saratoga, politely, is not. (First meeting of Saratoga with the Upton-Sundance co-op; Saratoga last met Sundance in the 2005 2A semifinals and Upton in the 1975 Class B semis.)
(3E) Pine Bluffs at (2W) Rocky Mountain: Of all the picks I had to make this week, this one may have been the most difficult. When you have what appear to be equal teams on paper, you go with the home team. (First playoff meeting since 1994 1A semifinals.)
Class 1A six-man
(4E) Hanna at (1W) Farson: Farson’s unbeaten season has been special. Hanna hasn’t beaten another team in the six-man playoff field. Advantage, Farson. (First playoff meeting.)
(3W) Snake River at (2E) Guernsey-Sunrise: I’ve had a difficult time getting a feel for the Rattlers. If they play to their potential, they can beat anyone in the bracket. If they don’t, the Vikings could win by 30. (First playoff meeting since 2014 1A six-man semifinals.)
(4W) Burlington at (1E) Kaycee: Of all three potential first-round draws for Kaycee, Burlington may be the toughest. The Huskies are capable of hanging with the defending champs. If the Buckaroos don’t play sharp, this is a potential 4 over 1 upset in the making. (First meeting.)
(3E) Midwest at (2W) Meeteetse: Midwest could stay with Meeteetse. But “stay with” and “beat” have different definitions, and the Longhorns are going to be tough for the Oilers to beat. (First playoff meeting since the 2013 1A six-man championship.)

For a full schedule with kickoff times, click here. For brackets of all five classifications, click here.

As for me? Just an amazing week of picks last week is all… Hashtag thanks Kelly Walsh.

Last week: 32-1 (97 percent). This season: 223-47 (83 percent).

The postseason is here. Who’s ready to spring an upset? Who’s ready to start a championship run? Leave a comment and we can talk about it….

–patrick

Let’s walk through a plausible scenario for Friday’s Class 4A football games:

• Natrona loses to Rock Springs in Rock Springs.
• Cheyenne East loses to Gillette in Gillette.
• Cheyenne South summons its early-season magic and beats Sheridan in Cheyenne.
• And Laramie and Kelly Walsh play until someone wins.

This potential setup would give us a heck of a mess for the fifth through eighth playoff seeds in Class 4A.

With losses by Natrona and East, a victory by South and any kind of an outcome aside from “canceled” in the Laramie-KW game, then Class 4A would finish with four teams at 4-5, tied for playoff seeds 5-8. (I wrote about the outcomes for all those ties here.)

In many ways, the Laramie-Kelly Walsh game is the lynchpin of the 4A playoff seeds. With four teams entering the final week of the regular season at 4-4, this is the only game that has two of those teams facing off. The winner is 5-4 and has the inside track to the fourth seed and a home playoff game, although the fourth seed is no guarantee, even with a victory.

But all it would take is one upset — specifically, South over Sheridan — to turn the 4A playoff seeding from an examination of gridiron supremacy to a mental exercise in tiebreaking procedures. The WHSAA handbook doesn’t even list four-way tiebreaking procedures under its “Football” section. Those are buried elsewhere.

This isn’t new. Class 4A in 2014 had the potential to finish with a four-way tie for seeds 5-8 or even a five-way tie for seeds 5-8 and a loser out. And entering Week 7, there was potential for a six-way tie for seeds 3-8 in 4A, although fortunately we’ll all avoid that conundrum.

Still, the potential 4A playoff seedings this year are a potential mess. But that’s also part of the fun when parity becomes the rule rather than the exception.

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Fortunately for the 4A schools involved, none of the 16 potential tiebreaking scenarios would involve a coin flip.

That’s not the case for teams in the 3A East, where coin flips could decide who makes the playoffs and who doesn’t.

Last year, the WHSAA did away with triangular playoffs for teams tied for playoff berths. Now, if teams are tied at the end of the season and a playoff berth is at stake — and all other tiebreaking methods fail — coaches flip coins.

The most likely scenario where this would play out is in the 3A East, where if favored teams Douglas, Riverton and Torrington win as expected, then Buffalo, Lander and Rawlins will all tie for the East’s No. 4 seed. In previous years, the three teams would have settled their differences on the field in a triangular playoff; this year, if that happens, the teams will flip coins, with only one team moving on to the postseason based on the outcome of those flips.

