Week 8 picks: Potential chaos in the 3A East

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Every year, when I put together the playoff scenarios entering the final week of the season, I dread what has come to pass in the 3A East this year.

Entering the final week of the season, the four-way tie is possible.

It’s chaos.

Unlikely, but still chaos.

With Douglas, Buffalo and Riverton all at 3-1 in conference play, the most likely tie is the three-way tie. With each one of those three teams playing a team lower in the East’s caste this season — Douglas traveling to Lander, Buffalo hosting Rawlins and Riverton hosting Worland — the most likely scenario is those three teams all win, finishing tied for the conference title at 4-1.

But what if they all lose?

Pick your scenario; I mean, chaos comes in many forms. Food poisoning at the team dinner. History test that no one can pass and everyone’s ineligible. Nationwide phone glitch and everyone sleeps through their pregame nap.

Choose your scenario, or choose three of them. But, for argument’s sake, it happens.

Then Douglas, Buffalo and Riverton are all 3-2 in conference play — and so, too, all of a sudden, is Worland.

It’s the most interesting possibility for postseason chaos in a Week 8 that’s surprisingly devoid of such drama.

It feels a bit weird, but of the 31 games this week, only 15 — less than half — will have any effect on playoff qualification or seeding. As far as qualifying, all eight spots in 4A, 1A nine-man and 1A six-man, seven of eight in 3A and six of eight in 2A have been claimed. In what remains, the 3A West (three teams going for one spot) and 2A West (three teams going for two spots) have any drama in them whatsoever about who’s either in or out of the playoffs.

In the 3A West, it’s Evanston, Jackson and Green River facing a half-simple, half-convoluted scenario. First, the simple: Evanston is in with a win against Green River. But if the Wolves win, well — it gets messy. The Wolves’ only pathway into the playoffs is to win by at least 12 points, have Star Valley beat Jackson, and then win a three-way coin flip. It’s better than nothing… and it’s entirely possible. Meanwhile, the drama at the bottom of the conference hides what might be the best game of the week near the top, where Cody and Powell will face off in an intra-county rivalry game that will decide playoff hosting duties for the first round.

Meanwhile, in the 2A West, Lyman, Lovell and Thermopolis are all in the running for the final two available spots in that conference. Conveniently, Lovell hosts Thermopolis this week, making the scenarios a bit easier to follow. But in two of the four possibilities, a three-way tie could happen, including one where two of the three tied teams make it in and the third one is out.

Maybe the most interesting game of the schedule has nothing to do with the playoffs, and that is the nonconference game between Dubois and Burlington. The South is the stronger of the two six-man conferences this year, so it will be interesting to see how the North’s top seed in the Huskies stacks up against the South’s No. 3 in the Rams.

While every other game will have its drama, and its place, the stakes will be muted for most teams.

No worries, though. Plenty will be on the line starting next week, when the playoffs make every game a potential season-destroyer. Or season-maker, if you’re the optimist.

Just maybe make sure that potato salad hasn’t been sitting in the sun. Study for that history test just a little bit more. Set a backup alarm.

Fight the chaos. (Or, if you’re Worland or Green River, embrace it.)

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Here are this week’s picks. Bold means that team will likely win. It’s simple, just like me.

Thursday
Class 3A
Evanston at Green River
Class 2A
Cokeville at Lyman
Class 1A nine-man
Wind River at Rocky Mountain
Interclass
Rock Springs JV at Snake River
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Rock Springs
Cheyenne East at Kelly Walsh
Laramie at Cheyenne South
Natrona at Thunder Basin
Sheridan at Campbell County
Class 3A
Douglas at Lander
Jackson at Star Valley
Powell at Cody
Rawlins at Buffalo
Worland at Riverton
Class 2A
Burns at Big Horn
Mountain View at Kemmerer
Newcastle at Torrington
Thermopolis at Lovell
Tongue River at Wheatland
Upton-Sundance at Glenrock
Class 1A nine-man
Big Piney at Riverside
Lingle at Saratoga
Moorcroft at Guernsey
Pine Bluffs at Southeast
Wright at Lusk
Class 1A six-man
Casper Christian at Hulett
Encampment at Midwest
Interstate
Rich County, Utah, at Pinedale
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Burlington at Dubois
Farson at Kaycee
Hanna at Ten Sleep
Open: Greybull, Meeteetse, Wyoming Indian. Shoshoni and Wyoming Indian are playing a hybrid varsity-JV game on Thursday that won’t count in the standings; Shoshoni’s varsity also played the Natrona sophomores on Tuesday this week.

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here. You can click on “Week 8” at the top of the page to take you directly to this week’s schedule.

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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 29-3 (91 percent). This season: 213-37 (85 percent).

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What things are you keeping an eye on as the regular season comes to a close? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

Wyoming high school football playoff scenarios entering Week 8, 2023

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Here are the playoff scenarios for all classifications of Wyoming high school football entering Week 8 of the 2023 season:

Class 4A
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Cheyenne Central at Rock Springs; Natrona at Thunder Basin; Sheridan at Campbell County.
Sheridan: In. No. 1 seed.
Cheyenne East: In. No. 2 seed.
Natrona: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 5 seed with loss and Campbell County victory. Tie for 3-4-5 seeds (score differential to break) with loss and Sheridan victory.
Campbell County: In. No. 3 seed with victory and Thunder Basin victory. No. 4 seed with Natrona victory, win or lose. Tie for 3-4-5 seeds (score differential to break) with loss and Thunder Basin victory.
Thunder Basin: In. Tie for 3-4-5 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Sheridan victory. No. 4 seed with victory and Campbell County victory. No. 5 seed with loss.
Cheyenne Central, Rock Springs: In. No. 6 seed with victory. No. 7 seed with loss.
Kelly Walsh: In. No. 8 seed.
Cheyenne South, Laramie: Out.
In the scenario where Natrona, Campbell County and Thunder Basin tie for the 3-4-5 seeds, score differential breaks the tie. Current differentials are Natrona +10, Campbell County +2, Thunder Basin -12. In this scenario, if Thunder Basin wins by eight or fewer, Natrona wins the tiebreaker and the No. 3 seed, with Campbell County 4 and Thunder Basin 5. If Thunder Basin wins by nine or more, Campbell County wins the tiebreaker, with Thunder Basin 4 and Natrona 5.
Note: Kelly Walsh loses potential tiebreakers for the 6-7-8 seeds with both Central and Rock Springs, so the Trojans cannot climb higher than the No. 8 seed.

Class 3A East
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Douglas at Lander; Rawlins at Buffalo; Worland at Riverton.
Buffalo, Douglas, Riverton, Worland: In. Seeding options galore. See below.
Lander, Rawlins: Out.
Potential scenarios include:

Douglas beats Lander    
 RivertonBuffaloDouglasWorland
Riverton win, Buffalo win*1234
Riverton win, Rawlins win2314
Worland win, Buffalo win4123
Worland win, Rawlins win**4213
     
Lander beats Douglas    
Riverton win, Buffalo win1234
Riverton win, Rawlins win1234
Worland win, Buffalo win***4123
Worland win, Rawlins win****Tie 1-2-3-4Tie 1-2-3-4Tie 1-2-3-4Tie 1-2-3-4


*In case of a Buffalo-Riverton-Douglas three-way tie for the 1-2-3 seeds, Riverton wins the No. 1 seed by point differential (Riverton +3, Buffalo -1, Douglas -2). Buffalo gets the No. 2 seed by virtue of the head-to-head victory against Douglas.
**In case of a Riverton-Buffalo-Worland three-way tie for the 2-3-4 seeds, Buffalo earns the tiebreaker with the victory over the highest-ranking non-tied team (Douglas). Worland would earn the No. 3 seed with the victory over Riverton.
***In case of a Riverton-Douglas-Worland three-way tie for the 2-3-4 seeds, Douglas earns the tiebreaker with head-to-head victories over both teams. Worland would be No. 3 by defeating Riverton.
****In case of a four-way tie for first, the WHSAA’s four-way tiebreaker is used. I believe (but am not certain) Buffalo would be No. 1 and Douglas No. 2, as they are 2-1 against opponents in the tie and have the “advantage,” with Buffalo earning the head-to-head against Douglas for No. 1. Then Worland, with a head-to-head against Riverton, would be No. 3, and Riverton No. 4. That said, we’ve never seen a four-way tiebreaker used. I say we ro-sham-bo for it.

