Week 1 picks: One of Wyoming’s most successful programs is back

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The top of Wyoming’s all-time standings chart is littered with the state’s traditional powerhouses.

Ask someone to pick the state’s top five active teams, in terms of winning percentage, and four of the first five might come to mind quickly. Cokeville, Southeast, Natrona, Star Valley. They’re all in the top five.

The team in fourth place among active programs, though — right there between the defending 4A champions from Casper and last year’s 3A runners-up from Afton — is a team whose status as “active” isn’t really official until Friday.

A team that hasn’t played a varsity football game in more than 48 years will return to the field on Friday.

After almost five decades dormant, and after playing the past two years as a junior varsity team, the St. Stephens Eagles — one of the most successful programs in the state in the early 1960s — will take to the field again.

The Eagles boast an all-time record of 41-24, a record forged over nine mostly successful seasons from 1957-65.

St. Stephens’ success didn’t come right away, though. The team didn’t score a point in its first three games of its inaugural season. In its first two seasons, the Eagles only won twice.

Then the Eagles turned the program around.

St. Stephens went 5-1 in its third season, 1959, the first of six consecutive winning seasons under three different coaches.

The peaks came in 1961 and 1962 with coach Chuck Murray. In 1961, the Eagles finished as Class B 11-man runners-up after an 8-0 start, losing to Upton in the championship game; in 1962, the Eagles went 8-0 and won the mythical Class B 11-man title.

After the success of a pair of eight-win seasons, the Eagles slowly transitioned into Class A play, but found the big schools a tougher draw. In 1965, the Eagles’ final season, the squad went 2-4, losing their first four games before beating Greybull and Jackson. For the past 48 years, St. Stephens has been stuck, perpetually on a two-game winning streak.

Until now.

The Eagles have been playing junior varsity six-man football the past couple years and finally make the step up to varsity play on Friday when they travel to Platte County to face Guernsey-Sunrise.

The game will be difficult for St. Stephens for more reasons than the program’s 48-year gap between varsity contests. The Vikings are a quickly developing six-man contender and the Eagles have to play the Vikings in Guernsey.

But the Eagles’ reappearance as a football program is part of a bigger trend, one that started in 2009 and will continue into next season. St. Stephens is now the fourth program to either start or re-start because of the reintroduction of six-man football in 2009, joining Farson, Snake River and Kaycee; Rock River is scheduled to join the varsity level in 2014 after playing JV schedules in 2012 and 2013.

If not for six-man, it’s a safe bet that most of St. Stephens’ players would not have considered football at all.

Now, the school has a chance to resurrect a short, but proud, tradition started half a century ago.

What else I’m watching this week: Three great interclass games, starting with Burns-Southeast. This could be the best game of the year. Burns is loaded for a title run; Southeast is a defending state champ. … Cokeville-Mountain View. This clash between longtime rivals is another case of two teams that both have a great chance to make it to Laramie. … Lusk-Newcastle. These two schools haven’t played each other since 1978, but based on last week’s and last year’s performances, this could be a doozy.

Here’s this week’s picks. Projected winners in bold:

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

For a full schedule including kick times, check out the 2013 schedule and results page.

Last week: 12-2 (86 percent). This season: 12-2 (86 percent).

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With the first full week of football finally here, what are your thoughts? What games or teams are you keeping your eye on this week? Post a comment below.

–patrick

Wyoming Sports Preview Guide 2013 released

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The 2013 Wyoming Sports Preview Guide has been printed in hard copy and posted in a digital version, and it’s ready for you to read!

The magazine includes previews on every team in the state, which I wrote between late May and late July. I talked to all but two of the state’s head coaches to put the magazine together, and I think the effort shows in the final product.

Hard-copy magazines, once delivered, should be available at any one of the advertisers who purchased ads in this year’s magazine. Be sure to thank them for their commitment to Wyoming high school sports!

