Week 3 picks: As Sheridan approaches a 61-year-old record, a comparison of Wyoming’s two longest football winning streaks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And before that? Well, East.

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

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

No team would love it more.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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What pops out to you about the Week 3 schedule? Disagree with any picks? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

Natrona’s 1976 golf team set the closest thing Wyoming has to an unbeatable high school sports record

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Not many state records last for the better part of five decades.

That’s especially true in a sport like golf where technological advances have consistently improved such records for years. That will be on display this weekend in Afton, Rawlins and Big Horn, where the Class 4A, 3A and 2A state golf championships will take place, respectively.

But Wyoming’s best high school golf may have happened at a state meet nearly 50 years ago, where one team set a record that has been not only unbroken, it stands alone as a paragon of the sport.

No team has even come close to challenging what happened at the 1976 state Class AA golf tournament in Casper, where for two days at the Casper Golf Club, four students at Natrona formed the greatest golf team to ever play in the state.

As a team, the Mustangs tallied 582 strokes, a number encompassing the total strokes for the team’s top four golfers over the two-day tournament. That number of 582 continues to stand as the closest thing Wyoming high school sports has to an unbreakable record.

Despite improvements to clubs, golf balls, courses, and more, the 1976 Mustangs’ two-day total has never seriously been challenged. Only four boys teams in state golf tournament history have broken the 600-stroke barrier, and only one other team has come within 12 strokes of the 1976 Mustangs’ 582. The second-best mark came from Cheyenne Central’s 2005 team, which tallied 594 strokes over two days (293-301). The teams from 2015 Riverton (286-311=597) and 2010 Sheridan (297-300=597) are the only others that have ever broken 600 strokes.

So what made these Mustangs unique? Well, having two state champions on the roster sure helped, but even individual talent can’t solely explain what happened at the 1976 Class AA state golf meet.

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What’s unusual about Natrona’s state record score is that it seemingly came out of nowhere, both for the team and for the sport.

The previous year, Campbell County and Cheyenne East had tied for the Class AA championship (with the Camels winning in a playoff) with team totals of 662. Natrona finished sixth at 685; do the math, and the Mustangs improved by a whopping 97 strokes just one year later.

Prior to Natrona’s 582, the best two-day total for a state championship meet was Kelly Walsh’s 634-stroke total in 1972, which tied Natrona’s 634 in 1968. The ’76 Mustangs beat that record by 52 strokes.

Moreover, the ’76 Mustangs had not played their best golf prior to state. The Natrona yearbook said the Mustangs played in seven tournaments before state, winning just two — the Casper meet and the Laramie meet. The week before state, Campbell County had won the Douglas Invitational single-day tournament with a 306; Natrona shot a 311 and finished second. The Mustangs also finished second in a meet in Riverton, third in Sheridan, fourth in Gillette, fifth in Cheyenne.

Sure, the Mustangs were contenders for a title. However, nothing indicated the Mustangs were on track to turn in a record-setting performance.

Photos of the four golfers.

But on day one, the Mustangs shot a 294 — the first time ever a boys team had finished with a team total under 300 strokes on a single day of state golf tournament play — and the record chase was on for coach Don Weishaar’s bunch.

Senior Rob Bennett, the defending state individual champion, led the Mustangs and took individual honors for the day with a 68, a score noted by the Casper Star-Tribune as even par. But it was the depth that paced the Mustangs to such a low team finish: junior Max Gutz and sophomore Scott Puzey added a 74 apiece and senior Eric Sherer shot a 78 to round out the day.

The score was good enough to give Natrona a 14-stroke lead on defending team champion Campbell County, which itself had shot a 308 and was still on pace for one of the best scores in state golf meet history.

Somehow, the Mustangs were even better the second day. Bennett shot a 72 to win the individual championship for the second consecutive year at 140 total strokes. But again, the depth was the story. Puzey hit a one-under 67 to finish second to Bennett in the individual chase; Sherer shot a 72; Gutz a 77. Together, they combined for a total of 288 strokes on day two, six strokes better than the already-record pace they set the day before, and 582 for the meet.

Puzey, reached via email this summer at his home in Thailand, said he remembered the tournament well. Several factors played into the Mustangs’ favor that day, including the pressure he felt as an underclassmen to perform well after winning the spot on the team over several seniors.

He also said the Casper Golf Club was an advantage to the hosts. “It was our home track so we all knew the course well,” he said.

Natrona won the team title by 27 strokes. In doing so, the Mustangs beat a team in Campbell County that would have obliterated the state record for two-round score with its 609, which would have beat the old record of 634 by 25 strokes in and of itself. The Camels’ 609 still stands as the 15th-best team round at state and is one of just three such rounds to have been shot in the 20th century.

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The records didn’t last.

The next year, Natrona finished fifth at state with a two-day total of 641, with Gutz and Puzey shooting in the 80s.

