Bohlander named new head coach at Wheatland

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Former Douglas standout Cody Bohlander has been named the head coach at Wheatland.

Bohlander confirmed his hiring via email to wyoming-football.com on Monday. He has been an assistant coach with the Bulldogs for the past three years.

He takes over for Tom Waring, who resigned at the end of last season.

The Bulldogs went 5-5 last season, advancing to the Class 2A semifinals. Wheatland won the Class 2A title in 2015 in Bohlander’s first year as an assistant.

Other Wyoming schools with new head coaches, or with vacant head coaching spots, include Class 4A Cheyenne Central and Sheridan, Class 3A Green River, Lander, Powelland Rawlins, Class 2A Greybull and Lovell and Class 1A 11-man Big Horn. If you know of other coaching hirings or resignations statewide, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Big Horn promotes McLaughlin to head coach’s spot

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Just days after former Big Horn coach Michael McGuire left to take a college coaching job in North Dakota, assistant coach Kirk McLaughlin was promoted to take over as the Rams’ head coach.

The Sheridan Press first reported the hiring Friday on Twitter.

In a Twitter direct message Friday, McLaughlin confirmed his hiring with wyoming-football.com.

McLaughlin has been an assistant coach for Big Horn the past six years. Prior to that, he coached in Delta, Colorado, for eight years, including two years (2007 and 2008) as the head football coach at Delta High School.

Big Horn won Class 2A titles in 2013 and 2016 and finished as Class 1A 11-man runners-up last year. The Rams have six returning all-state players.

“I am very excited to be taking over at Big Horn,” McLaughlin wrote. “Coach McGuire handed me the keys to a Cadillac and I have some big shoes to fill. I have great assistant coaches and great group of kids going into next year, it will be an exciting challenge.”

Other Wyoming schools with new head coaches, or with vacant head coaching spots, include Class 4A Cheyenne Central and Sheridan, Class 3A Green River, Lander, Powell and Rawlins, and Class 2A Greybull, Lovell and Wheatland. If you know of other coaching hirings or resignations statewide, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Powell hires Papich to fill football head coaching vacancy

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Aaron Papich, who was previously the head coach in Burlington and was most recently an assistant with the Riverton football program, has been hired as Powell’s next head coach.

The Casper Star-Tribune reported the hiring Wednesday.

Papich has been on staff at Riverton the past two years. Prior to that, he was the head coach at Burlington in 2015, a season in which the Huskies made the transition from 11-man to six-man play due to a lack of players; the Huskies went 4-2 in six-man exhibition games that season. He had coached in Casper, as well as in Great Falls, Mont., and Bozeman, Mont., prior to that.

Papich replaces Chanler Buck, who resigned after four seasons to become an assistant principal and athletic director at Powell’s middle school.

Powell went 1-7 last year.

Other Wyoming schools with new head coaches, or with vacant head coaching spots, include Class 4A Cheyenne Central and Sheridan, Class 3A Green River, Lander and Rawlins, Class 2A Greybull, Lovell and Wheatland and Class 1A 11-man Big Horn. If you know of other coaching hirings or resignations statewide, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Big Horn’s McGuire moves to college ranks, steps down as coach of Rams

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Big Horn head coach Michael McGuire has resigned to take on the role of offensive coordinator at Dickinson (N.D.) State University.

The school announced the hiring in a press release Tuesday, and McGuire acknowledged the move on Twitter.

McGuire took over a Big Horn program that was successful prior to his arrival and turned it into a juggernaut. The Rams went 56-8 in McGuire’s six years, winning Class 2A titles in 2013 and 2016; they also finished as 2A runners-up in 2014 and as Class 1A 11-man runners-up last season.

McGuire was also the head coach at Riverside from 2006-09, winning the Class 2A title in 2007 and finishing as runner-up in 2006.

In all, McGuire was 84-21 in 10 years as a Wyoming head coach. In between his stints at Riverside and Big Horn, he was an assistant coach at Sheridan.

The Rams finished 9-2 last season and will return all six of their all-state selections from 2017 this fall. A replacement for McGuire at Big Horn has not yet been named.

