Four questions to answer

Powell, right? Yep. Powell is quite clearly the 3A favorite this year. With six of their nine all-state players coming back, and riding the momentum of back-to-back state championships and a 15-game winning streak, the Panthers are the team to catch.

So who can catch Powell? Given the right circumstances, a number of teams have the potential to topple the Panthers off their championship perch. Cody returns all four of its all-state selections; Star Valley returns a pair of all-staters and nearly knocked off Powell in last year’s title game; Green River, Douglas and Buffalo are perennial contenders and should compete again this fall. The path from Powell to Laramie is well-worn, but it’s not free of sinkholes just yet….

What affect will coaching turnover have in 3A? Quite a bit, actually. New coaches in Cody (Matt McFadden) and Riverton (Pat Patterson) will affect their conferences dramatically — McFadden and Cody in how it handles higher expectations and a load of talent, Patterson and Riverton in how it handles the target that comes with winning a conference title and the fallout of a shocking first-round playoff loss.

Will the East Conference actually win a playoff game this year? Maybe not. The power in 3A this year is quite clearly in the West. Of the 13 returning all-state selections, 12 are in the West Conference. Unless the East develops young talent quickly this season, a second consecutive first-round sweep for West Conference teams is a distinct possibility.

Four players to watch

Tony Lujan, Garrett Lynch and Brendan Phister, Powell. Really, I could make all four “players to watch” come from Powell, but out of fairness to the other schools, I’ll group these three together. And what a group it is — Lujan, Lynch and Phister are all already two-time first-team all-state choices, and it’s their leadership that could help lead Powell to a third consecutive state title.

Logan Barker, Douglas. The senior was the East Conference’s defensive player of the year last year, and he’s the only returning East Conference player who was an all-state selection last year. He was also Douglas’ leading rusher last season with 1,008 yards.

Carter Myers, Cody. Myers is the Broncs’ Mr. Everything. As a sophomore, he led Cody in assisted tackles but showed his diversity by notching a fumble recovery, an interception AND a blocked kick on defense, as well. Oh, and he was the team’s No. 2 rusher, No. 3 receiver, No. 2 scorer and top kicker.

Trace Haderlie, Star Valley. Haderlie is 3A’s top returning quarterback; the all-state choice threw for a 3A-best 1,605 yards last season and tossed 16 touchdowns. As the Braves continue to emphasize the passing game, Haderlie’s abilities will help key Star Valley’s success in 2013.

Four key games

Douglas at Buffalo, Sept. 27. Although Riverton is the defending East Conference champion, the Bearcats and Bison have long been the East’s top programs. And a victory in the conference opener is essential to getting a leg up in the race for the conference championship.

Powell at Star Valley, Oct. 4. The angle here is simple: Powell has won the 3A state championship two years in a row, beat Star Valley in last year’s title game and comes into the season with the state’s longest active winning streak. The catch? Powell hasn’t won in Afton since 1999. This game may be Powell’s biggest hurdle to a third consecutive trip to Laramie.

Cody at Powell, Oct. 18. Ten — count ’em, 10 — returning all-state players are slated to play in this game, four for Cody and six for Powell. That alone should make this game worth the price of admission, but the heated nature of one of the state’s oldest rivalries helps make the game a must-see.

Riverton at Lander, Oct. 24. In 2011, Lander was the East’s “it” team in the regular season, but after a 7-1 regular season, the Tigers lost in the quarterfinals. In 2012, Riverton was dubbed “it” after winning the conference championship, but the Wolverines, too, didn’t win a game in the playoffs. Success for the Fremont County schools the postseason in 2013 may depend on ending the regular season the right way here.

Predicted order of finish

East: Douglas, Buffalo, Riverton, Lander, Torrington, Rawlins. West: Powell, Star Valley, Cody, Green River, Jackson, Worland.

Way-too-early title-game score prediction

If you believe the hype, the only question is who Powell will beat in the title game. I’ll believe it. Powell 24, Star Valley 14.

Trivia

Now that Rawlins’ losing streak is over, which Wyoming team has the longest active losing streak, entering 2013?

Classification’s 2013 theme song

Powell, Powell, Powell… right? Who do you think has the best chance of knocking the Panthers off their title perch? Can anyone end the winning streak? Comment below and let me know!

Next Thursday: Class 4A.

–patrick

Four questions to answer

Can an East Conference team finally win in Laramie? If so, this year might be the year. The last four Class 2A titles have all been won by current West Conference teams (although, admittedly, Thermopolis was in the East Conference when it won titles in 2009 and 2010). And two West Conference teams, Lovell and Lyman, have played each other for the past two 2A titles. However, the East Conference has more depth than it has the past couple years, and the bulk of the West Conference’s best players have moved on thanks to graduation.

So who’s the favorite in 2A this year? That’s anyone’s guess. Last year’s four semifinalists — Lovell, Lyman, Newcastle and Big Horn — all lost significant numbers due to graduation. The lack of a clear-cut favorite in 2A should make it an interesting year.

No, really. Who’s the favorite? I’m serious, dude. I don’t know. And nobody else seems to know either. In a preseason survey of 2A coaches, no fewer than 10 schools were named as genuine potential heirs to the throne. Even the coaches aren’t sure how the season will play out. When that’s the case, often it’s offseason training that makes the difference. The title in November may come down to work put in during June.

What player’s departure will most affect his former team? The one not caused by graduation. Glenrock’s Jordan Millay, who led the Herders in rushing as a sophomore last year and totaled almost 1,700 yards in his freshman and sophomore years, has been forced out of the sport due to chronic injuries. While Millay should be commended for thinking of his future, his unexpected loss leaves a big hole in the Herder backfield.

Four players to watch

Merritt Crabtree, Newcastle. Crabtree was the East Conference defensive player of the year last year, and with good reason. The Dogies ranked second in 2A in yards allowed per game (216.6) and Crabtree finished third in 2A in defensive points per game (19.9). His 17 tackles for loss were the best in 2A, and he helped force five turnovers (three fumble recoveries, two interceptions).

Connor McCafferty, Big Horn. Conversely, McCafferty was the East’s offensive player of the year a year ago. Few quarterbacks in the state were as efficient as McCafferty, who completed 65 percent of his passes and had a 25-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. And he didn’t dink and dunk his way to that: his yards-per-completion average of 13.0 ypc was best in the state last year, making his efficiency even more impressive.

Austin Houskeeper, Mountain View. Houskeeper had a huge season as a sophomore, finishing second in Class 2A in both passing yards per game (161.0) and defensive points per game (20.1). That kind of versatility will be a big boon to an improved Buffalos squad that returns three all-state selections.

Critter Ruwart, Wheatland. Is it the year of the quarterback in 2A? Possibly, especially with McCafferty, Houskeeper and Ruwart — the top three passers in 2A a year ago — back for more. Ruwart had more completions (100) and threw for more yards (1,566) than anyone in 2A last year, and his presence will help keep the Bulldogs in the hunt in a competitive East Conference.

Four key games

Big Horn at Newcastle, Sept. 13. This Week 2 game has all the preseason indications of being a big one in the East — much like it was last year, when the two teams met in the final week of the regular season, both undefeated. If nothing else, this game will help us figure out how much parity exists in the East this year.

Mountain View at Greybull, Sept. 13. Both Buffs squads came up again and again in the coaches’ lists of preseason favorites. The West Conference opener between the two programs might be the game that pushes one ahead of the other.

Lyman at Lovell, Sept. 20. Lyman beat Lovell in last year’s 2A title game; Lovell beat Lyman in the 2011 2A title game. And in both cases, the team that won the regular-season game won the rematch in Laramie.

Glenrock at Wheatland, Sept. 27. If the Herders or Bulldogs want to challenge for the conference championship, they have to win this game in Week 4. For Glenrock, this game starts a critical three-week stretch in which the Herders face Wheatland, Big Horn and Newcastle in consecutive weeks.

Predicted order of finish

East: Big Horn, Burns, Glenrock, Wheatland, Newcastle, Wright, Moorcroft, Tongue River. West: Mountain View, Lovell, Greybull, Lyman, Pinedale, Thermopolis, Kemmerer, Big Piney.

Way-too-early title-game score prediction

This is ridiculous. No fewer than 10 teams are legit threats to make it to Laramie. But put a gun to my head and I’ll say: Mountain View 12, Big Horn 8.

Trivia

Lyman coach Dale Anderson won the state championship in his first year with the Eagles. Before Anderson, who was the last Wyoming coach to win a state championship in his first year as head coach at that school? (This is a trick question — it has two answers.)

Classification’s 2013 theme song

I think Class 2A has the potential to be the most even, exciting, parity-filled classification of the year. How about you? Who do you think will emerge from this group of contenders to be the favorite? Post your thoughts below.

Next Thursday: Class 3A.

–patrick

Four questions to answer

Does having fewer teams in 1A make it easier to qualify for the playoffs this year? Mathematically, yes, but realistically, no. With three teams gone to six-man football (Wyoming Indian, Saratoga and Normative Services) and Upton and Sundance still involved in their co-op agreement, only 11 schools will comprise the 1A 11-man division this fall, a total that’s down from 16 as recently as 2011. But the top tier of teams remains in the classification, and perennial powers Southeast, Lusk and Cokeville haven’t gone anywhere….