–patrick

The ultimate 2013 Wyoming high school football road trip

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In my dream world, football season would last 12 months of the year, I’d have unlimited gas money and unlimited time, and I’d spend my days driving to games all over the state.

In reality, football season — at least the part with games — lasts barely three months, I’m on a budget, I work full time (and not in Wyoming) and I probably won’t catch a single Wyoming high school game in person this season.

But I can dream.

If I had the chance, the time and the money, I’d love to spend the 2013 season driving all over the state, watching high school football games. Such epic dreams need a plan, and that’s what I’ve outlined below — what games I’d watch each week, given the chance. In short, I’m going for both quantity and quality. I want to see as many games as possible, but I want to try to see the best ones, too, or at least the ones I think will be the best.

My 2013 dream trek:

Week 0: Granted, I have the benefit of hindsight here, but I’ll stick with what I figured I’d do before the season started last week. Admittedly, the season started with a somewhat lackluster 4A schedule, but the best game on the slate appeared to be Gillette at Kelly Walsh; it ended up being a dud, but that wouldn’t have stopped me from wanting to go watch it. From there, I would have taken in the drive through the Wind River Canyon on my way to watch defending 3A champ Powell in its out-of-state Zero Week contest, as the Panthers faced traditionally strong Miles City, Mont., in a game that ended up being a blowout. So I would have caught two games: Gillette at Kelly Walsh (7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30) and Miles City, Mont., at Powell (6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31).

Week 1: I’ll pick up the lone Thursday game, Pine Bluffs at Cheyenne East’s sophomores, before hitting the road on Friday. I can’t resist a good storyline, so I’ll make the short jaunt from Cheyenne to Guernsey to watch St. Stephens’ first varsity game since 1965. That choice limits my ability to travel, so I’ll stay in the southeast corner and catch one of the more intriguing games on the 2A schedule this year: defending champ Lyman making the long trek to face what should be an improved Wheatland squad in Wheatland. On Saturday, it’s an early morning wake-up call, but it’s worth it to drive to Dubois to check out the defending champ Rams as they open their season against six-man newcomer — and always mystery team — Normative Services. I’ll watch four games in Week 1: Pine Bluffs at Cheyenne East sophs (6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5), St. Stephens at Guernsey-Sunrise (2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6), Lyman at Wheatland (7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6) and Normative Services at Dubois (11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7).

Week 2: Again, with only one Thursday game, I’ll be there, as the Natrona JV heads to Wind River. On Friday, all we have is the BIGGEST NON-CONFERENCE GAME OF THE SEASON, so I’ll be there in Cokeville to watch the Panthers play defending 1A-11 champ Southeast. That means I’m stuck on the southwest corner of the state for my evening game, and because I may not get another chance (and because it’s beautiful), I’ll take in a game in Star Valley and watch the Braves face Lander. Saturday brings another drive for a six-man game — shorter than Week 1, though — and I’ll hit what might be one of the best games of the year as Meeteetse travels to Baggs to face Snake River. The four games for Week 2: Natrona JV at Wind River (6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12), Southeast at Cokeville (2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13), Lander at Star Valley (7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13) and Meeteetse at Snake River (2 p.m. Saturday). So apparently the Southeast-Cokeville game got moved to Saturday. Screwed with my world. No idea what I’ll do now. 🙂

Week 3: No Thursday games this week, so my adventure will start with the Friday afternoon games. It’s a thin afternoon slate, but I can’t resist one of the biggest new rivalries of the new six-man setup: Wyoming Indian vs. St. Stephens. For both teams, this is the one they’ve had circled all year. From there, it’s an unexciting drive to Casper, where I’ll watch a game between a couple programs that you might have heard of: Gillette and Natrona. Saturday’s slate only has one game, Dubois at Hulett, so I’ll go watch it because it’s more than just the only game in town — it’s the only game in the state. Week 3’s three games: Wyoming Indian at St. Stephens (2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20), Gillette at Natrona (7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20) and Dubois at Hulett (11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21).