Natrona did return to the top of the podium in 1978, with Puzey winning the individual title at 151 strokes and the Mustangs the team title (by more than 20 strokes) at 627. Puzey said NC’s title that year came in Cody, with snow dotting the course during the tournament, and “that was a better team.” Both Don Bader and Mike Quarve finished in the top five for Natrona, and teammate Mike Hauffe wasn’t far behind.

After Campbell County’s 612 to win the state meet in 1977, it would be another 15 years before any Wyoming team broke 620 strokes at state; in 1993, three teams (Natrona at 605, Cheyenne Central at 610 and Kelly Walsh at 618) did so. It would be almost 30 years before another Wyoming team broke 600 strokes at state, with Central’s 594 in 2005.

For Weishaar, who died in 2004 with 12 state golf championship teams to his name (nine for the Natrona boys, one for the Kelly Walsh boys and two for the Natrona girls), the 1976 team represented the pinnacle of what was possible in a fickle sport.

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Don’t read this part if you don’t want this good story spoiled… (because here’s where the story unravels a bit, and people reading this story carefully and familiar with golf may have already identified it. If, indeed, the par for the course was 68, instead of 72 as it normally is on a typical 18-hole course, Natrona’s record may need to come with an asterisk. A team of four players shooting even par over a par-68 will shoot 32 fewer strokes in a two-day tournament than a team shooting even par on a par-72. If NC’s ’76 team had been on a par 72, a score of 614 (582+32) is more likely. That said, state tournaments have been played on courses of varying par totals; I’m still digging into what they might have been, because the record-keeping on that has been incredibly inconsistent.)

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The four players of Natrona’s record-setting team all went their own ways.

Puzey played professionally around the United States for much of the 1980s and 1990s and later moved overseas, playing professionally as part of the senior tour in Asia. Bennett played golf collegiately at the University of Wyoming and now lives in Casper, working as an engineer. Sherer moved to Texas and has been a lawyer in the San Antonio area for the better part of four decades. Gutz, now Max Guetz, attended UW as well — he and Puzey were fraternity brothers before Puzey transferred to SMU.

Together for two days, though, they set a record that still stands — and may stand forever.

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Here are the top 10 two-day scores from boys’ teams at the Wyoming high school state golf championships:

TeamScoreClassYear
Natrona294-288=582AA1976
Cheyenne Central293-301=5944A2005
Riverton286-311=5974A2015
Sheridan297-300=5974A2010
Cody298-302=6004A2005
Lander295-306=6013A2019
Cheyenne Central302-299=6014A2006
Riverton296-306=6024A2014
Kelly Walsh304-300=6044A2018
Natrona293-312=6054A1993

–patrick

(Photos courtesy of the 1977 NCHS yearbook.)

Week 2 picks: Worland and Thermopolis renew one of the state’s best rivalries

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

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

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

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

A rivalry was born.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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

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

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Who was your surprise Week 1 team, and how do you see them shaping up for Week 2? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

Unhinged Google reviews of Wyoming high school football stadiums

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Which Wyoming high school football stadium was called “beyond loud”? Which stadium had someone recommending closed-toed shoes? And which stadium was called, well… “It is a high school football place. No big deal.”

The answers are all waiting on Google Maps.

Believe it or not, a big chunk of people have left reviews about Wyoming high school football stadiums on Google. Ratings — out of five stars — and text comments drive the interaction. And, how to put this nicely? Some of the comments are exactly what you’d expect from an open-source reviews project.

Go here to take a quiz on those comments, everything from the really nice to the nostalgic to the neutral to the bitter. Don’t worry, no one’s keeping score. Correctly matched pairs disappear when you match them.

As for the ratings? As of Aug. 29, the seven top-rated fields, all with a maxed-out 5.0 rating, are Cody, Evanston, Guernsey, Lyman, Riverside, Rock Springs and Wheatland.

Other rated fields were Green River and Lusk (4.8), Cheyenne East, Cheyenne South and Thermopolis (4.7), Douglas and Rawlins (4.6), Cheyenne Central, Lander and Natrona (4.5), Midwest and Saratoga (4.3), Laramie (4.1), Burns, Hulett and Pine Bluffs (4.0) and Jackson (3.5).

Meanwhile, Campbell County, Kaycee, Kelly Walsh, Lingle, Lovell, Pinedale, Riverton, Sheridan, Thunder Basin, Tongue River, Torrington and Worland have their fields acknowledged on Google Maps, but so far no one has left a review.

And apologies to Big Horn, Big Piney, Buffalo, Burlington, Casper Christian, Cokeville, Dubois, Encampment, Farson, Glenrock, Greybull, Hanna, Kemmerer, Meeteetse, Moorcroft, Mountain View, Newcastle, Powell, Rocky Mountain, St. Stephens, Shoshoni, Snake River, Southeast, Star Valley, Sundance, Ten Sleep, Upton, Wind River, Wright and Wyoming Indian. Your fields aren’t marked on Google Maps, so no one can leave a review. At least not yet. Maybe that’s a blessing in disguise.