Can anyone win this year’s 1A title other than Southeast, Lusk or Cokeville? In short, no. The three powerhouse programs have a combined 11 all-state selections back this fall; the other eight programs in the classification have just seven returning all-staters combined. And of all the 1A 11-man schools, only these three have reached Laramie the past three years.

So of those three schools, who’s the favorite to win it all? That’s the million-dollar question this year. Cokeville and Lusk have four returning all-state selections apiece, while defending champ Southeast has three. All three teams are loaded for title runs, but none of the three is the clear-cut favorite entering the season.

Of the remaining eight teams, which one has the best chance to spring a playoff upset on one of the favorites? Probably Upton-Sundance. The Patriots, in the second year of their co-op, return one of the most explosive players in the classification in junior running back Jett Materi. The Patriots played exceptionally better the second half of 2012 than in the first half, and now that the kinks have been worked out of the co-op situation, the U-S squad has the potential to be one of the spoilers in 1A this fall.

Four players to watch

Wyatt Somsen and Colton Stees, Southeast. Yes, I’m cheating a bit by taking two players with one choice. But Somsen was the East Conference’s offensive player of the year last year (he ran for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns) and Stees, in addition to opening a lot of holes for Somsen on the offensive line, was the conference’s defensive player of the year two years ago. And they were both all-state choices last year. Together, they give the Cyclones an offense-defense tandem few, if any, teams in 1A can match.

Cody Nate and Brock Teichert, Cokeville. Again, two players go together with one choice, but to bring up one and not the other is a disservice to the way Cokeville plays football. Nate and Teichert were equally valuable pieces of the Panther lines in 2012. On offense, they paced a strong rushing game, and on defense, they finished third and fourth on the team in total defensive points. Nate is already a two-time all-state selection, while Teichert earned his first all-state nod last year.

Tucker McKim, Riverside. As a sophomore last year, McKim led 1A 11-man in catches (46) and receiving yards (670). One of four returning players who were named all-state as sophomores, McKim will need a similar season in 2013 for Riverside to stay competitive in the West.

Matthew VandeBossche, Lusk. VandeBossche led the Tigers in all-purpose offense, scoring and punting last year and also played a key role on the Tigers’ defense. One of just four juniors named to the Casper Star-Tribune’s Super 25 first team a year ago, VandeBossche’s play will be critical in the Tigers’ attempt to return to Laramie.

Four key games

Southeast at Cokeville, Sept. 13. Two of them most consistent, most successful 1A 11-man programs over the last two decades are meeting for the first time in the regular season. This might be the biggest nonconference game in the state this year, regardless of classification. Just don’t expect either coach to play every card in the deck in the regular season — not with a potential rematch awaiting in the postseason.

Shoshoni at Burlington and Rocky Mountain at Riverside, Sept. 20. Will any teams step up to Cokeville’s challenge in the West Conference this year? We’ll find out in Week 3. The Wranglers, Huskies, Grizzlies and Rebels all want to be that team to challenge the Panthers, but to do so, they have to win competitive conference openers against a team that wants to do exactly what they’re trying to do.

Upton-Sundance at Lusk, Oct. 11. The Patriots almost pulled off the upset against the Tigers before falling in last year’s regular-season finale. In the co-op’s second year, the Patriots could be even more dangerous, even (and maybe especially) to a top-tier 1A team like Lusk.

Lusk at Southeast, Oct. 18. This is the most important East Conference game year in and year out. With a combined seven all-state choices back this fall (four for Lusk, three for Southeast), this year looks no different. Oh, and the Tigers have to be eager for a bit of revenge for what the Cyclones did to them in Laramie last November….

Predicted order of finish

East: Southeast, Lusk, Upton-Sundance, Lingle, Pine Bluffs. West: Cokeville, Rocky Mountain, Riverside, Shoshoni, Burlington, Wind River.

Way-too-early title-game score prediction

Some 1A math for you: Big 3, minus 1, plus “The War,” equals a guess. Southeast 21, Cokeville 20.

Trivia

Who has more victories as a Wyoming high school head football coach — Cokeville’s Todd Dayton or the other 10 coaches in Class 1A 11-man combined?

Classification’s 2013 theme song

How many 1s and 11s can you handle? After all, there are 11 1A 11-man teams this year… which one will end up No. 1? Comment below with some thoughts and we’ll figure out November in August together.

Next Thursday: Class 2A.

