Category Archives: Picks

When Jackson cracks the six-victory barrier, it’s usually a good sign.

The problem for the Broncs is they don’t hit that milestone often.

In a program history that dates back to 1931, Jackson has only notched six or more victories in a season eight times. In three of those eight seasons, Jackson won state championships; in four of the eight, the Broncs played in the state title game.

The Broncs won state titles in 2007 (11-0), 1986 (6-4) and 1981 (9-0); played for a state title in 1989 (7-2); and also cracked six victories in 1990 (7-2), 1982 (7-1), 1969 (6-4) and 1938 (6-0).

The point? When Jackson is good, Jackson is REALLY good.

Make it nine. This year, the Broncs raced out to a 6-0 start, its closest victory a 32-16 doubling-up of Worland two weeks ago. Already, the 2014 Broncs are one of the most successful squads in program history, regardless of how the rest of the season plays out.

But Jackson’s opponents haven’t been the best of the best; the combined record of the Broncs’ opponents is 9-23, and only one (Rawlins) has a winning record.

Which is why Friday’s showdown against 4-2 Cody is so interesting.

The Broncs from Park County present the Broncs from Teton County with arguably their biggest test of the season. After six games against so-sos, Jackson finally gets to play an uh-oh.

Cody’s been strong all season, with losses only to Laurel, Mont., in Week Zero (13-0) and to perennial tough beat Douglas in Week 2 (13-7). Defensively, the Broncs have shined, giving up just 61 points through their six games — a solid number in a classification where the average points allowed per game is more than double that.

And, for the record, Cody has cracked six or more victories 33 times in their program history, and it’s on track to do so again this year.

Cody, though, just like Jackson, has just the three state championships to its credit.

There’s the rub. Which team has the advantage — the program with the consistency of being a contender, or the program that knows how to be an upstart?

Winning momentum means more to a squad that doesn’t normally feel it. It burns hotter, but quicker. We’ll see Friday if Jackson’s winning momentum burned too hot, too fast.

Other games I’m keeping a close watch on this week:

Three undefeated teams remain in Class 1A 11-man. Two of them play Friday night when Lingle and Lusk renew acquaintances in Niobrara County. The winner is on track for home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. (By the way, one of the quieter streaks happening in the state is Lusk’s home winning streak. The Tigers have won 25 consecutive games at home since 2009, tied for fifth-longest in state history. The unofficial state record is 31, set by Byron from 1953-61. The last team to beat Lusk in Lusk? Lingle.) …

On the other side, winless Green River and winless Star Valley will face each other in Afton. What’s unfortunate is that both the Wolves and Braves have shown potential to be good squads this fall; they just haven’t quite put it all together at the right time. …

The only Thursday game has Shoshoni traveling to Pavillion to play Wind River. In a messy 1A 11-man West, this game could be the difference between a playoff spot and a spot on the couch. …

Class 4A is a mess on its bottom half: Five teams are at 2-4, and they’re playing for the final four playoff spots. The only game between two 2-4 teams this week, though, is the one between Evanston and Kelly Walsh in Casper. …

Guernsey has the chance to be the first team to secure a conference championship. If the Vikings beat Hulett on Saturday, they’ll win the 1A six-man East and host through the first two rounds of the playoffs. …

Even though it lost last week, Rawlins has improved dramatically this season. The Outlaws aren’t the favorites in their game against Douglas this week — the Outlaws haven’t beaten the Bearcats since 2001 — but expect a similar close game like the one Rawlins had last week against Riverton. The fact that it’s Week 6 and Rawlins is still in the conversation is amazing progress in and of itself. First-year coach Corey Wheeler has that program moving in a good direction, win or lose this week. …

Here are this week’s picks. Teams I project to have more points than their opponents by the end of their respective games are in bold, but fortunately for the teams not in bold, every game starts 0-0, and the officials don’t award points for projections:

Thursday
Class 1A 11-man
Shoshoni at Wind River
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Sheridan
Evanston at Kelly Walsh
Laramie at Cheyenne East
Natrona at Cheyenne South
Rock Springs at Gillette
Class 3A
Buffalo at Riverton
Cody at Jackson
Green River at Star Valley
Powell at Worland
Rawlins at Douglas
Torrington at Lander
Class 2A
Big Piney at Lyman
Burns at Big Horn
Kemmerer at Mountain View
Lovell at Thermopolis
Newcastle at Glenrock
Pinedale at Greybull
Wheatland at Wright
Class 1A 11-man
Cokeville at Riverside
Lingle at Lusk
Pine Bluffs at Upton-Sundance (at Upton)
Rocky Mountain at Wyoming Indian
Saratoga at Burlington
Southeast at Tongue River
Class 1A six-man
Hanna at Midwest
Meeteetse at St. Stephens
NSI at Kaycee
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Farson at Ten Sleep
Hulett at Guernsey-Sunrise
Snake River at Dubois
Interclass
Gillette JV at Moorcroft
Open: Rock River.

