WESAA: How Wyoming school sports might look from the elementary perspective

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Our American school system typically follows a basic pattern: numerous elementary schools, a good number of junior highs, only a handful of high schools.

But what if we switched the system? Big elementary schools, numerous small high schools? What if our school system started at the trunk of the tree and branched out instead of starting at the leaves and working toward the trunk?

And what if sports followed the same organizational pattern? Let’s put the education arguments aside for a second and focus instead on the sports. In Wyoming, under this system the school sports in the state would be controlled not by the biggest cities, but by the biggest schools, in part because of how elementary schools are organized.

In Wyoming, under this system the school sports in the state would be controlled not by the biggest cities, but by the biggest schools, in part because of how elementary schools are organized statewide.

Several cities in Wyoming decided to divide their elementary schools by grade level rather than geography. Jackson, for example, has its youngest students attending Jackson Elementary and its older students attending Colter Elementary. Lander, Buffalo, Torrington and Wheatland do basically the same thing.

And at least in the case of Lander, Jackson, Buffalo and Torrington, that decision has them as among the biggest schools in the state in terms of K-3 enrollment. Actually, most of Wyoming’s biggest schools in K-3 terms are in towns we would currently call Class 3A. If we were to organize them and classify them by enrollment, as high schools are now, those communities dominate the top spots. In this scenario, these schools — rather than the Gillettes, Natronas, Kelly Walshes and so on — would be the biggest and baddest progams in the state.

Jackson/Colter is by far the largest at 762 K-3 students, but it’s Lander, Rawlins, Douglas, Buffalo, Torrington, Pinedale and Star Valley’s two schools taking up spots two through nine.

An elementary school from one of Wyoming’s big cities doesn’t show up until Cheyenne’s Saddle Ridge Elemetary slides into the No. 10 spot. And after that, another school from the trio of Cheyenne, Casper and Gillette doesn’t show up until school No. 16, Lakeview Elementary in Gillette.

In our scenario, the power of the large school has shifted. Completely.

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The next step is to organize the schools into classifications, just as the WHSAA does currently for 9-12 enrollment.

In classifying these schools, I tried to look for round numbers and somewhat natural breaks. I took the 12 largest schools to make a “Class 4A,” and it just so happened that 300 was the break point on that. The next 75 schools became “Class 3A” with a break at about 180 students. After that came “Class 2A,” another 43 with a break at about 100 students, and finally “Class 1A” and 33 schools rounded out the field.

But there were some challenges to this organization.

Most Wyoming towns use a K-5, K-6 or K-12 model for their schools. The cities that don’t put all of their K-3 students into one school or into a relatively equal distribution into numerous K-4/5/6 schools. Some of these have already been noted, but here are the toughest such scenarios:

  • Riverton: Riverton kindergartners attend the same school (Aspen Early Learning Center) before being split into one of three elementary schools in the city that handle grades 1-3. They’re combined again in grades 4-5 at Rendezvous Elementary before moving on to Riverton Middle School.
  • Douglas: Douglas has Douglas Primary (K-1), Douglas Intermediate (2-3) and Douglas Upper (4-5) schools.
  • Torrington: Torrington students are split between Lincoln (K-2) and Trail (3-5) elementaries.
  • Buffalo: Buffalo students are split between Meadowlark (K-2) and Cloud Peak (3-5) elementaries.
  • Kemmerer/Diamondville: These students are split between Kemmerer (K-2) and Canyon (3-6) elementaries.
  • Wheatland: Wheatland students are split between Libbey (K-2) and West (3-5) elementaries.
  • Jackson: Jackson students are split between Jackson (K-2) and Colter (3-5) elementaries.

Wyoming has 163 schools fielding K-3 enrollments of at least 25 students (or, in the case of Clearmont, Glendo, Chugwater and Rock River, fielding enrollments in locations where high schools already exist). The enrollment totals of 34 more elementary schools with fewer than 25 students were added to the most geographically feasible elementary.

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In our “leaf-not-trunk” system, this is how classifications might break down, with K-3 enrollment as listed by the Wyoming Department of Education listed.

Class 4A
Jackson/Colter 762
Gannett Peak (Lander) 571 (with Jeffrey City (5))
Rawlins 561 (with Desert (Wamsutter) (14))
Douglas Primary/Intermediate 508 (with Dry Creek (9), Moss Agate (9), Shawnee (7), Walker Creek (5), White (8))
Afton 435
Thayne 379
Meadowlark/Cloud Peak (Buffalo) 373
Lincoln/Trail (Torrington) 350
Pinedale 342 (with Bondurant (5))
Saddle Ridge (Cheyenne) 331
Uinta Meadows (Evanston) 326
Westridge (Rock Springs) 305

Class 3A
Willow Creek (Riverton) 300 (with estimated 57 kindergarten)
Stagecoach (Rock Springs) 294
Mountain View 289 (with McKinnon (13))
Lakeview (Gillette) 285
Summit (Casper) 284
Dildine (Cheyenne) 278
Verda James (Casper) 278
Paradise Valley (Casper) 277
Sage (Rock Springs) 276
Ft. Caspar Academy (Casper) 269
Afflerbach (Cheyenne) 265
Truman (Green River) 264
Buffalo Ridge (Gillette) 256
Ashgrove (Riverton) 254 (with estimated 57 kindergarten)
Coffeen (Sheridan) 251
Hillcrest (Gillette) 251
Jackson (Riverton) 250 (with estimated 57 kindergarten)
Sunrise (Cheyenne) 247
Libbey/West (Wheatland) 246
Highland Park (Sheridan) 245
Pronghorn (Gillette) 245
Velma Linford (Laramie) 240 (with Harmony (12), Centennial (4), Valley View (5))
Sunflower (Gillette) 238
Oregon Trail (Casper) 235 (with Red Creek (6))
Urie 235
Prairie Wind (Cheyenne) 234
Hobbs (Cheyenne) 233
Northpark (Rock Springs) 233
Conestoga (Gillette) 231
Indian Paintbrush (Laramie) 231
Lovell 227
Crest Hill (Casper) 224
Glenn Livingston (Cody) 223 (with Valley (4), Wapiti (5))
Sagebrush (Sheridan) 223
Newcastle 222
Park (Casper) 220
Spring Creek (Laramie) 220
Moorcroft 218
North Evanston 218
Southridge (Casper) 218
Manor Heights (Casper) 215
Meadowlark (Sheridan) 215
Aspen (Evanston) 213
Cottonwood (Casper) 213
Sagewood (Casper) 212
Wyoming Indian 212
Anderson (Cheyenne) 211
Prairie Wind (Gillette) 211
Southside (Powell) 209
Eastside (Cody) 207
Westside (Powell) 207 (with Clark (10))
Sunset (Cody) 206
Arp (Cheyenne) 205
Baggs (Cheyenne) 204
Paintbrush (Gillette) 203
Desert View (Rock Springs) 201
Kemmerer/Canyon 199
Glenrock 197 (with Boxelder (5))
Rossman (Cheyenne) 197
Harrison (Green River) 196
Overland (Rock Springs) 195
Jackson (Green River) 194
Stocktrail (Gillette) 194
Wagonwheel (Gillette) 194
Lincoln (Casper) 191
Woodland Park (Sheridan) 191
Rozet 190
Freedom (Cheyenne) 189
Goins (Cheyenne) 186
Bain (Cheyenne) 185
Ralph Witters (Thermopolis) 185
Rocky Mountain (Cowley) 184
Arapahoe 182
Fort Washakie 182
Evansville 181

Class 2A
Lusk 178 (with Lance Creek (3))
Henderson (Cheyenne) 174
Pioneer Park (Cheyenne) 171
Slade (Laramie) 171
Tongue River 167 (with Slack (3))
Washington (Green River) 166 (with Granger (3))
Walnut (Rock Springs) 164
Beitel (Laramie) 162
Davis (Cheyenne) 162
Rawhide (Gillette) 161 (with Little Powder (16), Recluse (9))
Meadowlark (Gillette) 159
Pineview (Casper) 158
Big Horn 156 (with Story (13))
Lincoln (Rock Springs) 153
Willard (Casper) 153
Bar Nunn 150
Burns 150
Alta Vista (Cheyenne) 145
Jessup (Cheyenne) 139
Parkside (Powell) 139
Wilson 139
Buffalo Ridge (Cheyenne) 138
Cole (Cheyenne) 138
University Park (Casper) 138
Clark (Evanston) 135
Fairview/Lebhart (Cheyenne) 133 (Lebhart has only K-2, Fairview starts at 3)
Greybull 132
Shoshoni 129
Big Piney 127
Mills 126
East Side (Worland) 125
West Side (Worland) 123
South Side (Worland) 122
Grant (Casper) 121
UW Lab School (Laramie) 121
PODER Academy (Cheyenne) 118
Snowy Range Academy (Laramie) 117
Deming (Cheyenne) 116
Sundance 116
Mountain View (Casper) 111
Wind River 109 (with Crowheart (14))
Saratoga 105
Cottonwood (Wright) 104

