Category Archives: Picks

As a child of the ’90s, I’ve had just one voice going through my head this week — that of Tom Anderson.

The neighbor of everyone’s favorite teenage dumbasses, Beavis and Butt-head, Tom’s vision is, well, not what it used to be. And he’s never quite sure if the two teenagers in front of him are the two teenagers who painted his cat’s butt, stole his riding mower or that he found invading his toolshed.

When Tom comes across the two, be it at Burger World, in his front yard or looking for Spanish tiles for his new pool cabana, he often utters the same line:

“You look kinda familiar.”

That’s Laramie this weekend, in one sentence, as the 2024 Wyoming high school football season comes to a close.

For the third consecutive year, Cheyenne East and Sheridan meet in the Class 4A championship. Star Valley and Cody are also facing off for the third consecutive year in the 3A title game. And, oh yeah, Burlington and Snake River are also meeting for a third straight season in the Class 1A six-man title game. Kinda familiar.

Then in the 2A title game, Cokeville and its 22 state championships meet Big Horn, which is going for its eighth title since 2003 and is in its eighth championship game since 2013. Kinda familiar.

About the only new faces are in 1A nine-man, and even that’s a half-truth. Pine Bluffs is back in Laramie for the fourth time since 2016 (by the way, the Hornets are 3-0 at the War). Then there’s Lingle, unbeaten this season and playing in the title game for the first time since 2009, the title games’ first year together in Laramie.

So if this weekend looks or seems or feels familiar, it is. Same teams, sure. But different names, different approaches, different tactics and different stakes. It might be the same show, but it’s a new season, even as familiar as they look.

Even Tom Anderson can see that.

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Here is a quick look at this weekend’s championship games, set for Friday and Saturday at War Memorial Stadium at the University of Wyoming:

Class 4A, 4 p.m. Saturday
Cheyenne East (3, 9-2) vs. Sheridan (1, 11-0)
Series record: Sheridan leads 35-15.
Last meeting: Sheridan beat Cheyenne East 48-18 on Sept. 20 in Sheridan.
Last playoff meeting: Sheridan beat Cheyenne East 31-3 on Nov. 11, 2023, in the Class 4A championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Cheyenne East five, most recently in 2020. … Sheridan 30, most recently in 2023.
Previous title game record: Cheyenne East, 5-5. … Sheridan, 20-7.
The path to the title game: Cheyenne East shut out Thunder Basin 27-0 in the quarterfinals and then b-a-r-e-l-y got past Campbell County 35-34 in the semifinals. … Sheridan beat up on Laramie 48-6 in the quarterfinals and topped Natrona 24-8 in the semifinals.
The case for the Thunderbirds: East showed its ability to be malleable to best fit its talent. After several years of emphasizing balance between run and pass, this year’s East team has 4A’s top rushing offense and a 1,000-yard back in Keyshawn Brown. The T-Birds’ only two losses this year were to 4A’s top two seeds (Sheridan and Campbell County), both on the road, and one of those got avenged last week in Gillette in the semifinals.
The case for the Broncs: I mean, 42. Forty-freakin’-two. It’s been that many victories in a row for the Broncs, including three state championships and two undefeated seasons. This season, Sheridan’s closest victory was last week’s 24-8 win against Natrona, and even then Natrona didn’t score until the final moments. The Broncs have 4A’s top rushing defense and an offense that’s diverse enough to keep opposing defenses guessing. Did I mention 42 straight victories?
The pick: I’m beginning to wonder if Sheridan will ever lose again. However, that’s just the kind of overconfidence the Broncs are great at rejecting. East will be ready, and prepared, but Sheridan’s players will be the kind of confident only a run like theirs can create. Sheridan 32, Cheyenne East 21.

Class 3A, 3 p.m. Friday
Cody (2W, 9-1) vs. Star Valley (1W, 11-0)
Series record: Star Valley leads 29-13.
Last meeting: Star Valley beat Cody 52-35 on Oct. 11 in Afton.
Last playoff meeting: Star Valley beat Cody 27-0 on Nov. 10, 2023, in the Class 3A championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Star Valley 14, most recently in 2023. … Cody seven, most recently in 2021.
Previous title game record: Star Valley, 13-10. … Cody, 7-7.
The path to the title game: Cody swamped Torrington 63-6 in the quarterfinals and then held off a comeback attempt in Douglas to beat the Bearcats 49-42 in the semifinals. … Star Valley’s defense has come alive in the playoffs, with two shutouts — 52-0 over Lander in the quarterfinals and 40-0 over Riverton in the semifinals.
The case for the Broncs: Cody has been one of the most remarkable 3A programs over the past decade, with four state championships since 2014 and a 50-5 record since 2020. The offense is averaging 51 points per game — a total that would be third-best among 11-man teams in state history if they can keep the pace going — and leads 3A in yards per game. The only hitch over the past few years? All five of the Broncs’ losses in that span have come from Star Valley.
The case for the Braves: Six championships in the past nine years. Twenty consecutive victories. Class 3A’s top defense and its No. 2 offense. The offense is consistently scoring, breaking 40 points in all but one game and averaging more than 47 points per game; quarterback Smith McClure could be just one big game away from 3,000 yards this year. And the defense has found another level in the playoffs, not allowing a single point across all eight quarters of postseason play.
The pick: Despite all the Braves’ success and championships, the program has never in school history three-peated. And they’ve had just one unbeaten season (2019) in the playoff era, which began in 1975. This Star Valley team, though, has the goods to make those little tidbits history, not precedent. Cody will make it tough, absolutely, and the Braves will have to be on point. They’ve given no one any reason to think they won’t be, though. Star Valley 38, Cody 28.

Class 2A, noon Friday
Cokeville (3W, 7-3) vs. Big Horn (1E, 10-0)
Series record: Big Horn leads 4-3.
Last meeting/last playoff meeting: Big Horn beat Cokeville 55-7 on Nov. 16, 2019, in the Class 1A 11-man championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Cokeville 22, most recently in 2014. … Big Horn eight, most recently in 2022.
Previous title game record: Cokeville, 21-8. … Big Horn, 8-11.
The path to the title game: Cokeville won a pair of road games to make it to Laramie, eking out a 28-20 victory against Newcastle in the quarterfinals and thumping West top seed Mountain View 40-14 in the semifinals. … Big Horn beat two West teams in the first two rounds, beating Worland 34-13 in the quarterfinals and surging past Lovell 35-25 in the semifinals.
The case for the Panthers: Don’t underestimate the heart of a champion. Class 2A’s smallest school, by orders of magnitude, has also been at its best in the playoffs. The Panthers have had to win two road games to get here, traveling about 1,000 miles round-trip in their vanquishing of Newcastle in the first round and making a shorter, but probably scarier, trip to Mountain View and absolutely dominating the West’s top seed on its home field. Senior Kayson Walker leads the way on both offense and defense, and the rest of the squad has been just like Cokeville likes, consistent and prepared.
The case for the Rams: Class 2A’s last remaining undefeated team has a ton of experience in late-season action. This is Big Horn’s 16th championship game appearance since 2000 — yeah, 16 out of 25 is a pretty good track record. The Rams were absolutely dominant in East Conference games but have also been tested, with two close victories against West No. 2 seed Lovell helping to show the Rams how they might match up against the West’s best. And there’s this little thing about having Class 2A’s top offense AND top defense. Not a bad combo to have.
The pick: I’ve picked against Cokeville twice this postseason, and the Panthers have won both times. So the Panthers are probably hoping I’ll pick the Rams. Well, Cokeville, you’ve got your wish. I do legitimately think Big Horn will win this game, but a resurgent, improved, tough and, most importantly, confident Cokeville team will make this one an absolute epic. Big Horn 24, Cokeville 20.

