Category Archives: Newsbreak

(First published March 29; last updated May 23)

The following is a list of coaching changes that will take place in 2012:

Big Horn: Bert Dow and the rest of the Rams’ coaching staff was let go after an incident during the 2011 season. Michael McGuire, who was the head coach at Riverside from 2006-09 and was an assistant at Sheridan the past couple seasons, was named head coach in April.

Big Piney: Cole Clifford is out after four years as the Punchers’ head coach. Aaron Makelky, son of Pinedale AD Jeff Makelky, has been named as Clifford’s replacement, Big Piney AD Nathan Strong said in an email to wyoming-football.com.

Buffalo: Pat Lynch resigned as head coach after an incident during the 2011 season. Rob Hammond, a junior high social studies teacher in Buffalo, was hired in May as the new head coach, Buffalo AD Shad Spilski said in an email to Wyoming media.

Farson: Marvin “Trip” Applequist will replace Ryan Lane as Farson’s head coach, AD Dan Mitchelson said in an email to wyoming-football.com in June. Applequist has coached Farson’s junior high football and assisted with the high school team and is also Farson’s girls basketball coach.

Greybull: Justin Bernhardt will replace Josh Heinemeyer as head coach of the Buffaloes. Bernhardt, who was previously a coach in Nebraska and was also at Rocky Mountain College as an assistant, is Greybull’s third coach in three years.

Laramie: Bob Knapton resigned after four years with the Plainsmen. Lyman coach Ted Holmstrom was named Knapton’s replacement in April.

Lyman: Holmstrom resigned his post in Lyman to take the job in Laramie. Dale Anderson, who was the head coach at Star Valley from 2005-07 and coached at three schools in Idaho the past four years (Madison in 2008-09, Salmon in 2010 and Ririe in 2011), was hired as the new coach in April.

Mountain View: Tim Gonzales stepped down after nine years as the Buffalos’ head coach. Brent Walk, who has coached in Mountain View the past five years, has been named the new head coach.

Normative Services: Jon Rojo will take over the Wolves’ football program this fall. Rojo, a Sheridan native who coached the NSI basketball program last winter, replaces Jim Larson. Wolves AD Shane Parker verified the change to wyoming-football.com in an email in June.

Tongue River: The Eagles did not field a team in 2011. Chuck Walters, who led the Eagles from 2006 to 2010, is out as coach. John Scott, who led Kemmerer to state championships in 1993 and 1994 and Gillette to titles in 1998 and 2000 before coaching at Black Hills State, was named the new coach in April.

Worland: Wade Sanford, coach of the Warriors since 2000, stepped down at the season’s end. Curt Mayer, a Ten Sleep native and an elementary PE teacher in Worland who had been an assistant coach with the Warriors, was named head coach in April, and verified the change to wyoming-football.com in April.

Wyoming Indian: Taylor Her Many Horses has been hired to replace Phil Garhart as coach of the Chiefs. Her Many Horses has been Wyoming Indian’s wrestling coach the past couple years. Garhart verified the change to wyoming-football.com in May.

Have you heard of any other coaching changes coming up for 2012? If so, let me know: email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com, tweet to @wyomingfootball or post a comment below.

–patrick

Buffalo head football coach Pat Lynch officially resigned on Monday after distributing what a media report called an “inappropriate flier” to his football team prior to a playoff game against Star Valley.

The Big Horn Mountain Radio Network reported Lynch’s resignation. The network’s story did not specify the details of the flier distributed to the team.

The network’s story said Lynch will maintain his position as a guidance counselor at Buffalo High School.

Lynch had been Buffalo’s head coach since 1998. He led the Bison to state championships in 2004 and 2005 and runner-up finishes in 2003, 2007, 2008 and 2010. His career record with the Bison was 97-41.

Buffalo finished 6-4 this season, defeating Star Valley in the Class 3A quarterfinals before losing to Douglas in the semifinals.

Click here for the BHMRN story.

Lynch is the third Wyoming football head coach in the past week to vacate his position. Mountain View coach Tim Gonzales resigned last week, while Big Horn coach Bert Dow and his staff were let go by the school district.

–patrick

Sheridanmedia.com has reported the Big Horn football coaching staff has been fired. The move includes head coach Bert Dow, the site reported.

Big Horn finished 4-5 this season, losing to Lyman 54-0 in the Class 2A quarterfinals last week. Sheridanmedia.com’s report said Dow and his staff were notified of the termination prior to the Lyman game.

Dow coached Big Horn for four years and compiled a 29-11 record with the Rams. Big Horn reached the state title game under Dow in both 2008 and 2010. Dow was also the head coach at Sheridan from 1994-2001 and went 32-41 with the Broncs. Overall, Dow was a combined 61-52 in his two head coaching stints.

Big Horn combined its program with Tongue River this season when the Eagles failed to have enough players come out to form a team.

Click here to read more.

–patrick

After 22 years of coaching at Mountain View, including nine as head coach, Tim Gonzales has resigned.

In an email Tuesday, Gonzales said he no longer had “the energy that it takes to compete at a high level and it would not be fair to the players my staff and the community of Mtn. View for me to continue.”

Gonzales compiled a 42-44 record in his nine years as head coach. The Buffalos reached the state championship game in 2004 under him. He was also the South head coach for the 2007 Shrine Bowl and led his team to a 20-17 victory over the North team.

The Buffalos went 3-5 this season.

–patrick