Week 4: Thursday’s lone game — Billings Senior’s JV at Rocky Mountain — is interesting enough to hit up, so I’ll be there. From there, I’ll hop over the hill to watch the Wright-Big Horn game, one that might end up being critical in a parity-filled 2A East. Plenty of options exist for the night game, but I can’t resist seeing the annual Douglas-Buffalo showdown, a game that has often decided the conference champ out of the 3A East. That’s worth my time. On Saturday, I have two choices: Drive like crazy or take it easy. I’ll go slow, stay in Johnson County and watch Hulett-Kaycee. The northerly route for Week 4: Billings Senior JV, Mont., at Rocky Mountain (7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26), Wright at Big Horn (1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27), Douglas at Buffalo (7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27) and Hulett at Kaycee (3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28).

Week 5: Two Thursday games dot the schedule, but I’ll take the one involving two varsity teams: Shoshoni and Wind River. Could be quite interesting. On Friday, I can either make the journey to Star Valley to watch the Braves and Powell in what could be the game of the year, or I try to do a double-up somewhere else…. Dang. As much as I hate to miss Braves-Panthers, I’ll go for a pair of games instead. It’s Rivalry Week in Class 4A, and the one that might have the biggest influence on the standings is the Energy Bowl in Gillette between the Camels and Sheridan. I’ll stay local and catch Wheatland at Moorcroft before that. Saturday’s schedule will keep me in the northeast and I’ll watch Hulett for the third time as the Red Devils face Midwest. Week 5’s tough choices: Shoshoni at Wind River (7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3), Wheatland at Moorcroft (3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4), Sheridan at Gillette (7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4) and Midwest at Hulett (3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5).

Week 6: Everything this week is on Friday and Saturday, and admittedly in the preseason the schedule is full of a bunch of potential but no games that scream “WATCH ME!!!” So I’ll wander Southwest again, taking in the Bridger Valley Bowl between Lyman and Mountain View (not just for the rivalry, though; this could be a big one in the 2A West playoff race) before heading to Evanston to watch the Red Devils play Kelly Walsh. On Saturday, we have a rare non-six-man game, so I’ll hit up Kemmerer as the Rangers face Greybull. Week 6 is a “light” three games: Lyman at Mountain View (3:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11), Kelly Walsh at Evanston (6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11) and Greybull at Kemmerer (2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12).

Week 7: In the waning moments of the season, we still have a lot to see. Unfortunately, the best afternoon games don’t pair well with the evening games, and the so-so afternoon matchups pair with so-so evening matchups. So I’m just going to choose one Friday game and call it good. Fortunately, one of the best regular-season matchups is scheduled for this week: Lusk-Southeast, a rematch of last year’s 1A-11 title game. Saturday, I’ll drive to Baggs and watch the rematch of last year’s 1A-6 title game between Dubois and Snake River. I’d say that’s a full weekend, even with just two games: Lusk at Southeast (7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18) and Dubois at Snake River (3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19).

Week 8: We actually have two varsity contests scheduled for Thursday, and I can’t resist taking in the Fremont County rivalry game between Lander and Riverton as an appetizer to a busy week. With so many key games happening in the final week, making a decision about which one(s) to attend is tough. For me, though, one game keeps jumping to the forefront: Glenrock at Burns. The 2A East is going to be a madhouse this year, and this game could decide the conference title. Unfortunately, that means I can only watch this game, with no afternoon games nearby…. Saturday, though, I’ll catch Guernsey and Kaycee in what could be another key game for playoff qualification and seeding. That, and according to the kickoff times provided by the schools, it’s the final game of the regular season. Everything else will likely be done by the time this one kicks off. So I’ll end my regular season odyssey with a mini-oddyssey of my own on the final three days: Riverton at Lander (7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24), Glenrock at Burns (7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25) and Guernsey-Sunrise at Kaycee (3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26).