Class 1A
Upton 92
Hebard (Cheyenne) 91
Guernsey-Sunrise 88
Lingle-Fort Laramie 86
Pine Bluffs 80
Poison Spider (Casper) 77 (with Powder River (4))
Little Snake River Valley 76
Laura Irwin (Basin) 75
Cokeville 75
Southeast 75 (with LaGrange (14))
Hanna 72 (with Elk Mountain (10), Medicine Bow (11))
Woods Learning Center (Casper) 71
Gilchrist (Cheyenne) 68 (with Clawson (5), Willadsen (2))
Burlington 62
Carpenter 58
Laramie Montessori 52
Farson-Eden 40
Dubois 39
Kelly 39 (with Moran (11))
Midwest 37
Ten Sleep 36
La Barge 35 (with Thoman Ranch (1))
Encampment 33
Kaycee 33
Albin 32
Meeteetse 32
Hulett 27
4-J (Gillette) 25
Alta 25
Clearmont 24 (with Arvada (10))
Chugwater 20
Glendo 18
Rock River 18 (with Notch Peak (1))

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Breaking down the schools into conferences proved to be a tougher challenge due to the odd number splits. Some classificiations did not end up with a good, round number for state qualifications, but they’re sound geographically….

Class 4A West
Jackson/Colter 762
Afton 435
Thayne 379
Pinedale 342 (with Bondurant (5))
Uinta Meadows (Evanston) 326
Westridge (Rock Springs) 305

Class 4A East
Gannett Peak (Lander) 571 (with Jeffrey City (5))
Rawlins 561 (with Desert (Wamsutter) (14))
Douglas 508 (with Dry Creek (9), Moss Agate (9), Shawnee (7), Walker Creek (5), White (8))
Meadowlark/Cloud Peak (Buffalo) 373
Lincoln/Trail (Torrington) 350
Saddle Ridge (Cheyenne) 331

—

Class 3A Northwest (8)
Lovell 227
Glenn Livingston (Cody) 223 (with Valley (4), Wapiti (5))
Southside (Powell) 209
Eastside (Cody) 207
Westside (Powell) 207 (with Clark (10))
Sunset (Cody) 206
Ralph Witters (Thermopolis) 185
Rocky Mountain (Cowley) 184

Class 3A Central (9)
Willow Creek (Riverton) 300 (with estimated 57 K)
Paradise Valley (Casper) 277
Ft. Caspar Academy (Casper) 269
Ashgrove (Riverton) 254 (with estimated 57 K)
Jackson (Riverton) 250 (with estimated 57 K)
Oregon Trail (Casper) 235 (with Red Creek (6))
Wyoming Indian 212
Arapahoe 182
Fort Washakie 182

Class 3A Southwest (13)
Stagecoach (Rock Springs) 294
Mountain View 289 (with McKinnon (13))
Sage (Rock Springs) 276
Truman (Green River) 264
Urie 235
Northpark (Rock Springs) 233
North Evanston 218
Aspen (Evanston) 213
Desert View (Rock Springs) 201
Kemmerer/Canyon 199
Harrison (Green River) 196
Overland (Rock Springs) 195
Jackson (Green River) 194

Class 3A Powder River East (9)
Lakeview (Gillette) 285
Buffalo Ridge (Gillette) 256
Hillcrest (Gillette) 251
Sunflower (Gillette) 238
Conestoga (Gillette) 231
Newcastle 222
Moorcroft 218
Stocktrail (Gillette) 194
Rozet 190

Class 3A Powder River West (9)
Coffeen (Sheridan) 251
Highland Park (Sheridan) 245
Pronghorn (Gillette) 245
Sagebrush (Sheridan) 223
Meadowlark (Sheridan) 215
Prairie Wind (Gillette) 211
Paintbrush (Gillette) 203
Wagonwheel (Gillette) 194
Woodland Park (Sheridan) 191

Class 3A Casper (10)
Summit (Casper) 284
Verda James (Casper) 278
Manor Heights (Casper) 215
Crest Hill (Casper) 224
Park (Casper) 220
Southridge (Casper) 218
Cottonwood (Casper) 213
Sagewood (Casper) 212
Lincoln (Casper) 191
Evansville 181

Class 3A East Cheyenne (8)
Dildine (Cheyenne) 278
Sunrise (Cheyenne) 247
Libbey/West (Wheatland) 246
Anderson (Cheyenne) 211
Arp (Cheyenne) 205
Baggs (Cheyenne) 204
Glenrock 197 (with Boxelder (5))
Bain (Cheyenne) 185

Class 3A Vedauwoo (9)
Afflerbach (Cheyenne) 265
Velma Linford (Laramie) 240 (with Harmony (12), Centennial (4), Valley View (5))
Prairie Wind (Cheyenne) 234
Hobbs (Cheyenne) 233
Indian Paintbrush (Laramie) 231
Spring Creek (Laramie) 220
Rossman (Cheyenne) 197
Freedom (Cheyenne) 189
Goins (Cheyenne) 186

—

Class 2A Northwest (8)
Parkside (Powell) 139
Wilson 139
Greybull 132
Shoshoni 129
East Side (Worland) 125
West Side (Worland) 123
South Side (Worland) 122
Wind River 109 (with Crowheart (14))

Class 2A Northeast (7)
Tongue River 167 (with Slack (3))
Rawhide (Gillette) 161 (with Little Powder (16), Recluse (9))
Meadowlark (Gillette) 159
Pineview (Casper) 158
Big Horn 156 (with Story (13))
Sundance 116
Cottonwood (Wright) 104

Class 2A Southwest (6)
Washington (Green River) 166 (with Granger (3))
Walnut (Rock Springs) 164
Lincoln (Rock Springs) 153
Clark (Evanston) 135
Big Piney 127
Saratoga 105

Class 2A Casper/Central (7)
Lusk 178 (with Lance Creek (3))
Willard (Casper) 153
Bar Nunn 150
University Park (Casper) 138
Mills 126
Grant (Casper) 121
Mountain View (Casper) 111

Class 2A Cheyenne (7)
Henderson (Cheyenne) 174
Burns 150
Alta Vista (Cheyenne) 145
Buffalo Ridge (Cheyenne) 138
Cole (Cheyenne) 138
Fairview/Lebhart (Cheyenne) 133 (Lebhart has only K-2, Fairview starts at 3…)
PODER Academy (Cheyenne) 118

Class 2A Vedauwoo (8)
Pioneer Park (Cheyenne) 171
Slade (Laramie) 171
Beitel (Laramie) 162
Davis (Cheyenne) 162
Jessup (Cheyenne) 139
UW Lab School (Laramie) 121
Snowy Range Academy (Laramie) 117
Deming (Cheyenne) 116

—

Class 1A Northeast (8)
Upton 92
Poison Spider (Casper) 77 (with Powder River (4))
Woods Learning Center (Casper) 71
Midwest 37
Kaycee 33
Hulett 27
4-J (Gillette) 25
Clearmont 24 (with Arvada (10))

Class 1A Southeast (10)
Hebard (Cheyenne) 91
Guernsey-Sunrise 88
Lingle-Fort Laramie 86
Pine Bluffs 80
Southeast 75 (with LaGrange (14))
Gilchrist (Cheyenne) 68 (with Clawson (5), Willadsen (2))
Carpenter 58
Albin 32
Chugwater 20
Glendo 18

Class 1A Southwest (8)
Little Snake River Valley 76
Cokeville 75
Hanna 72 (with Elk Mountain (10), Medicine Bow (11))
Laramie Montessori 52
Farson-Eden 40
La Barge 35 (with Thoman Ranch (1))
Encampment 33
Rock River 18 (with Notch Peak (1))

Class 1A Northwest (7)
Laura Irwin (Basin) 75
Burlington 62
Dubois 39
Kelly 39 (with Moran (11))
Ten Sleep 36
Meeteetse 32
Alta 25

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We know what 9-12 sports in Wyoming looks like — for now. The Wyoming High School Activities Association is considering some big changes to that system this month. Regardless of how those decisions come down, sometimes looking at a problem from a fantasy perspective — like the WESAA instead of the WHSAA — might give us insights into the systems we actually do have.