Class 1A nine-man, 1 p.m. Saturday
Pine Bluffs (2E, 9-1) vs. Lingle (1E, 10-0)
Series record: Lingle leads 42-25-2.
Last meeting: Lingle beat Pine Bluffs 30-27 on Oct. 18 in Lingle.
Last playoff meeting: First meeting.
State championships: Pine Bluffs three, most recently in 2022. … Lingle one, in 1990.
Previous title game record: Pine Bluffs, 3-3. … Lingle, 1-2.
The path to the title game: Pine Bluffs overwhelmed Greybull 75-22 in the first round and beat Saratoga 42-12 in the semifinals. … Lingle demolished both of last year’s title-game participants in the first two rounds, throttling Wind River 57-0 in the quarterfinals and Big Piney 52-6 in the semifinals.
The case for the Hornets: Pine Bluffs is the only team to give Lingle a true test this season, and it wasn’t even close. The Hornets played point-for-point, play-for-play with the Doggers right up to the end of that 30-27 loss in Week 7, a game that truly could have gone either way. Outside of that, Pine Bluffs has been dominant, winning by an average of 51-12. They enter the championship game with 1A nine-man’s top offense and top defense in terms of yards, and that’s usually a combination that leads to championships.
The case for the Doggers: From the outset, 2024 was supposed to be the Doggers’ season. Deeply talented, experienced and skilled, Lingle started the season as the favorites and have lived up to that expectation. Outscoring opponents by an average of 52-10, the only time that Lingle was truly tested was against Pine Bluffs in Week 7. Aside from that, the closest game that Lingle had was a 29-point victory against East’s sophomores. Over the last three games, Lingle has a 161-6 advantage. The Doggers are hot at the right time. Maybe most importantly, they have 1A nine-man’s top rushing offense and top rushing defense, huge keys to success in November.
The pick: This game right here is the one I’ve been thinking about all week. If this game anything like the one we saw transpire in Week 7, everyone in War Memorial Stadium will get their money’s worth. Both teams have had great seasons, and whoever wins, it won’t be a fluke. Lingle 21, Pine Bluffs 20.

Class 1A six-man, 10 a.m. Saturday
Burlington (1N, 8-1) vs. Snake River (1S, 9-0)
Series record: Snake River leads 7-2.
Last meeting: Snake River beat Burlington 70-18 on Sept. 7 in Baggs.
Last playoff meeting: Burlington beat Snake River 42-39 on Nov. 11, 2023, in the Class 1A six-man championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Burlington three, most recently in 2023. … Snake River five, most recently in 2022.
Previous title game record: Burlington, 3-3. … Snake River, 5-2.
The path to the title game: Burlington thumped Farson 92-16 in the quarterfinals and then survived in a triple-overtime shootout with Encampment, 74-68, in the semifinals. … Snake River has relied on its defense in the playoffs, beating Meeteetse 71-8 in a one-half quarterfinal and Dubois 67-0 in the semifinals.
The case for the Huskies: The defending state champions have lived up to the high expectations that followed them into this season. Burlington won every North Conference game by mercy-rule standards, with the closest game still a 46-point difference in the Huskies’ favor. They’ve got huge momentum that only a triple-overtime semifinal victory can provide. And even despite their Week 1 loss to Snake River (70-18, ugh), the Huskies know they can beat the Rattlers in Laramie — a claim that no other six-man team has been able to make the past few years.
The case for the Rattlers: Maybe last year’s title game was just an aberration. Maybe the Snake River team we should have seen that day just didn’t get off the bus. Maybe we should look at the last four years, in which the Rattlers have gone 39-1, and concentrate a heck of a lot more on the 39 and a heck of a lot less on the one. The Rattlers score more points than the Huskies and allow fewer. And they’ve got revenge on their side — which, when channeled instead of distracted by, can be a great motivator.
The pick: This is the third consecutive year the Huskies and Rattlers have met in the championship game, so it’s safe to say these two teams know each other and know what they’re going to try to do to win a championship game. Week 1’s blowout victory for the Rattlers is a decent indicator of which team is the favorite, but I’d be really surprised if the Huskies don’t play significantly better this time around. Still, I think Snake River has the advantage. But the Rattlers did last year, too. Snake River 48, Burlington 37.

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

Last week: 8-2 (80 percent). This season: 235-58 (80 percent).

Well. We made it. Final week, championship games, The War. What are your big takeaways from the 2024 season as we enter its final stages? Alternatively, who’s your favorite “Beavis and Butt-head” character? 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

Well, this looks familiar.

Of the 10 semifinal games this weekend, seven are repeats from the regular season. Those games, in order from ugliest to most nerve-wracking, were:

• 1A-6: Snake River beat Dubois 56-0 in Week 5 in Dubois.
• 1A-9: Pine Bluffs beat Saratoga 63-7 in Week 7 in Pine Bluffs.
• 3A: Cody beat Douglas 49-0 in Week 2 in Douglas.
• 4A: Sheridan beat Natrona 29-7 in Week 2 in Casper.
• 2A: Mountain View beat Cokeville 14-6 in Week 3 in Mountain View.
• 2A: Big Horn beat Lovell 28-24 in Week 1 in Lovell.
• 4A: Campbell County beat Cheyenne East 29-26 two weeks ago in Gillette.

Of the remaining three games that aren’t rematches from the regular season, two are rematches from last year’s semifinals. Both games — Encampment at Burlington in the 1A six-man bracket and Big Piney at Lingle in the 1A nine-man brackets — aren’t just rematches; they’re also in the same locations as last year’s semifinal games. Last year, Burlington outscored Encampment 80-73 while Big Piney went on the road and thumped Lingle 51-27.

The only remaining game is 3A’s Cinderella, Riverton, traveling to Afton to face Star Valley. Those two last met in the 2023 regular season, with Star Valley winning 56-6.

So if this weekend has a familiar feeling to it, there’s a good reason.

Also, we’re seeing some familiar teams make it this far. Sheridan is in the semifinals for the 17th consecutive year. East and Cody are both in the semifinals for the eighth consecutive year.

But it’s not all familiar stuff. Three teams are in the semifinals for the first time in a while — Campbell County is in the semifinals for the first time in seven years, Riverton for the first time in nine years, Saratoga for the first time in 16 years.

Both Riverton and Saratoga are on the road for their semifinal games. Campbell County gets to host.

And of the remaining 20 programs, Riverton and Saratoga are the only two who have yet to play in a state championship game in Laramie.

In a weekend full of familiarity, a few threads of new will help keep it fresh.

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Picks, with a bit bigger breakdown of each game, with the predicted winners in bold. And, yes, in the seven repeat-from-regular-season games, I picked every team that won the regular-season game between the two teams. Does that make me boring? Maybe.