Last week: 29-3 (91 percent). This season: 138-39 (78 percent).

For a full season schedule, including kickoff times for this week’s games, click here.

We have some pretty amazing games on the schedule this week. Which one sticks out to you? Leave a comment and we can all chat about cool football stuff.

–patrick

Sheridan’s gridiron success is documented well.

From the beginning of the Broncs’ program more than 100 years ago, the blue and yellow have always been among the state’s best programs.

As one of the first, Sheridan had a head start: the first six schools in Wyoming to consistently sponsor football, along with Sheridan, were Cheyenne (later Central), Laramie, Natrona, Buffalo and University Prep.

In those early days, Sheridan was consistently the at the top. In the first 22 years of organized play in the state, from 1921-42, Sheridan won or shared the state championship nine times, nearly twice as often as any other program. Since then, Sheridan has won 14 more state titles, most recently in 2011.

While its status the past few years as one of Class 4A’s “Big Four” is unquestioned, the Broncs have also been pushed by programs whose football lineage is not nearly as glamorous.

Namely, Gillette.

The Camels’ football history isn’t nearly as prestigious as their northeastern Wyoming neighbors. While the Broncs were winning games and stacking up state championships like firewood, the Camels were plodding along as consistent underachievers. In fact, Sheridan had won 21 state championships by the time Gillette won its first in 1998.

Unsurprisingly, the series between the two was as uneven as a poorly installed teeter-totter. Sheridan did not lose to Gillette the first 17 times they played each other.

Then the Camels changed.

Consider this: In their first 40 years of football, the Camels won less than 44 percent of their games. In their past 45, the Camels have won more than 60 percent.

Since that turnaround, the rivalry between Sheridan and Gillette has been one of the state’s best, and most even. Since restarting their rivalry in 1970, Gillette is 28-25 against Sheridan, including a 16-4 run in the past 20.

They’ll play again on Friday.

Like usual, the game is critical. At 5-0, Sheridan is one of two remaining undefeated teams in Class 4A (Natrona’s the other), while Gillette is right behind at 4-1.

Homer Scott Field will be hopping on Friday, for reasons well beyond those apparent on the field for those 48 minutes.

We’d expect nothing less between two programs with as much pride and tradition as these two — even if one of them started faster.

What else I’m watching closely this week:

The 50th Oil Bowl will be played Friday when Natrona and Kelly Walsh renew their intra-city rivalry in Casper. Although Natrona has had a big advantage in this series dating back to 1965, this game is always a big one in the Oil City. …

Central and East also renew their Capital Bowl rivalry this week. In case you’re not noticing the pattern, the WHSAA did a nice job of setting up the biggest of the 4A rivalries into one week in this schedule. …

Under new coach Corey Wheeler, Rawlins is 3-1 and has already secured its best season since its 9-0 championship season in 2000. The Outlaws get one of their toughest tests of the season with No. 1 Riverton coming to Outlaw Stadium. Riverton’s the clear favorite, but there’s always something scary about an upstart with confidence…

In the weird 2A nonconference game of the week, Big Piney travels to Wheatland for the first meeting between the two schools in football. …

The only two undefeated teams in 1A six-man East Conference games are Guernsey and Hanna. They’ll play each other on Friday in Carbon County. …

The chase for the final three playoff spots in the 1A 11-man West is getting really interesting. Don’t be too surprised if we have to have a tiebreaker playoff in that conference again this year. This week’s key game pits resurgent Wind River up against Rocky Mountain in Byron Cowley. …

I’ve been touting since the preseason that the 1A six-man West might be the most even, competitive conference in the state this year. Will that continue when Dubois travels to Meeteetse? Probably. And the Rams can throw a wrench into the conference standings if they can knock off the Longhorns. …

The biggest upset of the week last week may have been Moorcroft’s shutout victory against Upton-Sundance. I’m curious to see if the Wolves can keep that momentum going against Southeast in Yoder. …

On to the picks. Projected winners in bold, as per usual. Because that’s how we do it, and to change it now would only cause confusion.