I don’t know about you, but a 3A state championship showdown between Stagecoach and Buffalo Ridge sounds pretty fun. …

–patrick

Changed class, repeated as state champ: Will Big Horn join a short list?

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Big Horn moves from Class 2A to Class 1A 11-man in 2017 — and that should make everyone in Class 1A 11-man more than a little scared.

The Rams were state champs at the 2A level last season despite being the smallest school in the classification. Next year, with Thunder Basin coming into 4A and causing a cascade of class changes, the Rams will move into 1A 11-man.

If Big Horn wins a title in 2017 after changing classifications, they’ll be just the seventh team — and the second program — to do so. The Rams would join Cokeville and Southeast as the only programs to have won back-to-back state titles despite switching classifications from one year to the next.

In all, 11 teams in state history have moved classifications after winning a state title; Big Horn will make the 12th. Yet only the Panthers and Cyclones won a state title the next year.

Cokeville has pulled off the feat three times, winning the 1988 1A title and the 1989 2A title; the 1989 2A title and the 1990 1A 11-man title; and the 1994 1A 11-man title and the 1995 1A Division II title. Two of those came near the 1989 season, when Cokeville opted up to 2A after 1A became a nine-man-only division for that season, prior to the state’s move from four to five classifications in 1990.

Southeast, meanwhile, has done this three times, too: The Cyclones won the 2000 1A Division II title and the 2001 2A title, the 2006 2A and the 2007 1A title, and the 2008 1A and the 2009 1A 11-man title.

In those six cases, three championships came when moving up a class and three titles came when moving down, like Big Horn will do next year.

In addition to the Cokeville and Southeast changes noted, six other teams tried, and failed, to repeat as state champion despite changing classifications after a title-winning season. Five of those six teams moved up in classification after winning a title. Teams that failed to repeat after changing include Burlington in 1995 (1A nine-man to 1A Division II); Cowley in 1956 (B six-man to B 11-man); Green River in 1977 (A to AA); Lingle in 1991 (1A nine-man to 1A 11-man); Tongue River in 1957 (B six-man to B eight-man); and Worland in 1960 (A to AA).

(Note: Changes in name classification alone are not considered here; for example, Big Piney won the 2000 2A title and the 2001 3A title, but that was a case of a classification renaming than a classification change. Additionally, champions from shift years 1982 and 1989, where the state went from three to four and four to five classifications, respectively, are not noted here unless the team actually moved in classification in more than just name, as Cokeville did in 1989 to 1990.)

–patrick

(Post updated 10:14 a.m. Feb. 8, 2017, to note Southeast’s 2006-07 repeat at different classifications.)

2017 way-too-early top 5s

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The state championship games are 10 months away. Seems like the perfect time to predict who might win those games, right?

Here’s a peek at the 2017 top fives for each classification of Wyoming high school football, way sooner than is advisable to do so:

4A
1. Sheridan: The two-time defending 4A champions return three all-state players (seniors Blayne Baker, Kyle Custis and Sam Smart) and tons of program momentum. The Broncs will need to find a new quarterback and rebuild big chunks of their line, but the precedent is there for Sheridan to do just that.
2. Natrona: No doubt, the most improved team in 4A last year was Natrona. The Mustangs relied a lot on juniors last year, and it showed early but paid off late — and will pay off big this year, as the Mustangs’ four returning all-state players (Mason Gallegos, Dan Slack, Brett Brenton and Riley Shepperson) is best among all 4A schools.
3. Gillette: With four first-team all-conference returning players, the Camels should be in good shape to challenge again. The big question hanging over the team in the offseason is how much talent will defect to Thunder Basin, putting into question something as simple as who’s back and who’s not.
4. Laramie: The Plainsmen are easy to overlook after losing a strong senior class, but they bring back three first-team all-conference players (seniors Nate Burman and Garrett Worden and junior Jason Upton) and are in great shape to notch their first winning season in almost two decades.
5. Rock Springs: This year is the test for the Tigers: Do they have a system that works, or did the players in that system the last couple years take it beyond expectations? With just a pair of first-team all-conference players back (senior linemen Bryan Mattinson and Will Petrovich), it’s time to see if the program can sustain itself.
Dark horse: Kelly Walsh. The Trojans had a nice breakthrough season in 2016; it’s easy to forget that KW hosted a playoff game last year. That should help build some momentum for a team that brings back only a pair of first-team all-conference picks.

3A
1. Star Valley: The Braves have some holes to fill but bring back three all-state performers (seniors Josh Dawson, Cosmo Morgan and Noah Hutchinson), tied for the most in 3A. And then there’s the momentum of back-to-back championships.
2. Torrington: Six of the Trailblazers’ seven all-conference picks from a year ago are back. Yes, really. No team is in a better position to make an immediate run at a state title than Torrington; the key will be if it can continue to grow as the season (and this summer) goes along.
3. Powell: The Panthers were young but talented last year; they’ll have back three all-state picks from a team that finished as state runners-up. Seniors Brooks Asher and Max Gallagher will help make the Panthers a tough team to stop.
4. Green River: The Wolves will return four all-conference players, led by senior Cole White, Green River’s lone returning all-state selection. Quarterback Chance Hofer and running back Candon Croft could form one of 3A’s best 1-2 backfield punches in 2017; watch out.
5. Douglas: Riverton and Buffalo are lurking, but the Bearcats develop young talent as well as any team in the state, regardless of class. With just one of the 11 all-conference picks from last year returning this year, they’ll need to do so quickly.
Dark horse: Riverton. How many 3-6 teams actually outscore their opponents during the season? Riverton did just that in 2016. And the Wolverines get back a pair of offensive threats and defensive cornerstones in seniors Brodie Roden and Jaren Draper.

2A
1. Glenrock: Believe it or not, no team in 2A brings back more than one all-state player this year. But the Herders also have back five all-conference players — highest in 2A — from a team that was undefeated until the semis.
2. Greybull: The Buffs lost a ton of seniors from last year’s state runner-up squad but return a pair of key all-conference players in senior Riley Hill and junior Zack Keisel.
3. Mountain View: The Buffalos’ depth will be a question, as seven all-conference players are gone, but Mountain View does return all-conference picks Jason Stoddard and Colby Rees and should be a contender again.
4. Lyman: The three all-conference players the Eagles return is second only to Big Piney in the West Conference. Beaudee Bluemel may be one of 2A’s most versatile players, while linemen Wesley Eyre and Dryden Menck will provide stability.
5. Wheatland: The Bulldogs get back a pair of all-conference players, and QB Trevor Vaughn and wideout Zac Gunter will form an explosive pairing. If the line can develop, the Bulldogs might be a surprise.
Dark horse: Big Piney. The Punchers were 1-7 last year but return all four of their all-conference players (most in the West Conference) after losing only a handful of talent to graduation.

1A 11-man
1. Big Horn: Last year’s 2A champ is the early favorite after moving down to 1A 11-man thanks to three returning all-state players. And Kade Eisele, Seth Mullinax and Kade VanDyken are all juniors — setting up the Rams for a title run not only this year but next year, too.
2. Cokeville: The Panthers are loaded. They return four of their five all-state players (Hunter Cheney, Rick Nate, Antheny Petersen and Cordell Viehweig will all be seniors) and six of seven all-conference choices. Cokeville’s stiffest challenge to a West Conference title will be injuries.
3. Pine Bluffs: Repeating as champs will be tough in a loaded 1A 11-man this year, but the Hornets are up to the challenge. They return three all-state choices with seniors Haize and Wyatt Fornstrom and junior Hunter Jeffres, and they’ll be buoyed by the confidence that comes from winning the school’s first state championship.
4. Upton-Sundance: Don’t write off the Patriots, who only return one all-state choice in Dawson Butts but have lost just twice in the past two years. There’s some rebuilding to do, but the Patriots’ pedigree for success runs deep.
5. Pick ’em: Any number of teams could fill this spot: Rocky Mountain, Saratoga, Shoshoni, Tongue River, Southeast… but all of them will rely on unproven talent to make a dent past the regular season.
Dark horse: Again, pick ’em. This will be a year of change in 1A 11-man. The four favorites are clear. Everything else looks muddy, muddy, muddy.