Friday
Class 4A
(3) Cheyenne East at (2) Campbell County: In Gillette on Friday? Or within a 100-mile radius? Then get your tuchus down to Camel Stadium and pay to get into this one. It will be worth every penny, and I’ll personally be envious of you. I’m taking the Camels, but I’m only about 51/49 on that decision. Game of the year?
Class 3A
(2W) Cody at (1E) Douglas: Douglas had a nice season. Cody is having a nice decade. And there’s that thing about 49-0 two months ago with these exact two teams in this exact place. It would be an all-time stunner to see the Bearcats make up that difference against a hot Bronc team with big goals.
(2E) Riverton at (1W) Star Valley: Dang, Riverton. Last week, you pulled off double-overtime playoff win at home for your first playoff win in like a decade. Sweet. The reward is a trip to Afton, where undefeated Star Valley is, um, better than average.
Class 2A
(3W) Cokeville at (1W) Mountain View: Watch out for the Panthers. They’re playing with confidence. The Buffalos are still the favorites, but Cokeville will not be a pushover. The one thing that Mountain View has going for it is that they know this fact and won’t be caught by surprise.
(2W) Lovell at (1E) Big Horn: This game epitomizes what the semifinal round of the playoffs is supposed to be. Two great teams, one spot remaining, gotta go through the other to get where they want to go. Big Horn has a slight advantage thanks to beating the Bulldogs by four on the road way back in Week 1, but Lovell has made huge strides and is absolutely capable of giving the Rams their first loss. Could be an all-timer.
Class 1A nine-man
(4E) Saratoga at (2E) Pine Bluffs: Saratoga earned a piece of my heart this season. What a great turnaround for a program that’s needed some good things to go its way. But Pine Bluffs has been scary good and scary consistent all season.
Class 1A six-man
(3S) Dubois at (1S) Snake River: Dubois has come on strong in the back half of this season, and the Rams’ quarterfinal victory against Riverside was super impressive. Snake River, though, had little trouble against the Rams a month ago in winning 56-0 and scored 71 in the first half (yes) last week. Whatever strides the Rams made, I don’t think it’s enough to make up 56 points.
(2S) Encampment at (1N) Burlington: If this game is anything like last season’s 80-73 semifinal shootout, fans will get their money’s worth. No team seems to be entering with any kind of advantage, at least that I can find on paper, so the only thing I can offer is that if you’re a fan of either team, be sure to bring your ibuprofen and Alka-Seltzer. You’ll need them.
Saturday
Class 4A
(4) Natrona at (1) Sheridan: I absolutely LOVE that these two teams agreed to meet on Saturday afternoon. There’s something about daylight football in November that’s just electric. Remember that Natrona is savvy and knows how to keep things interesting this time of year, and it’ll be Sheridan’s toughest test of the season because of that.
Class 1A nine-man
(2W) Big Piney at (1E) Lingle: If anyone thought unbeaten Lingle might overlook 5-4 Big Piney, your memory is failing you. The Doggers’ memory of their only loss in the past two seasons — a blowout loss to the Punchers in last year’s semifinals in Lingle — is certainly still there. If the Doggers can funnel that memory into focus this week and not let it overwhelm or over-excite them, they should be in good shape.

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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

Last week: 15-5 (75 percent). This season: 227-56 (80 percent).

Who you got going to Laramie in a week or so? 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

Here are some quick highlights of this year’s quarterfinal round, which will pare down remaining teams from 40 to 20 by the end of it all:

Consistency: Natrona is in the playoffs for the 33rd consecutive year, Cokeville for the 32nd consecutive year, Big Horn for the 26th, Douglas for the 23rd, Sheridan for the 17th, Kaycee, Snake River and Star Valley for the 16th. Rocky Mountain is out of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

Streak breakers: Greybull and Saratoga are both breaking three-year streaks of missing the playoffs. They’re both in the 1A nine-man bracket.

Welcome home: Riverside is hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2011, while Newcastle is hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2014. Every other playoff game host this season hosted the playoffs in either 2023 or 2022.

Underdogs: Laramie hasn’t won a playoff game in 23 years, Lander in 20. They’ve both drawn defending state champions in the first round, with Laramie facing Sheridan, winners of 40 consecutive games, in 4A, while Lander plays Star Valley, which enters the playoffs on an 18-game winning streak of its own, in 3A.

Nice to meet you: Four games in this year’s playoffs match up programs who have never played each other: Evanston/Douglas in 3A; Cokeville/Newcastle and Worland/Big Horn in 2A; and Greybull/Pine Bluffs in 1A-9. These kinds of games are always so cool to see.

Bus time: Shortest first-round matchup: 3.5 miles, Kelly Walsh to Natrona. Longest first-round matchup: 492 miles, Cokeville to Newcastle (or, 140.57 Kelly-Walsh-to-Natronas). Average first-round matchup distance, one way: 283 miles. Number of games (out of 20) where two schools are 300 or more miles apart, one way: 10, including four games where schools are more than 400 miles apart.

(Subjectively chosen by me as yeah I’d pay to watch these) best games of the week: Evanston at Douglas in 3A (evenly matched on paper in a first-time matchup); Powell at Riverton in 3A (rematch of a 7-0 Wolverine victory in Zero Week); Cokeville at Newcastle in 2A (another first-time matchup between two teams with high hopes); Saratoga at Shoshoni in 1A-9 (two teams that have made big progress from 2023 to 2024 and want to keep that good mojo going).

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It’s kind of odd to me that 20 teams’ seasons will end this weekend. Feels like we just got started. Regardless, here are the 20 teams I think will win this week, indicated in bold, and the 20 other teams that are ready to create mincemeat of workplace brackets statewide. Y’all do Wyoming high school football bracket challenges in YOUR workplace, don’t you? Why wait until March? Just don’t bet money. These are kids, and this is fun.

Friday
Class 4A
(8) Laramie at (1) Sheridan
(5) Kelly Walsh at (4) Natrona
(7) Rock Springs at (2) Campbell County
(6) Thunder Basin at (3) Cheyenne East
Class 3A
(4W) Evanston at (1E) Douglas
(3E) Torrington at (2W) Cody
(4E) Lander at (1W) Star Valley
(3W) Powell at (2E) Riverton
Class 2A
(4E) Wheatland at (1W) Mountain View
(3W) Cokeville at (2E) Newcastle
(4W) Worland at (1E) Big Horn
(3E) Burns at (2W) Lovell
Class 1A nine-man
(4W) Wind River at (1E) Lingle
(4E) Saratoga at (1W) Shoshoni
(3W) Greybull at (2E) Pine Bluffs
Class 1A six-man
(4N) Meeteetse at (1S) Snake River
(3S) Dubois at (2N) Riverside
(4S) Farson at (1N) Burlington
(3N) Kaycee at (2S) Encampment
Saturday
Class 1A nine-man
(3E) Southeast at (2W) Big Piney

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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

Last week: 26-4 (87 percent). This season: 212-51 (81 percent).

Are you ready for some postseason football? Who you got going all the way? 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

A tip for Thermopolis this week in its game against Pinedale: forfeit.

Don’t go. Save the money, the stress, the potential for injury, the wear on the bus tires.

Instead, take Friday night and go to Worland.

After all, the Bobcats’ postseason fate will be decided there — by two teams that aren’t Thermopolis.

In one of the most helpless situations a football team can be in, Thermopolis’ best efforts this season have granted them nothing more than what amounts to a spectator’s role in whether its season will continue.