(In a coin flip like this, the odd team is out, and then the team that won the head-to-head game between the two remaining teams is the higher seed — or, in this case, the only seed. You can say that means that the teams decided it on the field, but ultimately it’s still dumb luck.)

The loss of the triangular playoff is kind of sad. I know some coaches hated them, and reasons like lost class time, additional travel and player safety are valid. But I liked the triangulars, if for no other reason they helped settle ties via play. I played in such a playoff in 1998 and, even though we lost, I appreciated the chance to have the differences settled on the field rather than by my coach’s thumb and a quarter.

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Other stuff I’m watching this week:

The Lovell-Pinedale game could be a doozy. Both teams have shown they could be spoilers in the 2A playoffs, and Lovell in particular needs the victory to qualify for the postseason. …

Class 1A 11-man has two true qualifying games — Wright at Southeast in the East and Wind River at Saratoga in the West. The winners will be the No. 4 seeds from their respective conferences, the losers will be out. …

I love to see all the rivalry games go down in 3A this week, with Cody-Powell, Riverton-Lander and Star Valley-Jackson all saved for the regular-season finales. All three are critical to playoff seeding, too, giving a little extra kick to each game. …

The only classifications with their eight playoff teams set are Class 4A and Class 1A six-man. In six-man, the game of the week is Snake River at Farson; the Rattlers notched a big OT victory last week against Burlington and could steal the West Conference’s top seed if they can give the Pronghorns their first loss of the season. …

Reminder: Kemmerer’s home game against Lyman could be an unofficial record-setter. A Ranger loss would give Kemmerer 36 consecutive losses, which would be the longest such streak in state history. I wrote about it last week. …

On to this week’s picks, where I’ve decided that consistency is the key to success and remained with my standard of indicating teams I’m predicting to win with bold type:

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Gillette
Evanston at Cheyenne Central
Laramie at Kelly Walsh
Natrona at Rock Springs
Sheridan at Cheyenne South
Class 3A
Buffalo at Douglas
Cody at Powell
Rawlins at Torrington
Riverton at Lander
Star Valley at Jackson
Worland at Green River
Class 2A
Big Horn at Wheatland
Burns at Newcastle
Greybull at Big Piney
Lovell at Pinedale
Lyman at Kemmerer
Moorcroft at Glenrock
Mountain View at Thermopolis
Class 1A 11-man
Lusk at Pine Bluffs
Rocky Mountain at Wyoming Indian
Shoshoni at Cokeville
Tongue River at Upton-Sundance
Wind River at Saratoga
Wright at Southeast
Class 1A six-man
Hanna vs. Midwest (at Casper)
Kaycee at Normative Services
Lingle at Rock River
Riverside at Burlington
St. Stephens at Meeteetse
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Guernsey-Sunrise at Hulett
Snake River at Farson
Ten Sleep at Dubois

For a full schedule with kickoff times, click here.

Lander’s victory to end a 23-game losing streak was awesome for the Tigers. But it really screwed with my picks. Snake River was the only other team to win despite not being bolded in my list.

Last week: 30-2 (94 percent). This season: 191-46 (81 percent).

We’re here. Week 8. Any surprises you see coming down the pike? Leave a comment and let’s commiserate over the last week of the regular season!

–patrick

“Did you know that the Chinese use the same word for crisis as they do for opportunity?”

“Yes! Crisitunity!”

The crisis: Kemmerer’s losing streak is now reaching historic proportions.

The opportunity: On Friday, the Rangers can end the streak.

Kemmerer has now lost 34 consecutive games dating back to 2012. Only one streak — Rawlins’ 35-game losing streak from 2008-12 — is longer than the one the Rangers are on now.

A loss on Friday in Lovell assures Kemmerer of tying the ignominious record; a loss Friday coupled with a loss next week to Lyman would give the Rangers 36 consecutive losses, and the state record.

Not that they want it.

As I said with Rawlins in 2012, no school deserves this. However, Kemmerer’s streak is a bit more difficult to live through than Rawlins’ streak, particularly because the Rangers’ senior class faces the possibility of going all four years of their high school football careers without a single varsity victory.