1A six-man
1. Kaycee: The defending champs ride a 20-game winning streak into 2017, and with class-best tallies in returning all-state players (four) and all-conference players (five), the Buckaroos are favorites to win it all again.
2. Farson: The Pronghorns were breakthrough challengers in the West and with three returning all-state players, they figure to challenge again. Juniors Lain Mitchelson and Clancy Gines and senior Cruz Lucero will put the Pronghorns in prime position to win the West for the second year in a row.
3. Meeteetse: The Longhorns return a trio of all-conference selections in seniors Braenn Smith and Josh Graybill and junior Kirwin Johnson. Meeteetse won’t be overlooked, but it will have work to do to catch up to Farson.
4. Snake River: The Rattlers get back one of six-man’s top players in J.D. Corson and two other returning all-conference selections in Kameron Evans and Thomas Duncan. But they’ll have to adjust to a new coach, which always takes time.
5. Guernsey-Sunrise: The most likely challenger to Kaycee in the East, the Vikings return three all-conference selections. Seniors Garrett Oneyear and Gage Koetmann and junior Dylan Rose will keep the Vikings in contention.
Dark horse: Burlington. The Huskies proved they could hang with six-man’s best last year. However, they only get back one all-conference player, and have some work to do to prove they can remain one of the West’s tougher teams to beat.

What do you think? Who’s poised for a breakthrough in 2017? Who’s falling off the radar too soon? Post a comment and let’s work through what the 2017 season may bring us!

–patrick

1970 and 1971 Class B all-conference teams: When all-state doesn’t mean all-state

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In both 1970 and 1971, a Class B all-state team was not selected.

The reason given at the time? Extreme partisanship on the part of the voting from coaches.

This was a confusing time in all-state selections for Wyoming. The Wyoming Coaches Association started making its first official all-state team picks right around this time. The WCA’s picks were a direct challenge to the all-state teams as chosen by the Associated Press and the United Press International, which had chosen the all-state teams prior to the WCA.

The AP’s and UPI’s all-state teams were consistently chosen by a panel, but the makeup of that panel was (1) not made public and (2) varied from year to year. Some years, coaches participated; some years, media participated; some years, it was only one or the other. The first WCA all-state team I can find was published in 1969 — right in the middle of some unprecedented upheaval in Class B selections.

Coaches in certain regions, maybe out of loyalty, or maybe because they were following rules on how previous all-state teams were chosen, voted only for their region’s players for the all-state team. Consequently, certain all-state teams were loaded with players from a certain region or a certain side of the state, regardless of whether those players were actually the best players in the classification.

For example, look at 1969 — the last year that a Class B all-state team was picked prior to the non-choices of 1970 and 1971. Here’s the Class B all-state team from the Associated Press’ panel of coaches:

First team: HULETT: Ed Wilson, G; Wayne Aaberg, B. MIDWEST: Dave Harshman, E; Dale Miller, C; Randy Macy, B. SUNDANCE: Jim Viergets, T; Perry Livingston, G; Gary Roadifer, B. TONGUE RIVER: Jim Sobotka, E. UPTON: Terry Wham, T; Bimbo Rankin, B. Second team: BIG HORN: Jim Mackey, E. COKEVILLE: Keith Nate, B; Todd Dayton, B. LINGLE: Jim Hill, C. MIDWEST: Bob Eldridge, E; Brad Chapman, B. MOORCROFT: Jim Klentz, T. SUNDANCE: Alan Harper, B. TONGUE RIVER: Anton Bocek, T; J.C. Gupton, G. UPTON: Tom Barritt, G.

And here’s the 1969 all-state team from the Wyoming Coaches Association:

First team: BIG HORN: Joe Mackey, E/DE; Wayne Daly, LB. COKEVILLE: Terry Allen, E; Rick Netherly, OT; Sam Mennion, OG; Todd Dayton, QB; Keith Nate, HB; Dave Teichert, HB; Vaughn Lloyd, DT; Randall Thompson, LB; John Bird, DB. GOSHEN HOLE: Larry Yates, S. LINGLE: Greg France, OG/LB; Jim Hill, C. MOUNTAIN VIEW: J. Aimone, OG. PINE BLUFFS: Steve Thompson, E/DT. PINEDALE: Dale Wall, DE; Dave Heydt, DE. UPTON: Terry Wham, OT; Bimbo Rankin, FB; Tim Barrett, NG; Wayne Hudson, DB.

Notice a difference? Or a trend? In 1969, even with Lingle and Basin posting unbeaten seasons, Cokeville was the undisputed king of Class B play. Yet the AP all-state first team that year was made up completely of Northeast District players. Meanwhile, the WCA team neglected the Northwest District (which played eight-man, compared to 11-man for the other three districts) in its selections.

This was the continuation of a trend from 1967 and 1968, when the “all-state” teams from the AP and UPI mostly represented just one side of the state. In 1969, we got these competing — and hugely disparate — all-state teams. In both 1970 and 1971, no all-state Class B team was chosen (at least no team that I can find or am aware of), in part because of this extreme partisanship.

Instead, the districts picked their own all-conference teams those years, and Class B was left without an all-state squad of its own.

If you go looking for Class B all-state teams from those two years, good luck. Let me know if you find anything.

In the meantime, all we have left for individual player recognition from those two years are the all-conference teams. Jim Craig, an invaluable help to this site the past couple years, recently found the all-conference teams for Class B in those two years, and he was kind enough to share them with me for publishing here.

Even though all-state honors will forever elude these players — for reasons well beyond the scope of their control — we can draw attention to them here.

1971
Powder River Conference
First Team Offense
Big Horn: Bill Haratyk, C; Randy Gates, QB.
Clearmont: Don Roush, E.
Midwest: David Rogers, T; Gary Gasser, G; Bryan Graham, RB.
Sundance: Randy Proctor, G.
Tongue River: Dennis McCarthy, RB.
Upton: Ron Clyde, E; Cecil Strong, T; Chuck McAulay, RB.
First Team Defense
Hulett: Steve Storie, S.
Midwest: Steve Lubkin, LB; Joe Kagle, LB.
Moorcroft: Chris Jespersen, DE; Frank Lauters, LB.
Sundance: Tom Ferrell, DE.
Tongue River: Steve Switzer, DT; Richard Wolney, DT.
Upton: John Bullard, NG; Randy Materi, LB; Mick Esquivel, S.
Honorable Mention
Big Horn: Bob Caiola; Rod Ross.
Clearmont: David Chapham; Jerry Landry.
Hulett: Mike Nieman; Monty Nieman.
Midwest: Gary Gilbert; Rick Macy.
Moorcroft: Gari Gill; Bob Norris.
Sundance: Jim Viergets; Robin Hibbard.
Tongue River: Greg Johnston; Mike Jolovich.
Upton: Jerry Hunt; Don Watt.

Texas Trail Conference
First Team Offense
Glenrock: Terry Rainey, E; Steve Potter, T; Mike Ragan, QB; Dave Hatfield, HB.
Goshen Hole: Dan Yeik, HB.
Guernsey-Sunrise: Tom Fronapfel, G; Mike Klipstine, HB.
Lingle: John Kissel, G; Doug Jackson, HB.
Pine Bluffs: Rich Thurlow, E; Greg Henan, T; Lloyd Soule, C.
First Team Defense
Burns: Ron Butler, DB.
Glendo: Joe Foy, NG.
Glenrock: Ken Hoyt, DE; Jim Davies, DT; Fred Hiser, LB.
Goshen Hole: Len Bedient, LB.
Guernsey-Sunrise: Greg Putnam, DE.
Hanna: Ron Borrego, NG; Rudy Borrego, DB.
Lingle: Dan Sterkel, DT.
Pine Bluffs: Chuck Schimmel, LB; Mike Janicek, DB.
Saratoga: Chuck Craig, LB.
Honorable Mention (incomplete)
Burns: Craig Anderson; Rich Black.
Pine Bluffs: Greg Wilhelm; Carey Lanning.