Win or lose against Pinedale this week in the final regular-season game of the 2024 season, Thermopolis is in the exact same position for the playoffs — the Bobcats need help. The only way the Bobcats make the playoffs is by Kemmerer beating Worland up in Washakie County on Friday.

The scenarios are clear, if not a bit odd.

• If both Thermopolis and Worland both win, they tie for fourth place and the final playoff spot from the Class 2A West Conference; Worland wins that by the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage that it earned by beating Thermopolis 21-6 all the way back in Week 2. If Thermopolis loses and Worland wins, then Worland is alone in fourth place. So, no matter what, if Worland wins, Thermopolis is out.

• If Thermopolis wins and Worland loses, Thermopolis is in, alone in fourth. If Thermopolis loses and Worland loses, the three teams (Thermopolis, Worland and Kemmerer) tie for fourth place and the final spot, and Thermopolis wins the tiebreaker by having a victory against the highest-ranking non-tied team, thanks to last week’s 13-6 upset of previously unbeaten Mountain View. So, no matter what, if Worland loses, Thermopolis is in.

Both games — Thermopolis vs. Pinedale and Kemmerer vs. Worland — kick off at 6 p.m. Friday.

Forgive the Bobcats if they’re not totally focused on Pinedale.

What happens in Pinedale really doesn’t matter to Thermopolis’ playoff hopes. Maybe the efforts are better placed in the stands in Worland, rooting for Kemmerer.

About the only good thing that comes out of this for Thermpolis is that the Bobcats get to root for Kemmerer instead of having to root for Worland, its traditional regional rival.

I hope it’s clear that I’m only kidding. Thermopolis absolutely should play this week, and try to win.

If they do win on Friday, regardless of whether they make the playoffs, give the Bobcats credit for succeeding in a helpless spot that no team would envy.

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The final week of the regular season presents a multitude of games affecting playoff seeding, but two Fremont County teams play in the only two pure winner-in, loser-out games of the week. And they’re both at home. The first is Lander, which hosts Buffalo in a game that will decide the No. 4 seed from the 3A East. The other is Wind River, which hosts Rocky Mountain in a Thursday game that decides the No. 4 seed from the 1A nine-man West. Oddly enough, the winner knows who they’ll see in the first round — the Buffalo/Lander winner drawing Star Valley and the Rocky Mountain/Wind River winner taking on Lingle. …

Campbell County and Cheyenne East meet in a game that we well might see again in two weeks in the 4A semifinals. The only things at stake on Friday are the No. 2 and 3 seeds, which represent hosting duties and who the first-round opponents will be. Obviously, both teams want to win and have the opportunity to host in the semis (assuming they both win in the first round, which in the playoffs is always a big if), but is it worth it to empty the playbook and show all your secrets against a team that you could see again not too far away in the playoffs? It’s the eternal conundrum, and it’ll be fun to see play out Friday night in Gillette. …

Speaking of 4A, the multitude of playoff scenarios are dizzying for seeds Nos. 5-8. Right in the middle of the fun are Rock Springs and Kelly Walsh, who will play Friday in Casper to help settle much of the confusion. Based on score comparisons, which are fraught with their own problems but are still the best way to determine how teams match up, this one could be a doozy. …

Finally, we’ve reached the point in this week’s analysis where we talk about the only game matching up two undefeated teams, and they just happen to both be six-man teams in Carbon County. Snake River heads across the hill to meet Encampment in a game that’s quickly turned into one of six-man’s best rivalries. Although Encampment has won only one of the teams’ six matchups since 2020, the Tigers do get to host, and they have yet to be beaten at home since… well, Snake River two years ago. By the way, this WILL be the last game, guaranteed, between two undefeated teams this season. Entering this week, only Lingle (1A-9), Big Horn (2A), Star Valley (3A) and Sheridan (4A) remain undefeated, and those four teams, plus the winner of Saturday’s Snake River-Encampment game, are guaranteed not to run into any other undefeated team at any point in the playoffs. So enjoy it while you can.

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Here are my choices for winning teams in the final week of the regular season, with my choices in bold. Quick shout-out to all the seniors playing in their final games this week. Enjoy it, savor it, remember it:

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

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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

Last week: 28-4 (88 percent). This season: 186-47 (80 percent).

Thoughts entering the last week of the regular season? I know you’ve got ’em. 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

Heading into this week’s schedule, I can’t escape the words of Al Michaels.

In describing the lead-up to the Miracle on Ice in 1980, he also encapsulated what it feels like could be happening on in Wyoming on Friday. If he were here, and wanted to plagiarize himself, his pregame might go like this:

“What we have at hand, the rarest of sporting events. An event that needs no buildup, no superfluous adjectives. In a regional or communal sense, I’m sure this game is being viewed with varying perspectives, but manifestly, it is a football game, Campbell County and Sheridan on a patch of turf in Sheridan, Wyoming.”

That’s the kind of drama that you can get when two undefeated teams are facing off in — at least until the playoffs — is as big as a game can get. Longtime regional rivals, both eager to prove they’re the best that Wyoming’s Class 4A has to offer, meet on a patch of turf on Friday in Sheridan.

Thus far in 2024, the Broncs and the Camels have answered every challenge, and they both enter 7-0. They have both relied on defense, with the Camels allowing just 36 points all season and the Broncs 37. Campbell County has won in a variety of fashions, from games as close as two points to winning by forfeit against a team so afraid of injury it refused to play. Sheridan has been remarkably consistent, with no team coming within more than 22 points of the Broncs by the time the final buzzer sounded.

If there’s an edge to be found, it’s with the Broncs and their recent history in the Energy Bowl. Sheridan has won seven straight against Campbell County, no game closer than 31 points in that span. The Camels’ last victory in the series came in 2016, the final year of Gillette’s one-high-school days; at that point, the Camels had won six straight against the Broncs and 20 of the past 24.

Sheridan, of course, comes into this weekend with Wyoming’s longest winning streak, both active and of all-time, at 38 games. Just in case the game wasn’t already intriguing enough.

+++

What’s scary about everything I just shared with you is that it could be repeated almost word-for-word with another game being played on a patch of grass in Lingle, where the undefeated Doggers host undefeated Pine Bluffs.

Like Sheridan and Campbell County, Lingle and Pine Bluffs are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the WyoPreps coaches and media poll this week. However, the Doggers and Hornets are meeting while undefeated in Week 7 for the second consecutive season.

Last year’s meeting was an all-time classic, as Lingle rallied from a 24-0 deficit to tie the game and force overtime, eventually winning 31-30 to spoil Pine Bluffs’ unbeaten season and end the Hornets’ 17-game winning streak.

This one figures to be just as interesting as they fight for the top spot from the 1A nine-man East in the playoff bracket and a chance to stay at home in the first two rounds of the playoffs (always with the caveat that, hey, lose the first one of those and you don’t have to worry about the second).

They have both been scary efficient, with Lingle winning by an average score of 55-12 and Pine Bluffs winning by an average of 56-7. Actually, Pine Bluffs’ average scoring edge is much closer than one point, with the actual averages being Pine Bluffs with 55.7 and Lingle with 55.4; just a two-point conversion (or safety) over the course of a season is all that separates them right now.

No unnecessary buildup, no superfluous adjectives.

Four undefeated teams, two games.

Let’s see what miracles unfold.