Kemmerer went 0-8 in 2013, 0-8 in 2014, 0-8 in 2015 and, so far, 0-6 in 2016. (Add on four losses to close 2012, and that totals 34.)

Rawlins, even at the depths of its losing streak, never went four straight full seasons without a victory. And yet, Kemmerer — despite being on the brink of a state record — would not be the first Wyoming high school football team to go through a four-year winless streak, to graduate a class of seniors who never knew what a varsity gridiron victory feels like.

In fact, two Wyoming programs went five years without victories, graduating two consecutive classes of seniors who went without a W. The first to do so was Fort Washakie, which went from 1936-40 without a victory; however, the Indians greatly reduced the number of games per season after 1937. Fort Washakie went 0-7, 0-6-1, 0-2, 0-3-1 and 0-1, respectively, in those five years.

The other program to go five years without a victory was Big Horn, which went from 1959-63 without winning a game (0-5, 0-6, 0-4, 0-5, 0-6).

Four other programs at five other times have graduated a senior class without a victory. Chronologically, they were Sundance (0-7, 0-8, 0-6 and 0-6 from 1951-54), Hulett (0-8, 0-8, 0-8 and 0-7 from 1975-78), Wyoming Indian (0-7, 0-7, 0-7 and 0-7 from 1976-79) and Greybull, twice (0-8, 0-8, 0-7 and 0-8 from 1978-82; 0-7, 0-7, 0-7 and 0-7 from 1997-2000).

Hanna also went from 1993-96 without a victory, going 0-7 in 1994, 1995 and 1996, but the Miners did not field a team in 1993.

If Kemmerer is going to turn around its fortunes, it will need some help. Since 2013, every one of the Rangers’ losses has been by a double-digit margin. This season, Kemmerer’s closest game was a 34-0 loss to Mountain View. Kemmerer’s been outscored this season 275-13.

The “crisitunity” Kemmerer faces Friday against Lovell is the same one the Rangers have faced in every game the past 34 games.

Eventually, Kemmerer will win a game again, and this crisis will stop.

Until then, every new game is an opportunity.

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Other games that deserve some extra-special attention this week:

Laramie has won four games in a row for the first time since 2000. Now, the Plainsmen host Gillette in what might be the biggest regular-season football game in Laramie since, oh… Who knows? I still think the Camels are the favorites — Gillette has won 18 straight true road games, one of the longer such streaks in state history — but Laramie is playing well and playing with confidence. …

Riverton can make a real mess of the 3A East if it can beat Douglas. The Wolverines have put up 49, 61 and 54 points their past three games; the Bearcats have given up 6, 6 and 0 points their past three games. Irresistible, immovable, etc. …

In the 3A West, four teams (Green River, Cody, Star Valley and Powell) are tied for first at 2-1. Green River plays at Cody this week. Frankly, I don’t see how this conference doesn’t end up, one way or another, with a shared conference title. …

The marquee game in 1A 11-man is Pine Bluffs at Tongue River. Both teams are looking sharp right now, and both are threats to play in Laramie. However, the winner of this game will be in much better shape to do so. …

The top of the 1A six-man West is unbelievably competitive: Farson, Burlington, Snake River and Meeteetse are a combined 21-4. This week, Burlington heads south to play Snake River in a game that could decide who has to hit the road in the first week of the playoffs and who stays home. Should be a good one in Baggs. …

Playoff implications

The playoff implications are all over the place this week. They’re too numerous to mention right now. A full breakdown of playoff possibilities will be posted ahead of Week 8. I got you. In the meantime, here’s a quick glance at the top and bottom of the food chains:

Glenrock has already won the 2A East. This week, three squads could win the top seeds from their conference with victories: Douglas in the 3A East, Mountain View in the 2A West and Kaycee in the 1A six-man East. In addition, Gillette could wrap up 4A’s top seed with a victory and a Sheridan loss to Natrona; Shoshoni could win the 1A 11-man West with a victory and if Cokeville somehow loses to Wind River; and Farson could win the 1A six-man West with a victory and a Burlington victory against Snake River. The 3A West is the only conference that definitely will NOT have a clear-cut top seed after Week 7, no matter what happens.

Evanston, Rock River, Dubois and Ten Sleep have been eliminated from playoff contention; several more teams could be eliminated this week.