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Cheyenne East
Cheyenne South at Laramie
Gillette at Sheridan
Natrona at Kelly Walsh
Rock Springs at Evanston
Class 3A
Douglas at Torrington
Jackson at Green River
Lander at Buffalo
Riverton at Rawlins
Star Valley at Powell
Worland at Cody
Class 2A
Big Piney at Wheatland
Glenrock at Burns (at Cheyenne South HS)
Greybull at Kemmerer
Lyman at Lovell
Mountain View at Pinedale
Thermopolis at Big Horn
Wright at Newcastle
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Cokeville
Lusk at Pine Bluffs
Moorcroft at Southeast
Riverside at Saratoga
Upton-Sundance at Lingle
Wind River at Rocky Mountain
Wyoming Indian at Shoshoni
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Meeteetse
Farson at NSI
Guernsey-Sunrise at Hanna
Rock River at Midwest
St. Stephens at Snake River
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Kaycee at Hulett
Interclass
Tongue River at Kelly Walsh JV
Open: Ten Sleep.

Last week: 27-4 (87 percent). This season: 109-36 (75 percent).

For a full season schedule, including kickoff times for this week’s games, click here.

And that’s Week 5 in a nutshell. But that’s not all we could talk about. What game is drawing your attention this week? Leave a comment to let me know what you’re watching, or what game I mis-picked, or whatever else strikes your fancy about Wyoming high school football.

–patrick

We all consistently do something we know will fail. Yet we do it anyway.

We should back up the files on our computer before the computer crashes. But we don’t. And then we accidentally open that email attachment from the deposed Nigerian prince…

We should get the flu shot before flu season. But we don’t. And then we eat at that restaurant that doesn’t give its employees sick days…

We should go to the bathroom before the road trip. But we don’t. And we buy a 44-ounce fountain drink on our way out…

For 18 years, Lingle’s football team faced a similar problem.

Lingle shouldn’t play Southeast. But they do. And they hold out that sliver of hope that they just might win…

Don’t get this twisted. I’m not actually saying the Lingle-Southeast football game shouldn’t be played. It should. Lingle and Southeast are natural rivals. They’re similarly sized, and they’re barely more than a half hour apart. The roots of their rivalry trace back to Southeast’s consolidation in the 1970s and the old SEWAC football days, and beyond that back to Lingle’s games against Huntley in the 1950s and 1960s.

No, I’m not talking about getting rid of this series. That’s silly talk.

But the results in this series suggest otherwise.

The Doggers have had absolutely no success in this series for almost a generation. In 16 games against the Cyclones since 1997 (they didn’t play each other in 2007 and 2008 but played twice in 2009), the Doggers are 0-16. The last time Lingle won against Southeast was in 1996 — a game that if any current Lingle or Southeast players attended, they were likely still in diapers.

This streak of struggle is one of the longest active streaks in the state; Rocky Mountain’s 17-game winning streak against Wyoming Indian is the only current series winning streak longer than the one the Cyclones have run off against the Doggers, and it’s tied with Cokeville’s 16-game winning streak against Shoshoni and Buffalo’s 16 straight victories against Rawlins. (By the way, Rawlins and Buffalo play each other this week, too.)

This anomaly is not because Lingle is a poor football program. In fact, the Doggers have been consistently competitive since this streak against the Cyclones began — they’ve made the playoffs 13 times in the past 17 seasons, and even reached the state title game in 2009.

Of course, the one time they reached the title game, the Doggers played the Cyclones. OF COURSE they did. And the Doggers lost. That’s just how Lingle’s luck has run in this series.

Actually, the anomaly of a streak is more attributable to Southeast, which has had a sublimely successful run since the last time it lost to Lingle — eight state championships, a home playoff game in the first round of the playoffs every single season, never a year worse than .500.

The last year Southeast didn’t host a playoff game, or finish above .500, was 1996. Not coincidentally, the Cyclones finished that season with a 41-12 loss to the Doggers in Yoder, Southeast’s last loss to Lingle to date.

This year might be the year, though, the Doggers break this streak.

Lingle enters Friday’s game with Southeast undefeated (3-0); the Cyclones, meanwhile, come in at 2-2. They’ve had one common opponent so far, Pine Bluffs, and in the ever-misleading land of score comparison, Lingle had the better-looking victory over the Hornets (44-16) than Southeast (36-22).