Class 3A West
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Evanston at Green River; Jackson at Star Valley; Powell at Cody.
Star Valley: In. No. 1 seed.
Cody, Powell: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Evanston: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss and Jackson victory. Tie for 4-out-out seeds with loss and Star Valley victory (point differential to break).
Jackson: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory and Green River victory. Tie for 4-out-out seeds with loss and Green River victory. Out with Evanston victory, win or lose.
Green River: Neither in nor out. Tie for 4-out-out seeds with victory and Star Valley victory (point differential to break). Out with Jackson victory. Out with loss.
If Green River, Evanston and Jackson tie for the No. 4 seed, point differential will help decide the tiebreaker. Evanston is currently +12, Jackson 0 and Green River -12. Green River would have to beat Evanston by 12 or more to force a coin flip for the final spot. If Green River wins by 11 or fewer, Evanston wins the tiebreaker and would earn the No. 4 seed.

Class 2A East
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Tongue River at Wheatland.
Big Horn: In. No. 1 seed.
Torrington: In. No. 2 seed.
Tongue River, Wheatland: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss.
Burns, Glenrock, Newcastle, Upton-Sundance: Out.

Class 2A West
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Cokeville at Lyman; Thermopolis at Lovell.
Mountain View: In. No. 1 seed.
Cokeville: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Thermopolis victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (point differential to break) with loss and Lovell victory.
Lyman: Neither in nor out. No. 2 seed with victory and Thermopolis victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (point differential to break) with victory and Lovell victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Lovell victory. Tie for 3-4-out seeds (point differential to break) with loss and Thermopolis victory.
Lovell: Neither in nor out. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (point differential to break) with victory and Lyman victory. No. 3 seed with victory and Cokeville victory. Tie for 3-4-out seeds (point differential to break) with loss and Cokeville victory. Out with loss and Lyman victory.
Thermopolis: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory and Lyman victory. Tie for 3-4-out seeds (point differential to break) with victory and Cokeville victory. Out with loss.
Kemmerer, Pinedale: Out.
In the scenario where Cokeville, Lyman and Lovell tie for the 2-3-4 seeds, the score differential tiebreaker will be used. Current differentials are Cokeville +12, Lovell -4, Lyman -8. In this scenario, if Lyman beats Cokeville by nine or fewer, Cokeville wins the tiebreaker and would be the No. 2 seed, with Lovell then No. 3 and Lyman 4. If Lyman beats Cokeville by 10 or more, Lyman wins the tiebreaker and is No. 2, with Cokeville No. 3 and Lovell No. 4.
In the scenario where Lyman, Lovell and Thermopolis tie for the 3-4-out seeds, the score differential tiebreaker also comes into play. Current differentials are Lovell +8, Lyman +4 and Thermopolis -12. In this scenario, if Thermopolis beats Lovell by four or fewer points, Lovell wins the tiebreaker and the No. 3 seed, with Lyman getting the 4 and Thermopolis finishing out. If Thermopolis wins by five points or more, then Lyman wins the tiebreaker, with Thermopolis getting the No. 4 seed and Lovell finishing out.

Class 1A nine-man East
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Pine Bluffs at Southeast; Wright at Lusk.
Lingle: In. No. 1 seed.
Pine Bluffs: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Wright victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (score differential to break) with loss and Lusk victory.
Lusk: In. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Southeast victory. No. 3 seed with Pine Bluffs victory, win or lose. No. 4 seed with loss and Southeast victory.
Southeast: In. No. 2 seed with victory and Wright victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Lusk victory. No. 4 seed with loss.
Guernsey, Saratoga, Wright: Out.
Moorcroft: Ineligible.
In the scenario where Lusk, Pine Bluffs and Southeast tie for the 2-3-4 seeds, score differential will be used to break the tie. Right now, differentials are Pine Bluffs +7, Southeast -2, Lusk -5. In this scenario, Southeast would need to beat Pine Bluffs by five points or more to earn the No. 2 seed, with Pine Bluffs then earning the No. 3 seed by head-to-head victory against Lusk, which would be No. 4. If Southeast wins by four points or fewer, Pine Bluffs would be No. 2 by differential, and Lusk would be 3 by virtue of head-to-head victory over Southeast, and the Cyclones would be 4.
Note: Saratoga could tie both Lusk and Southeast in the right scenarios, but since the Panthers lose tiebreakers to both teams, Saratoga can’t qualify for the playoffs.

Class 1A nine-man West
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Big Piney at Riverside.
Wind River: In. No. 1 seed.
Big Piney, Riverside: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Rocky Mountain: In. No. 4 seed.
Greybull, Shoshoni: Out.
Wyoming Indian: Ineligible.
Note: Wind River holds tiebreakers over both Big Piney and Riverside, while Rocky Mountain loses tiebreakers to both of those teams.

Class 1A six-man North
Burlington: In. No. 1 seed.
Kaycee: In. No. 2 seed.
Meeteetse: In. No. 3 seed.
Hulett: In. No. 4 seed.
Midwest, Ten Sleep: Out.

Class 1A six-man South
Snake River: In. No. 1 seed.
Encampment: In. No. 2 seed.
Dubois: In. No. 3 seed.
Farson: In. No. 4 seed.
Casper Christian, Hanna: Out.

First-round games we already know: Kelly Walsh at Sheridan in 4A; Rocky Mountain at Lingle in 1A nine-man.

Six-man pairings:
(4S) Farson at (1N) Burlington
(3N) Meeteetse at (2S) Encampment
(4N) Hulett at (1S) Snake River
(3S) Dubois at (2N) Kaycee

I think that covers all the possible scenarios. If something looks weird or wrong, let me know and I will update.

–patrick

Week 7 picks: Sapping the drama from the final week?

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So much for drama.

By the time we make it into Week 8, the Wyoming high school football season could be absolutely sapped of any uncertainty about conference championships.

That’s because every conference could have its champion decided by the end of Friday night. In every single scenario, the team that could win the title has its destiny in its own hands this week.

The teams that can win the top seed from their conferences this week include:

  • Sheridan — A victory over Natrona assures the Broncs the top seed in the 4A playoffs.
  • Buffalo — If the Bison can beat Riverton, they will be the No. 1 seed from the 3A East.
  • Star Valley — A victory against Green River will hand the Braves the 3A West’s No. 1 seed.
  • Big Horn — A Ram victory against Tongue River will make Big Horn the top seed from the 2A East.
  • Mountain View — If the Buffalos beat Pinedale, they will take the top seed from the 2A West.
  • Lingle or Pine Bluffs — This week’s winner between the two of them will be the 1A nine-man East’s No. 1 seed.
  • Wind River — The Cougars can secure the No. 1 seed from the 1A nine-man West by beating Shoshoni.

In 1A six-man, the top two seeds are already assured, with Burlington already securing the No. 1 seed from the North and Snake River the No. 1 seed from the South.

From the group, one sticks out. It’s the only one of the group that has two schools listed by it: Lingle and Pine Bluffs.