By the way, don’t like your stadium’s rating? Leave your own review on Google. Maybe someday, someone like me will add it to a silly online quiz.

–patrick

2024 Wyoming high school football preview magazine — out now!

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Hi everyone,

The 2024 Wyoming high school football preview magazine is finally out, done, ready for you to read!

The 13th edition of the magazine includes full previews on every high school football team in Wyoming and interviews with every coach. You can pick up physical copies for FREE at the locations of any one of the advertisers in the magazine — but give it a few days, as the magazines are in shipping this week.

By the way, thank and patronize the sponsors. They make this possible every year. We appreciate them supporting the work we do, as well as supporting the teams, coaches, players and everyone else who actually does the thing of making the sport possible.

For the most comprehensive coverage you’ll see anywhere… it’s right here.

–patrick

Week 1 picks: Six-man’s most intriguing week of the season comes early

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Carbon County will be the hotspot for some of Wyoming’s most interesting games in Week 1.

In the course of one weekend, we’ll figure out not only who Class 1A six-man’s favorite is, we’ll figure out who is that team’s greatest threat.

The fun starts Friday in Encampment, where the Tigers host six-man newcomer Riverside in a game that will help determine how strong both teams’ championship aspirations are this season. Both teams are experienced and talented, and they both want to prove they belong in the conversation for six-man’s best.

As good as Encampment and Riverside will be this fall — and they should both be pretty good, making Friday’s game a must-watch — there’s no doubt that they, and everyone else, are chasing two other programs.

And that’s where the fun continues Saturday in Baggs, where Snake River hosts Burlington in a rematch of last year’s Class 1A six-man championship game and an early test to see who will turn the conversation in their direction.

I mean, come on. This game epitomizes the kind of rivalry that’s been missing in six-man since its rebirth in 2009. Heading into last year’s championship game, the Rattlers had won 30 games in a row and were trying to win a third straight title; they came up one yard short against the Huskies, who avenged a title-game loss to the Rattlers in 2022 to win their first state title since 1994. They provided the kind of six-man championship game Wyoming had never had — evenly matched, well-played on both sides, down to the final possession. Burlington just happened to get one more good play than Snake River.

Saturday, the Rattlers get the chance to try to even the tally, start a new streak and put the focus back on the purple and yellow, which is where it’s mostly been for three years. Of course, Burlington has the crown, and that’s where it will stay until November, and Laramie.

No state champions will be coronated in Week 1. And the two Big Horn County programs making the journey south this week, just like the two Carbon County programs hosting them, aren’t out of anything with a loss. In the grand scheme of things, they’re playing nonconference games that have no effect on playoff chances.

A little psychological advantage, just in case of another meeting later this season, wouldn’t hurt.

And the pace of the chase is a lot more fun when you can dictate it instead of follow it.

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Most every team saw some kind of action last week, with 28 teams tallying their first victory or first loss in Zero Week and many others playing in scrimmages or jamborees. Of the remaining 36 teams, 34 will enter the W or L column for the first time this week, and all 64 will have seen someone across from them on the line who wasn’t a teammate (either last week or this week) by Saturday night. Some other potential showstoppers this week:

The two Class 4A teams who pulled off victories that I didn’t predict for them were Natrona and Rock Springs. They’ll see each other this week in Rock Springs, and I’m curious to see who can keep the early season momentum rolling. …

Riverton’s 7-0 victory against Powell in Zero Week action was a head-turner for me. Is the Riverton revival complete? Well, this week the Wolverines go to Cody, so one way or another, we’ll all find out. …

Whenever Big Horn plays Lovell, it’s never disappointing. With as much parity as there might be in 2A this year, I might just vote the winner of this game No. 1 in my 2A poll next week (he said, knowing that a ton of other 2A teams have potential to be equally as impressive). …

I’m quite interested in how last year’s Class 1A nine-man title-game participants, champ Big Piney and runner-up Wind River, do in their games. Both play in Goshen County, oddly enough, and they’re going against teams in Southeast (Big Piney) and Lingle (Wind River) that figure to be at or near the top of the title chase this year. …

A handful of out-of-state games are super-intriguing, including games with 2A West squads Cokeville (at West Jefferson, Idaho) and Mountain View (hosting Rich County, Utah). …

A late change to the schedule has Evanston hosting Vista Ridge out of Colorado Springs on Friday. The Red Devils were originally scheduled to play South Summit, Utah, this week, but here we are. It’s Vista Ridge’s first game against a Wyoming opponent, so that’s pretty cool. Also playing its first game against a Wyoming team is Holyoke, Colo., which is coming up to play Glenrock on Saturday. …

Coin-flip games this week abound, as they often do in Week 1. I turned to a heads-tails method of picking for several games: Laramie-Kelly Walsh, Greybull-Wright, Kaycee-Farson, Hanna-Hulett. If the pick went against you this week in those games, blame Mr. Lincoln and the penny in my pocket. I’ll certainly blame him if I’m wrong.