After 18 years of consistent shortcomings against their Goshen County neighbors, maybe this is the year Lingle finally turns this rivalry into a two-sided one.

What else I’m watching closely this week:

I don’t know what to make of the race for the final four playoff spots in Class 4A. It’s a mess. But I do know that the showdown between Cheyenne Central and Laramie will be key. Does anyone else see a big mishmash of 3-6 teams sitting in the bottom half of 4A at the end of the regular season? …

Worland keeps on chugging along. So does Jackson. And they’re playing each other this week. Even though Powell and Cody are still the favorites, I think there might be more parity in the 3A West than I believed there was at the beginning of the season. …

Lovell’s loss to Big Piney two weeks ago took some of the shine off this week’s Lovell-Mountain View showdown. Nevertheless, this game is still key in the 2A West standings, and Lovell could make a real mess of things — and stay in contention for a conference championship — if it can take down the Buffalos. …

Farson knew at the beginning of the season that the two-week stretch of Week 3 (Dubois) and Week 4 (Meeteetse) would be huge. The Pronghorns took care of the Rams 36-34 last week. Now the defending champion Longhorns make their way to Sweetwater County in a game that could eventually decide hosting duties in the first round of the playoffs. Along with the 3A West, the 1A six-man West could be the most interesting conference in the state. …

Unbeaten Sheridan will likely continue its fast start to the 2014 season when it plays winless Rock Springs tonight in Sweetwater County. No surprise. The Tigers have been on the schneid against the Broncs for a long time: The last time Rock Springs beat Sheridan was in 1959.

On to the picks, where I have listed my projected winning squads in the boldface type.

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Laramie
Evanston at Natrona
Gillette at Cheyenne South
Kelly Walsh at Cheyenne East
Sheridan at Rock Springs
Class 3A
Buffalo at Rawlins
Cody at Star Valley
Douglas at Lander
Jackson at Worland
Powell at Green River
Torrington at Riverton
Class 2A
Big Horn at Wright
Burns at Thermopolis
Glenrock at Wheatland
Lovell at Mountain View
Newcastle at Greybull
Pinedale at Lyman
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Wind River
Cokeville at Rocky Mountain
Lingle at Southeast
Lusk at Tongue River
Riverside at Wyoming Indian
Saratoga at Shoshoni
Upton-Sundance at Moorcroft
Class 1A six-man
Hanna at Rock River
Meeteetse at Farson
Saturday
Class 2A
Kemmerer at Big Piney
Class 1A six-man
Guernsey-Sunrise at NSI
Hulett at Dubois
Midwest at Kaycee
Snake River at Ten Sleep
Open: Pine Bluffs; St. Stephens.

Last week: 24-10 (71 percent). This season: 82-32 (72 percent).

Thoughts? Ideas? Complaints? Compliments? Rants? Post them in a comment.

–patrick

This is the week we want.

This is the week we won’t see again this year.

This is the week we finally find some separation in Class 4A.

Class 4A’s hierarchy the past few years has been as simple as it’s been clear: Natrona, Gillette, Cheyenne East and Sheridan play at a level that’s different from everyone else. For Week 3, the schedule says it all: Natrona at Gillette; Sheridan at Cheyenne East. This is the only time this season when the “Big Four” teams are all playing each other in the same week.

These four programs have dominated Class 4A football for almost half a decade. They were 104-8 against the other six the past four years entering the season; they’re now 114-8, as the top four are 10-0 against those other six so far this season. Every season since 2010, the final four teams in the 4A playoffs have been the same.

So, yeah, this week is big — a critical separation point in the season.

For Gillette and Sheridan, this week presents their first chances to test themselves against another top-tier team.

For Natrona, this week is a chance to take a commanding lead in the classification standings, thanks in part to a 14-7 victory against Cheyenne East two weeks ago.

And for Cheyenne East, this week represents what may be the team’s last chance to secure a home playoff game, a goal that became much more difficult to obtain after that loss to Natrona.

Both games represent continuations of competitive, repetitive showdowns. Both the Gillette-Natrona and Sheridan-East games have been played seven times in the past four years.

Of the seven Natrona-Gillette games, five have been played in Casper. This week’s game is in Gillette, but that’s little consolation to the Camels — Natrona has won both games it has played in Gillette the past four years, and the Camels haven’t beaten the Mustangs at home since 2009.