Both the Hornets and Doggers, who meet Friday night in Pine Bluffs, are 6-0. But the adventure hasn’t been easy for either one.

Lingle has won six straight but its past three victories have been by eight points, nine points and one point. Pine Bluffs, meanwhile, has had to survive a pair of one-possession games, both times against teams with records of .500 or worse.

In short, both teams have been tested. And, so far, both teams have survived. Together, this week, they will stage the last game of Wyoming’s 2023 high school football season where two undefeated teams will play each other, as no other classification has more than one undefeated team. Whoever wins will be the 1A nine-man East champion, as every other league team has at least two conference losses and the winner here will hold the tiebreaker if something goes awry in Week 8. Moreover, whoever wins will also be the last remaining undefeated team in Class 1A nine-man.

The season still has some drama left, including the biggest chunk of it to be decided at the War.

Just don’t be surprised if it’s a bit subdued heading into the final week of the regular season.

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Other games to watch this week: well, almost all of them. Playoff seeding will be a huge focus of the next two weeks — not that they weren’t already, but the focus of who’s in, who’s out and who might go where in the first round is much clearer now than it was, say, a month ago when conference games counted just as much as they do now.

Regardless, some dreams of Cinderella titles are over. Teams already eliminated from playoff contention include Glenrock, Pinedale, Kemmerer, Guernsey, Shoshoni, Ten Sleep, Casper Christian and Hanna; barely mathematically alive are Cheyenne South, Laramie, Lander, Green River, Newcastle, Burns, Wright and Greybull.

In addition to all the games that could decide conference champions, we have a host of games that will be hugely influential in playoff races. Among the more intriguing are Cody visiting Evanston, Thermopolis heading to Cokeville, Torrington venturing north to play Upton-Sundance, Southeast hosting Saratoga, Midwest hosting Meeteetse and Kaycee going to Hulett. …

One game that won’t have any impact on any playoff races will be Wright at Moorcroft. Both teams are 1-5, but both teams are significantly better than their records show. This might be the last time these two regional rivals play for awhile as Moorcroft is set to make the jump to 2A next season.

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The streak watch: Snake River has now won 27 consecutive games, tied for sixth-best in state history. And Sheridan has won 26 in a row, cracking the top 10 and tied for eighth-longest in state history. Sheridan also still has theoretical possession of Slim MacGuffin. Also, don’t overlook Pine Bluffs, winners of 17 consecutive games.

On the other side of things is Cheyenne South. The Bison have now lost 36 consecutive games, the second-longest losing streak in state history. Two more losses in the final two weeks of the regular season, and South would tie Kemmerer for the longest losing streak in state history. South has also lost 17 straight at home, and a loss to Laramie next week would tie the state record of 18 consecutive home losses.

Speaking of Laramie: Even if the Plainsmen run the table and pull off the most improbable championship in state history, they can’t finish any better than 5-7. So, no matter what happens the rest of the way, Laramie will have its 23rd consecutive losing season. That’s a state record, breaking the tie that Laramie had with Newcastle’s 22 consecutive losing seasons from 1984 to 2005.

Check out Wyoming football’s longest streaks here.

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Once again, I have chosen some teams that I think will win, and I have put them in bold. But a couple upsets wouldn’t spoil the broth.

Thursday
Interclass
Cody sophs at Rocky Mountain
Friday
Class 4A
Campbell County at Cheyenne Central
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne East
Kelly Walsh at Thunder Basin
Natrona at Sheridan
Rock Springs at Laramie
Class 3A
Buffalo at Riverton
Cody at Evanston
Douglas at Rawlins
Lander at Worland
Powell at Jackson
Star Valley at Green River
Class 2A
Big Horn at Tongue River
Glenrock at Newcastle
Kemmerer at Lovell
Pinedale at Mountain View
Thermopolis at Cokeville
Torrington at Upton-Sundance
Wheatland at Burns
Class 1A nine-man
Lingle at Pine Bluffs
Lusk at Guernsey
Riverside at Greybull
Saratoga at Southeast
Wind River at Shoshoni
Wright at Moorcroft
Wyoming Indian at Big Piney
Class 1A six-man
Casper Christian at Encampment
Hanna at Dubois
Meeteetse at Midwest
Snake River at Farson
Ten Sleep at Burlington
Interstate
Rich County, Utah, at Lyman
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Kaycee at Hulett

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here. You can click on “Week 7” at the top of the page to take you directly to this week’s schedule.

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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 30-3 (91 percent). This season: 184-34 (84 percent).

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If you’re headed to one of those games that could decide a conference championship — can you give me a ride? You’d have to come to California to get me, though… Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

1986 Class 3A: The championship nobody wanted

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“Sometimes the distance from point A to point B is not always a straight line. Sometimes it takes funny curves along the way.” –Jackson football coach Jim Rooks, speaking to the Jackson Hole Guide, Nov. 11, 1986

In the history of Wyoming high school football, no championship chase has seen more curves than the Class 3A championship race from 1986.

In that season, six different teams were ranked No. 1, and neither of the two teams ranked No. 1 in the final two weeks of the regular season played in the state championship game. Every team in the classification finished with at least three losses. Neither the East nor the West Conference had an undefeated champion. And every single top-ranked team eventually fell victim to “the curse.”

Ultimately, the Class 3A title race of 1986 was one where several teams had a chance, but seemingly none of them wanted to win.

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(Optional but recommended: To establish the correct atmosphere for reading this post, I recommend that you click on the following YouTube video and let it play in the background as you read.)

The preseason buzz in Class 3A heading into 1986 was where it belonged: squarely on the shoulders of the defending champions. In 1985, Evanston overcame a pair of early losses and swept through the 3A West part of its schedule. The Red Devils, in doing so, earned the right to host the championship game, and once there Evanston blew out Torrington by 39 points to win its first championship since 1951.

But Evanston had a problem. All six of its all-state choices had been seniors, and none of the seniors entering 1986 were returning starters, leaving the defending champs inexperienced all over the field — and, as it turns out, overrated.

A bunch of suitors were ready to take the Red Devils’ place. As a Class 3A preseason story in the Casper Star-Tribune on Sept. 5 of that year noted in its lead: “At least eight teams could win the 1986 3-A state title…”

There was Torrington, runner-up the year before and talented. There was Glenrock, 6-2 the year before and experienced on the backfield. There was Douglas, 5-4 in 1985 but with a dozen returning starters. There was Star Valley, traditionally tough and rebuilding. There was Wheatland, steadily improving and just a year removed from the title it had earned in ’84. There was Jackson, which brought back eight senior starters. There was Powell, which boasted 21 returning lettermen in the senior class alone. And then there were Buffalo, Worland, Newcastle and Thermopolis, all eager to prove they, too, belonged in the discussion.

Then came Week 1, the first curve in the road.

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WEEK 1

Of those 12 Class 3A teams, only three earned victories to open the season — Glenrock’s 14-8 nail-biter against Thermopolis; Jackson’s 27-0 shutout of Livingston, Montana; and Star Valley’s 15-14 squeaker against Rock Springs.

Preseason No. 1 Evanston lost, 15-12 to Green River. So had No. 2 Torrington, losing 12-7 to Kimball, Neb. So had No. 3 Wheatland, losing 12-6 in overtime to Cheyenne East. So had No. 5 Douglas, taking a 19-6 beating from Rawlins.

Jackson’s Broncs, the only ranked team to win, shot to the top of the polls.

Rankings after Week 1: 1. Jackson, 2. Evanston, 3t. Torrington, Star Valley, 5. Wheatland.

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WEEK 2

If Week 2 was supposed to bring stability to the Class 3A race, it didn’t.