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On to the picks. When I bold a team, that means I think they will win. Hopefully your browser is equipped to view different font formats. If it’s not… dude, it’s time to upgrade. Even Netscape and dial-up had bold text capabilities.

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

Upton-Sundance has an open week, while Meeteetse is scrimmaging the Cody JV. For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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

Last week: 12-4 (75 percent). This season: 12-4 (75 percent).

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What things will you be looking for in Wyoming’s first full week of games? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

1926 Wyoming all-state football team added to site

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The 1926 all-state team, one of two missing all-state teams from Wyoming’s football history, has been located.

But the echoes of controversy still ring out on the picks, almost 100 years later.

Finding the team was a challenge in and of itself. Most all-state teams are published at the end of the season. Well, the 1926 all-state team was published significantly later than that, making its appearance in the Wyoming State Tribune and Cheyenne State Leader on Jan. 10, 1927 (hence my delay in finding it; I wasn’t looking in the right time frame).

The team — chosen by “five coaches and two sport writers of Wyoming who have seen all of the teams in action excepting Sheridan and Buffalo” — was heavy on players from Cheyenne and Worland, the two teams who played for the state championship that season, as well as on players from the southeastern corner of the state.

The selections quickly drew criticism from up north, including Sheridan coach Web Wright and Buffalo coach J.R. Strother, who both advocated for Gillette’s Ross, Sheridan’s Wilson and Redhair and Buffalo’s Stevenson, Watt and Burger.

“I have felt ever since coming to Buffalo that there has been a tendency to ignore this part of the state and, as I see it, this section of the state merits consideration with the best schools all over the state — not only in athletics but in other activities as well,” Strother said.

See? Regional rivalries aren’t new. Your favorite team has always been overlooked and under-rated.

The full team is below. It’s also been added to the 1920s all-state teams page and to the all-state database. I’m still trying to find first names for four players from the 1926 team — Midwest’s Curley, Green River’s Davis, Lovell’s Craft and Torrington’s Havenly. Any help on finding those gentlemen’s first names is appreciated!

The only remaining missing all-state team is that from 1932, if it was even chosen.

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1926 all-class, all-state football team
As chosen by the staff of the Wyoming State Tribune and Cheyenne State Leader
First team
CHEYENNE CENTRAL: Wayne Colvin, RH; Herbert Gage, QB; William Lane, LG; Holland Lyons, LT.
DOUGLAS: Orland Blackburn, FB; Howard Dickson, LE.
MIDWEST: Curley, RE.
WORLAND: Carl Dir, LH; Walt McDonald, C; Sam McPike, RT; Wilbur Wortham, RG.
Second team
CHEYENNE CENTRAL: Walter Kingham, RT; Arthur Morgan, LH.
DOUGLAS: Thurlow Peake, C.
LARAMIE: Blake Fanning, RH.
NATRONA: Verle Harlow, RG.
THERMOPOLIS: Clarence Poindexter, LE.
WHEATLAND: (Clayton?) Russell, LT.
WORLAND: Harry Barnes, FB; Alva Hamilton, RE; Jinks Hillberry, LG; Fred Werner, QB.
Honorable mention
CHEYENNE CENTRAL: Tom Bradley, FB; Alfred Erickson, E; Herbert Harris, E; John Nimmo, QB.
DOUGLAS: Clarence Slonaker, T.
GREEN RIVER: Davis, QB.
LARAMIE: Don Nolan, HB.
LOVELL: Craft, FB.
NATRONA: Taft Harris, E.
RAWLINS: Bill Engstrom, FB; Michael Pappas, HB.
TORRINGTON: Havenly, HB.
WORLAND: John Werner, HB.

–patrick

Zero Week picks: When a historically meaningful game gives you the ick

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Sheridan’s game with Cheyenne South on Friday will be a historic game, even before the opening kickoff.

The Broncs enter the 2024 season on a 31-game winning streak, just four short of the state record for consecutive victories and six short of the record for an unbeaten streak (which include ties).

Across the field will be Cheyenne South, losers of 38 consecutive games back to 2019, which in and of itself is already tied for the state record. A loss against Sheridan will put the Bison alone in “first” for this record.

Either streak alone would be deserving of attention. But the fact that they’re criss-crossing each other at this point, where each program’s streak is already at least 30 games, is truly historic.

Wyoming teams have built six winning streaks and nine unbeaten streaks that went at least 30 games. Oddly enough, Wyoming has also had programs build six losing streaks and nine winless streaks of at least 30 games.

But never in the history of Wyoming high school football have two teams on active streaks of 30 or more games — either unbeaten or winless, or any combination therein — played each other.

In fact, I can’t find a single instance of two teams with active unbeaten or winless streaks of even 20 consecutive games playing each other.