+++

You don’t have to be undefeated to be playing in an interesting game, though. Some that deserve a bit of extra-special attention heading into the final two weeks of the regular season:

The 3A East has quickly become the conference of parity, and any of the top four teams could be a sleeper playoff spoiler. That makes this week’s round of games, with Douglas visiting Buffalo and Riverton stopping by Torrington, both intriguing and important. That’s a good combo to have for a football game. …

Tongue River has had its focus and mental toughness challenged more than any other team this season. The Elk Fire has rightly taken a bunch of the team’s attention. When the Eagles play Big Horn this week in a regional rivalry game, expect high intensity but also high empathy for two neighbors who have been through more than just football this season. …

Also in the 2A East, two teams with the best turnaround stories of 2024 will play each other as Newcastle hosts Burns in a game that’s been shifted to Saturday. Both teams are in good position to make the playoffs at 4-1 in 2A East play, and this week’s winner has a really, really, really solid shot at hosting a playoff game — something Burns has done just twice since winning the 2A title in 2008 and something Newcastle hasn’t done since 2014. …

Neighbors Riverside and Burlington are both still unbeaten in Class 1A six-man North Conference play. They’ll also meet up this week in a game with huge playoff implications and (even bigger?) regional bragging rights. …

Class 1A six-man has some big make-or-break games this week with Dubois hosting Farson and Kaycee hosting Hulett. Six-man’s mid-ranks have been a ton more competitive this season, so watch for both of these games; anything could happen, and that’s what makes it fun.

+++

Here is a quick look at playoff possibilities entering the second-to-last week of the season. So far, 16 teams have solidified one of the 40 available playoff positions, while only five teams are mathematically eliminated. A conference-by-conference look:

Class 4A
In: Campbell County, Sheridan, Cheyenne East, Natrona.
Well positioned: Kelly Walsh, Rock Springs.
On the bubble: Laramie, Thunder Basin, Cheyenne Central.
Need help: Cheyenne South.

Class 3A East
In: Torrington, Douglas.
Well positioned: Riverton.
On the bubble: Buffalo.
Need help: Lander, Rawlins.

Class 3A West
In: Star Valley.
Well positioned: Cody, Evanston.
On the bubble: Powell, Jackson.
Need help: Green River.

Class 2A East
In: Big Horn.
Well positioned: Newcastle, Burns.
On the bubble: Wheatland, Upton-Sundance.
Need help: Moorcroft, Tongue River.
Out: Glenrock.

Class 2A West
In: Mountain View.
Well positioned: Cokeville, Lovell.
On the bubble: Worland, Kemmerer, Thermopolis.
Out: Pinedale, Lyman.

Class 1A nine-man East
In: Lingle, Pine Bluffs.
On the bubble: Saratoga, Southeast, Lusk.
Need help: Wright.
Out: Guernsey.

Class 1A nine-man West
In: Big Piney.
Well positioned: Shoshoni, Greybull.
On the bubble: Rocky Mountain Wind River.
Out: Wyoming Indian.

Class 1A six-man North
In: Burlington, Riverside.
Well positioned: Midwest.
On the bubble: Meeteetse, Kaycee, Hulett.
Out: Ten Sleep.

Class 1A six-man South
In: Encampment, Snake River.
Well positioned: Farson.
On the bubble: Dubois, Hanna.
Need help: Casper Christian.

Several conference’s top seeds could be decided this week. However, Sheridan, Star Valley, Big Horn, Mountain View, Pine Bluffs and Riverside can win their conference’s top seed in the playoffs with a victory and no other help this week.

+++

Picks. I bold them so they stand out. No one has complained about the method yet, so I’ll keep rolling with it. I only get complaints about the choices, not the method, so I guess that’s one less thing to worry about.

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

Lusk picks up a forfeit victory against Guernsey-Sunrise this week. For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

+++

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

Last week: 28-3 (90 percent). This season: 158-43 (79 percent).

What are you looking for out of the last two weeks of the regular season? 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

Quick, guess what this signifies: Star Valley, Star Valley, Cody, Cody, Star Valley, Star Valley, Cody, Star Valley, Star Valley, Cody.

Why, yes! That IS the list of the last 10 Class 3A football champions!

It’s also the mental soundtrack for anyone excited about Class 3A football this week.

Cody’s trip to Afton to play Star Valley on Friday is more than just a meeting of two undefeated teams trying to stay that way and gain the upper hand in the 3A West title chase. It’s a meeting of the classification’s two most dominant programs over the past decade, and certainly over the past two-plus seasons.

Since 2014, the Broncs and Braves have played each other 15 times. Star Valley has had the edge, winning 10 of those. In playoff matchups — there have been five, including the past two Class 3A title games — Star Valley has a small, but significant, 3-2 edge.

And over the past two years, Star Valley has a 3-1 edge in games and a 2-0 edge in championships won.

This year? Star Valley started 6-0. Cody started 5-0. Every other Class 3A team at this point has at least two losses. And it hasn’t even been close — no other Wyoming teams have even been within shouting distance of these two. The Braves have won their two conference games so far by a combined 97-14. Cody has won its two conference games by a combined 105-17. Oh by the way, Star Valley’s Bryson Nield set Wyoming’s all-time single-game receiving record last week with 291 receiving yards (on 18 catches, too, just one short of the state record), topping the old record by 10 yards.

I don’t know how a regular-season game gets much bigger than this.

At least after Friday’s done, we’ll be able to get that darn soundtrack out of our heads. I mean, it’ll probably return in mid-November, but…

+++

Other action that deserves more than just a double-take this week:

Rivalry week in 4A? Rivalry week in 4A. We get three intra-city matchups this week, with Campbell County meeting Thunder Basin for the Razor City’s bragging rights (Coal Bowl, yes?); Cheyenne Central and Cheyenne East staging the old Capitol Bowl; and Natrona County and Kelly Walsh facing off in Casper’s Oil Bowl. At this point, the most interesting of the three is the Oil Bowl, with both KW and NC at 3-3 and fighting with also 3-3 Rock Springs and 2-4 but lurking Thunder Basin for a potential home playoff game. What’s weird is that the winner might host the loser in the first round, an extra layer of intrigue on an already interesting matchup. Kelly Walsh, in particular, has been one of the more surprising teams of 2024. With new coach Randy Roden leading the way, the Trojans have been one of the state’s more resurgent teams and almost upset East last week. …

Pine Bluffs and Saratoga, both 5-0, meet in the only other game this week that will put two undefeated teams against each other. Just as intriguing is the Goshen County rivalry game between 5-0 Lingle and 4-1 Southeast, which will be on Thursday this week. Go watch both. …

While Pine Bluffs and Saratoga are sorting out their differences, just down the road in Burns, the Broncs and Upton-Sundance will meet in a game that is a hidden gem. The 2A East playoff chase has evolved into one of the most interesting in the state, and Burns and Upton-Sundance are right in the middle of it all. The 2A East has been a haven for close games, including Burns’ 15-7 victory against Wheatland last week that (I believe) was the first overtime game of the season statewide. …

We also get one of the rarer regular-season phenomena this week — a rematch. Greybull and Rocky Mountain met three weeks ago in a non-conference affair necessitated by wonky scheduling and a lack of available opponents. Greybull won 18-14 at home; this time, though, Cowley is the host, and this one counts for the conference standings in the 1A nine-man West. …

Some of the luster of this week’s 2A West game between Worland and Mountain View down in the Bridger Valley was lost when the Warriors lost to Lovell last week. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how they match up, especially as the race in that league tightens as the season draws to a close. …

A quick note from last week: Midwest’s 94-93 victory against Hulett absolutely obliterated the state record for combined points in a game with 187. The former record was 162 points, set in Dubois’ 102-60 victory against Ten Sleep in 2015. Also of note in Saturday’s game: (1) Combined, the teams had 21 players in uniform. (2) Hulett led 19-0 in the first quarter and 59-36 in the second quarter, officially making this a 23-point comeback for the Oilers in their homecoming victory. Twitter (I refuse to call it X) user Sykotyk, who criss-crosses the country for high school football games, was there and documented it extremely well. … And in case you’re counting, that’s Midwest’s second comeback victory from at least three possessions down this year, as they rallied to beat Kaycee a couple weeks ago after being down by 17 in the fourth quarter.