Jackson’s good fortune ran out in a 12-10 loss to South Fremont, Idaho. Defending champion and No. 2 Evanston lost again, this time 28-0 to Rawlins. And Torrington lost again, this time 24-6 to Cody.

Just like that, the three teams ranked 1-2-3 all lost.

Star Valley emerged as the shining beacon of hope in the second week, taking out Bear Lake, Idaho, 13-3 to join Wheatland (35-8 over Thermopolis) as the only ranked teams to win. Meanwhile, Powell — idle in Week 1 — made a statement by beating Buffalo on the road, 13-6, and Glenrock improved to 2-0 by beating Morrill, Neb., 34-18.

And in a game few people paid attention to at the time, Worland knocked off Douglas 14-6. By the time the season would finish, both teams would be key players in the championship race; right now, it was a nonconference game between two unranked opponents.

Rankings after Week 2: 1. Star Valley, 2. Wheatland, 3. Glenrock, 4. Jackson, 5. Powell.

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WEEK 3

In three weeks of rankings and two weeks of play, three different West teams had enjoyed the top spot in the rankings. Star Valley, lightly regarded but still a threat after a 2-6 season in 1985, became the first to enjoy it, taking a bye in Week 3 and keeping the threats to the No. 1 spot at bay.

Meanwhile, Wheatland caved to the pressure. As did Jackson. As did Powell. All three ranked teams lost: No. 2 Wheatland 43-17 to Rock Springs, No. 4 Jackson 7-6 in overtime to Green River and No. 5 Powell 7-0 to Cody. Once again, it was Glenrock — unranked to start the season — that came out on the other end victorious, a 15-8 W against Rawlins to its credit.

But defending champ Evanston lost, again, as did Worland; Buffalo beat a JV team; Torrington barely survived against a smaller Mitchell, Neb., team. Who wants to win this thing?

Rankings after Week 3: 1. Star Valley, 2. Glenrock, 3. Jackson, 4. Powell, 5. Wheatland.

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WEEK 4

Star Valley’s first chance to defend its No. 1 ranking went just as well as it had for the other teams who had been in the same position so far this year.

Not well.

The Braves couldn’t put a single point up against Green River, falling 6-0 and losing their grip on the top spot in the rankings in the process. And they lost that No. 1 spot to… Glenrock, which couldn’t screw up its fast start while taking a bye week.

But Jackson lost, as did Wheatland — Jackson 23-13 to Lander, Wheatland 36-6 to Rawlins — as the majority of ranked teams again lost. Powell was the only ranked survivor, and even that wasn’t all that impressive, a 20-14 overtime victory against a struggling Riverton program. Evanston and Worland also lost nonconference games, but the East started to take shape as Douglas beat Buffalo 14-0 to move to 2-0 in league play.

At this point, 3A teams were a combined 17-28.

Rankings after Week 4: 1. Glenrock, 2. Star Valley, 3. Powell, 4. Torrington, 5. Jackson.

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WEEK 5

By virtue of its non-loss against “bye” in Week 4, Glenrock jumped into the top spot of the 3A rankings heading into Week 5.

Guess what? The Herders promptly lost, continuing a streak of losses by 3A No. 1 teams — who were now 0-4 while playing with that ranking to start the 1986 season.

A 17-0 thumping at the hands of unranked Wheatland ended the Herders’ perfect start and sent them freefalling down the East Conference standings, where Douglas and Wheatland shared the top spot at 2-0 despite mirroring overall records of 2-3. While Wheatland was beating Glenrock, Douglas was losing, again, this time to Scottsbluff, Neb., in a game that didn’t affect the conference race.

In the 2-vs.-3 matchup between Star Valley and Powell, the higher-ranked team lost. Because of course they did, as was now tradition in 1986 3A play. Powell survived the trip to Afton and left victors, 24-22, and were the highest-ranked team to win that week.

Torrington did survive despite being in the rankings, blanking downtrodden Newcastle 21-0, and Jackson, too, came away victorious, 22-6 against Worland in a game that few realized the importance of at the time.

Rankings after Week 5: 1. Powell, 2. Torrington, 3. Glenrock, 4. Star Valley, 5. Jackson.

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WEEK 6

The Powell Panthers had earned their spot atop the 3A rankings, coming in with a 3-1 record and a focus on ending the curse that had plagued No. 1 teams all year.

Did it work?

Do you even need to ask?

Final score: Worland 3, Powell 0.

Just like every other 3A No. 1 team before them, Powell failed at its opportunity to retain its prestige.

Two East teams, however, proved up to the pressure. Both Torrington and Glenrock won — the Trailblazers beating rival Wheatland 27-12 and Glenrock edging past Buffalo 21-7 — to justify their spots. And Star Valley won big, 41-6 over Thermopolis.

As for Jackson? Well, winless Evanston (Remember Evanston? This is a story about Evanston.) picked up its first victory of the year, and how, in a 27-7 shellacking of the Broncs in Uinta County. With the victory, Evanston was now the lone remaining undefeated team in West Conference play at — get this — 1-0.

Rankings after Week 6: 1. Torrington, 2. Glenrock, 3. Star Valley, 4. Powell, 5. Douglas.

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WEEK 7

Just seven weeks into the season, Torrington became already the sixth different Class 3A program to be voted to the top of the rankings.

For their sins, Torrington was scheduled to face Glenrock, who just happened to be ranked second and was the only one-loss team remaining in 3A at 4-1. (Remember how Wheatland beat Glenrock 17-0? Yeah, Wheatland, now 2-4 and unranked… yeah.)

But curses don’t last forever, and the Trailblazers did everything they could to end this stupid trend. And they did just that, embarrassing the Herders on their own field in doing so in a 35-0 Trailblazer road romp.

No. 1 had finally proven worthy of the ranking.

No. 3 wasn’t, though. Star Valley’s resurgence ended with a 22-21 loss to Worland that sent the Braves to the West Conference cellar at 0-2 in league play. Evanston couldn’t keep its West record spotless any longer either, though, and Powell’s 32-0 beatdown of the Red Devils turned some heads.

Torrington looked set. With Wheatland beating Douglas 20-13 to KO the No. 5 team, the Trailblazers were alone as the only undefeated team in East play. And they were still No. 1.

Rankings after Week 7: 1. Torrington, 2. Powell, 3. Glenrock, 4. Star Valley, 5. Worland.

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WEEK 8

At home, No. 1, in control of their postseason destiny and facing an unranked team with a losing record, Torrington had every reason to be confident heading into Week 8 against Douglas.

But the curse? The one they had buried deep in the end zone in Glenrock? Well, it crawled out of the dirt, attached itself to the team bus before it left town, hung around Goshen County for a few days and showed up at Wiseman Field right around kickoff to take a big ol’ dump on Torrington’s plans. At the end of it all, Torrington had lost control of everything — ranking, championship hopes, all of it — in a 12-6 loss to Douglas.

No. 1, losers again.

The East race was just as exciting in the middle, as Buffalo upset Wheatland 22-7. Heading into the final week of the regular season, five of the six playoff-eligible East teams — Douglas, Torrington, Wheatland, Glenrock and Buffalo — were still alive for the conference championship. ADs actually set plans for what would happen in case of a five-way tie for the East title, which was a mathematical possibility.

Powell smelled its opportunity to jump back to No. 1 all the way from Goshen County, and the Panthers made good by shellacking Thermopolis by 40. But Star Valley couldn’t make good on its ranking, losing to Jackson for the first time since 1981, 17-6, to all but fall out of title contention. And Worland barely survived against one-win Evanston, 15-8.

Rankings after Week 8: 1. Powell, 2. Torrington, 3. Glenrock, 4. Worland, 5. Douglas.

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WEEK 9

Powell was in the absolute dumbest of situations as the No. 1-ranked team heading into the final week of the regular season.