For the record: Kemmerer could still qualify for the playoffs. Opportunity…

This week’s picks, with projected winners in bold, as is tradition:

Thursday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Evanston
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne South at Rock Springs
Gillette at Laramie
Kelly Walsh at Cheyenne Central
Sheridan at Natrona
Class 3A
Douglas at Riverton
Green River at Cody
Jackson at Powell
Lander at Rawlins
Star Valley at Worland
Torrington at Buffalo
Class 2A
Big Horn at Moorcroft
Big Piney at Mountain View
Glenrock at Lyman
Kemmerer at Lovell
Newcastle at Thermopolis
Pinedale at Greybull
Wheatland at Burns
Class 1A 11-man
Cokeville at Wind River
Pine Bluffs at Tongue River
Saratoga at Rocky Mountain
Southeast at Lusk
Upton-Sundance at Wright
Wyoming Indian at Shoshoni
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at St. Stephens
Farson at Riverside
Hulett at Lingle
Rock River at Guernsey-Sunrise
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Burlington at Snake River
Meeteetse at Ten Sleep
Midwest at Kaycee
Normative Services at Hanna

For a full schedule with kickoff times, click here.

I pick games every week. Then I record how many picks I get right and how many I get wrong. Here are those tallies from last week:

Last week: 26-6 (81 percent). This season: 161-44 (79 percent).

Now, I turn to you. Which teams are most likely to take advantage of their opportunities this week? Leave a comment and let’s talk!

–patrick

When the 2016 schedule came out last November, we knew immediately that Oct. 7 was going to be a big day in Class 3A.

That was the day Green River was going to go to Afton to play Star Valley.

Friday’s game took on special significance about 11 months ago, when both teams advanced to the state championship game. The title game didn’t match up to the two teams’ regular-season game — Star Valley won the regular-season game 16-15 on a last-play field goal but won the title game 31-15 in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate.

Now, they’re meeting in the game after “the game” that defined this longstanding rivalry, one that dates back to 73 previous meetings and 67 years. And the stakes? Still high.

Granted, given Star Valley’s surprising 22-14 loss to Powell last week, Green River has inherited its own destiny in a way it couldn’t have foreseen prior to this week. Even so, Green River comes into Friday’s game as Class 3A’s lone undefeated team at 5-0, while Star Valley enters as the classification’s defending state champion and a team that could still earn a conference championship, and maybe the top seed for the playoffs, if it can win out.

The game speaks to the bigger challenges of playing in the 3A West.

The conference is loaded with programs who have proven they know how to win. Last year’s state champ (Star Valley), last year’s runner-up (Green River), last year’s conference champ (Jackson), the 2014 3A champ (Cody), the 3A champ from 2011-13 (Powell)… they’re all in the conference. The only team not listed in that Murderer’s Row is Worland — a team that comes into Week 5 with a 3-2 record and riding a mini-resurgence, as well.

For now, the Wolves are sitting at the top of that heap.

And of all the teams chasing them, the Braves may be the best equipped to knock them down.

The one thing we know? It won’t be easy for either team. In the 3A West, it never is.

Other games I’m watching closely this week, for a litany of reasons that I can only begin to explain here: The obvious 4A game of the week is Rock Springs at Gillette. Campbell County has been unkind to the Tigers — they’re just 1-9 in Gillette all-time, last winning there in 2001. With Gillette, Rock Springs and Sheridan all sitting at one loss apiece, this game might decide home-field advantage in the playoffs. …

Evanston is playing for its playoff life this week; a loss to Kelly Walsh in Casper would eliminate the Red Devils from 4A postseason contention. …

The Buffalo-Riverton game is really intriguing now that the Wolverines are starting to make things click. …

Greybull is undefeated but going on the road to Mountain View could prove to be a big challenge. Don’t be surprised to see the southern Buffalos make things tough on the northern Buffaloes and maybe even sneak out a victory. …

Glenrock could clinch the 2A East championship this week. A victory in Burns assures the Herders of home-field advantage throughout the playoffs — something no other team in the state can earn on their own this week. On the other side of the 2A playoffs, Lyman and Kemmerer will be rooting hard for each other this week. If they both lose, they’re both out of the postseason chase. …

I don’t know what to think of Shoshoni anymore, which is why I’m keeping a ton of attention on the Wranglers’ game with resurgent Rocky Mountain. I honestly don’t know what to expect; finals of 14-12 or of 38-6, in either direction, wouldn’t be surprising to me. …

Meeteetse and Farson have built a nice rivalry in six-man. Some of the luster is gone after Meeteetse’s loss last week, but the Longhorns could ruin the Pronghorns’ plans for a top seed if they can bounce back this week.