–patrick

Four questions to answer

Will the new six-man teams be competitive in their first year? At least one will be in the title hunt right away, but with four new teams entering six-man this year — Wyoming Indian, Normative Services and Saratoga moving down from 11-man and St. Stephens coming up from the junior-varsity level — anything is possible. Saratoga, an 11-man playoff qualifier just two years ago, has the best chance of being immediately competitive. Meanwhile, NSI and Wyoming Indian are a combined 5-57 the past four years and can only benefit from the switch.

Even so, is Dubois still the favorite? Yep. The Rams won their first state football championship last year and even though they lost five all-staters, main offensive weapon Sterling Baker and fellow all-state pick Austin Tharp will return to keep the Rams in the upper echelon of six-man.

Whose turn is it for a breakthrough year? Midwest. The Oilers have been gearing for 2013 for a while now, and with both of the squad’s all-state players (Cam Ray and Tucker Even) back from last year, can you blame them? Midwest is the early favorite in a restructured East Conference and is a legitimate threat to make it back to a state championship game for the first time since winning the nine-man title in 1991.

How have you gotten this far without mentioning Snake River? Good question. The Rattlers have been participants in the past three state title games, winning it all in 2010 and 2011. But the perennial pacesetters in six-man lost 10 seniors and all their starters to graduation and now face a conference schedule that includes state champ Dubois, up-and-comer Meeteetse and 11-man newcomer Wyoming Indian. The Rattlers will likely still be one of six-man’s better teams, but unlike the last few years, the Rattlers will have to earn that designation rather than have it given to them.

Four players to watch

Sterling Baker, Dubois. The North Conference’s offensive player of the year last year, Baker ran for 1,933 yards and 34 touchdowns in leading the Rams to the state championship. He also threw most of the Rams’ passes, throwing for 569 yards and 12 scores, and was second on the team in defensive points. He’ll again be the catalyst for the Rams if they hope to make it back to Laramie to defend their title.

Cam Ray, Midwest. One of two all-state choices back for the Oilers this fall, Ray led the Oilers in most major statistical categories, piling up 1,983 yards of all-purpose offense, scoring 114 points and notching more than 20 defensive points per game. The diminutive quarterback will be a big piece of Midwest’s success in 2013.

Seth Bennett, Meeteetse. Bennett missed the bulk of his sophomore season due to injury, but came back with a vengeance as a junior. He led Class 1A six-man in rushing yards (1,951), rushing touchdowns (39), scoring (261 total points) and all-purpose offense (3,485 total yards), and was fifth in 1A in defensive points. And he’s back.

Story Penning, Hulett. One of the most athletic football players in the state, Penning is the charge that makes the Red Devils’ offense go. An all-state choice last year, Penning ran for 1,420 yards — 12.5 yards per attempt — and 17 touchdowns; more importantly, he was second in the state with 27 defensive points per game.

Four key games

Saratoga at Midwest, Sept. 20. Perhaps the most intriguing game on the six-man calendar, this game will answer numerous questions: Is this really Midwest’s breakthrough year? How will Saratoga match up in six-man conference play? And can either team mount a serious challenge to the West Conference’s top teams in the playoffs?

Hulett at Kaycee, Sept. 28. No one can overlook the Red Devils this fall. Poised for a breakthrough year in six-man, Hulett will need this victory over the perennial contenders from Kaycee to establish itself as a serious contender for the state title.

Dubois at Snake River, Oct. 19. Snake River beat Dubois for the 2011 six-man title; Dubois beat Snake River for the 2012 six-man title. This one is big.

Dubois at Wyoming Indian, Oct. 25. Every game the Chiefs play this fall will be interesting, as the school with just one playoff berth in program history to its credit tries to reverse its fortunes in what may be its only playoff-eligible year of six-man. The regular-season finale could be the ramp-up to a memorable playoff run, or it could be the end of a busted experiment. For long-suffering Chiefs football fans, we can hope for the former.

Predicted order of finish

East: Midwest, Guernsey, Saratoga, Hulett, Kaycee, Hanna, NSI. West: Dubois, Meeteetse, Snake River, Wyoming Indian, Farson, St. Stephens, Ten Sleep.

Way-too-early title-game score prediction

I can’t pick the Oilers without being accused of being a homer. So I’ll vote my head and not my heart. Dubois 60, Midwest 56.

Trivia

Normative Services enters 2013 with an unfortunate streak in tow — the Wolves haven’t beaten a varsity opponent on the road in 21 consecutive tries. The question: Who was the last varsity team to lose to NSI away from Sheridan?

Classification’s 2013 theme song

So who’s your pick to win it all in six-man this year? The changes, plus the talent turnover, will make this one of the most intriguing classifications this season. Post some thoughts below and let’s start discussing the season!

Next Thursday: Class 1A 11-man.

–patrick