Powell and its Week 9 opponent, unranked Jackson, were both 2-1 in the West. They were both chasing Worland, which was 3-1 and off playing winless Thermopolis in a nonconference game to end the regular season.

If Powell lost, Jackson and Worland would tie, and Jackson would win the tiebreaker. If Powell won, Powell and Worland would tie, and Worland would win the tiebreaker.

So despite being top-ranked, tied with Glenrock for the best 3A record (5-2) and potential conference co-champion, Powell’s season would end against Jackson, no matter what.

You could call it a curse. But this was simply a case of one team having something to play for and the other one not. Jackson took that spot, beating Powell 12-0 in the shadows of the Tetons to tie for the conference title, win a tiebreaker and earn its spot in the 3A championship game.

Yes, that Jackson. The one that’s not anywhere to be found in this week’s rankings, that entered the final week at .500, victim of the curse in Week 2, losers to one-win Evanston. Those guys. Title game.

And No. 1 had lost again.

Meanwhile, in the East, it was Douglas — ranked behind conference rivals Torrington and Glenrock — that has the biggest say in its postseason fate. With the potential five-way tie looming, the Bearcats did their part to avoid it, beating Converse County rival Glenrock 25-22 to win the East’s bid to the title game. Never mind what Torrington did. Incidentally, the Trailblazers beat Buffalo 8-0. Didn’t matter. With both teams at 4-1 in league play, Douglas had won the tiebreaker with its victory against Torrington (the curse game last week).

Ranked No. 5 to start the week, Douglas was in. And hosting.

Rankings after Week 9: 1. Torrington, 2. Douglas, 3. Jackson, 4. Powell, 5. Wheatland.

Standings after Week 9
East
Douglas 5-1 5-4
Torrington 4-1 6-3
Wheatland 4-2 4-5
Glenrock 3-3 5-3
Buffalo 3-3 4-5
Newcastle 1-5 2-7
Thermopolis 0-5 0-9
West
Jackson 3-1 5-4
Worland 3-1 5-4
Powell 2-2 5-3
Star Valley 1-3 4-4
Evanston 1-3 1-7

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CHAMPIONSHIP

Entering the final week of the regular season, Jackson was unranked, Douglas was No. 5. Now, with identical nonthreatening 5-4 records, and with neither team sporting the No. 1 ranking (no threat of a curse, at least…), they faced off for the 3A championship.

Again, the question arose: Does anyone actually want to win this thing?

Douglas took a 16-0 lead in the third quarter, but the fact that the Bearcats only had 16 points after four Jackson turnovers, including several in Douglas territory, kept the momentum from totally swinging Douglas’ way. Once Jackson did get on the board to cut it to 16-8, Douglas lost the momentum war and fumbled deep in its own territory. However, when Jackson scored again to make it 16-14, the Broncs couldn’t convert on the potential game-tying 2-point conversion.

Late in the fourth quarter, Douglas fumbled, again, near midfield, and Jackson got a big pass play to get inside the Bearcat 5-yard line. But three rushes produced less than three yards, meaning the foot of Bill Wiley — later head coach of the Broncs, but just a sophomore lineman/kicker at the time — would be the one to decide it all.

For once, someone decided that No. 1 wasn’t such a bad thing.

Wiley’s field-goal kick from 19 yards was true. Douglas’ last drive ended with an interception, and Jackson ran out the clock to win the title 17-16 in the weirdest, wackiest, most curse-ridden season across a single classification in state history.

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POSTSCRIPT

As defending champion, Jackson started the 1987 3A season ranked No. 1. The Broncs lost to Lander 29-7 in their season opener.

–patrick

Week 6 picks: A dream come true in small-school football

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Come back with me to the fall of 1996, to the back row of Mrs. Epperson’s freshman English class at Midwest High School.

The reading is done, the analysis questions are answered. Now what?

Well, if you’re little freshman Patrick Schmiedt, you dip into the realm of made-up high school football. You take all your friends and put them on “teams” that don’t exist. You develop a schedule. You imagine interesting scenarios and play them out in the form of box scores, standings, weekly stats, rankings, playoffs, a champion.

Here’s the thing — when I created those teams, I took every Wyoming high school that didn’t yet have a football team and gave them one. I distributed my friends onto 10 rosters across the state. All of a sudden, places like Farson, Snake River, Encampment, Glendo, Arvada-Clearmont and others had football teams, all under the umbrella of the “Wyoming 8-Man Football Association.”

Welcome to the fantasy world of my 15-year-old mind.

A conference alignment of the Wyoming 8-man Football Association.
Yes, I kept it all.

In the lone season of the imaginary league, Snake River wins the state championship, defeating Glendo (and its all-state tight end, me) 31-28. I might have had just a smidgen of self-indulgence, too, as I led the state in catches and receiving yards in this season.

In 1996, that’s where such a game belonged: in fantasyland. Snake River didn’t have a team, neither did Glendo, and neither did any of those other eight schools. And I was never going to lead the state in receiving yards anywhere except for in fake box scores in games that would never be played. But all of it was fun to think about.

Eventually, the self-indulgence of me catching 10 passes a game gave way to the much bigger idea of a non-11-man option for Wyoming’s small high schools. Sparked by my English class downtime scenarios, I always wondered in the back of my mind if we would ever see a football team in a place like Baggs that could live up to the championship aspirations in real life. More broadly, I wondered if such a league could ever be developed in the first place.

Those possibilities remained just that, possibilities, for the next 12 years. Then, in 2008, the Wyoming High School Activities Association approved six-man football to start in 2009. Then Snake River came along, for real, as did Kaycee, Farson and, eventually, Rock River and Encampment. It was like these little doodles had come to life.

Since then, Snake River has won five state championships, including the two most recent, and will enter Saturday’s game against also-undefeated Encampment with a school-record 26-game winning streak in tow.

So when two 5-0 teams meet on Saturday in Baggs, whose programs were not that long ago limited to imaginary teams and rosters and box scores created during downtime in a high school English classroom?

Yeah, you could call it a dream come true.

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Other games that would have spent less time on my mind as a 15-year-old but are now definitely filling it now:

Well, it’s time. Star Valley at Cody. Last week proved just how tight it could be at the top of the 3A West, as the Braves needed a literal last-second field goal to beat Powell 24-21. Now Star Valley has Cody, which has played well but whose 6-0 record comes with a caveat — just one of those victories has come against a team with a winning record, that one a 34-7 victory against 3A East frontrunner Buffalo. Star Valley has to say the same, though, as the Braves’ only victory against a winning-record team was last week’s against Powell. Still, the top of 3A only has room for one team, and whoever wins this one will absolutely claim that right, at least for the next week or so until the next challenge comes along. …

I feel like I have to absolutely give some mad props to the Campbell County Camels, who picked up a monumental crosstown victory against Thunder Basin last week in an emphatic 49-17 victory. The Camels are now 5-1. Trouble is, so is this week’s opponent, Natrona. Are the Camels “back”? A road victory against the Mustangs would prove the point even more emphatically than last week’s victory. …

Between Lovell, Lyman, Mountain View and Cokeville (and Thermopolis who’s lurking at 2-1), the 2A West is a hodgepodge of messy scenarios. So far, only Mountain View is unscathed by it all, but by far the Buffalos’ toughest remaining test is this week’s home date against Lovell. …

Douglas has won 10 in a row and 16 out of the last 17 games it’s played against Riverton. But the way both teams looked last week — Riverton controlling from start to finish in beating Lander 50-21, Douglas stumbling at home against Buffalo in a 13-3 loss — this one could be a table-turner. I’m curious to see how both teams handle a set of shifting expectations. …