On to the picks. This is where I like to try to make a fool of myself by predicting winners of games organized and facilitated by adults but played (almost exclusively) by people legally defined as children. The groups of children I think will play the best are in bold type:

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Sheridan
Evanston at Kelly Walsh
Laramie at Cheyenne East
Natrona at Cheyenne South
Rock Springs at Gillette
Class 3A
Buffalo at Riverton
Cody at Jackson
Green River at Star Valley
Powell at Worland
Rawlins at Douglas
Torrington at Lander
Class 2A
Glenrock at Burns
Greybull at Mountain View
Kemmerer at Pinedale
Lovell at Lyman
Moorcroft at Wheatland
Newcastle at Big Piney
Thermopolis at Big Horn
Class 1A 11-man
Pine Bluffs at Southeast
Rocky Mountain at Shoshoni
Saratoga at Cokeville
Tongue River at Wright
Upton-Sundance at Lusk
Wyoming Indian at Wind River
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Burlington
Guernsey-Sunrise at Hanna
Lingle at Kaycee
Normative Services at Rock River
Snake River at St. Stephens
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Meeteetse at Farson
Midwest at Hulett
Riverside at Ten Sleep

For a full schedule with kickoff times, click here.

My picks last week? Not great. I hope to redeem myself this week, but I also like upsets. The struggle is real.

Last week: 23-9 (74 percent). This season: 135-38 (78 percent).

How about you? Who do you think has the best chance to pull an upset this week? Who’s cruising straight to Laramie in mid-November? Leave a comment…

–patrick

Today, when we think about successful six-man football programs in Wyoming, we don’t think about Glenrock or Big Horn.

Yet, if we had asked the same question in 1941, the top two teams that would immediately come up would be the Herders and Rams.

These two programs renew their rivalry on Friday in Glenrock, with the Herders ranked first and the Rams second in my Class 2A rankings. They’re both perennial contenders for the 2A championship, and as 2A East Conference rivals since 2009, they’ve developed a healthy, competitive, high-stakes rivalry.

Key games between them, though, didn’t start in 2009. In fact, their first game against each other ended up being one of the most important games in state history.

On Nov. 20, 1941, Glenrock beat Big Horn 22-20 in the state’s first regional six-man playoff game — and its last meaningful six-man game for several years.

Much like most six-man programs of the era, both programs were taking baby steps into that playoff. The Big Horn program was in only its third year, having started football in the fall of 1939. Glenrock, meanwhile, had started its program in 1923 but had gone through extended periods without a team; the 1941 season was just the Herders’ ninth and, like Big Horn, was just its third season since starting back up in 1939.

However, Big Horn was a fast study and won the Northeast district six-man crown in 1941, while Glenrock picked up on the game just as fast and won the Southeast district. The two teams met in Sheridan, neither knowing what to expect; what they got was more than 1,000 fans to show up at Central Field to watch the two teams fight it out for the regional title. The Herders won in a thriller.

Less than three weeks later, America was jumping headlong into World War II, and smaller programs struggled to continue during the war years. Big Horn didn’t have a team from 1944-47; Glenrock skipped the entire 1942 season. When statewide playoffs came back to Wyoming in 1948, though, there was a six-man division — thanks in big part to the success of the Big Horn-Glenrock regional playoff back in 1941.

Six-man, eight-man and nine-man have come and gone in waves in Wyoming. Big Horn and Glenrock haven’t. They’ve consistently been among Wyoming’s best teams, with Glenrock sporting a .613 winning percentage and Big Horn a .593 entering the season.

Oh by the way, they’re both undefeated this year.

When they take the field tonight in Glenrock, keep in mind the influence of this rivalry goes way beyond the two teams involved.

+++

Week 5 is also a huge rivalry week in Class 4A, as the Energy Bowl between Gillette and Sheridan, the Oil Bowl between Natrona and Kelly Walsh and the Capital Bowl between Cheyenne East and Cheyenne Central will all be played.