Another quick note from last week: Five games that were scheduled to be played were not. Cheyenne South’s forfeit to Campbell County out of a concern for player safety was noted last week, as was Guernsey’s forfeit to Southeast as the Vikings have decided not to play the remainder of their nine-man schedule. However, two 2A East games were also lost to forfeit. Tongue River forfeited its game to Upton-Sundance due to TRHS’s temporary closure due to the Elk Fire. Meanwhile, Moorcroft forfeited its game to Big Horn for reasons that are still unclear. Kaycee and the Buffalo JV also did not play their game that was scheduled for Saturday. It’s not unusual to have a few of these during a season, but to have five in one week? Super odd. Here’s hoping all of this week’s games actually get played, including TR’s home game against Wheatland in which contingency plans are already in place in case the smoke is too bad or too close.

+++

Some picks. Here they are. Teams in bold I think will win. Teams not in bold will (hopefully) still show up. After last week, I’m not sure.

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

Wright will pick up a forfeit victory from Guernsey this week. Burlington is off. For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

+++

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

Last week: 23-5 (82 percent). This season: 130-40 (76 percent).

Well, here we are. This week: What records will fall? What teams will still be undefeated? How many games won’t be played? 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

Get in your DeLorean, set the flux capacitor for Aug. 30, 2024, and crank that baby to 88 mph. When you’ve gone back a few weeks, ask someone which 12 Wyoming high school football teams will still be undefeated by the halfway point of the regular season.

After they get over the shock of the fact that we’ve made time travel possible in just one short month, you might get them to throw out some predictable guesses — Sheridan, Cody, Star Valley, Big Horn, Mountain View, Lingle…

Then, because you have knowledge they don’t, casually drop Saratoga into the conversation.

Of the dozen teams still with a zero in the loss column (Meeteetse, Encampment, Snake River, Pine Bluffs and Campbell County are the others, along with the aforementioned “predictables”), Saratoga’s no-loss start to 2024 might just be the most surprising. And the most overdue.

The Panthers are on their third head coach in three years, but new coach Jared Mason has things pointed in the right direction for a program starved for success. Saratoga hasn’t had a winning record since its six-man days; it hasn’t had a playoff berth since 2020 and hasn’t had a playoff victory since 2007.

Yep, that Saratoga is now the Cinderella undefeated team of Class 1A nine-man.

Last week’s victory was pretty easy for the Panthers, a forfeit against Guernsey. An 8-6 nail-biter against Lusk is the only tight game that Saratoga has had this season, with 50-8 (Wind River) and 67-7 (Cheyenne South’s JV) victories notched over the first two weeks.

This week, the Panthers play, well, the Panthers, as Wright makes the trip to Saratoga. Saratoga has actually won the last two games in this series by a combined score of 10-0 (yes, you read that right), with a 4-0 victory two years ago and a 6-0 W last year.

For karma’s sake, a 5-0 victory to make Saratoga’s record 5-0 would be fitting. Nevertheless, I’m sure Saratoga would take the victory no matter the final score to keep the winning streak going.

A 5-0 start is not unprecedented in Saratoga. But it’s been a while. Even a 4-0 start has been 20-plus years in the making.

The last time Saratoga started 4-0 came in 2003. However, after a 21-17 loss to Cokeville in game No. 5, the Panthers faltered down the stretch, going 1-3 to close out the regular season and losing to Big Horn in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs.

Prior to that, Saratoga’s best start — and best most recent season — came in 1982. That season, the Panthers racked up an 8-0 regular season, beat Moorcroft in the Class B semifinals and narrowly lost (7-2) to Lyman in the B championship game, finishing 9-1.

That was the most recent peak for the Panthers’ program. Since then, Saratoga has not reached a title game. And the Panthers have reached the semifinals just two other times, losing to Sundance in 2005 and Big Horn in 2007 in their only two other opportunities to reach the season’s final game.

This year’s Panthers still have challenges ahead. After Wright, the Panthers face 4-0 Pine Bluffs, 3-1 Southeast and 4-0 Lingle in the final three weeks of the regular season.

For now, though, the Panthers can enjoy this moment — and just maybe extend it further than anyone outside Carbon County, or anyone without a time machine, could have anticipated a month ago.

+++

At just past halfway in the regular season, some trends have started to emerge. Some other games that have my attention this week because of, or in some cases in spite of, those trends include:

Sheridan’s streak watch continues this week as the Broncs travel to Cheyenne Central. With 36 consecutive victories in their rearview, victory No. 37 would set the state record for longest unbeaten streak, breaking Worland’s 34-0-2 run from 1953-56. I don’t like to use the word “unprecedented,” because too many people often misuse as “I can’t remember any others like this but I’m too lazy to see if it’s actually the first time.” But a Bronc W would make the word the exact right one. ICYMI, I’ve mentioned this streak more than a few times here already this season, but hey? In more than a century of high school football in Wyoming, a streak like this has never happened. So I’ll indulge and enjoy this while it lasts. …

A couple of Class 3A teams with high expectations hit roadblocks in the first week of conference play, with Powell falling to rival Cody and Riverton coming up just short against Douglas last week. Their games this week will be good gauges for how the rest of the year might go, with Riverton venturing to Buffalo and Powell hosting Star Valley. …

Worland is turning into that 2A monster everyone thought they might. The Warriors have won three in a row to start West Conference play, allowing a total of six points in that stretch. Last week’s 27-0 shutout of Lyman was the most impressive in the bunch. This week’s Warrior foe is Lovell, and I’m intensely curious to see how that game goes — particularly if Worland gets caught looking ahead to Week 6 and undefeated Mountain View waiting there. …

If Lusk gives us any indication, the 1A nine-man East Conference championship chase should be pretty interesting. The Tigers play at Pine Bluffs this weekend, and after two close games in a row (an 8-6 loss to Saratoga and a 27-24 victory against Southeast), the Tigers’ outcome in this one will be yet another barometer in a conference that’s proving to be full of parity. …

After two victories the past two weeks by a combined nine points, Greybull gets the chance of the season this week when the Buffs host Big Piney. Winner gets control of their own destiny in the 1A nine-man West. Can Greybull’s good fortune continue against the defending champs? …

The Class 1A six-man North Conference has the most differentiated conference standings. Combined, the top four teams — Burlington, Midwest, Meeteetse and Riverside — are a combined 9-0 in league play. The bottom three — Hulett, Kaycee and Ten Sleep — are a combined 0-9. Something, finally, has to give when Burlington plays Meeteetse this week.