The capital city bragging rights are (basically) on the line this week as Cheyenne Central and Cheyenne East meet up to renew acquaintances. The Thunderbirds are coming off a loss, something they haven’t had to face all season. Will East’s loss to Sheridan last week mean a deflating coming into this rivalry game? Or will preparing for the Indians, who have had back-to-back shutout victories, snap the T-Birds back to reality? …

One of the most intriguing games on the schedule is in Basin, where Riverside hosts Rocky Mountain. If you just look at the records, it might not look like much: Rocky is 4-1, Riverside 2-3. But the Rebels are better than their record indicates, and I think the Grizzlies will provide a great measuring stick in a game that will have huge playoff implications in the 1A nine-man West. …

Another critical nine-man game will happen in Goshen County this weekend with Southeast making the quick trip to Lingle. Even though the Doggers are 5-0 and the Cyclones are 4-1, neither one has any breathing room in the East, not with Pine Bluffs also at 5-0 and Lusk, the only team to beat Southeast this season, still hanging around, and Saratoga at 2-1 in league play, all of them viable threats in the conference standings. …

And let’s put a fork in St. Stephens’ 2023 season. All of the Eagles’ remaining opponents have scheduled replacement games or decided to take a bye. It’s safe to say their season is done.

+++

Now for the picks! The teams in bold are the ones I think will win. When I can’t think anymore, I flip coins. It’s about as effective as using my brain.

Thursday
Class 1A nine-man
Big Piney at Shoshoni
Greybull at Wind River
Pine Bluffs at Saratoga
Class 1A six-man
Ten Sleep at Meeteetse
Interclass
Wyoming Indian at Cody JV
Friday
Class 4A
Campbell County at Natrona
Cheyenne East at Cheyenne Central
Cheyenne South at Rock Springs
Kelly Walsh at Sheridan
Thunder Basin at Laramie
Class 3A
Evanston at Powell
Green River at Jackson
Lander at Rawlins
Riverton at Douglas
Star Valley at Cody
Worland at Buffalo
Class 2A
Burns at Tongue River
Kemmerer at Pinedale
Lovell at Mountain View
Lyman at Thermopolis
Newcastle at Big Horn
Torrington at Glenrock
Upton-Sundance at Wheatland
Class 1A nine-man
Guernsey at Wright
Moorcroft at Lusk
Rocky Mountain at Riverside
Southeast at Lingle
Class 1A six-man
Burlington at Kaycee
Farson at Hanna
Interstate
Cokeville at Rich County, Utah
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Casper Christian
Encampment at Snake River
Midwest at Hulett

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here. You can click on “Week 6” at the top of the page to take you directly to this week’s schedule.

+++

Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 25-6 (81 percent). This season: 154-31 (83 percent).

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With so many critical games this week, where is your attention drawn — in the real world, not the fake one? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

Conference alignments set for 2024, 2025 Wyoming high school football seasons

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Four schools will change classifications in football and two others have filed opt-up petitions with the Wyoming High School Activities Association to remain in their current class for the 2024-25 seasons.

Based on projected enrollments for the next two school years, Wyoming’s high school football conference and classification alignment will shift some schools into new classifications.

WHSAA Commissioner Trevor Wilson said this week via email that schools changing classifications include Torrington (from 2A to 3A), Worland (from 3A to 2A), Moorcroft (from 1A nine-man to 2A) and Riverside (from 1A nine-man to 1A six-man).

Conference alignments for 2024 and 2025, as provided by Wilson, are scheduled to be:

Class 4A (10 teams): Campbell County, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Cheyenne South, Kelly Walsh, Laramie, Natrona, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Thunder Basin.

Class 3A East (6): Buffalo, Douglas, Lander, Rawlins, Riverton, Torrington.
Class 3A West (6): Cody, Evanston, Green River, Jackson, Powell, Star Valley.

Class 2A East (8): Big Horn, Burns, Glenrock, Moorcroft, Newcastle, Tongue River, Upton-Sundance, Wheatland.
Class 2A West (8): Cokeville, Kemmerer, Lovell, Lyman, Mountain View, Pinedale, Thermopolis, Worland.

Class 1A nine-man East (7): Guernsey, Lingle, Lusk, Pine Bluffs, Saratoga, Southeast, Wright.
Class 1A nine-man West (6): Big Piney, Greybull, Rocky Mountain, Shoshoni, Wind River, Wyoming Indian.

Class 1A six-man North (7): Burlington, Hulett, Kaycee, Meeteetse, Midwest, Riverside, Ten Sleep.
Class 1A six-man South (6): Casper Christian, Dubois, Encampment, Farson, Hanna, Snake River.

St. Stephens will play a JV schedule at either the six-man or nine-man levels, Wilson said.

Schools opting up include Cokeville (from 1A six-man to 2A) and Guernsey (from 1A six-man to 1A nine-man). No schools have chosen to opt down, meaning all programs are playoff-eligible.

In other sports — which use a different classification system that uses four classes instead of five — Wilson said no schools have filed with the WHSAA to opt up or opt down.

Four WHSAA district meetings are scheduled for the next two weeks. The next WHSAA board of directors meeting is Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 in Casper.

–patrick

Wyoming prep hoops coaches: The 1950s

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Editor’s note: This post was written by “Stat Rat” Jim Craig, formerly of Lusk and now of Cheyenne, who has provided significant help to the research on Wyoming sports history.

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Even though this writer was born in the early 1950s, it’s tough for me to recall all that much about that particular decade, save for my Davy Crockett coonskin cap and my oft-busted Zorro sword with the chalk tip that made nifty Zs on my mom’s kitchen cupboards, much to her chagrin. (We Baby Boomers were the initial slaves to corporate Disney decades before the rest of you!) But I’ll digress from that nostalgic traipse down memory lane and focus on memories created by Wyoming high school coaches during that decade of Eisenhower and Elvis, while word-processing from underneath my atomic bomb-proof school desk, safe and sound!

First, a chart which will covers games played from December of 1949 to March of 1959:

(The chart data shows that coaching careers lengthened during this decade—compared to the 1940s—and the number of those who coached all ten years of the decade increased from three to five—the three in the chart as well as Harvey Crowe (Sundance and Buffalo) and Vern Jensen (Lyman and Laramie). Nine year coaches increased from one to 10 (those listed below and Tead Weaver –Sundance and Upton). Granted, WWII shortened many careers in the 1940s, but don’t forget the Korean War did likewise for the initial years of the 1950s. An average coaching term was 3.74 years, more than double the 1940s average.)

Top Ten 1950s Coaching Records by Wins
CoachSchool(s)SeasonsWinsWin%Q-FactorMedalChamp
*Okie BlanchardCheyenne Central92040.8131.0000.8894
Mack PeytonRock Springs91870.7221.0000.6671
Jacque SchmiedtHuntley; Wheatland101590.6240.6000.0000
George CollinsThermopolis; Natrona81530.7251.0000.3752
*Carl RollinsSheridan91520.6260.8890.2221
George DorringtonHanna; Campbell Co91510.590.7780.2222
Roger YoutzAlbin; Veteran; Greybull; Worland101470.6390.5000.4002
Reese GaskellSaratoga; Rawlins91370.5710.2220.0000
*Jim WisemanLingle; Torrington91260.5550.6670.1110
Archie JurichJackson91240.5460.4440.2220
*Swede EricksonMidwest; Natrona71220.6130.8570.2861
Richard GruberDayton61180.8370.8330.3330
Jack KingLander71170.6220.7140.0000
Ed RichPine Bluffs91170.5390.3330.1110
Dennis RaganMoorcroft; Albin; Saratoga91170.520.4440.1111
Tony KatanaSuperior; Green River101170.4680.5000.0000
Floyd HartLusk51150.7371.0000.0000
*Keith BloomEvanston; Powell81150.5610.5000.1250
*Wilford MowerByron; Lovell81110.5930.5000.2501
Norval ‘Bud’ JohnsonGlenrock; Evanston81110.4930.6250.0000

Q-Factor=percentage of times qualified for the state tourney
Medal=percentage of times finishing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd
*Wyoming Coaches Association Hall of Fame member

As he did during the 1930s and 1940s, Okie Blanchard is heads and tails above the rest, even when he spots everyone else a year of wins by retiring before the 1958-59 season. Coach Blanchard leads the list in wins and win percentage, medals (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) in all but one state tourney during the time period, takes double the state championships of the runners-up, and qualifies nine out of nine times for the state tourney. The city of Cheyenne honors all sorts of historic events and history makers with bronze statues in and about the downtown area. A street corner should be saved for a statue of Coach Okie, Wyoming’s first great coach.