The closest I can find are three instances of teams putting 19-game streaks on the line against teams with streaks of at least 20 games. In all three cases, the games shaped up much like we will see on Friday — a team with a long losing streak facing a team with a long winning streak. In all three cases, the team with the winning streak continued to win, the team with the losing streak continued to lose:

  • Oct. 18, 1968: Saratoga took a 24-game losing streak into its game against Glenrock, which had an active 19-game winning streak. Glenrock won 72-0.
  • Oct. 20, 1989: Cokeville, winners of 20 straight, faced Kemmerer, losers of 19 straight. Cokeville won 49-20.
  • Oct. 1, 1999: Rocky Mountain, which had won 24 in a row, played Greybull, which had lost 19 in a row. Rocky Mountain won 60-18.

Although Cheyenne South could pull the absolute biggest upset ever seen in a century of Wyoming football — hey, the game always starts 0-0 — Sheridan is the obvious favorite entering Friday’s action.

I think this game, coincidentally scheduled to be the season opener for both squads, deserves special attention because of its historic nature.

However, I also think that the fact that these streaks are crossing paths at all should be a red flag for Class 4A football. Or, in the language of kids these days, it should give you the ick.

This game’s nature should be an indictment of 4A’s scheduling system as a whole.

Since 2009, Class 4A schools have used a 10-team, nine-game round-robin regular-season schedule, where each 4A team plays all the others. What this nine-week schedule does, though, is prohibit schools from seeking nonconference games. Every game is a conference game. And it’s the same teams over and over again every year. Long streaks aren’t a surprise in that kind of closed environment.

The thing that many people overlook? That round-robin schedule is just as bad for Sheridan as it is for Cheyenne South.

It means Sheridan has to wait for someone in 4A to rise up to give them a serious challenge to its winning streak. And it means the Broncs can’t look outside the state’s borders for a new challenge — say, from traditional regional rivals in Montana or for opportunities like Idaho’s Rocky Mountain Rumble, where state champions from across the region face off for a weekend full of games. Most coaches would rather face a tough opponent with the possibility of a nonconference loss in preparation for league games. They’d sacrifice a winning streak in August to make their team better for the games in November. Sheridan hasn’t even had the chance to make that choice since 2009.

The round-robin also means Cheyenne South can’t schedule a nonconference game against a more equitable regional opponent with the hopes of picking up a victory. Captain Obvious will note here that it’s not good for a program to lose 38 games in a row — for that program or for any of its opponents — but it might be even worse to hamstring that team’s schedule in a way where they can’t find teams of equal or near-equal talent to have both a chance to win and a chance to gain confidence even in a loss.

Personally, I’d love to see South go up against a 3A or 2A team like Green River, Lander, Torrington, Douglas, Wheatland, or any number of teams from western Nebraska or northern Colorado. But in its existence — its entire 13-season, 10-victory, 108-loss existence — the Bison have never had that freedom.

The intercepting streaks should be a call for a return to conference play, and nonconference freedom, for 4A’s biggest schools.

It’s kind of like income inequality. It’s better for society when everyone has a chance to be a part of it. And it makes for better for football when everyone has the chance to play at least a few games against opponents that fit your skill level and experience.

Conference play would mean fewer streaks like Sheridan’s and South’s, fewer opportunities for historic games where those streaks cross ways, fewer records.

But probably, it would mean better football, and better experiences for those playing and coaching.

The second option sounds like the better one.

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Some other action I’m keeping a closer eye on than usual this week:

The 4A schedule is absurdly front-loaded this season, with all four semifinal teams playing each other in the first five weeks of the season. That starts with Thunder Basin, who has the challenge of playing the other three semifinalists from 4A last year in the first three weeks. That journey starts with a trip to Casper on Friday to play Natrona in a super-intriguing, and important, season opener for both teams. …

One late change to the schedule has Lovell going to Buffalo instead of the other way around for their scrimmage. Lovell’s facilities are undergoing a bit of a facelift, and things weren’t going to be ready by this weekend, hence the switch. Newcastle and Thermopolis are also scheduled to be scrimmaging (quick-whistle special teams) in Buffalo on Friday night (in what could be the most intriguing showdown of the week across the state) in what will become Wyoming’s temporary football capital. …

Are jamborees dying? This season, only three jamborees are scheduled — Farson, Pine Bluffs and Greybull will host — with a total of 12 teams participating. That seems down. …

Evanston’s opponent this week, Ben Lomond, Utah, has already played two games. However, Evanston and Ben Lomond have scored an equal number of points so far this season. Do the math; I’ll wait.