Southwest Conference
First Team Offense
Big Piney: Larry Vickrey, G.
Cokeville: Ron LaBlue, E; Ron Tiechert, RB.
Lyman: Tom Redmon, G.
Mountain View: Bob Brisko, E; Martin Lammers, T; Wade Ruby, C; Gary Rash, QB; Zane Roitz, RB.
Pinedale: Steve Wilder, T; Bruce Dugan, QB; Rod Williams, RB.
First Team Defense
Big Piney: Hugh Evitt, DE; Mark Mickelson, DL; Solon Murdock, LB; Mike Thursby, DB.
Cokeville: Kelly Renfro, DL; Bryant Teichert, DB.
Lyman: Dugan Reese, LB.
Mountain View: Wendall Fraughton, DE; Rudy Zampedri, DL; Robin Arthur, LB; Dale Micheli, DB.
Pinedale: Mark Jorgensen, LB.
Honorable Mention
Big Piney: Mike Bury, RB; David Wilkerson, DE; John Ball, DB.
Lyman: Dennis Powers, T.

Big Horn Basin Conference
First Team Offense
Basin: John Eggerman, HB.
Byron: Allan Petrich, QB.
Cowley: Don Strom, E.
Deaver: Jim Gomendi, HB; David Weaver, E; Larry Simpson, G; Dan Cozzens, C.
Meeteetse: Wayne Todd, G.
First Team Defense
Byron: John Paxton, DE; Allan Petrich, LB.
Deaver: Lane Roberts, DE; Dan Cozzens, DT; Larry Simpson, DT; John Gomendi, LB.
Dubois: John Burns, S; Otto Wells, LB.
Second Team Offense
Basin: Kevin Lewis, C.
Byron: Randy Ames, HB.
Deaver: Lane Roberts, HB.
Dubois: John Burns, QB; George Yarborough, G; Mike Hesseltine, C.
Shoshoni: John Haggerty, E; Gene Calvert, G.
Wind River: Dave Westling, E.
Second Team Defense
Deaver: Stan Roberts, DE; Leland Zlomke, S.
Dubois: George Yarborough, LB.
Meeteetse: Larry Todd, DT.
Shoshoni: Gene Calvert, LB.
Wind River: Bruce Samson, DE; Vince Harris, DT; Mark Williams, LB.
Honorable Mention
Basin: Rusty Wenke.
Burlington: Dan Johnson.
Byron: Paul Hessenthaler.
Cowley: Nick Lewis.
Deaver: Craig Sorenson; Paul Wambeke.
Dubois: Bob Mikel; George Johnson.
Manderson: John Nelson; Dan Frisbee.
Meeteetse: Mike Ray.
Shoshoni: Doc St. Clair.
Wind River: Dick Jacques; Mervin Miller.

++++

1970
Powder River Conference
Offense
Clearmont: Wayne Landrey, HB.
Big Horn: Dave Masters, C.
Hulett: Wayne Aaberg, QB.
Midwest: Charlie Coleman, E; Jim Kintz, T; Gary Gasser, T; Randy Macy, HB.
Moorcroft: Lynn Jesperson, G.
Sundance: Tom Pridgeon, G.
Tongue River: Gary Laya, E.
Upton: Clif Abbott, FB.
Defense
Big Horn: Lynn Daly, DE; Alan Dow, NG.
Hulett: Ed Willson, DE.
Midwest: Dave Rogers, DT; Brad Chapman, NG; Steve Lupkin, LB.
Moorcroft: Charles Norris, DB.
Sundance: John Temke, LB; Mark Ferrell, DB.
Upton: Jerry Walker; Randy Materi, LB.

Texas Trail Conference
First Team Offense
Burns: Craig Anderson, E.
Glendo: John Cowger, E; John Woods, QB.
Glenrock: David Hatfield, HB.
Hanna: Don Lane, T; Gary McKenzie, HB.
Lingle: David Johnson, T; Gary Unverzagt, G; Russell Oliver, G; Chuck Parish, C; Phil Martin, HB.
First Team Defense
Hanna: Andy Dorn, DE; Don Lane, DT.
Glenrock: Glen Davies, DT; Dennis Monger, NG; Steve Porter, DB.
Goshen Hole: Ray Oaks, LB.
Guernsey-Sunrise: Bill Gorman, LB; Larry Balzan, DB.
Lingle: Bruce Borton, DE.
Pine Bluffs: Chuck Schimmel, LB; Lee May, DB.
Saratoga: Chuck Craig, LB.
Honorable Mention
Burns: Rich Steege; Ron Bulten.
Glendo: Rocky Slager; Buster Lay.
Glenrock: Mike Ragan; Tom Hill.
Goshen Hole: Pat McKinney; Dave Eaton.
Guernsey-Sunrise: Neal Hughes; Tom Stoneking.
Hanna: Mike Shurten; Dan Sanchez.
Lingle: Don Bremer.
Pine Bluffs: Eugene Russell; John Redden.
Saratoga: Bob Johnston; Joe Gaspar.

Big Horn Basin Conference
First Team Offense
Basin: Judd Johnson, QB; R.J. Cost, C.
Byron: Chad Deaton, HB; Sid Hetland, E.
Deaver: Jim Gomendi, HB; Larry Simpson, G.
Dubois: Justin Allison, E.
Shoshoni: Gene Calvert, G.
First Team Defense
Basin: Judd Johnson, DB.
Byron: Sid Hetland, DE; Chad Petrich, NG; Chad Deaton, LB.
Cowley: Tony Frost, LB.
Deaver: Jim Gomendi, LB.
Meeteetse: Randy Sheppard, DE.
Shoshoni: Roger Clinton, NG.
Second Team Offense
Basin: John Eggerman, HB.
Byron: Allen Petrich, QB.
Cowley: Roy Strom, HB; Tony Frost, E.
Deaver: Dan Zwimmer, G.
Dubois: Bob Tutton, C.
Meeteetse: Randy Sheppard, E.
Shoshoni: Richard Wagner, G.
Second Team Defense
Basin: Don Riley, DE.
Deaver: Gary Van Lake, DE; Larry Simpson, NG; Gene Borcher, LB.
Shoshoni: Richard Wagner, NG; Gene Calvert, LB; Elliott Weisz, LB; Gordon Medow, S.
Honorable Mention
Basin: Chuck Hopkin.
Burlington: Rick Aagard.
Byron: John Paxton.
Cowley: Wayne Stubbs.
Deaver: Dennis Irion.
Dubois: Oscar Kelsey.
Meeteetse: Rich Beard.
Shoshoni: Lee Lockhart.
Wind River: Durant.

Southwest Conference
First Team Offense
Big Piney: Steve Wenz, QB.
Mountain View: Bob Brisko, E; Kim Halford, T; Joe Aimone, G; Zane Roitz, RB.
Pinedale: Don Hanson, E; Steve Wilder, T; Gary Shriver, G; Tom Jackson, C; Tom Mitchell, RB; Paul Strickland, RB.
First Team Defense
Big Piney: Randy Nielson, DT; Roy Cramer, LB.
Cokeville: Ricky Peterson, DE; Joe Buckley, DT; Craig Taylor, LB.
Lyman: Emery Beck, DT.
Mountain View: Dale Micheli, DB; Robin Davis, DB.
Pinedale: Tom Hydt, DE; Dwayne Schwab, NG; Charles Golden, LB; Mark Kerbeck, DB.
Honorable Mention
Big Piney: Jerry David, G; Tom Sullivan, C; Craig Mooney, B; Jerry David, DT; Lyle Porter, DB.
Cokeville: Boyd Sparks, T; John Bird, B; Kelly Renfro, B; Jim Bruce, NG; Ron Lableu, DB.
Lyman: John Fackrell, E; Greg Huntington, G; Steve Condos, LB; Jim Norton, DB, Dugan Rees, DB.
Mountain View: Pete Aimone, G; Marty Foreman, QB; Martin Lammers, DT; Miles Moretti, LB.

–patrick

Who has hosted Wyoming’s state football championship games?

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Individual schools lost the ability to host state football championship games in 2009 — a fact with which some folks around the Equality State still haven’t reconciled.

However, there’s some consolation in knowing that almost every school in the state had a chance to host at least one championship game before the state’s move to a neutral championship site eight years ago.

In all, 52 Wyoming high schools (and 50 separate cities) have hosted at least one state championship game; only 13 haven’t, and of those 13, eight are at the six-man level.

The five 11-man programs who haven’t hosted a state title game in their program history are Cheyenne South, Newcastle, Saratoga, Wright and Wyoming Indian. South’s inclusion makes sense, having joined the varsity ranks in 2011 after title games had already been moved to Laramie. Of the remaining four, Wyoming Indian has yet to play in a state football title game; Newcastle’s one title-game appearance in 1981 came on the road; Wright has played in two title games, both on the road; and Saratoga has played in two title games and “hosted” the 1975 B title game, but opted to play it in Rawlins instead of Saratoga.