Two for the Hall of Fame? The Wyoming Coaches Hall of Fame was established in 1984, a quarter century after the 1950s ended and a generation after many of the above finished their stints on the sidelines. Are there any on the list that should be considered, possibly forgotten by time? Certainly Mack Peyton’s record is impressive, and while his numbers don’t quite match Okie’s for this arbitrary time span, they’re still excellent. The 20 years of coaching requirement—80% within Wyoming— keeps Peyton from serious consideration, as sadly he only coached nine years in the state, from what I’ve found. Wheatland’s Jacque Schmiedt is one who just misses the 20 year mark. I have him totaling 19 seasons, 6 in Huntley (where he also founded the Cardinal football program) and 13 seasons in Wheatland. A factor working against Coach Schmiedt was geography— those 13 years as a Bulldog mentor had Wheatland playing against Cheyenne Central (enrollment @300 vs @2500), Laramie and Torrington pre-1962 and against University Prep’s championship program after that date. This limited the Bulldogs’ chances at state tourney qualifying somewhat. However, both coaches have Hall of Fame worthy numbers, in my estimation, and as the chart for the 1950s demonstrates.

Others? George Collins established a nifty record, coaching at Thermopolis and Casper Natrona, notching two championships in seven years with the Bobcats. His Mustang teams were less fortunate, medaling only twice in six years. However, in all his 13 years as a coach, Collins’ teams qualified each year for the state tourney. George Dorrington won state championships with small school Hanna and also larger school Campbell County. The latter win was quite the surprise as the Camels were unranked entering the state AA-A tourney and Gillette wasn’t all that big of a school at the time, with around 260+ students. Dorrington only coached 10 years of hoops in Wyoming, which works against him, somewhat. Roger Youtz coached mainly during the 1950s and stepped away from the sidelines in the 1963-64 season, totaling 16 years in Wyoming, a career that began in 1948-49. His two state championships were with small school Veteran. His teams made the trip to the Gem City for the state tourney eight times. All three coaches fall short of the requisite 20 years, but still should merit some consideration for the Hall of Fames, I believe.

Week 5 picks: Class 4A’s best rivalry delivers on its promises

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With apologies to eight other Class 4A teams, it’s time to state the truth: Class 4A’s best rivalry is the one that has developed between Cheyenne East and Sheridan.

This rivalry is not due to tradition or geography. Instead, this rivalry focuses on success and competitiveness — and how, inevitably, only one of these two teams gets to have the success they want, but both get the competitiveness that makes them better.

Since 2011, the Thunderbirds and the Broncs have met five times in the playoffs, including twice in the past three years. Each time, the winner of that playoff game went on to win the Class 4A championship, a total that includes two times when East and Sheridan played each other in the championship game:

  • 2022 Sheridan over East, championship… Sheridan won state
  • 2020 East over Sheridan, semis… East won state
  • 2016 Sheridan over East, quarters… Sheridan won state
  • 2013 East over Sheridan, semis… East won state
  • 2011 Sheridan over East, championship… Sheridan won state

As for competitiveness? Well, in five meetings in the past three years, East has a 3-2 edge in victories… but the scoring margin between the programs in those five games? East leads, 133-132.

Conversely, both teams have provided the other a boost — whether intended or not.

Sheridan has won 24 consecutive games. The Broncs’ last loss was in 2021 to… Cheyenne East. In fact, both of Sheridan’s most recent losses, and three of its four most recent, have come against East.

Meanwhile, in its past 17 games, East is 15-2. The only two losses were to… Sheridan.

Class 4A’s premiere rivalry is renewed on Friday in Cheyenne. Not coincidentally, East and Sheridan are 4A’s final two undefeated teams, both coming in at 5-0.

If we know anything about this rivalry, we know it’ll be competitive. And it’ll make both teams better. And they just might see each other again with higher stakes at play. And the winner just might end up a champion.

+++

Some other Week 5 games that are looking good on paper, and we can only hope they’re as good in person:

A Class 4A rivalry, geography style, will happen Friday in Gillette when Thunder Basin heads to Camel Stadium to face Campbell County in what I think only I call the Coal Bowl. (Does anyone else? How do we make this a “thing”?) I say driven by geography because it definitely hasn’t been driven by competitiveness. The Camels are 0-7 all-time against their crosstown rivals, with just one of those games (2019’s 4A quarterfinal game) ending anywhere close to competitive. But the Camels are on a four-game winning streak and Thunder Basin has lost two of three, with two losses that were pretty ugly (52-7 to East and 41-12 to Sheridan). Is this the year the Camels have their moment? If nothing else, it should be significantly more competitive than past Coal Bowls. …

Sometimes, all I want to do is just say “3A West” and walk away, because we all know by now just how dang tough that conference is. This week, it’s 5-0 Powell traveling to Afton to play 4-1 Star Valley that has the classification’s attention. With Cody also at 5-0 overall, the top of the West is too competitive to allow for any missteps. Of these three, Cody may be the most fortunate, getting to play both the Panthers and the Braves at home this year. First, though, this week, and what could be the most competitive game of the week, will be in Afton. …

It’s always worth noting when Riverton plays Lander, even though right now they’re a combined 1-9. That said, Riverton had a breakout game last week in beating Rawlins by four touchdowns. The 42 points Riverton got last week is 20 more than Lander has scored all year. Maybe a rivalry game will get the Tigers’ offense going. …

Only two winless teams remain in Class 2A, Glenrock and Burns. They’ll meet this week, and at least one will jump into the win column — and maybe build a bit of momentum to take into the remainder of the season. …

On the flipside, the only two teams who remain undefeated in 2A West Conference play are Mountain View and Cokeville. Conveniently, they’ll play each other this week in Cokeville. …

It’s a bit early to start projecting playoff pairings, but Burlington’s game against Farson just might be a first-round playoff preview. …

+++

Hey. Picks in bold. This is how I do it. You might have Montell Jordan or Katy Perry go through your head with that last sentence; personally, I have The Game and 50 Cent.

Thursday
Class 1A nine-man
Wind River at Wyoming Indian
Interclass
Big Piney at Evanston JV
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Cheyenne South
Laramie at Kelly Walsh
Natrona at Rock Springs
Sheridan at Cheyenne East
Thunder Basin at Campbell County
Class 3A
Buffalo at Douglas
Cody at Green River
Jackson at Evanston
Powell at Star Valley
Rawlins at Worland
Riverton at Lander
Class 2A
Big Horn at Wheatland
Glenrock at Burns
Lyman at Kemmerer
Mountain View at Cokeville
Newcastle at Upton-Sundance (at Upton)
Pinedale at Thermopolis
Tongue River at Torrington
Class 1A nine-man
Greybull at Rocky Mountain
Lingle at Moorcroft
Pine Bluffs at Lusk
Saratoga at Wright
Shoshoni at Riverside
Southeast at Guernsey
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Meeteetse
Kaycee at Encampment
Interstate
Rich County, Utah, at Lovell
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Burlington at Farson
Hulett vs. Snake River (at Midwest)
Midwest at Hanna
Open: Casper Christian, Ten Sleep.