It’s an interesting dynamic in Cheyenne, where both East and Central have already lost to 2016 Cheyenne city champion South. The Capital Bowl isn’t what it used to be, not only this year but every year from here on out, thanks to South’s entry.

That old feeling may also be dying in northeastern Wyoming, where Friday’s Energy Bowl may be the last one to feel like an Energy Bowl. With Thunder Basin High School set to open in Gillette in 2017, the rivalry between the Camels and the Broncs can’t help but be diminished, if even slightly, by the new rivalry brewing between cross-town rivals in Gillette.

Oh, sure, the Energy Bowl will always be important. The Camels and Broncs will always have a special place in each other’s hearts. But it won’t be THE game like it is today, and I’m sad to see that dynamic disappear.

One parallel we can draw is in the Laramie-Cheyenne Central rivalry, once the king of Wyoming rivalries. The addition of East, and eventually South, in Cheyenne changed the dynamics of the rivalry between the Plainsmen and Indians. Laramie may say Central is its biggest rival; Central, thanks to almost 60 years staging off against in-city rival East, may not say the same in return.

That said, this year’s Energy Bowl — a rematch of last year’s 4A title game — promises to be plenty special, with the top-ranked and undefeated Broncs hosting the once-beaten Camels in a game that has deep playoff implications in addition to the rivalry angle.

That angle may mean less and less in years to come.

And that’s why the stands at Homer Scott Field should be full on Friday. Even if you have no rooting interest, this may be your last chance to see this rivalry in all its splendor, as everything it can be.

Other games I’m watching closely this week: The Cheyenne South-Laramie game is interesting: South won its first three, but comes in having lost two in a row, while Laramie lost its first three, but comes in having won two in a row. … Likewise, the Oil Bowl between Natrona and Kelly Walsh pits a couple teams that could be really good, or really bad, or kind of average, maybe. Perhaps the real identities of these Mustangs and Trojans simply need a rivalry game to show themselves. … When the schedule came out in November, Douglas at Torrington figured to be the biggest 3A East game of the year. Nothing I’ve seen since then makes me think any differently. … The Worland-Cody game will be a heck of a litmus test for the upstart Warriors — and a heck of a challenge for the already-in-season-saving-mode Broncs. … Rivalries aren’t just a 4A thing this week: Big Piney and Pinedale will face off in their annual Sublette County showdown, too. … Wheatland at Newcastle could be the best game of the week; both teams need to keep pace with Big Horn and Glenrock, but only one can. …  Kaycee and Guernsey-Sunrise are the only two teams left undefeated in 1A six-man East play. The winner maintains its own playoff destiny. … It’s nice to see the Burlington-Meeteetse game back on the schedule, especially when both teams appear to be on their game.

Picks. Bold = winner.

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Cheyenne Central
Cheyenne South at Laramie
Gillette at Sheridan
Natrona at Kelly Walsh
Rock Springs at Evanston
Class 3A
Douglas at Torrington
Jackson at Green River
Lander at Buffalo
Riverton at Rawlins
Star Valley at Powell
Worland at Cody
Class 2A
Big Horn at Glenrock
Big Piney at Pinedale
Burns at Thermopolis
Lyman at Greybull
Moorcroft at Lovell
Mountain View at Kemmerer
Wheatland at Newcastle
Class 1A 11-man
Cokeville at Wyoming Indian
Lusk at Tongue River
Shoshoni at Saratoga
Southeast at Upton-Sundance
Wind River at Rocky Mountain
Wright at Pine Bluffs
Class 1A six-man
Burlington at Meeteetse
Hanna at Lingle
Kaycee at Guernsey-Sunrise
Rock River at Midwest (at Natrona County HS, Casper)
St. Stephens at Riverside
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Farson at Dubois
Hulett at Normative Services
Ten Sleep at Snake River

My picks last week: Above average for the season, below the mark of 100 percent I shoot for every week.

Last week: 26-6 (81 percent). This season: 112-29 (79 percent).

Week 5 is going to be fun this season. With so many key games and rivalries being played this week, it can’t help but set the course for several teams whose fates remain in question. So who do you think is going to rise to the occasion this week? Leave a comment and we can talk about it….

–patrick