Of the eight six-man programs who haven’t hosted a title game, two have the entirety of their histories since 2009, when six-man came back fully (Kaycee, Rock River) and two others (Farson and Snake River) had sparse histories prior to 2009. The other four include Ten Sleep, which hasn’t yet played in a title game; St. Stephens and Normative Services, who have each played in one title game, each on the road; and Dubois, who’s played three title games on the neutral field in Laramie and a fourth on the road.

+++

In terms of host cities, Laramie, with 44 title games hosted (including all 40 since 2009), obviously leads the way. Casper also hosted neutral-site Class AA title games in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and has hosted 15 title games in all. Other towns around the state have hosted neutral-site title games for smaller-classification teams, mostly in the mid- to late 1970s. The total number of title games per town (not necessarily per school) includes:

Laramie: 44
Cokeville: 16
Casper: 15
Cheyenne: 10
Byron, Sheridan, Torrington: 8
Afton: 7
Big Piney, Evanston, Worland: 6
Big Horn, Douglas, Mountain View, Rawlins, Rock Springs, Thermopolis: 5
Buffalo, Cody, Lovell, Lusk, Midwest: 4
Burlington, Burns, Gillette, Hanna, Kemmerer, Riverton: 3
Dayton, Glenrock, Green River, Guernsey, Hulett, Jackson, Meeteetse, Powell, Sundance, Wheatland, Yoder: 2
Basin, Greybull, Lander, Lingle, Lyman, Moorcroft, Pavillion, Pine Bluffs, Pinedale, Shoshoni, Upton: 1

For more, dive into the newly rebuilt state championship game listings.

–patrick

District consolidation: Potential shake-up leaves vulnerable schools in difficult (and scary) spots

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It’s likely that as you read this, the Wyoming Legislature is trying to figure out the best way to handle a $400 million education funding shortfall. Among the possible plans is a recommendation that would have a big effect on high schools (and high school sports) — cutting the number of school districts in Wyoming from 48 to 23, or one district per county.

That proposal puts several high schools in the state at the risk of being closed.

No matter what action the legislature takes, those vulnerable schools won’t close now, and probably not next year.

But soon enough. So far, in Wyoming, district consolidation has always led to school closure.

The district consolidation proposal is part of a much wider education spending reduction discussion, and the Legislature has made no concrete recommendations. The state superintendent of public instruction, Jillian Balow, offered a bunch of alternative ways to save money.

District consolidation, though, remains possible.

While lawmakers and educators say that consolidating districts will not lead to school closures, history shows us otherwise.

Wyoming has been at 48 school districts for a while now, after a wave of district consolidation in the 1950s and 1960s. When the state went through its last wave of district consolidation, numerous schools closed, including 16 high schools in the 18 years from 1954-71. The loss of local control made it much easier for schools to be closed — especially when the consolidated district was not represented by anyone from that community on the board. While that diversion of power wasn’t the only reason those 16 schools didn’t survive district and school consolidation efforts, it sure didn’t help.

The fear of something similar happening soon has taken hold in many small districts today.

For example, look at Sheridan County School District No. 3 for Arvada-Clearmont schools. At 97 students K-12, the district has the lowest enrollment in the state, and it has per-pupil spending among the highest in the state. If the district were to be eliminated and combined with the district in nearby Sheridan, chances are good that no one from Clearmont or Arvada would be on that school board. Especially in a budget crunch, a school like Arvada-Clearmont becomes a target because of its high per-student spending and likely lack of representation.

Class 1A schools at Ten Sleep, Meeteetse, Dubois and Guernsey-Sunrise are in similar positions as the only high school in their district in a county that has multiple districts, as are several larger (and therefore more protected) schools at the 2A, 3A and 4A levels.

If lawmakers go through with the plans to consolidate districts to one per county, several schools would be put in extremely vulnerable positions — most noticeably, the smallest schools and the schools closest to each other. In addition to the likes of Arvada-Clearmont, Ten Sleep, Meeteetse, Dubois and Guernsey-Sunrise, vulnerable high schools include the state’s medium-sized high schools (think 2A and 3A range) that are close to another school but separated by the current district lines. Those schools, which are now in separate districts but would be in the same district under the proposed consolidation plan, include Lyman and Mountain View (six miles apart in Uinta County), Lovell and Rocky Mountain (six miles apart in Big Horn County), Greybull and Basin (eight miles apart in Big Horn County) and Big Horn (nine miles from Sheridan).

Schools already in the same district but that face consolidation at the district level are a bit more insulated; this would include Burns and Pine Bluffs (19 miles apart in the same district in Laramie County) and Encampment and Saratoga (20 miles apart in the same district in Carbon County). Also, smaller schools already joined to a bigger district may have some more insulation from being affected by district consolidation in and of itself. This includes the state’s two smallest high schools in Chugwater and Glendo — schools that have been part of Platte County School District No. 1 with nearby Wheatland for decades.

Other somewhat vulnerable schools that, like Chugwater and Glendo, are close to a much larger school that they already share a district with include a pair of Goshen County schools. Lingle is 10 miles from Torrington, while Southeast is 13 miles from Torrington. Despite the short distances, these schools likely won’t be as affected by district consolidation than others.

I’ve talked about consolidation here before. A couple times. But those posts came in better economic times for the state. They were more fiction and fantasy than reality.

The governor and legislators suggested district consolidation would only reduce administrative costs, and in the short term, that’s probably true.

But give it a few years.

The idea that consolidation of districts won’t lead to consolidation of schools seems like an empty promise.

Wyoming has seen eight high schools close since 1980. All of them were part of districts with other, larger, high schools in them. Every high school that’s been in its own district — like Arvada-Clearmont and its cohorts — has survived.

If coal prices are still down, and funding is short, and previously separate districts are now consolidated? The next logical step is to consolidate schools, too.

Minus some significant changes to the school funding model — specifically by changing sources of state income to pay for education — or minus the continued reliance on energy booms to make up for energy busts, district consolidation can’t help but eventually lead to school closures.

And about a dozen of Wyoming’s high schools are really vulnerable to a change like this.

Legislators, and the governor, would do well to keep that in mind this session.

–patrick

The amazing high school football connections to Wyoming’s 1943 NCAA basketball champions

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The 1943 NCAA champion Wyoming Cowboy basketball team had 15 members. Of those 15, six became head high school football coaches in Wyoming — an amazing ratio considering the total number of former UW basketball players to end up as head football coaches in the state.

The members of the 1943 national champs who went on to be head football coaches in the state were:

  • Vernon Jensen, of Lyman, was the head football coach at Lyman from 1948-51, going 10-9.
  • Antone “Tony” Katana, of Rock Springs, was the head football coach at Superior from 1948-53, going 26-24.
  • Earl “Shadow” Ray, of Casper, was the head football coach at Midwest in 1944, going 4-4.
  • Kenny Sailors, of Laramie via Hillsdale, was the head football coach at University Prep in 1942, going 0-1.
  • Jim Weir, of Green River, was the head football coach at Green River from 1947-52, going 38-18-3.
  • Donald Waite, of Scottsbluff, Neb., was the head football coach at Huntley in 1967, going 1-9.

Katana and Weir faced each other nine times while the coaches at their respective schools from 1948-51; Weir’s Wolves went 7-2 against Katana’s Dragons, with the biggest win a conference championship tiebreaker game in 1950 that helped propel Green River to the Class A title that year.