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On to this week’s picks. By the way, the 2024 season is my 20th consecutive year of picking winners of Wyoming high school football games. Fortunately, I’m not always right, and the game and the sport are a lot more fun to follow with some chaos in the mix. I’ll still try, though, with projected winners in bold:

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Rock Springs
Cheyenne South at Sheridan
Kelly Walsh at Campbell County
Laramie at Cheyenne East
Thunder Basin at Natrona
Class 3A
Riverton at Powell
Class 1A nine-man
Wright at Shoshoni
Class 1A six-man
Midwest at Hanna
Ten Sleep at St. Stephens
Interclass
Glenrock vs. Jackson (at Riverton)
Interstate
Evanston at Ben Lomond, Utah
Lyman at Malad, Idaho
Shelley, Idaho, at Star Valley
Torrington at Gering, Neb.
Wheatland at Mitchell, Neb.
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Kaycee at Casper Christian
Interclass
Mountain View at Green River
Rawlins at Burns

The Zero Week schedule also includes several scrimmages and jamborees. As usual, here are the guidelines I use to determine whether something played in Zero Week “counts” or not:

  • 1. Was the game played with four 12-minute quarters (10 for six-man) with normal timing rules?
  • 2. Were officials used? And were normal rules of play instituted for the game?
  • 3. Was score kept?

If these three criteria are met, I call it a game and record it as such on this site.

I reached out to most of the non-4A coaches and ADs this week for clarification. Turns out, a few of the scrimmages are just that — controlled contact, with coaches on the field and scenarios in play. A few of the scrimmages are almost games — no or limited special teams, quick-whistle plays, and so on. And there’s some stuff in between. Still others may not have their format decided until just before kickoff. So that’s fun. I tried to confirm every contest on the schedule this week with the coaches and ADs across the state, and almost everyone got back to me. The schedule I have is the best I can do. With that:

For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.

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Which team do you see making that indelible impression on the 2024 season here in Zero Week? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.

If you like what you see here, consider a page sponsorship. 

–patrick

Wyoming high school football’s most anticipated season openers, ever

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In case you missed it, the 2024 season starts on Friday — well, technically Thursday with a couple scrimmages, and then Friday with the first count-’em games of the year.

In the first week of the season, it’s hard for games to stand out. We just don’t know enough about the year to say which games are “big” ones (as if they aren’t all big, right?). Occasionally, though, the start of a season is marked by a highly anticipated game, one that everyone knows from the outset could make or break a season, or at minimum set its direction.

Here are 10 such games, in chronological order, where the season opener was one that everyone knew was going to be bigger than usual:

1956: Laramie 40, Cheyenne Central 7. The finish of the 1955 season came with controversy, as Laramie won a disputed 18-14 game against the Indians, who claimed “timing irregularities” in Laramie gave the Plainsmen the advantage (and, oh, Cheyenne players fought an official on the field). The game decided the AA title, as Laramie finished second in the polls (behind Class A champ Worland) and Cheyenne finished third. So when they faced off to start the 1956 season, the Plainsmen wanted to leave nothing to chance. They didn’t, as Larry Bowman scored four times in an absolute rout. Eventually, Laramie won its third consecutive AA title, finishing 8-1; Central finished 5-3 and as Class AA runners-up, with two of its three losses to Laramie.

1968: Byron 40, Cokeville 32; 1969: Cokeville 20, Byron 18. Both Byron (7-0-1) and Cokeville (7-0) had finished the 1967 season undefeated, and they finished second and third, respectively, in the final Class B rankings at the end of the season behind Tongue River. With that in mind, the two teams scheduled a home-and-home for the 1968 and 1969 seasons, with Byron heading to Cokeville in 1968 and Cokeville making the trip north to Byron in 1969 in games sure to be decisive statewide for eight-man bragging rights. In both seasons, the season opener helped decide the eventual Class B champion. In 1968, Byron came back from a 25-7 deficit to win 40-32 as the Eagles outscored the Panthers behind four touchdowns from Rick Tanner. By the end of the season, Byron was 9-0 ranked first, tying with Glenrock in the final UPI poll for state champion; Cokeville didn’t lose again and finished third in the rankings at 7-1. In the rematch one year later, the Panthers eked out a two-point victory. The victory was the start of a historic 1969 season in Cokeville where the Panthers went 8-0; Byron only lost one more game the rest of the season, in the finale against Basin, and finished 7-2.

1973: St. Mary’s 18, Glenrock 6: The 10-0 Gaels and 9-0 Herders split the 1972 Class A championship in the final polls, with Glenrock winning the AP poll and St. Mary’s the UPI poll — and the other team finishing second in both. When the 1973 season opener came around, a lot of pride was on the line for two teams that would have preferred to be an outright champion the year before. Months of what-if talk culminated in Glenrock, where the Gaels sapped all the air out of the matchup by taking an 18-0 lead in the first half and then holding on to win. It didn’t change the 1972 results, but it did give the Gaels temporary bragging rights.

1975: Basin 30, Tongue River 24, 2OT: The Eagles entered the 1975 season on the momentum of two consecutive 9-0 seasons, but they knew they couldn’t take the season opener against the Bobcats for granted. After all, the year before, Basin’s only loss in a 7-1-1 season came against Tongue River in a 15-8 slugfest. The rematch lived up to the hype, as the Bobcats won in double overtime with Mike Dellos’ three touchdowns leading the way. Basin eventually reached the first modern version of the Class B playoffs at 7-2; Tongue River finished 5-3 and out of the playoff bracket.