Sheridan and Cheyenne East, too, have played each other seven times the past four years. Oddly enough, only one of those games has been played in Cheyenne; five were in Sheridan and one in Laramie for a state championship. This week’s game, though, is in Cheyenne. However, Sheridan, like Natrona, doesn’t fear a road trip trip: Sheridan won its only game the past four years that it played against East in Cheyenne. Beyond that, Cheyenne East hasn’t beaten Sheridan in Cheyenne since 2002.

For several years now, we’ve known the Big Four control Class 4A. But they only play against each other six times during the regular season.

We’re lucky enough in Week 3 to have two of those games happening on the same day.

This is, after all, what we’ve been waiting to see.

Here’s a quick glance at some of the other things I’m keeping a close eye on this week:

Buffalo had a strong showing in a loss last week, falling 19-9 to Powell. I’m curious to see how the Bison play against an improved Worland squad. …

Wheatland and Newcastle will meet each other in a big 2A East game. Big Horn is clearly the pacesetter in the conference this year, but the Bulldogs and Dogies will need to win this one to keep pace with the Rams and stay in contention for a home playoff game. …

Wind River’s 74-0 victory over Wyoming Indian last week set a school record for both biggest victory and most points in a game. It also was the Cougars’ first road victory since Sept. 9, 2010, breaking the state’s longest active road losing streak at 15. Can the Cougs keep it going against Riverside? …

The most interesting six-man game on the schedule could be the one between Farson and Dubois. The Pronghorns are much better equipped to play with the Rams than they’ve ever been. …

The Saturday slate is pretty thin, but it will be interesting to see if NSI can get its second victory in a row. The Wolves earned their first victory against a varsity team since 2009 last week and could win two in a row for the first time since 2007 if they can beat Hulett on the road. …

The best game of the week could be between Riverton and Powell. Yeah, I picked Powell, but don’t be surprised if Riverton sneaks this one out. …

There’s a lot of hype for the Rawlins-Jackson game. Ignore it. Jackson is rolling. …

For the record, in the “Big Four” 4A games this week, I went with the home teams. Switch the venues, and I’d switch my picks. Both games should be great. …

I devoted a lot of time this week to the top of 4A, but for the other six teams in the classification, these are critical games, too. Playoff seeding and qualification could be on the line in a couple of those games. …

On to the picks. The projected winners, like always, are in bold type. The teams in regular type, though, are no less deserving of your admiration:

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne South at Kelly Walsh
Laramie at Evanston
Natrona at Gillette
Rock Springs at Cheyenne Central
Sheridan at Cheyenne East
Class 3A
Cody at Lander
Green River at Torrington
Rawlins at Jackson
Riverton at Powell
Star Valley at Douglas
Worland at Buffalo
Class 2A
Big Horn at Glenrock
Big Piney at Greybull
Lyman at Kemmerer
Mountain View at Burns (at Cheyenne South HS)
Pinedale at Lovell
Wheatland at Newcastle
Class 1A 11-man
Moorcroft at Lusk
Rocky Mountain at Saratoga
Shoshoni at Cokeville
Southeast at Pine Bluffs
Tongue River at Upton-Sundance (at Sundance)
Wind River at Riverside
Wyoming Indian at Burlington
Class 1A six-man
Farson at Dubois
Kaycee at Rock River
Midwest at Guernsey-Sunrise
St. Stephens at Hanna
Ten Sleep at Meeteetse
Interstate
Mitchell, Neb., at Lingle
Saturday
Class 2A
Wright at Thermopolis
Class 1A six-man
NSI at Hulett
Interclass
Snake River at Natrona sophs

Last week: 27-6 (82 percent). This season: 58-22 (73 percent).

For a full season schedule, including kickoff times for this week’s games, click here.

What are YOU watching this week? What game on this week’s schedule draws your interest? Which picks do you think I got wrong? Post a comment and we can talk about it, because that’s half the fun.

–patrick

Of all the new rivalries six-man football has given Wyoming, the rivalry between Guernsey-Sunrise and Kaycee may just be the lamest of them all.

And this is the fault of neither school. It’s just that when they get together, their games have been, well, pretty bad.

In four meetings, Guernsey-Sunrise and Kaycee have never had a close game. In two meetings in the initial six-man season in 2009, Guernsey-Sunrise beat Kaycee 67-0 and and then again 76-16 in the state title game. The Vikings again won big last season, beating the Buckaroos 52-14.

Kaycee’s lone victory in the series was also an easy one; the Buckaroos beat the Vikings 87-18 in 2010.

This year’s meeting might change that pattern.