+++

This week’s schedule brings up an interesting trivia question: When is the last time a Class 4A-level school forfeited a game before it was played? That’s what Cheyenne South has done this week, forfeiting its game against Campbell County in Gillette due to what the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle’s Jeremiah Johnke said Wednesday was “due to the number of injuries limiting player availability.”

As it turns out, South’s forfeit loss is a 4A first. According to the research I’ve done, none of the current teams in Class 4A has ever — EVER — forfeited a game in advance, dating back to 1894.

That previous statement comes with several asterisks and caveats. A couple times, 4A teams have had to forfeit a game after it was played; hey, it happens. And many games at the big-school level have been straight-up canceled, with no winner or loser declared. The most recent one of these involving a current Class 4A school came in 1968 when then-Class B Upton canceled its game with Campbell County, which was then in Class A. Prior to that, the last big-school cancellation came in 1961, when Sheridan and Natrona failed to play each other for the first time in decades because weather wiped out what was supposed to be both teams’ season finales.

Before 1948 and the formation of classification football, such cancellations were much more common. Games were easier to let slide because without classifications, or even “official” conferences, games could go down as canceled instead of forfeited. This was/is a clerical conundrum more than anything. Asterisks and caveats, etc., etc.

Still, only a handful of times has even a current 3A-level school forfeited a game prior to kickoff. The last time I can find a 3A-level team forfeiting a game that wasn’t related to a disease outbreak happened in 1948, almost 76 years ago. The only forfeits involving 3A-level teams, on either side, in the long history of Wyoming high school football are these:

• Douglas won two forfeited games in 2021 against both Torrington and Rawlins during COVID-19 outbreaks at those respective schools.
• Rawlins won against Kemmerer at the end of the 1955 season via forfeit. Kemmerer hadn’t beaten another varsity program in four years at that point.
• Buffalo forfeited its season finale against already-conference-champion Newcastle at the end of the 1948 season due to low numbers and injuries. (This is the game cited above.)
• Torrington won by forfeit against Douglas at the end of the 1942 season, a season probably ended early due to wartime travel restrictions.
• Buffalo, like Douglas, also forfeited its 1942 season finale. The Bison forfeited to Newcastle due to “lack of funds as well as the absence of many students caused by their working in beet fields of that vicinity,” the Newcastle News Letter Journal said on Oct. 29, 1942.
• Both Powell (against Cody) and Douglas (against Lusk) picked up forfeit victories on Nov. 11, 1940, for unspecified reasons.
• Finally, Torrington beat Lingle by forfeit in 1925 after Lingle’s game with Gering, Nebraska, got pushed back a week due to weather. Lingle opted to play Gering instead of Torrington, as the Trailblazers already had a game scheduled that week with Morrill, Nebraska.

So it’s safe to call South’s decision this week unprecedented, too, just like Sheridan’s winning streak. But just as unprecedented, too, is the Bison’s losing streak, and apparently so too is their injury and depth situation. I’m not here to critique South’s decision; I’m here to point out its rarity, its unprecedentedness that’s forcing me to make up words like unprecedentedness to describe it.

+++

Now comes everyone’s favorite part of the week, the picks. I offer straight-up picks, with the projected winner in bold, because that’s difficult enough. You’ll never see a point spread predicted here. Sorry and/or you’re welcome.

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

In addition to South-Campbell County, this week’s game between Guernsey and Southeast has been removed from the schedule, the Cyclones picking up the forfeit victory. For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

+++

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

Last week: 27-4 (87 percent). This season: 107-35 (75 percent).

+++

We’re halfway through the regular season. What, aside from two unprecedented streaks, sticks out to you so far? 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

For more than 60 years, the number “34” has stretched across Wyoming football history like a beacon of hope for what’s possible with the right players, coaches and community.

Laramie’s 34-game winning streak has been untouched since its completion in 1963. Several teams have come close — including Kaycee, Douglas and Snake River all reaching 30 consecutive victories in recent times — but no one had been able to match the Plainsmen’s run of the early 1960s.

Until Sheridan. The Broncs tied Laramie’s 61-year-old record last week with its 34th consecutive victory in a 29-7 showing against Natrona. Along the way, the Broncs have won three consecutive Class 4A titles.

So how does the Broncs’ streak compare to the Plainsmen’s?

• Streak started: Laramie, Sept. 25, 1959, Laramie 34, Torrington 6; Sheridan, Oct. 1, 2021, Sheridan 27, Natrona 0.
• Average margin of victory: Laramie, 26-5; Sheridan, 45-14.
• Shutouts: Laramie, 14; Sheridan, five.
• Length: Laramie, 1,448 days across parts of five seasons; Sheridan, 1,091 days (as of Thursday) across parts of four seasons.
• Closest games: Laramie had five games end with scoring margins of seven or fewer points: 13-7 vs. Canon City (Colo.) Abbey, 1959; 13-7 vs. Scottsbluff (Neb.), 1960; 13-6 vs. Rawlins, 1961; 14-12 vs. Torrington, 1962; and 13-7 vs. Natrona, 1962. Sheridan has also had five such games: 24-21 vs. Cheyenne Central, 2022; 34-27 vs. Thunder Basin, 2022; 42-39 vs. Cheyenne East, 2022; 28-22 vs. Natrona, 2022; and 44-37 vs. Cheyenne East, 2023.

This week’s stakes are simple, at least historically speaking. A victory against Cheyenne East on Friday in Sheridan would give the Broncs sole control for the overall state record for winning streak at 35 games.

After that? Well, the next record to break is the state unbeaten streak, which Worland has at 36 games (34 victories and two ties) from 1953-56. Worland’s 1924-28 squads (33-0-2) and Star Valley’s 1964-68 squads (33-0-2) also have unbeaten streaks of 35 games, streaks that Sheridan could tie on Friday.

And after that? Well, our friends at the Stateline Sports Network say the Broncs’ streak is the seventh-longest active winning streak in the nation and is the longest active streak anywhere west of the Central Time Zone. Sheridan trails Marion (Ohio) Local, Garden City (New York), Pelham (New Hampshire), Tioga (New York), Bennington (Nebraska) and Phoebus (Virginia), with Marion Local’s 52-game streak leading the way.

And after that? Well, the national record is 151 consecutive victories, set by California’s De La Salle from 1992-2003.

And before that? Well, East.

The Thunderbirds are working on a streak of their own, already 3-0 with victories against Laramie, Cheyenne South and Thunder Basin. Moreover, East has been Sheridan’s most consistent threat during the streak. Most critically, East has been Sheridan’s opponent in the past two Class 4A title games. Across Sheridan’s past 19 games, East is the only one to stay within single-digits; technically, across those games, only East has stayed within 19 points of the Broncs, doing so twice in losses by seven and 11 points. In its past 24 games, East has a record of 20-4; all four losses were to Sheridan. And while Sheridan enters the game ranked No. 1 in the WyoPreps coaches and media football poll, East is ranked No. 2.

If anyone can interrupt the Broncs on their historic trek, it’s the Thunderbirds.

No team would love it more.

Similarly, Sheridan would love it to break the record against the team that’s been its biggest threat.

It’s the kind of matchup deserving of this kind of milestone, either way it turns out.