In all, through this trip, I’d get to watch 38 of the state’s 63 varsity programs; I’d see several programs twice and a hodgepodge of schools — Gillette, Hulett, Dubois and Snake River — three times apiece. I’d miss a bunch, but hopefully I’d catch more in the playoffs and, of course, I’d get to watch all five title games in Laramie.

If you could attend any game in the state, which one would you hit? Which game is your “can’t miss” game in 2013? Post a comment below and let me know.

–patrick

Zero Week picks: Meeteetse’s long trek is worth the attention

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Don’t tell Meeteetse this doesn’t count.

After more than 1,100 miles of asphalt a drive to Cheyenne Billings, then a flight to Texas, the Longhorns will open their 2013 season on Friday in the most unlikely of places: Robert Lee, Texas.

Despite its name, the town of Robert Lee is more than one man. The community in central Texas, the county seat of Coke County, is home to about 1,000 people — and a pretty good six-man football team.

In fact, the Robert Lee High School Steers went 10-2 last year and reached the second round of Texas’ Class 1A Six-Man Division 2 playoffs. And in the world of six-man football, that’s really saying something.

Meeteetse’s Longhorns, meanwhile, went 6-4 last season, the first winning season for the program since posting a 5-4 mark in 2007. Meeteetse finished one game short of the Wyoming six-man state championship game. And in the world of six-man football, unfortunately, that’s not saying much.

Nebraska is the birthplace of six-man football, but Texas is definitely the home. The Lone Star State has far more six-man football programs than the state of Wyoming has football programs, total. Texas has 137 six-man football programs, 70 in Division 1 and 67 in Division 2; Wyoming has 14 six-man programs this year — its most ever — and only 63 varsity programs this fall in all divisions, both 11-man and six-man combined.

Meeteetse is one of the smallest. In fact, in enrollment numbers recently released to schools by the WHSAA, Meeteetse had the second-smallest enrollment of all varsity programs in the state at 40 students, total.

Robert Lee, perhaps not coincidentally, has an enrollment listed by the University Interscholastic League — Texas’ version of the WHSAA — of 42 students, total.

The game has already generated tons of interest, both in Wyoming and in Texas. Robert Lee supporters helped Meeteetse raise money for the trip and will put the Longhorn players up in homes across the area. Not only that, the game will be the first played in the Steers’ newly renovated stadium.

Yet, because the game falls under Wyoming’s Zero Week for six-man (and 1A and 2A and 3A) schools, the game won’t “officially” count in the WHSAA standings. (The game will count here, as will all other “games.” See below.) That means that most press outlets in Wyoming won’t count it, either.

That’s not what Meeteetse wants to hear. To them, this one counts.

The nearly 1,200 miles, one way? The feeling of an August Texas night in pads? The chance to play one of Texas’ top six-man programs, on their home turf, and to be an equal?

No, this counts. This counts for a lot. For Meeteetse, this game will define their season — at least until November.

And this game counts for Wyoming. The Equality State may be the only state in the country undefeated against Texas in high school football thanks to Natrona’s 18-6 defeat of Pampa, Texas, back in 1939 in the states’ only previous gridiron meeting. Wyoming folks would love to keep it that way.

And you bet it counts for Robert Lee. The Steers don’t want to break in their new stadium with a loss, especially to some upstart team from some upstart state that didn’t even have six-man football until barely four years ago.

Enjoy this game while you can. You may never see one like this again.

Like it or not, the illuminated bulbs on that scoreboard at the end of the game will mean something.

We’d do well to acknowledge that.