Guernsey-Sunrise was this site’s Class 1A six-man preseason No. 1 team. Kaycee was No. 2.

In Week 1, both teams proved they deserved those preseason accolades. The Vikings destroyed traditionally tough Dubois 60-12, while Kaycee shut out Ten Sleep 45-0 — and a shutout is never a small accomplishment in six-man.

Now, in a weird twist of the 2014 schedule, they open East Conference play by facing each other. Kaycee, for the second year in the row, gets to host.

Chances are good that this game will be much better, and much closer, than the schools’ previous four meetings. Just one game into 2014, both squads have proven they know how to score, and how to stop someone else from scoring. They’ve both got the talent and the experience to make serious challenges for a state championship.

Top-ranked Guernsey has maybe the classification’s most explosive player in running back Brady Esquibel. Kaycee counters with a three-headed monster of a junior class led by returning all-stater Taylor Rouse.

Of course, both participating schools don’t mind keeping this series “lame” — as long as they’re on the winning side.

For everyone else’s sake, though, a little drama in the fourth quarter wouldn’t be a bad thing to see between two of six-man’s best teams.

What else I’m watching this week: Every week is a big week in 3A, and this week it’s nonconference games between Douglas and Cody and between Riverton and Star Valley that catch my eye. I’m also watching the Worland-Torrington game to see which one earns 3A’s “most improved” award two weeks into the season. I’ve picked against Worland two weeks in a row they’ve proved me wrong both times. Although Zero Week against Riverton was not exactly representative, Worland’s victory last week against Lander was an eye-opener for me. …

Conference play starts for most teams in 2A and 1A this week. The playoff chase starts now; the biggest games to me are the ones between Thermopolis and Wheatland (2A) and between Riverside and Burlington and between Lusk and Upton-Sundance (1A 11-man). …

I realized earlier this week that the 1A 11-man East Conference went 5-0 against the West Conference in interconference games last week. Anomaly? I don’t think so. …

Meeteetse and Snake River also play what might be a key 1A six-man West Conference game — I had the Longhorns ranked third and Rattlers fourth in my six-man rankings this week. …

Jackson has a really good chance to start 6-0. The Broncs are already 2-0 and play Lander, Rawlins, Worland and Green River the next four weeks. Of those, aforementioned Worland could pose the biggest challenge. …

Can Cheyenne South pull off the Cheyenne sweep? The Bison knocked off Cheyenne Central last week, but Cheyenne East figures to put up a stiffer test this week, especially since the game is scheduled to be the first at the new Okie Blanchard Stadium, East’s home stadium. The T-Birds will want to kick off the era of the new stadium in style. …

Rock River, which won its first varsity game last week, could start its first varsity season 2-0 if it beats NSI on Saturday in Sheridan. NSI is the only program in the state that doesn’t have a game under its belt yet; the Wolves didn’t play during Zero Week and had a bye last week. …

My picks, with projected winners in bold (and projected spoilers in regular type):

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Gillette
Cheyenne East at Cheyenne South (at East)
Evanston at Sheridan
Kelly Walsh at Rock Springs
Laramie at Natrona
Class 3A
Douglas at Cody
Lander at Jackson
Powell at Buffalo
Rawlins at Green River
Riverton at Star Valley
Worland at Torrington
Class 2A
Glenrock at Wright
Greybull at Mountain View
Kemmerer at Pinedale
Lovell at Big Piney
Lyman at Big Horn
Newcastle at Burns (at Cheyenne South HS)
Thermopolis at Wheatland
Class 1A 11-man
Moorcroft at Tongue River
Pine Bluffs at Lingle
Riverside at Burlington
Rocky Mountain at Shoshoni
Saratoga at Cokeville
Wind River at Wyoming Indian
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at St. Stephens
Ten Sleep at Midwest
Interclass
Farson at Green River JV
Interstate
Southeast at Bayard, Neb.
Saturday
Class 1A 11-man
Lusk at Upton-Sundance (at Sundance)
Class 1A six-man
Guernsey-Sunrise at Kaycee
Hulett vs. Hanna (at Midwest)
Meeteetse at Snake River
Rock River at NSI

Last week: 22-11 (67 percent). This season: 31-16 (66 percent).

For a full season schedule, including kickoff times for this week’s games, click here.

In case you missed it, I had an awful first week of picks. 67 percent right is, well, not good. Really, though, I love it when teams prove my picks wrong. A season is so much more interesting when it’s unpredictable. So, to all you non-bolded teams: Spoil away!