1990: Meeteetse 29, Hanna 7. As Class 1A nine-man went through a transitional year in 1990 — the first year of a five-class system in Wyoming and the second year of nine-man football — a couple things were clear. First, Hanna was the defending champ and had enough firepower to contend again. Second, Meeteetse had been one of the state’s most consistent winners in the late 1980s, and with the preseason No. 1 ranking, that trend was expected to continue into the 1990s. The Longhorns made more good on their potential than the Miners did on the momentum of their trophy, as Chris Miller’s two second-half touchdowns put the Miners away for good. With the victory, Meeteetse set the standard for the rest of the classification to follow. The Longhorns stayed ranked No. 1 all season but lost to eventual champion Lingle in the semifinals; Hanna recovered from a 1-3 start to win its final four games but missed the playoffs after a loss to — get this — Lingle left them out of the playoff chase.

2003: Natrona 48, Rock Springs 6. After back-to-back 11-0 seasons and consecutive Class 5A championships, the question circling throughout the 2003 offseason was simple — is the Tigers’ run over? Natrona emphatically answered that question in the season opener: Yes. The Mustangs jump-started an undefeated season of their own by ending the Tigers’ 22-game winning streak behind three touchdowns from Scott Cogdill. Rock Springs rebounded to finish 6-4 and make the 5A semis, but the Tigers haven’t won a state title since; Natrona won Class 5A’s title that year.

2005: Buffalo 45, Lander 20. Everyone knew the Buffalo Bison of 2005 were something special, long before the first snap of the season. By season’s end, the Bison had back-to-back 11-0 seasons, a trio of Super 25 players and maybe the best/worst original season highlight rap ever. However, the preseason thinking was that if anyone could give the Bison trouble, it just might have been the Tigers, the team Buffalo beat in the 2004 Class 4A championship. Actually, a 25-point Buffalo victory was one of the closer games the Bison had; the Tigers were still ranked by season’s end but finished 5-4.

2017: Glenrock 12, Greybull 7: It doesn’t happen often — No. 1 vs. No. 2 in a season opener. But that’s what we got in Class 2A in 2017, when the Herders and the Buffs staged a classic season opener as both teams fought for early supremacy of a tight classification. The game was a rematch of the 2016 2A semifinals when Greybull upset Glenrock in Converse County before falling to Big Horn in the championship. The hype faded, though, as Greybull eventually lost in the 2A quarterfinals while Glenrock fell to Mountain View in the 2A title game that year.

2022: Pine Bluffs 34, Shoshoni 26: In the most talent-filled and anticipated season of nine-man football since its return in 2020, this season opener between the defending champion Wranglers and upset-in-the-semifinals Hornets was a huge one — well, as huge as a non-conference season opener can get, anyway. The Hornets staked an early lead and held off the Wranglers as they tried to rally. This game was a precursor of what was to come, as both teams held up their ends of the bargain in their respective conference schedules and throughout the playoffs. They met again a couple months later in Laramie in the 1A nine-man championship game, with Pine Bluffs winning 33-27. Shoshoni’s only two losses in its title defense season were to the Hornets.

What game are you most looking forward to for the start of the 2024 season? And, looking back, what season openers stand out to you in retrospect from any season? Leave your thoughts in a comment below; I’d love to hear from you.

–patrick

Class 4A season preview: Streaking Broncs, Bison draw attention for opposite reasons

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Four questions to answer

What are you watching for in 4A this year? Two big streaks. Sheridan enters the season with a 31-game winning streak and three consecutive state championships in their rearview mirror, but continuing the streak to record-breaking proportions will take some significant growth from the Broncs’ younger players. That said, four more victories would break the state record for longest winning streak. Sheridan’s fourth opponent this year is Cheyenne East, the team that faced the Broncs in last year’s championship game.

You said TWO big streaks — what’s the other? Well… this one isn’t as positive. But Cheyenne South enters this season tied for the state’s longest losing streak ever at 38 games. If the Bison can shake the streak, it would mean a lot to the program and to players who have never known a varsity victory. In an odd twist of the schedule, Cheyenne South’s first opponent this season is Sheridan, in Sheridan. So the team chasing the record for the longest winning streak in state history will play the team that already has the state’s longest losing streak in the season’s first game. How crazy would it be if… nah, never mind. Well… wait, forget it. But…

Can anyone else catch Sheridan? Absolutely. The Broncs aren’t loaded with returning talent — no all-staters return and just one all-conference player, senior kicker/punter Ty Gilbertson, is back. The challenge is that many of 4A’s other teams find themselves in similar circumstances. Only four players come back with all-state accolades — two from Thunder Basin, one at Campbell County and one at Cheyenne Central — making the classification as wide open as it’s been in a while. It’s the usual suspects in Natrona, East and Thunder Basin giving chase, but Campbell County is also ready for a breakthrough after several years on the periphery of 4A’s discussion.