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here. You can click on “Week 5” at the top of the page to take you directly to this week’s schedule.

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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 29-4 (88 percent). This season: 129-25 (84 percent).

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What game am I overlooking in Week 5? Let me know where my attention should be diverted! Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

Go Panthers! Go Camels! Wait… which one?

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On eBay right now, you can buy this custom license plate supporting the Powell Panthers.

If you happen to live in eastern Park County, it would be a pretty cool move to have one of these hanging in your office or den.

It’s just that your dollars would be going to Tennessee, not Wyoming.

And that is because Wyoming’s orange-and-black Powell High School Panthers are not the only orange-and-black Powell High School Panthers in America.

In fact, Wyoming’s cats share a name, a mascot and a set of colors with Powell High School in Tennessee.

Powell is one of two Wyoming high schools to share a name, a mascot and a color scheme with another American high school. Campbell County’s Camels have doppelgangers in Alexandria, Kentucky. I mean, come on — none of these shirts would look out of place in Gillette. But your dollars would support the Bluegrass State.

Using MascotDB.com’s search capabilities, I found that Campbell County and Powell are the only two Wyoming high schools to have their name and colors replicated by another high school program somewhere else in America. That said, three others have had their name and mascot repeated — just not their colors.

The United States is a big country. Those kinds of repeats are understandable.

But I still think it would be fun to settle it, once and for all, on the field.

I’d like to see the two Powell teams and the two Campbell County teams on each other’s schedules next year. And, heck, let’s make the stakes high: Winner gets to keep their mascot and colors. Loser has to change at least one of them.

Logistics aside — distance, cost, 4A round-robin schedule, the fact that no one at any of these four schools would actually want to risk giving up their identity on the result of one game — it’s a fun thought. If the visual identity of your entire school or community was on the line, how hard would you play? How hard would you cheer? How many shirts or novelty license plates would you buy? And, wait a minute… isn’t having a twin actually kind of fun?

Regardless, if you ever find yourself in Alexandria, Kentucky, or Powell, Tennessee, keep your eyes peeled. You just might see a little slice of Wyoming.

–patrick

Week 4 picks: Logic takes a break in 2A’s top tier

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Don’t compare scores.

Don’t try to establish trends.

Don’t think, mostly.

Class 2A’s competitive but convoluted top half continues to generate results that are, well, a bit unpredictable.

Take this loop for a drive in your logic-mobile: Lovell beats Big Horn 33-27. Cokeville beats Lovell 33-18. Upton-Sundance beats Cokeville 13-6.

So what happens when Big Horn plays Upton-Sundance? You guessed it. Big Horn beats Upton-Sundance 45-7.

Add Lyman to that loop, as the Eagles, ranked No. 1 in 2A last week, couldn’t handle the trip north and lost to Lovell 20-12.

Only one team in each conference has remained unscathed — Mountain View in the West and Tongue River in the East.

We’ll put the conversation about Tongue River aside for the moment and instead focus our attention to the Bridger Valley, where Mountain View faces… Lyman.

And if you think you know how this game might go, you don’t.

Don’t think.

I mean, it’s easy to take a look at Mountain View’s 4-0 record, its 13 total points allowed (including a shutout last week against Thermopolis), its stable offensive production and think, hey, yep, favorites.

And it’s easy to take a look at Lyman’s inevitable bounce-back from a tough road loss (oddly enough, Lyman’s first road game after three at home), the home-field advantage they’ll get in a rivalry game, the results of the last three Bridger Valley rivalry games — all Lyman victories — and think, hey, yep, favorites.

Don’t think.

The way Class 2A’s top teams are duking it out this year, it’s much more likely this game will end up as yet another game that defies the odds, the senses and the understandings of our physical world. It doesn’t have to make sense. Odds are it probably won’t.

Given 2A’s nature this year, we know the result of this game will be confusing. Until it’s played, though, we just can’t yet know in what ways it will surprise and disorient.

I guess that’s the fun of it all.

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Other things I’m watching this week with heightened levels of interest:

Lusk’s two losses have both come against undefeated teams, 4-0 Big Piney and 3-0 Lingle. This week, the Tigers play 3-0 Southeast. Next week, the Tigers play Pine Bluffs, which is 3-0 entering its game this week against Moorcroft. For as good as Lusk has looked, even in losses, style points don’t get teams into the postseason, so don’t be surprised if Lusk feels that urgency and makes this one in Yoder interesting. …

Speaking of the 1A nine-man East, Wright is probably the most talked-about 0-3 team in the state after coming within a minute and a point of beating what was a top-ranked Pine Bluffs team in a 21-20 loss last week. I’m intrigued to see how the Panthers do against another tough conference foe on the road in Lingle this week. …

Another team that’s probably better than its record is Thermopolis, which has brought along its defense significantly from last season. Despite being 1-2, the Bobcats have proven they will be a tough out for everyone this year, and I’m interested in seeing if their offense finds its groove this week against Rich County, Utah. …

Sheridan at 4-0 and Thunder Basin at 3-1 are both in prime position for home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs — that is, if they can beat the other one this week. Class 4A has developed a clear gap this year, with five teams at 4-0 or 3-1, five teams at 1-3 or 0-4, and no one in between. This is the only game this week were two of the teams in the higher tier meet. …

This week’s coin-flip game? Rocky Mountain hosting Shoshoni. It makes sense that it’s been hard to get a read on these teams due to all of the graduation losses both teams had, so at least we get this game where they can figure it out themselves. …

Not that anyone’s counting, but Snake River has now won 24 in a row, the longest winning streak in school history and just on the cusp of top-10 in state history, which starts at 26. Casper Christian comes to Baggs this week. …

St. Stephens has canceled, again, leaving its opponent for the week to scramble, again. This time, Riverside picked up a game with Cody’s JV. Looking ahead, at least two more future opponents of the Eagles have picked up other games.

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Picks. Call me a punk, but I’m feeling lucky. So I’ve selected some teams to win, and I’ve put them in bold. I’ll tally it all up after the week is done. Yes, I have a spreadsheet. You don’t? Weirdo.

Thursday
Class 1A nine-man
Big Piney at Wind River
Interclass
Riverside at Cody JV
Friday
Class 4A
Campbell County at Kelly Walsh
Laramie at Cheyenne Central
Natrona at Cheyenne South
Rock Springs at Cheyenne East
Sheridan at Thunder Basin
Class 3A
Douglas at Worland
Evanston at Star Valley
Green River at Powell
Jackson at Cody
Lander at Buffalo
Rawlins at Riverton
Class 2A
Big Horn at Torrington
Burns at Upton-Sundance
Cokeville at Kemmerer
Lovell at Pinedale
Mountain View at Lyman
Tongue River at Newcastle
Wheatland at Glenrock
Class 1A nine-man
Guernsey at Saratoga
Lusk at Southeast
Moorcroft at Pine Bluffs
Wright at Lingle
Wyoming Indian at Greybull
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Farson
Kaycee at Midwest
Meeteetse at Burlington
Interstate
Thermopolis at Rich County, Utah
Saturday
Class 1A nine-man
Shoshoni at Rocky Mountain
Class 1A six-man
Casper Christian at Snake River
Hanna at Encampment
Hulett at Ten Sleep

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here. You can click on “Week 4” at the top of the page to take you directly to this week’s schedule.

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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:

Last week: 29-5 (85 percent). This season: 100-21 (83 percent).

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What sense-defying result do you see coming in Week 4? Remember, it only counts if you predict before the game, so… Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

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–patrick