+++

Not all of the 15 members of the 1943 team lettered for the Cowboys that season. In all, though, 18 more Cowboy basketball lettermen beyond those on the 1943 team ended up as head football coaches in the state. However, it’s been a while since a Cowboy basketball player ended up as a head football coach; the last to do so was Ralph Winland, who lettered for the Cowboy basketball team 48 years ago, in 1968. Reverse chronologically by last letter date, they were:

  • Ralph Winland (lettered 1968, coach Cowley 1976, North Big Horn 1977-78)
  • Mike Harris (lettered 1961, coach Riverton 1974)
  • Nick Eliopulos (lettered 1952-54-55, coach Basin 1956)
  • Morris Samuelson (lettered 1950-51-52, coach Evanston 1956-57)
  • Robert Porter (lettered 1945-46, coach Shoshoni 1947-49)
  • Warren Capellen (lettered 1945, coach Pinedale 1950-54 and Kemmerer 1955-58)
  • Bill Strannigan (lettered 1941-42, coach University Prep 1941)
  • Jack Smith (lettered 1940-41, coach Reliance 1946-54)
  • George Dorrington (lettered 1938-39-40, coach Hanna 1950-52, Gillette 1953-60)
  • Lew Young (lettered 1936-38-39, coach Lingle 1942, Gillette 1944-46)
  • Willard West (lettered 1932-33-34-35, coach Green River 1935-37, Thermopolis 1938-40 and 1945)
  • Joe Schwartz (lettered 1930-31-32-33, coach Rawlins 1942-43, Natrona 1944-46, Rawlins 1949-52)
  • Jim Jiacoletti (lettered 1928-29-30, coach Superior 1932-36, Kemmerer 1937-42)
  • Robert Outsen (lettered 1926-27-28-29, coach Shoshoni 1932-33)
  • Oscar Erickson (lettered 1924-25-26-27, coach Sheridan 1929-31)
  • Don Harkins (lettered 1926-27, coach University Prep 1929)
  • Fred Layman (lettered 1918-19-20-21, coach Natrona 1925)
  • Andrew Willis (lettered 1915-16-17, coach Cowley 1921-23 and 1925, Lovell 1927-28)

The number of former Cowboy football lettermen who ended up as head football coaches in the state is much higher; that will be detailed in a future post.

–patrick

2017 Wyoming high school football schedule: Winners, losers, shifters and other observations from a year of change

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Now that the 2017 Wyoming high school football schedule is (mostly) put together, we can start to see some clear patterns emerge. Some schools won. Some schools lost. Some schools just changed. And two games in particular are just plain baffling.

THE WINNERS

Thunder Basin might have the best schedule of any 4A team, and the ‘Bolts had nothing to do with it. With the WHSAA setting the full schedule for 4A teams, Thunder Basin benefited. First — Thunder Basin only has four road games. Second — one of those four road games is just down South Douglas Highway at in-town foe Gillette. Third — of the three out-of-town road trips Thunder Basin has, two come in the last three weeks, meaning the ‘Bolts only leave Campbell County once in the first six weeks of the season. Clearly, the WHSAA learned from experience; the last new 4A school, Cheyenne South in 2011, was forced to open its program by playing at defending 4A champ Natrona in Casper for its first game.

Four teams also finagled the schedule to score five home games against only three road games: Farson, Meeteetse, Southeast and Moorcroft. Southeast and Moorcroft scored their fifth home game via sub-varsity opponents; Farson and Meeteetse, meanwhile, have full varsity schedules but managed to score five home games. Also, Farson scheduled a couple of its home games for darkness hours. Is a new football facility — with lights — in the works for the 1A six-man runners-up? (Let me know if it is!)

THE LOSERS

Douglas and Riverton ended up being the odd teams out of the Week 1 nonconference bonanza. While everyone else scored an opponent, these 3A East Conference foes were left with only each other. The answer, for now, will be a jamboree in Riverton involving the Wolverines, Bearcats, Bear Lake (Idaho) and JV teams from Gillette and Natrona — a schedule that is subject to change. It’s not perfect, but given the circumstances, it might be the best either team can do.

Rocky Mountain scheduled Big Horn for its season opener but still has open weeks for Weeks 2 and 3. The kicker is everyone else has filled their schedules for those weeks, so the Grizzlies will likely have to go the sub-varsity route to fill those weeks.

Both NSI and St. Stephens got put in a poke by ending up with only three home games this season; each team has five games on the road.

Newcastle also got five road games in weeks 1-8 but augmented that with a home game against traditional Zero Week foe Custer, S.D., so the Dogies aren’t in the dire straits that NSI and St. Stephens are.

THE SHIFTERS

Glenrock went up, big time. The 2A Herders went out and scheduled last year’s 2A runner-up and the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in last year’s semis, Greybull, for Week 1 before hosting 3A Lander in Week 2 and going to 3A Riverton in Week 3. Last year, Glenrock had Pinedale and Lyman in its nonconference slate — no slouches, but not the caliber of foe the Herders will see in 2017.

Conference rival Wheatland did Glenrock one better. The 2A Bulldogs scheduled three 3A teams — Torrington, Rawlins and Douglas — before its 2A East schedule starts.

Traditional 1A 11-man power Cokeville also upgraded its nonconference slate, picking up games against three 2A foes — Mountain View, Pinedale and Lyman — in Weeks 1-3.

Kemmerer, which enters 2017 on a state-record 36-game losing streak, had the chance to pick up a couple winnable games in its schedule. The 2A Rangers scheduled a pair of 1A 11-man teams that failed to qualify for last year’s playoffs — Saratoga in Week 1 and Lusk in Week 6 — in an attempt to get off the schneid.

Wyoming Indian scheduled three sub-varsity teams (JVs from Lander, Wind River and Riverton) for its nonconference games; however, if the Chiefs decide to play Lander in Lander, they won’t have a home game until Week 6.

+++

THE PLUSES

At a glance, travel does seem to be reduced, although maybe not as significantly as hoped due to the dominance of conference games on the schedule. Moorcroft, Lyman, Southeast, Wind River and Wyoming Indian had chances to fill their schedules with nearby sub-varsity opponents, while several teams have open weeks that may be filled with similar opponents prior to the start of the season. That’s fortunate — after all, that was one of the goals in giving nonconference scheduling abilities back to the schools.

Also, conference rearranging means we get to see a few rivalries come back — the Thunder Bowl between Big Horn and Tongue River is back for the first time since 2012, while is the rivalries between Burns and Pine Bluffs and the one between Upton-Sundance and Moorcroft are back after one-year hiatuses.

THE MINUSES

Two games on the 2017 schedule make absolutely no sense to me. Anyone out there want to try to explain these matchups to me logically? Because I can’t figure them out:

Rawlins at Wind River. In Week 3, the 3A Outlaws will make the trip to Pavillion to play the 1A 11-man Cougars. In some fantasy worlds, a 3A vs. 1A 11-man game would be cool to see, especially if the 1A 11-man team was wildly successful and the 3A school was among the smaller ones. (For example, wouldn’t it be fun to see Upton-Sundance or Big Horn take on Buffalo?) Instead, the Outlaws — who were 4-5 last year and a coin flip away from the playoffs — are playing a Wind River team that went 1-7 and beat only winless Wyoming Indian in the state’s smallest 11-man division. I don’t see how this game will be good for either team.

Torrington at Star Valley. I thought this Week 2 meeting between 3A rivals was the exact kind of nonconference game schools were trying to avoid. Instead, the Trailblazers will go 490 miles, one way, to Afton for this contest. FYI: Torrington is closer to Iowa and to Texas than it is to Afton.

What are your thoughts on the 2017 schedule? Leave a comment and let me know who you think did the best — and the worst — with their 2017 options.

–patrick

2017 Wyoming high school football schedule set

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As schools are now scheduling their own nonconference games, the 2017 Wyoming high school football schedule is likely to be much more malleable than previous seasons.

Even so, most schools have their 2017 schedules set. The schedules by week, as provided by the schools, are available here. (When schools listed different days or start times, the time provided by the home team was used. Evanston and Natrona did not submit schedules to wyoming-football.com despite repeated requests.)

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Here are the early picks for games of the week for each of the nine regular-season weeks:

Week 0: Rock Springs at Sheridan. Class 4A gets the jump start on everyone else, as usual, and this rematch of a 4A semifinal game from 2016 will probably be the most telling game of the week. Other key game: Cheyenne Central at Thunder Basin (first game for the ‘Bolts).

Week 1: Gillette at Natrona. Gillette’s only losses last year were to Natrona. Normally late in the season, this rivalry game between the Camels and Mustangs will be staged early in 2017. Other key games: Glenrock at Greybull; Snake River at Lingle; Cokeville at Mountain View; Wheatland at Torrington; Guernsey-Sunrise at Farson.

Week 2: Burlington at Farson. Beating Burlington early last season helped set the course for Farson’s undefeated regular season in 2016. Another early meeting could set the stage similarly in 2017 — for either team. Other key games: Natrona at Sheridan; Torrington at Star Valley; Lingle at Guernsey-Sunrise; Burns at Pine Bluffs; Newcastle at Upton-Sundance.