There’s Week 2. What do you think? What will be the best game this week? Who’s poised to pull an upset? Share your thoughts with a comment and let’s, like, talk about it. Because that’s why this blog is here….

–patrick

We don’t get to see this often.

The preseason No. 1 and the preseason No. 2 don’t usually play each other in Week 1 of the regular season.

Yet that is exactly what has happened in Class 3A this year, where preseason No. 1 Powell travels south and east to play preseason No. 2 Douglas.

This is only the teams’ fourth regular-season meeting. They met in the 1983 and 1984 season openers, as well as the 2001 opener in the first year of WHSAA scheduling. Those three games were all kind of boring, and certainly gave no indication of the rivalry to come.

Since the slow start, we’ve had the meetings that, for the most part, have defined the Class 4A/3A landscape for almost a decade: the 2006 title game, the 2008 semifinals, the 2011 title game and the 2013 title game.

The past three meetings, in particular, have given shape and character not only to a rivalry, but to an entire classification of football in Wyoming. And they’ve all been decided at the goal line.

In 2008, the Bearcats earned a trip to the state title game (eventually their first of three straight championships) after Cody Bohlander scored on a two-point conversion in the second overtime. In 2011, Olie Olson intercepted Douglas’ two-point conversion attempt in the final minute to preserve a 15-14 victory. In 2013, the Panthers stuffed Douglas’ QB sneak attempt in overtime, then converted their own as Hayden Cragoe snuck over to help Powell win 19-13 in OT.

This week’s game will add another layer to a growing rivalry. The only remaining question is if Friday’s game will follow the template of the teams’ past playoff games or the teams’ past regular-season meetings.

Based on preseason expectations, I’d guess the former. So you’d better get your popcorn ready.

Other things I’m keeping an eye on this week:

Big Horn and Lovell have met in a couple epic semifinal games the past couple years. I really like the fact that they’re playing each other in Week 1. This is the first time the two schools have played each other in the regular season. … Shoshoni and Big Piney are also playing each other for the first time in the regular season, while the Upton/Sundance-Wind River and Moorcroft-Wyoming Indian games represent the first games ever between those programs. … The return of the Burns-Pine Bluffs rivalry is also nice to see. They’re facing off for the first time since 2008. … The best game of the week might be between Mountain View and Cokeville. The Buffalos beat the Panthers 27-21 last year, and both teams might be even better this year. … Think back to, oh, 2008. Back then, the sentence “St. Stephens will open its season by hosting Rock River” was the realm of high school football fanfic. Now it’s reality. It may not be the best game of the week, but it’s Rock River’s first varsity game and the opener to St. Stephens’ second season since its return to football last year. To the folks in those communities, this game means a bunch.

On to this week’s picks. As always, projected winners are in bold:

Thursday
Interclass
Gillette JV at Newcastle
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne Central
Gillette at Evanston
Natrona at Cheyenne East
Rock Springs at Laramie
Sheridan at Kelly Walsh
Class 3A
Buffalo at Cody
Green River at Riverton
Lander at Worland
Powell at Douglas
Class 2A
Big Horn at Lovell
Thermopolis at Pinedale
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Lusk
Lingle at Saratoga
Tongue River at Rocky Mountain
Upton-Sundance at Wind River
Wyoming Indian at Moorcroft
Class 1A six-man
Hanna at Snake River
Rock River at St. Stephens
Interclass
Burns at Pine Bluffs
Cokeville at Mountain View
Greybull at Riverside
Kemmerer at Rawlins
Shoshoni at Big Piney
Torrington at Glenrock
Wright at Southeast
Interstate
Jackson at North Fremont, Idaho
Preston, Idaho, at Star Valley
Saturday
Class 2A
Wheatland at Lyman
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Guernsey-Sunrise
Kaycee at Ten Sleep
Meeteetse at Hulett
Midwest at Farson
Open: NSI.

Last week: 9-5 (64 percent). This season: 9-5 (64 percent).

I had trouble picking several games this week — Lander-Worland, Powell-Douglas, Rock River-St. Stephens, Burns-Pine Bluffs, Wheatland-Lyman and Midwest-Farson were the ones that basically turned into coin flips for me. How about you? What games do you see as the big ones in Week 1? Which team is poised to make the biggest statement this week? Or pull the biggest surprise? Leave a comment and let’s chat.

–patrick

For schools a half-hour apart, Cokeville and Bear Lake, Idaho, do not have much football history between them.