Edit: Added 11:45 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 29: Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso knows what’s up:

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My picks are posted below in the usual style, with projected winners in bold:

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne South at Evanston
Gillette at Kelly Walsh
Natrona at Cheyenne Central
Rock Springs at Cheyenne East
Sheridan at Laramie
Class 3A
Worland at Riverton
Interclass
Riverside at Greybull
Interstate
Altamont, Utah, at Lyman
Custer, S.D., at Newcastle
Meeteetse at Robert Lee, Texas
Uintah, Utah, at Green River
Saturday
Interclass
Jackson at Mountain View
Riverside JV at Ten Sleep
Interstate
Laurel, Mont., at Cody
Miles City, Mont., at Powell

Other Zero Week contests

Scrimmages and jamborees
Friday
Big Piney at Pinedale
Pine Bluffs/Tongue River at Thermopolis
Rocky Mountain at Powell JV
Saturday
Big Horn at Lovell
Burns vs. Upton-Sundance, at Lusk
Dubois/Farson/Saratoga triangular, at Lander
Guernsey-Sunrise at Kaycee
Lander vs. Shoshoni, at Riverton
Lingle vs. Wind River, at Casper (Kelly Walsh)
Natrona frosh-sophs at Midwest
Rawlins/Southeast at Glenrock
Torrington at Wheatland
Wright at Lusk
Wyoming Indian at Hanna
Off: Buffalo, Burlington, Cokeville, Douglas, Hulett, Kemmerer, Moorcroft, Normative Services, St. Stephens, Snake River, Star Valley.

For a full schedule including kick times, check out the 2013 schedule page.

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As usual, Zero Week picks come with a disclaimer about what’s a “game” and counted in the standings and what’s not. Remember, I count different than the WHSAA does. For the record, here are the criteria I use to judge whether or not to call an event a “game,” and therefore list it in the standings (and, eventually, as part of the team record on this site):

1. Was the game played with four 12-minute quarters with normal timing rules?

2. Were officials used? And were normal rules of play instituted for the game?

3. Was score kept?

In short, if you don’t want it to count, don’t keep score….

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Of note: Green River breaks in its new turf field this week. Below is an aerial shot of the new field taken by Matt Strauss of Guardian Flight and provided by Steve Core.

DCIM100GOPRO

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Thoughts on Zero Week? On Meeteetse’s long trip? On the opening of FOOTBALL SEASON? Comment below!

–patrick

Lingle, Cokeville opt to 11-man for 2014, 2015 seasons

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Lingle will opt up to the 11-man football classification for the next two years.

The Doggers were classified as a six-man program by the WHSAA in enrollment numbers released recently to the schools. However, the Doggers opted to stay in 11-man “after careful consideration,” Lingle AD Mike Lashley wrote via email.

The change, if it’s approved as expected by the WHSAA, will not affect the Lingle program this year. Lingle is currently classified as an 11-man program, and the opt-up choice will affect the team for the 2014 and 2015 football seasons.

Update, 10:29 a.m. Wednesday: Cokeville has also given its official opt-up notice to the WHSAA, associate commissioner Trevor Wilson said via email. Wilson said Lingle and Cokeville are the only schools so far to opt up or down.

–patrick

A brief history of co-head coach combinations in Wyoming football

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Former Worland coach Curt Mayer pulled a surprising move late last week by resigning as the Warriors’ coach less than 48 hours prior to the first practice.

Since that time, the school has announced it will use two head coaches this year, with Josh Garcia leading the offense and Bryan Bailey the defense. Neither man has been a head coach in the state before this year.

More than that, they’re together in a co-coaching arrangement that has only been tried nine other times (as documented so far) in Wyoming’s history.

Here is a brief look at how the other nine co-coaching arrangements came out

Pinedale: Perhaps the most successful co-coaching arrangement came with the the Wranglers, where Gale Tuggle and Randy Klatt co-led the team for eight seasons, from 1965-72. The Wranglers were mythical state Class B champions in 1970 under the two-coach system. Together over the eight seasons, the coaches went a combined 36-30-3, including an 8-1 season in 1972 in what ended up being the final head coaching stop in Wyoming for either coach.

Buffalo: Harvey Crowe and George Grace were co-coaches in Buffalo for four years, from 1951-54. Crowe had been the sole head coach in Buffalo for three seasons (1948-50) before Grace joined him; Grace took sole control of the Buffalo program in 1955 and was head coach until 1967. Perhaps not coincidentally, Crowe took over another Northeast Conference team — Sundance — as head coach in 1956, a position he held until after the 1958 season. Together in Buffalo, they went 16-15-4.