Week 3: Pine Bluffs at Big Horn. The 2016 2A champs host the 2016 1A 11-man champs. And it’s a conference game. Of all the games on the schedule for 2017, this one might be the most intriguing. Other key games: Cheyenne East at Cheyenne South; Star Valley at Evanston; Lovell at Mountain View; Shoshoni at Tongue River; Glenrock at Riverton; Snake River at Meeteetse.

Week 4: Riverton at Douglas. Riverton finished a deceiving 3-6 last season; the Wolverines have the firepower to keep up with anyone. 3A East rival Douglas knows that better than anyone. Other key games: Thunder Basin at Gillette; Cody at Green River; Greybull at Pinedale; Newcastle at Glenrock; Cokeville at Rocky Mountain; Tongue River at Pine Bluffs.

Week 5: Evanston at Green River. Since 1932, these two teams have missed each other on the schedule only a handful of times: From 1977-80 and from 2011-16. It’s nice to see this traditional rivalry back on the schedule. Other key games: Cheyenne East at Laramie; Gillette at Rock Springs; Lander at Riverton; Wheatland at Glenrock; Upton-Sundance at Southeast; Meeteetse at Burlington; Guernsey-Sunrise at Kaycee.

Week 6: 4A rivalry week. This week, we get the Capital Bowl with Cheyenne Central playing at Cheyenne East; we get the Oil Bowl with Kelly Walsh at Natrona; and we get the Energy Bowl with Sheridan at Gillette. These won’t just be rivalry games — they’ll likely all be key to playoff seeding, as well. Other key games: Jackson at Star Valley; Torrington at Douglas; Greybull at Lovell; Lyman at Mountain View; Pinedale at Big Piney; Big Horn at Upton-Sundance; Shoshoni at Rocky Mountain; Farson at Meeteetse; Kaycee at Lingle.

Week 7: Powell at Star Valley. This is one of three championship rematches this season (Natrona-Sheridan in Week 2 and Pine Bluffs-Tongue River in Week 4 the others). And this one might be the best game of that trio. Other key games: Pinedale at Lovell; Upton-Sundance at Tongue River; Kaycee at Midwest; Snake River at Burlington.

Week 8: Mountain View at Greybull. Both of these teams came up short of their championship dreams last season — Mountain View in a shocking quarterfinal upset, Greybull on the turf at War Memorial. This game could be key in 2017 to decide the 2A West champion. Other key games: Cheyenne East at Sheridan; Cheyenne South at Cheyenne Central; Rock Springs at Natrona; Powell at Cody; Riverton at Torrington; Star Valley at Green River; Cokeville at Shoshoni; Tongue River at Big Horn; Upton-Sundance at Pine Bluffs; Burlington at Riverside; Farson at Snake River.

See the full 2017 schedule here.

Coming later this week: The winners and losers with the new schedule. Which program benefited the most from scheduling its own nonconference games — and which schools got burned?

What are your thoughts on next year’s schedule? Leave a comment here and let’s use our words to express ourselves…

–patrick

2016 season wrap-up: Points galore, for better or worse, for Wyoming high school football teams

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The 2016 season has come to a close, and the latest chapter of Wyoming football history — minus all-state, all-America and Super 25 selections as well as individual season records — has been added to the site.

With that, a few notes worth mentioning about the 2016 season:

Scoring records

This year, scoring records didn’t stand a chance. That was clearest in the final game of the season: The 4A title game between Sheridan (56) and Natrona (28) ended with 84 points, the most ever in an 11-man title game in Wyoming.

Seven programs set records for most points in a season: Farson (699); Kaycee (670); Greybull (501); Burlington (471); Upton-Sundance (451); Pine Bluffs (332); and Cheyenne South (194). Meanwhile, seven programs also set records for the most points averaged per game: Farson (63.55); Kaycee (60.91); Lingle (55.13); Burlington (52.33); Greybull (45.55); Upton-Sundance (41.00); and Riverton (37.11).

As prolific as the offenses were, seeing so many teams set “negative” records for points allowed wasn’t a surprise. In fact, Hulett’s 589 points allowed this season was the most allowed by any team in state history. Other programs setting team “records” for the most points allowed in a season were Rock River (558); Normative Services (547); Ten Sleep (513); Riverside (406); Thermopolis (377); and Natrona (295). And six programs set records for most average points allowed: Rock River (69.75); Normative Services (68.38); Wyoming Indian (67.86); Hulett (65.44); Riverside (50.75); and Thermopolis (47.13).

Four of the seven highest points-allowed averages came in 2016, with Rock River (third at 69.75), Normative Services (fourth at 68.38), Wyoming Indian (fifth at 67.86) and Hulett (seventh at 65.44) making the “top” spots. Wyoming Indian’s 67.86 points allowed per game is the highest total of any 11-man season in state history.

However, two programs set defensive records. Kaycee set program records for fewest points allowed (168) and fewest average points allowed (15.27), while Cheyenne South set a program record for fewest points allowed per game (31.90).

Offensively, both Wyoming Indian and Rock River set program lows in points in a season and average points — Rock River with 119 points and 14.88 per game, Wyoming Indian with 6 points and 0.86 per game.

The 115 points scored combined between Torrington and Riverton in the Trailblazers’ 66-49 victory on Sept. 23 was the most combined points in an 11-man game in Wyoming since 1930 and the fifth-most ever.

Three of the seven highest-scoring playoff games in state history were in 2016; the 103 points scored between Star Valley (61) and Douglas (42) in the 3A semifinals ranks third all-time in 11-man games.

The rest of the scoring records are here.

Coaching

Kaycee coach Lee Kremers has two state titles in his first two years as head coach. That’s a rare feat: He joins Worland’s Lew Kelly (who won state titles his first four years as head coach from 1924-27), Southeast’s Mark Bullington (who won state titles his first three years as Southeast’s head coach from 1999-2001) and Thermopolis’ Chuck Syverson (who won titles his first two years in Thermopolis in 2009-10) as the only coaches in state history to pull off that accomplishment.

Also in that discussion is Star Valley’s McKay Young, who won a state title in his first year as the head coach at Star Valley.

Sheridan’s Don Julian has jumped into Wyoming’s top 10 for victories as a head coach. Julian now ranks seventh with 153 victories in Wyoming. Meanwhile, Natrona’s Steve Harshman ranks fourth with 180 and, of course, Cokeville’s Todd Dayton is atop the list with 304.

Team records

Sheridan extended its state record by winning its 25th state championship. The Broncs were one of three teams to repeat as state champions, as Star Valley and Kaycee also won their second consecutive titles. This comes after zero teams repeated as state champions in 2015.

Pine Bluffs won its first state championship in program history with its 10-7 victory against Tongue River in the 1A 11-man title game. Farson, meanwhile, appeared in its first title game in its 41-30 loss to Kaycee in the six-man championship.

As noted previously on this blog, Kemmerer has now lost 36 games in a row, a state record. Additionally, Kemmerer has lost 17 straight home games; two home losses in the Rangers’ first two home games of 2017 would give Kemmerer that unfortunate record.

Cokeville posted its 29th consecutive winning season and its 31st consecutive non-losing season, extending its state records in both categories.

See all streaks records here.

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If you see any mistakes I’ve made in this update or anything I’ve overlooked, please let me know.

For the record, my 2016 picks finished up like this:

Last week: 3-2 (60 percent). This season: 247-58 (81 percent). 12-year total (has it really been that long?): 2,830-726 (80 percent).

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This week, we’ll get the all-state and Super 25 teams, and final stats — and then any individual season record-breakers — will also be released. We’ll also get the 2017 conference schedules this week; the WHSAA will release those during the statewide scheduling this week in Casper.

The 2017 season promises to be one of change. Thunder Basin High will open in Gillette; defending 2A champion Big Horn moves to 1A 11-man, while Evanston moves to 3A and Lingle becomes playoff-eligible in 1A six-man; schools will regain control of their nonconference scheduling.

I’ll be here for it.

If you like having these records on demand, in a way that was never possible before the site came along… if you like having rich details available for every program in the state, no matter its size or prestige… if you liked seeing the details in this post… and if you like the idea of this site continuing into the 2017 season and beyond…. then sponsor a page.

Thanks for reading all year long. I wouldn’t, and couldn’t, do this without reader support. A special thank you to my page sponsors; you’ve renewed my commitment to the players, coaches and fans in Wyoming, and I appreciate that.

In the meantime: Follow wyoming-football.com on Facebook and Twitter, and don’t forget about wyoming-basketball.com (which you can also follow on Twitter).

–patrick