Any programs on the rise? Well, three of the four programs who finished near the bottom of the 4A standings last year have new head coaches, so anything could happen. Rock Springs (3-6 in 2023), Kelly Walsh (2-7) and Laramie (1-8) have new coaches in Kasey Koepplin, Randy Roden and Jake Chick, respectively. Each of the new coaches will bring fresh perspectives and energy to programs in need of them. All three have the potential to establish longstanding successful programs if they can build some positive momentum in their first seasons.

Preseason class MVP

Mason Drube, Campbell County. It’s been a hot minute since an in-state quarterback has committed to Wyoming’s only in-state university. And it’s Drube, who caught the attention of several big-name college programs before verbally committing to the Cowboys this summer. He is 4A’s top returning passer, having thrown for 2,067 yards last season and is careful with the ball, completing 22 touchdowns while only four interceptions.

Preseason class breakout player

Bridger Peldo, Sheridan. The only full-time starter who’s returning for either Sheridan’s offense or defense, Peldo is an offensive lineman who will be a key piece of the Broncs’ success this fall. He’s drawing attention from several college programs because of his talent and his frame (6-foot-5, 290 pounds). After learning the process last season, Peldo should be a leader — the type of lineman a team can base its running attack on having.

Other players to watch

Logan Mendoza and Cort Catlin, Thunder Basin. The ‘Bolts will be contenders this year, and this time around it will be because of a stacked defense led by these two. Mendoza was Thunder Basin’s No. 1 tackler last year with 68, while Catlin was second, and not far behind, with 64. They’re the leaders of an experienced defensive group that will keep Thunder Basin in the conversation for a deep playoff run.

Brycen Bailey, Cheyenne Central. The classification’s only returning all-stater who plays on the interior, Bailey’s presence will be key for Central’s ability to stay in the championship conversation. The bulk of Central’s roster will be pretty young this year, and coach Mike Apodaca is counting on his linemen and linebackers to carry the team, especially early.

Trent Rosenau, Campbell County. In a normal offseason, Rosenau would be getting significantly more attention. After all, it’s not often that 4A’s top rusher comes back the next season. But here Rosenau is, with 1,107 yards to his name last season, including 15 touchdowns, as well as an all-state nod. His rise mirrors his team’s rise, though, meaning Rosenau won’t have to do it all on a team that is multidimensional.

Tucker Sides, Natrona. Riddle me this — how does the player who finishes first in tackles per game (9.5), second in total tackles and second in defensive points per game in Class 4A NOT make the all-state team? Well, that’s what happened to Sides last season, who put up a huge number of tackles, 105 to be exact, to lead a stingy Natrona defense that ranked first in 4A in yards allowed per game last season.

Four key games

Cheyenne East at Sheridan, Sept. 20. Sheridan drew a brutal start to the season, with games against Thunder Basin, Natrona and Cheyenne East all coming in the first four weeks of the season. Those three teams, along with Sheridan, represented the four semifinal teams in last year’s 4A playoffs. If the Broncs can somehow come through unscathed in the first three games, this one right here represents what could be consecutive win No. 35 — the one that would set the state record for most consecutive victories. Don’t look too far ahead, though, Broncs…

Natrona at Cheyenne East, Sept. 27. The schedule this season put a bunch of big games early. The four semifinal teams (East, Sheridan, Thunder Basin, Natrona) all play each other in the first five weeks of the season, capping with this game between the Mustangs and T-Birds in Week 4; in fact, Thunder Basin’s first three games are against the other semifinalists. We’ll find out a lot about 4A’s frontrunners early in the season, for better or for worse.

Campbell County at Thunder Basin, Oct. 11. When Thunder Basin opened its doors eight years ago, this game — this one, right here — is the game everyone knew was possible in Gillette. It took a while to get there, but the Camels’ absolution has been astonishing to watch come together. And it’s been beautiful to watch this rivalry come to its full fruition in the past couple years.

Campbell County at Sheridan, Oct. 18. Hey, Camels: One week after what will likely be a highly emotional cross-town rivalry game (are we on board with the Coal Bowl yet?), guess what? You get the defending champs, on the road, in a renewal of our good, old friend the Energy Bowl. These two weeks, and these two road games, could make or break the Camels’ hopes this year.

Predicted order of finish

Sheridan; Campbell County; Cheyenne East; Thunder Basin; Natrona; Cheyenne Central; Rock Springs; Kelly Walsh; Laramie; Cheyenne South.

Way-too-early title game score prediction

Sheridan 38, Campbell County 28. Of all of the seasons in Sheridan’s current championship run, this one is the most tenuous. That leaves opportunities for several of the teams that have been close to breaking through for a title of their own with a good chance to do so. The first few weeks will be telling to a season that seems full of uncertainty at the outset.

I’m curious about your favorite 4A team — how do you see them working out in 2023? Leave a comment, or drop a line on Twitter or Facebook.

–patrick