With good reason.

At 314 students, Bear Lake is the largest Class 2A school in Idaho; the Bears moved to 2A this year after spending decades as a Class 3A school. Even as a small 3A school, though, Bear Lake was always a tough team to beat. I worked one football season in Idaho and had to make picks of the high school games, and I learned one phrase quickly: “Always take the Lake, unless they’re playing Snake.” (Snake River, a consistent 3A power, was always Bear Lake’s nemesis in Idaho’s 3A District V.)

Cokeville, meanwhile, enrolls 74 students, and is the smallest 11-man football school in Wyoming.

That size disparity was, in part, why the Bears rarely played the Panthers, even though the two schools are only 32 miles apart. In fact, Bear Lake (and its predecessor in name, Montpelier High) have only played each other three times.

And guess who has the advantage? The little guys.

Cokeville is 2-1 all-time against Bear Lake/Montpelier. Montpelier beat Cokeville 13-0 in 1934, but Cokeville beat Montpelier 12-6 in 1969 and Bear Lake 22-0 in 1982.

Take note, though: Cokeville tends to play Bear Lake/Montpelier only when the Panthers have loaded teams.

For example, the Panthers’ 1969 squad (with quarterback Todd Dayton) is considered one of the school’s best. Cokeville went 8-0 that season, winning five of those games by at least 50 points on their way to a mythical Class B championship. The Panthers’ two closest games were against Byron in the season opener (20-18) and against Montpelier in the season finale (12-6). While the first seven victories helped Cokeville prove its strength, the eight victory against the big guys up the road was the one that cemented the squad as legendary in the Cokeville coffee klatsches.

And in 1982, the Panthers finished one point away from the playoffs. That year, Cokeville lost 8-7 to eventual Class B champ Lyman in the regular-season finale. The two actually tied for the conference championship, but Lyman’s head-to-head victory earned it the Southwest’s lone Class B playoff spot. The next year, Cokeville moved to the newly created Class 1A and ran off a string of eight championships in nine years.

Now, in 2014, Cokeville and Bear Lake play again, thanks in part to Zero Week’s freedom for Wyoming small schools and Bear Lake’s schedule changes due to its move to 2A.

Cokeville has won three Class 1A 11-man championships the past four years and has one of the largest senior classes in recent memory. Like 1969 and 1982, these Panthers could be one of the best teams in school history.

After all, Bear Lake only shows up on the schedule when Cokeville is better than usual.

Here are the Zero Week picks, with projected winners in bold:

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Natrona
Cheyenne East at Rock Springs
Evanston at Cheyenne South
Kelly Walsh at Gillette
Laramie at Sheridan
Class 3A
Riverton at Worland
Class 1A six-man
Midwest at Meeteetse
Interstate
Jackson at Teton, Idaho
Lyman at Altamont, Utah
Newcastle at Custer, S.D.
Powell at Miles City, Mont.
Saturday
Interstate
Bridgeport, Neb., at Southeast
Cody at Laurel, Mont.
Cokeville at Bear Lake, Idaho

The rest of the Zero Week schedule includes these scrimmages and jamborees:

Friday
Big Piney at Pinedale
Big Horn vs. Lander, at Casper (Kelly Walsh)
Greybull, Shoshoni at Thermopolis
Kemmerer, Riverside, Tongue River at Riverton
Wheatland at Torrington
Saturday
Burns at Lusk
Dubois, Farson, Hanna at Lander
Glenrock at Rawlins
Green River vs. Douglas, at Laramie
Guernsey, Ten Sleep at Kaycee
Lingle vs. Wind River, at Kelly Walsh (this scrimmage was canceled)
Lovell at Buffalo
Rock River at Snake River
Saratoga at Pine Bluffs
Upton-Sundance at Wright

For a full schedule, including kickoff times, click here.

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As usual, Zero Week picks for all classifications except 4A come with a disclaimer about what’s a “game” and counted in the standings and what’s not. Remember, I count different than the WHSAA does. For the record, here are the criteria I use to judge whether or not to call an event a “game,” and therefore list it in the standings (and, eventually, as part of the team record on this site):

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

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

3. Was score kept?

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

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The best part about Zero Week is that we finally get to stop talking and start playing. It feels nice, doesn’t it? Any games drawing your interest? Any picks you think I got wrong? Any scrimmages or jamborees that could be telling despite not counting? Post a comment and let’s talk about it.

–patrick