Other Wyoming schools with new head coaches, or with vacant head coaching spots, include Class 4A Cheyenne Central and Sheridan, Class 3A Green River, Lander, Powell and Rawlins, and Class 2A Greybull, Lovell and Wheatland. If you know of other coaching hirings or resignations statewide, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Rawlins coach Wheeler resigns after four seasons

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The Rawlins Daily Times has reported that Corey Wheeler has resigned after four seasons as head coach of the Rawlins football program.

The Outlaws finished 7-3 last year, their first winning season since 2000. Wheeler, in his four years, went 17-19 with the Outlaws, taking the team to the Class 3A playoffs in 2014 and 2017.

A replacement has not yet been named, the Times reported.

Other Wyoming schools with new head coaches, or with vacant head coaching spots, include Class 4A Cheyenne Central and Sheridan, Class 3A Green River, Lander and Powell, and Class 2A Greybull, Lovell and Wheatland. If you know of other coaching resignations statewide, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Wrage makes coaching move from Greybull to Green River

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Marty Wrage, who helped lead Greybull to the brink of a championship, will move to Green River to take over the Wolves’ program.

The Radio Network and KUGR on Facebook first reported Wrage’s change. Additional information on the change is available from a Casper Star-Tribune story.

Wrage was 27-12 as Greybull’s head coach, leading the Buffaloes to a Class 2A runner-up finish in 2016. The Buffs made the playoffs in each of Wrage’s four seasons as head coach.

In Green River, he replaces Don Maggi, who resigned after seven seasons. Green River went 7-3 last season, bowing out of the Class 3A playoffs in a 17-13 semifinal loss to Torrington.

Previously, Wrage was the head football coach in Ogallala, Nebraska. He will teach physical education in Green River.

Other Wyoming schools with new head coaches, or with vacant head coaching spots, include Class 4A Cheyenne Central and Sheridan, Class 3A Lander and Powell, and Class 2A Lovell and Wheatland. If you know of other coaching resignations statewide, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Powell’s Buck resigns head coaching position to take administration spot

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The Powell Tribune reported on Tuesday that Powell coach Chanler Buck has resigned after four years as the Panthers’ head coach.

Buck will stay in Powell and will be an assistant principal and the athletics director at Powell’s middle school, the Tribune reported.

Buck went 18-22 in his four years leading the Panthers. The team’s best finish came in 2016, when Powell finished as the Class 3A runner-up to Star Valley.

“The timing was a little sooner than I anticipated, but it was a great opportunity for us to jump in,” Buck told the Tribune about moving from coaching and teaching to administration.

A replacement has not yet been named. At least two other Class 3A programs, Lander and Green River, will also have new coaches in 2018.

For more on the changeover in Powell, read the Powell Tribune’s story.

–patrick

Updates: Ranchester, Big Horn, Dayton, Clearmont, Meeteetse, Deaver-Frannie

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A hidden stash of yearbooks from Ranchester uncovered these gems, which I’ve added to the site:

1940: Fixed the score of Ranchester’s game with Big Horn on Oct. 16, as Big Horn won 26-6, not 69-6; added a 69-6 loss to Lodge Grass, Mont., on Oct. 22 in Lodge Grass; added a 32-0 loss to Lodge Grass, Mont., on Oct. 29 in Ranchester; added a 54-7 loss to Dayton on Nov. 18 in Dayton.

1941: Changed the result of the Dayton-Ranchester game on Oct. 1. The game was originally noted as canceled; however, the game actually was played, and Ranchester won 40-0. Added Dwight Burch as Ranchester coach.

1942: Added Ranchester’s 32-6 victory against Lodge Grass, Mont., on Oct. 9 (added to the missing games list because I couldn’t find a location); added Ranchester’s 69-16 victory against Dayton on Nov. 13 in Dayton.

1943: Added the date for Ranchester’s victory against Lodge Grass, Mont., on Oct. 8; added Ranchester’s 45-0 victory against Dayton on Oct. 1 (added to missing games list because I couldn’t find a location); added Ranchester’s 8-7 victory against Lodge Grass, Mont., on Oct. 29 in Ranchester. Added Dwight Burch as Ranchester coach.