Wind River: The most recent case of co-coaches came in 2005, when Tyler Jordan and Andy Maendl co-coached the Cougars to a playoff berth and a 4-5 record. Jordan took over as the lone head coach in 2006 and led the team through 2007. Maendl has yet to return to a head coaching position in the state.

Basin: For the Bobcats’ first season of football, 1921, the team used two head coaches: F.L. McNown and coach Kischke (first name unknown). Neither one was ever a head coach in the state after the first season, even though the Bobcats went 5-4 their first season.

Manderson: William Diercks had an odd timeline with the Demons, leading the team as head coach from 1956-58, again in 1966 and then one last time in 1974. In that 1966 season, he was joined by Tom Rhodes in a one-year co-coach situation, but it didn’t go well; the team went 0-8 and neither coach retained the head coaching position the following season.

Big Horn: Brothers John Flanagan and Mike Flanagan co-coached the Rams for two seasons, 1961 (0-4-2) and 1962 (0-5). Those two years were the only years either one was a head coach in Wyoming.

North Big Horn: Steve Hutchinson was the lone head coach for NBH in 1979, but in 1980, he was joined by co-coach Michael Neville. Despite going 4-3, neither man was the head coach for the Grizzlies in 1981, and neither landed a head coaching spot in the state again.

St. Stephens: Jim Shelbe and Chris Kriofski co-coached the Eagles in 1965, their final year of their first stint of varsity play. The team went 2-4. It was both the first and last year for either man as a head coach in Wyoming.

University Prep: Don Harkins and Bill Engstrom joined forces to coach the Buckaroos in 1929, going 4-3 together. Although Harkins was never a head coach again, Engstrom had a long stint as Rawlins’ coach, jumping from Prep to lead the Outlaws for eight years from 1930 to 1937.

(I’m still missing some information on Wyoming high school football coaches. To help, check out The Coaches Project and post a comment below if you can help.)

Co-coaching arrangements in Wyoming have been surprisingly average at best. How do you think the unique situation in Worland will work this year? Feel free to post a comment below.

–patrick

Class 4A preview: I’ve got my orange (jersey) crush

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Four questions to answer

Will Gillette and Natrona play again in Laramie in mid-November? Although anything can happen in 4A, right now the Mustangs and Camels are the favorites to meet for the 4A title at The War. Of the 11 returning all-state players, six belong to either the Camels or Mustangs (three apiece). Given that talent disparity, the odds are on the Camels and Mustangs to play again for the 4A title.

Can anyone crack the vice grip the top four schools have on 4A? In short, probably not this season. Cheyenne East, Sheridan, Gillette and Natrona have made up the Class 4A semifinal field each of the past three seasons. And of the 11 aforementioned returning all-staters, 10 belong to these four schools — Kelly Walsh lineman Alex Pietrzak is the only returning all-stater not from one of these four schools.

Humor us… Which team has the best chance at breaking that vice grip? Probably Kelly Walsh. The Trojans have shown steady improvement in Jon Vance’s two years — from 2-7 in 2011 to 4-6 in 2012 — and if that improvement continues, KW could be a darkhorse contender for a semifinal appearance, or more.

Is this the year South breaks its streak? Hopefully. Winless in their first 18 varsity contests, the Bison were much more competitive in 2012 than they were in 2011 and nearly upset Evanston in the sixth game of the season last year. Although the Bison still face a talent and tradition disparity from the rest of the schools in 4A, they have several advantages in 2013 — another year together, a kinder schedule and, maybe most importantly, a desire to put the losing streak behind them.

Four players to watch

Taven Bryan, Natrona. The first Wyoming recruit in recent memory to secure an offer from an SEC school (Florida), Bryan, a lineman, could play either side of the ball in college. That versatility makes him a tremendous weapon for the Mustangs in his senior year. The only question is if the expectations are distractors or motivators for this multitalented athlete.

Austin Fort, Gillette. A University of Wyoming commit, Fort moved to Gillette last year and almost automatically became one of the best quarterbacks in the state. His big arm, his size and his mobility made him the perfect fit for the Camels’ diverse offensive attack. He led 4A in completions (160) and passing yards (2,137) last year, and if he can rein in his interception total from a year ago (he threw 14 picks), he could lead Gillette back to Laramie for the second year in a row.

Tevis Bartlett, Cheyenne East. The junior will be THE key to East’s offense in 2013. He was the only 11-man player in the state last year to run for more than 1,000 yards (1,093) and throw for more than 1,000 yards (1,393). Even though his yardage totals may not hold up as teams key on him more, he will likely have to shoulder a bigger burden in terms of leadership than he did a year ago.

Billy Williams, Gillette. Williams makes this list for one simple reason: He’s a tackling machine. The linebacker is Class 4A’s top returning tackler; he led 4A in solo tackles (45) a year ago and also added four turnovers (two fumble recoveries, two interceptions) and four tackles for loss. He was one of only five players in 4A last year to rack up more than 16 defensive points per game, and the other four have graduated. …

Four key games

Gillette at Natrona, Sept. 20. Last year’s regular-season showdown featured two undefeated teams; the two teams met three weeks later to play for the state title. This year’s meeting is much earlier in the calendar (Week 3 instead of Week 8), but the game will likely have just as big an affect on the seeding for the playoffs.

All of Week 5. Rivalry Week is back, as the Oil Bowl (Kelly Walsh-Natrona), Energy Bowl (Sheridan-Gillette) and Capital Bowl (East-Central) are all slated for the week of Oct. 4. Just as key, though, are the other two 4A games that week (Laramie at South and Evanston at Rock Springs), both of which are games that could decide playoff qualification.

Kelly Walsh at Sheridan, Sept. 6. Is Kelly Walsh’s program truly growing into one of 4A’s best? We’ll find out in a hurry in 2013, as the Trojans face Gillette and Sheridan the first two weeks of the season. Arguably the bigger game is the road opener against the Broncs, the team that has knocked KW out of the playoffs three of the past four years.

Gillette at Cheyenne East, Oct. 25. Both the Camels and the Thunderbirds have reached the 4A semifinals each of the past three seasons. To secure hosting duties and high seeds in the playoffs, a victory in this Week 8 game could be crucial. After all, the road to Laramie is a lot easier if the only bus trip is the one TO Laramie.

Predicted order of finish

Natrona; Gillette; Cheyenne East; Sheridan; Kelly Walsh; Cheyenne Central; Rock Springs; Evanston; Cheyenne South; Laramie.

Way-too-early title-game score prediction

This is Natrona’s year. Again. But Gillette stands in the way. Again. Natrona 28, Gillette 14.

Trivia

Only two schools in Wyoming have had a player in the Shrine Bowl in each of its 40 years. They’re both current Class 4A schools. Which schools are they?

Classification’s 2013 theme song

Is the 4A title really Natrona’s to lose? Will 2013 be the fourth year in a row we see the “Big Four” in the semis? Who has the best chance of throwing a kink in that tradition? Comment below and let me know what big schools you’re watching this year.

–patrick

Worland changes coaches prior to first practice

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Worland will use co-head coaches this year after the school’s former head coach resigned less than 48 hours before the first practice.

The Northern Wyoming Daily News reported that Josh Garcia will be the head coach on offense this year and Bryan Bailey will be Worland’s head defensive coach.

The changes come after former Worland coach Curt Mayer resigned on Saturday. Worland went 2-7 in Mayer’s only year as coach.

Mayer did not respond to a Facebook message seeking comment this week; the Daily News reported Mayer’s resignation was for personal reasons.

For a full list of coaching changes in the state this year, click here.

–patrick

Overflow: Interesting tidbits that didn’t quite make the 2013 Wyoming Sports Preview Guide magazine

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The second Wyoming Sports Preview Guide magazine is being produced as we speak.

Since starting the project in mid-May, I talked with a coach from all but one team in the state, and in doing so I drew together some interesting tidbits, things I couldn’t highlight as much in the magazine as I would have liked:

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Upton-Sundance will continue its co-op for the 2014 and 2015 football season. The two schools have a four-year co-op agreement in place, after which the two schools will evaluate their prospects. The school also doesn’t have to go through the rigmarole of wondering if they’ll be playoff eligible this year; by virtue of falling under the enrollment ceiling last year, the Patriots are playoff eligible this year, too.

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Glenrock will be without running back Jordan Millay this season. Millay led the Herders in rushing last year and had more than 1,700 rushing yards his first two seasons, but has been forced to give up football due to chronic injuries, coach Ray Kumpula said.

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On the other side of injuries, Lander and Hanna may be the two programs most affected by having returners from injuries. The Tigers will return senior running back Jack Mazurie, who was a big part of the team’s offensive plans a year ago — he led the team in rushing yards as a sophomore in 2011 — but injured his knee in the first game of the season against Cody and never returned. Hanna, meanwhile, gets back senior tight end/linebacker Quade Palm, who injured his shoulder in the opener against Kaycee last year and had to miss both the football and basketball seasons. At 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, Palm could be a dominating force on a six-man field.

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The biggest Week 3 game may be a six-man game in Fremont County. That week, St. Stephens will host Wyoming Indian in a game that’s big for two reasons — it’s St. Stephens’ first varsity home game since 1965 and it’s the first game of a reservation football rivalry that was born originally on the basketball floor. “Our kids are really looking forward to playing it,” St. Stephens assistant coach Paul Smith said. “We’ve had that date circled on our calendar, well, since we got our calendar, and I know Wyoming Indian has (done) the same thing.”

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Rocky Mountain and Cody landed the two of the biggest in-state transfers since last season. Rocky added former Lovell lineman Jacob Price, who will give immediate girth to an otherwise undersized offensive line. “Jacob will be a big addition,” Rocky coach David Hayes said. “We haven’t had a guy like that in at least three years.”

Cody, meanwhile, added former Torrington lineman Jorden Schulte; he was Torrington’s starting center a year ago.

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Greybull may have the most decorated assistant coach in the state this year. The Buffs will benefit from the presence of Kasey Peters, a former NAIA all-America quarterback at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., who now plays professionally with the Tri-Cities Fever of the Indoor Football League. Peters will coach at Greybull with Justin Bernhardt, who was an assistant coach at RMC before coming to Greybull. Peters has already visited Greybull and made a big impression with the players. “He’s a guy the kids look up to,” Bernhardt said.

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Lyman and Thermopolis will have an added twist in their rivalry this year: new Thermopolis coach Rob Anderson is the brother of Lyman coach Dale Anderson.

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At least two programs — Cheyenne South and Green River — are adding artificial turf to their stadiums this fall. And Southeast may be the next school to put in artificial turf. Coach Mark Bullington said preliminary funding has been set for the Cyclones to upgrade to turf, to be done next summer at the earliest. He said the school has had to redo its grass field numerous times the past decade, and the grass has never taken.

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The second edition of the Wyoming Sports Preview Guide should be out soon. The 2012 edition of the magazine is available online; a link to the 2013 edition will be posted as soon as it’s available.

–patrick

NSI hires Larson as coach

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Normative Services has hired Jim Larson as the Wolves’ head coach.

This will be Larson’s second stint as NSI’s head coach. He led the team in 2010 and 2011 before Jon Rojo took over as coach for the 2012 season.

NSI is moving to six-man football this season after going 1-6 last season in 11-man.

To see all the coaching changes across the state this year, click here.

–patrick