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The rest of the Week 3 schedule is filled with games that I’d pay money to see. A few of those:

It’s odd that both Laramie and Rock Springs have their only victories this season against Cheyenne Central, a hard-luck 0-3 team that’s had losses by two points and by seven points (twice). It’ll be interesting to see how they match up this week in Sweetwater County. …

It’s the last week of nonconference play in 3A, and with only three remaining undefeated teams in the class, two — Buffalo and Cody — will play each other this week. The other? Star Valley. …

The 2A West continues to be one of the most interesting conferences in the state. Mountain View (42-35 against Lovell) and Cokeville (13-8 against Lyman) had arguably the biggest victories last week, and now they get to play each other. Thing is, so do Lovell and Lyman. And both Worland and Kemmerer are now hanging out as 1-0 in league play, too. Most even conference in the state? (By the way, I missed seven games last week in my picks, and four of them were in Class 2A.) …

Newcastle and Big Horn had the two biggest victories in the 2A East last week in terms of margin of victory, with Big Horn beating Wheatland 55-0 and Newcastle beating Upton-Sundance 48-6. They’ll play each other this week in Big Horn, and it’ll be a big one. …

In an odd quirk to the schedule, Wheatland gets its fourth consecutive road game to start the season in its trek north to Sundance to play Upton-Sundance. Wheatland has six road games and three home games this year and won’t have its home opener until Week 4 against Glenrock. Star Valley also has a weird streak like that, as the Braves’ trip to Teton, Idaho, this week is the second of four straight road games. The Braves, at least, got four at home and five on the road this season. …

Saratoga has had a fast start, going 2-0 while outscoring opponents 117-15. Among nine-man programs, only Lingle (124) has scored more, and only Pine Bluffs (12) has allowed fewer. I’m exceptionally curious to see how the Panthers stack up against 1-1 Lusk at home on Friday.

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On to this week’s picks, where anything can happen. Not with the picks, though. I can only pick one team per game; in fact, I have to for this to work, so I indicate that with bold. It’s on the field where anything can happen. That’s where the real fun is anyway. Go touch grass, or turf, this weekend.

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

Encampment is off this week. For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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

Last week: 22-7 (76 percent). This season: 60-19 (76 percent).

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What pops out to you about the Week 3 schedule? Disagree with any picks? 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

Separated by just 33 miles and one county line, Thermopolis and Worland were destined by geography to be rivals.

For more than 15 years, though, the two teams have had to put their football rivalry on hold, a rivalry that dates back to the start of both programs and to the origins of the sport itself in Wyoming.

It didn’t take long for the bad blood to start in this rivalry. In fact, it took less than a month, during both programs’ first seasons.

Thermopolis won the first game between the programs on Oct. 12, 1921, by a modest score of 32-19. Worland won the rematch, played on Nov. 11 of the same year, by the less modest score of 109-7. Yes, 109-7. Apparently, some dude named Meadows went ham for Worland, scoring 12 touchdowns and kicking 11 extra points, scoring 83 total points in one game.

A rivalry was born.

They’ve only had one sustained gap in their rivalry — from 1976 to 1979, when Thermopolis was struggling as a Class A team and Worland was a Class AA contender, they took a short break. They renewed the rivalry in 1980; Thermopolis needed only one season after that to win the rivalry game once again. (They also didn’t play each other in 1933, when Worland failed to field a team.)

They stuck with it, playing 97 total games in the rivalry — Worland winning 58, Thermopolis 34, five ties. But since 2008, the Warriors and Bobcats have not played each other on the gridiron.

When the two teams stopped playing after the 2008 season, you could say it was time. Worland had won 12 in a row in the rivalry, including two playoff games. Thermopolis hadn’t, and still hasn’t, beaten Worland since 1998.

Oh sure, the rivalry has continued in other sports. And in football, they’ve sprinkled in a Zero Week contest here and there, a scrimmage to break a sweat and see someone other than a teammate.

Worland’s offseason move from Class 3A to Class 2A, where Thermopolis had long been classified, prompted the official renewal of the rivalry. There were other casualties, too; to get its rivalry with Thermopolis back, Worland had to give up longstanding series with Lander (90 games), Riverton (88 games) and Cody (88 games). Worland’s series with Powell, 81 games rich, continued only through a nonconference game last week.

But Thermopolis is back on the Warriors’ schedule, and vice versa. Neither has played any other opponent more. The delayed 98th chapter will be written Friday.

While chances are good that the score won’t end up 109-7, that doesn’t mean the game will be any less memorable for those who play in it on Friday.

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Other contests drawing my attention this week more than the usual game:

Conference play starts this week across a litany of leagues — 2A East and West teams, (most) 1A nine-man East (and one game in 1A nine-man West) teams, and (most) 1A six-man North teams will get going with conference games this week. Among the most intriguing are in the 2A West, where Lyman travels to Cokeville and Mountain View takes the trip to Lovell in games that will be critical in the title chase. Also, don’t overlook the Pinedale/Kemmerer matchup; both squads have struggled recently but posted big victories in Week 1. The winner there could be the state’s biggest surprise team this fall. The fourth and final 2A West game? Thermopolis/Worland…

Class 4A continues its early-season grind with two more huge games pairing up last year’s semifinalists, with Sheridan traveling to Natrona and Thunder Basin heading to Cheyenne East. Three of these teams are 2-0, with Thunder Basin the outlier at 0-2. 4A’s only other 2-0 team is Campbell County, who hosts 1-1 Rock Springs in what might be the most intriguing game of the week. …

Streak watch: Sheridan has now won 33 games in a row. A victory against Natrona on Friday would tie Laramie’s 1959-63 state record for consecutive victories. Any guess where Laramie’s streak ended in that ’63 season? That’s right, literally the same patch of earth Sheridan will visit on Friday — the one at NCHS. And guess what the date was when Laramie’s streak ended? Sept. 13, 1963. Sheridan’s visit comes exactly 61 years later, to the date, to the place. This can’t be coincidence. …

Only one out-of-state game is on the docket this week, but it’s a doozy as Star Valley travels to play Sugar-Salem, Idaho. Sugar-Salem has won 25 games in a row and 33 out of its past 34, including three victories over Star Valley. In its 3-0 start so far this season, the Diggers have outscored their opponents 140-6. Conversely, Star Valley has beaten its two (Idaho) foes by a combined 93-13. Maybe this is the Braves’ time? …

In Class 3A, the only team without a victory is Green River. Meanwhile, in the 2A East, the only team with a victory is Big Horn. And in the 1A nine-man West, the only team with a victory is Wyoming Indian. Early season standings are weird. …

Also, real quick, I want to note Hulett’s 85-74 victory against Hanna last week. With a combined 159 points, it’s the second-highest scoring game in state history, behind only Dubois’ 102-60 victory against Ten Sleep in 2015. Hanna’s 74 points also ties the state record for most points scored in a loss, set last year. Pretty remarkable.

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Are you new here? This is where I pick games every week. I bold the teams I think will win. If you’re new here, you probably are reading this. If you’re not, you’re not, because you know how this works by now.

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

Encampment played Natrona’s JV on Tuesday. Casper Christian, Hanna, Rocky Mountain and Snake River have open weeks.

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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

Last week: 26-8 (76 percent). This season: 38-12 (76 percent).

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Who was your surprise Week 1 team, and how do you see them shaping up for Week 2? 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