1944: Previously, this was listed as an unplayed season for Ranchester. But that wasn’t true, as they played two games: Beat Big Horn 66-22 on Oct. 13 in Ranchester and beat Lodge Grass, Mont., 61-20 on Oct. 27 in Ranchester. Added U.J. Korhonen as Ranchester’s coach.

1945: Added the score to Ranchester’s 60-6 victory against Clearmont on Sept. 28; added U.J. Korhonen as Ranchester’s coach.

1948: Added two missing games with Big Horn, one on Oct. 8 in Big Horn and one on Oct. 22 in Ranchester; added a Nov. 11 game at Clearmont, a game Clearmont won (added to the missing games list because no score was available). Noted that Ranchester’s coach was Silas Lyman.

1950: Noted that Ranchester’s coach was Levi Ironhawk, not Silas Lyman.

1951: Noted that the last two games of the season, against Big Horn and Dayton, were canceled because of polio.

I also added a game between Deaver-Frannie and Meeteetse on Nov. 4, 1949, in Meeteetse (added to missing games list because a result couldn’t be found).

In all, 13 games were added to the database. The updates have been made on all the relevant pages.

–patrick

Sheridan promotes Mowry to head coach’s spot

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Sheridan assistant coach Jeff Mowry will take over as the program’s head coach next season, the Sheridan Press has reported.

Mowry takes over for Don Julian, who stepped down in December after leading Sheridan to three consecutive Class 4A championships and five overall in 11 years. Julian went 102-22 in those 11 years.

A release from the school district said Mowry’s hiring was approved by the Sheridan County School District No. 2 on Monday night.

“I feel fortunate that for the past eleven years, my family and I have been a part of such a wonderful community, school district, high school, and football program,” Mowry said in the release. “As I move forward as head coach for the Broncs, I look forward to giving back to a community and school district that has provided so much to my family.”

Mowry played for Julian when Julian coached at Riverton. Mowry was a Casper Star-Tribune Super 25 first-team selection as a senior in 1999, helping lead the Wolverines to three consecutive Class 3A championships. He played football at Mesa State (Colo.) and joined Julian in Sheridan as an assistant when Julian joined the Broncs in 2007.

“I have known and worked with Jeff since he was a freshman in high school,” Julian said in the release. “He was a great player for me in Riverton and has been a huge part of our success here in Sheridan as an assistant coach for the past 11 seasons. Jeff is excited and ready to get started as head coach and will provide an immediate and smooth transition for our program and our student-athletes.”

Since 2011, Mowry has been an assistant principal at Sheridan High; prior to that, he taught math.

–patrick

Scott named head coach at Lander

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John Scott, who previously coached at three different Wyoming high schools, will be the new head football coach at Lander.

Scott confirmed his hiring Thursday via email to wyoming-football.com. The Casper Star-Tribune first reported the hiring on Twitter.

In his email, Scott said he accepted the offer last week and that the Fremont County School District No. 1 board approved his hiring on Tuesday. Scott wrote that he was “very humbled by the opportunity to coach again in Wyoming.”

Most recently, Scott was the head coach at Tongue River for five seasons, from 2012-16. He stepped down after the 2016 season, having led the Eagles to back-to-back Class 1A 11-man runner-up finishes.

From 2003-08, Scott was the head coach at Black Hills State University. Prior to that, he led Gillette from 1995-2000, leading the Camels to their first two state championships in 1998 and 2000. He also was the head coach in Kemmerer from 1992-94, winning Class 2A titles in both 1993 and 1994.

Overall, Scott’s record in the Wyoming high school ranks is 91-42.

Like Tongue River was when Scott took over in 2012, Lander is a rebuilding project. The Tigers are 2-31 over the past four seasons, including 1-7 last season, and they’ve had one winning season since 2005.

Scott replaces John Rounds, who resigned in November after four seasons as Lander’s head coach. Other Wyoming schools searching for new coaches this offseason include Sheridan, Cheyenne Central, Green River, Lovell and Wheatland. If you know of other coaching changes for 2018, please email pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick