Capital Bowl week: Central’s Josh Borm and East’s offensive line (Wyoming Tribune Eagle). … Powell-Buffalo (Powell Tribune). … Douglas-Alliance (Neb.) (Douglas Budget).
–patrick
School: Wind River
Nickname: Cougars
Colors: purple and black
Stadium: LeRoy Sinner Field
State championship: 1997
Times worth remembering: Wind River’s success has always come in spurts. Only three seasons in school history have the Cougars produced a season with fewer than three losses — 1992, 1997 and 2008. However, the 1997-98 seasons offered something no other two-year span has given the Cougars: seasons with back-to-back playoff victories. Wind River went 10-0 and won the 1A-Division II championship in 1997, then went 5-4 and reached the semifinals in 1998.
Times worth forgetting: Conversely, Wind River is almost always competitive. Since their first season in 1969, the Cougars have had only one winless season (1987). However, the early 1980s were tough for Wind River, as the Cougars could only muster two victories in 1980 and just one win in 1981. Then, after a 4-3 campaign in 1982, the Cougars went 1-7 in 1983.
Best team: The 1997 team stands alone as Wind River’s best. That squad notched a pair of feats the Cougars haven’t accomplished either before or since — an undefeated season and a state championship. The Cougars were at their best on defense; they had five shutout victories, including all three playoff games, and gave up an average of just 6 points per game. Seven players — all seniors — were first-team all-state selections, including repeaters Micah Vroman and Jacob Wempen.
Biggest win: Wind River had long waited for this moment. Since opening in 1969, the Cougars hadn’t won a state football championship, but the 1997 team changed that. In front of their home fans in Pavillion, the Cougars notched an 18-0 victory over Upton to secure the 1A-Division II championship — the school’s first and only football championship.
Heartbreaker: The 1992 team was nearly the one to win Wind River’s first championship. The Cougars reached the 1A title game that season with an 8-1 record, the lone loss coming courtesy of Rocky Mountain. The team Wind River met in the championship? Rocky Mountain. For the second time that season, the Grizzlies beat the Cougars, as Rocky’s Kenny May scored the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter of the 10-7 victory.
Cody-Torrington (Cody Enterprise). … Guernsey-Hanna and Snake River-Natrona sophs (Rawlins Daily Times).
–patrick
I wanted to recognize both Farson and Snake River for posting victories last week.
On Thursday, Farson beat the Big Piney freshmen and sophomores 26-25 in Farson. Don’t know the details, only that the Pronghorns won…. the school’s first football victory since 1989.
Then, on Saturday, Snake River beat the Natrona frosh-soph team 38-26 in Casper. According to the research I have available so far, it’s the Rattlers’ first victory since 1953.
Those are big victories for resurrected programs. And they’re victories that the team — and the communities — will remember for a long time.
–patrick
Eight additions and one correction to add to the site this week, thanks to the Byes Project:
Big Horn’s 34-0 victory over the Greybull JV on Sept. 18, 1975
Burns’ 12-0 victory over Goshen Hole on Sept. 2, 1976
Meeteetse’s 7-6 victory over Wind River on Sept. 17, 1976
Shoshoni’s 12-10 loss to the Riverton JV on Aug. 28, 1982
Buffalo’s 24-8 victory over the Billings Senior (Mont.) JV on Sept. 15, 1980
Wind River’s 28-6 victory over Dubois on Sept. 12, 1980
Manderson’s 20-7 victory over the Thermopolis JV on Oct. 25, 1963
Manderson’s 26-2 victory over the Greybull JV on Sept. 4, 1964
I also found the correct location for Byron’s 42-7 victory over Dubois on Sept. 5, 1980 — it was in Dubois.
The only other addition I made was Bow-Basin’s Oct. 19, 1980 game at the Laramie JVs. I found the game scheduled, but I have yet to find the final score. It’s been added to the missing games list.
I’ve got a 10- to 12-page paper in Communication Theory due this week, so it’ll probably be a couple weeks before I can hit the microfilm again….
–patrick
Oil Bowl gamer, sidebar and follow; and Central looks sharp through four games (Casper Star-Tribune). … Gillette-Cheyenne East (Gillette News-Record). … Worland-Wheatland and Riverside-Rocky Mountain (Northern Wyo Daily News, read it today before it’s gone). … Breaking news: Laramie will host state football championships (Laramie Boomerang). … Shrine Bowl presents $30,000 check (Billings Gazette).
–patrick
Can one play, one moment, one victory symbolize the end of years of frustration?
You bet — just look at what happened to the Torrington Trailblazers on Friday.
A 76-yard touchdown pass from Mitch Schlager to Micheal Winget in the final two minutes helped Torrington beat Cody 12-10 — in Cody — and boosted the Trailblazers from afterthought and also-ran to dangerous contender.
It’s been awhile since Torrington has been more than just pesky. The Trailblazers haven’t had a winning season since 1995 (although they played in the 1996 3A championship) and have won just one playoff game in the past 12 years.
A 37-0 loss to Chadron, Neb., in the season opener two weeks ago made it seem like Torrington was destined for another losing season. A big win last week over Worland wasn’t too surprising — especially since the game was in Torrington — and didn’t turn many heads.
But this win on Friday is something different. It’s a road win over a ranked opponent, and it came out of a situation that didn’t look all that promising — 76 yards to go and less than two minutes to do it in.
Torrington has three winnable games the next three weeks (at Wheatland, home versus Rawlins and at Riverton) before facing Buffalo and Douglas in the final two weeks of the regular season. And by then, Torrington could be favorites, THE team to beat.
One play, one moment, one victory. The Trailblazers are back.
Second mad props to Burns, who did just what I thought they might do — mess up my pick — in its 20-0 road victory over Newcastle. This was exactly what the Broncs needed to get back on track. They’re now a respectable 1-1 in the East and with three of their next four conference games at home, Burns could be right back in the thick of things by late October.
Speaking of the 2A East, third mad props to Big Horn, which pummeled Wright 37-0. Don’t look now, but Big Horn has won two in a row heading into its toughest stretch of the regular season — at Glenrock next week, at Thermopolis the following week. The Rams are now 2-0 in the 2A East could be a big spoiler in the playoffs, especially if they can pull out a victory in at least one (or both) of their next two games.
Fourth mad props to Lusk, which just felt like running in its 24-6 win over (previously) top-ranked Southeast. The Tigers tallied a ton of yards on the ground — almost 300 in all — and held Southeast to just 89 rushing yards. Oh, and just go ahead and make your plans now to show up at Lusk next week, when the 3-0 Tigers host 3-0 Lingle in yet another huge conference game.
Speaking of 1A, fifth mad props to Rocky Mountain, which used a stifling defensive effort to beat Riverside. The Grizzlies’ defense is for real. Through three games, Rocky is 3-0 and has yet to give up a point, winning by scores of 35-0, 39-0 and now 24-0. The Grizzlies’ defensive efficiency will definitely be tested next week as the team travels to Pavillion to play Wind River, but nonetheless three consecutive shutouts is nothing to sneeze at.
Speaking of 1A, sixth mad props to Sundance, which used a late fourth-quarter touchdown to beat Pine Bluffs 27-20. The Bulldogs’ victory spoiled a couple goose eggs — it was Sundance’s first victory this season and Pine Bluffs’ first loss. If any team can throw a kink into the 1A East, it might be Sundance. Remember, the Bulldogs play both Lusk and Lingle AT Sundance….
Seventh mad props to Powell, which found a little bit of offensive rhythm to mow down Buffalo 20-7 to notch its third consecutive victory. This was a big one for Powell, a momentum-builder for the 3A West slate that starts next week. Powell doesn’t have to travel much the next few weeks — counting the Buffalo game, the Panthers play four of five games at home, with the only road trip in that stretch to Afton to face Star Valley — so the Panthers have a great chance to establish themselves as one of 4A’s best. They’ve done a great job so far, and Friday’s win will only help that momentum build.
Other stuff that caught my eyes this week:
Kelly Walsh beat Natrona County 28-27 in double overtime in a thrilling Oil Bowl. KW won in the second OT after NC’s two-point conversion attempt was stopped short. … How did Sheridan avoid the upset at Rock Springs? Broncs win, 20-17, but that’s all I know. If you were there, fill me in. … Glenrock won’t be cruising to the 2A title. Thermopolis gave the Herders a game before falling 32-26, while Kemmerer proved it has refocused its energy by notching its second consecutive blowout victory. … Road teams are 16-11 so far this week, an abnormally high ratio for road wins.
Also, keep your thoughts with Midwest this week. A car crash on Thursday injured Midwest player Taylor Weber and killed his mother. Details of the crash are available here. The Oilers’ game with Kaycee got moved to Tuesday, but right now that’s not the important thing. The important thing is doing what you can to comfort the family and the communities — both Midwest and Bar Nunn — as they cope with the accident.
What else caught your attention this week? Any upsets, surprises or blowouts that you didn’t see coming? Or maybe something you saw coming that seemingly no one else did? Post your thoughts below.
Sunday addition: Also, congratulations to Snake River, which beat the Natrona frosh-soph team 38-26 in Casper to win the school’s first football game since (according to my records) 1953. It’s a win 56 years in the making. Good job, Rattlers!
This week: 26-7 (79 percent). This season: 89-21 (81 percent).
–patrick
Cheyenne Central-Laramie and Gillette-Cheyenne East (Wyoming Tribune Eagle). … Cokeville-Saratoga (Rawlins Daily Times). … Casper Star-Tribune roundup. … Idaho State Journal roundup (includes Star Valley-Marsh Valley).
–patrick
Oil Bowl advance, Glenrock shuffles some positions (Casper Star-Tribune). … Central-Laramie advance (Laramie Boomerang). … Burlington-Saratoga and Riverside-Cokeville (Basin Republican-Rustler). … Kemmerer-Lyman (Kemmerer Gazette). … Lusk-Hulett (Lusk Herald).
–patrick
Every year, there is one game that seems to define small-school football in southeastern Wyoming: Lusk-Southeast.
Without fail, either the Tigers or the Cyclones — or, usually, both — are in the hunt for conference and state honors.
Both teams know the road to a state championship will eventually end up going through the other.
Southeast won 1A titles in 1999 and 2000 with 9-1 records. Both seasons, the only losses were to Lusk, which went unbeaten both years in winning back-to-back 2A titles. And they played against each other for the 2A title in 2001 and met in the semis in 2002.
Recently, Southeast has been at the top of its game, winning three consecutive state titles. Meanwhile, Lusk has been rebuilding — and finished six points from a state championship game berth last year.
This year, the two teams are back in the same classification (1A) and they’re both aiming high. Southeast is ranked first in 1A, Lusk second. They’re both feeling good about where they’re headed — Southeast beat Newcastle and Sundance by a combined 78-6 in its first two games, while Lusk topped Burns and Hulett to stake a 2-0 start.
This game, right here in Week 3, will most likely decide who wins the 1A East and who has home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. And the winner is the odds-on favorite to win it all in Laramie come November.
The stakes are high, certainly. And Yoder will be rocking come about 7:30 Friday night.
No team has a definite edge in this matchup. But, at home, I’ll pick the Cyclones.
And I’ll make that pick knowing that it might not be the last time these two teams play each other this season.
Here are the rest of this week’s picks. My projected winners are in bold, but that doesn’t mean I’m rooting against those non-bolded squads:
Thursday
Interclass
Big Piney frosh/sophs at Farson: The Pronghorns’ pride won’t let them stay down for long… They’ll get this one and win for the first time since 1989. 5 p.m.
Friday
Class 4A
Gillette at Cheyenne East: This will probably be a great game despite it being a matchup of undefeated vs. winless. Put it this way: I don’t see the Camels winning by 50. But I still think they win. 7 p.m.
Green River at Evanston: Green River will be a team on a mission this week — just ask Sheridan how much a loss can motivate you. The Wolves have something to prove, and it’ll show. 7 p.m.
Kelly Walsh at Natrona County: No clue. The Oil Bowl is usually pretty predictable one way or the other. This year, with the game being so early in the season, it’s hard to say what might happen. Either way, one team will establish itself as a 4A contender, while another will be on the fringe looking in until the playoffs. 6 p.m.
Laramie at Cheyenne Central: As long as the Indians don’t get caught looking ahead — Capital Bowl is next week, possible showdown of undefeateds with Gillette two weeks away — they should knock off the Plainsmen for the eighth consecutive year. 6 p.m.
Sheridan at Rock Springs: The Tigers proved last week they can hang with the top 4A teams in the state. But “hanging with” and “beating” are two different animals. The Broncs, meanwhile, look like a team on a mission. 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Buffalo at Powell: If the Bison have proven anything through two games, it’s that they know how to play defense. That’s good, because Powell won’t allow a whole lot of points either. I’d be surprised to see either team go above 20 points in this one — heck, they might not reach 20 combined. 6 p.m.
Lander at Riverton: Another typically late-season rivalry gets renewed early. And I’m betting that, with both teams coming off close losses, it’ll be an intense one up at Tonkin. 7 p.m.
Rawlins at Jackson: Last week was tough on both teams. This week has to be better — win or lose. 7 p.m.
Torrington at Cody: The ‘Blazers’ big win last week makes this game really interesting. But the way the Broncs have played the last two weeks makes them the pick in this one. Even so, I think Torrington will keep it close and interesting well into the fourth quarter. 7 p.m.
Wheatland at Worland: Another interesting game that I can’t quite put my finger on. Class 3A still has some sorting to do in its hierarchy, and this is one of those games that’ll help clear up some of those questions. 6 p.m.
Class 2A
Big Piney at Mountain View: Back in July, I really thought the Buffalos were going to be one of the better teams in the 2A West, and I wasn’t really high on the Punchers. Now, in mid-September, those thoughts have switched sides. Of course, one game could flip it right back…. . 3 p.m.
Burns at Newcastle: I’m 0-2 picking the Broncs this year. Now that I go and pick against them, they’ll probably win… Ugh. Oh well. I still think the Dogies have the makings of a playoff team despite losing two in a row. 7 p.m.
Glenrock at Thermopolis: The Herders have earned that No. 1 ranking for a reason. And, for what it’s worth, Thermop hasn’t beaten Glenrock since 1999. 7 p.m.
Greybull at Wyoming Indian: The last time the Buffs started 4-0 was 1996; Greybull can reach that mark this year by winning in Ethete. I’ll give the edge to the team building a ton of momentum. 7 p.m.
Lyman at Lovell: The Eagles have the state’s longest active losing streak at 13 games, and breaking that streak against the Bulldogs — on the road — will be a tough task. 6 p.m. (changed from 4 p.m.)
Moorcroft at Tongue River: The Eagles, despite being 0-2, are a better team than they were last year. Don’t act too shocked if they give the Wolves a run for their money. 2 p.m.
Pinedale at Kemmerer: The Rangers are motivated. Last week helped prove that. That momentum will be tough for anyone to stop — something the Wranglers will likely learn on Friday. 4 p.m.
Wright vs. Big Horn, at Sheridan: Wright is probably the best winless 2A team in the state. Both teams participated in close games last week, and luck fell with the Rams and away from the Panthers. Law of averages says the luck falls the other way this week. 7 p.m.
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Shoshoni: It seems like everyone has forgotten about the Huskies. This might be the week everyone remembers why they were a preseason contender. 7 p.m.
Cokeville at Saratoga: The orange-and-black Panthers have beaten the purple-and-gold Panthers 10 consecutive times dating back to 1988. And Cokeville looks determined to prove itself all over again this season. 3:30 p.m.
Hulett at Lingle: For as much as I like Hulett this season, it’s hard to ignore what the Doggers have done on the scoreboard so far this season (116-7 scoring advantage in their first two games). And although the Red Devils will probably bring the Doggers back to earth score-wise, I’ll take the upstart Doggers to win — albeit in a very close game — at home. 7:30 p.m.
Pine Bluffs at Sundance: Are the Hornets real 1A title contenders? And can they keep from looking past the Bulldogs — a team entirely capable of pulling off an upset? 3 p.m.
Rocky Mountain at Riverside: Yeah, yeah, I know what the records and the scoreboard have said. But which team do you think got more out of the past two weeks — the one with the two easy blowout victories or the one with the narrow victory and the tough loss? It’ll be close, but I think it’ll be those lessons learned by the Rebels in those first two games that will carry them through. 7 p.m.
Wind River at Dubois: The Cougars have already beaten Wyoming Indian and Shoshoni — and the Fremont County small-school championship can be theirs with one more victory. 1 p.m.
Interstate
Alliance, Neb., at Douglas: Alliance should give the Bearcats a challenge — but probably not a loss. 7 p.m.
Star Valley at Marsh Valley, Idaho: Star Valley always seems to draw the toughest opponents out of Idaho, and the Eagles (3-0) from Marsh Valley are no exception. 7 p.m.
Saturday
Class 1A 11-man
Upton at Normative Services: A tough start for the Wolves won’t get any easier this season — Hulett, Southeast, Lingle and Lusk are NSI’s next four opponents. 7 p.m.
Class 1A 6-man
Guernsey at Hanna: One (Guernsey) versus two (Hanna) in six man will help set the stage for the rest of the season. If the Miners can’t hang with the Vikings, who will? Noon.
Meeteetse at Ten Sleep: The West Conference championship might be decided right here — and don’t think both teams don’t know that. 1 p.m.
Midwest at Kaycee: I’m really interested to see how this one turns out. Midwest obviously has the edge in experience; Kaycee is athletic; and, together, the two schools have a pretty deep rivalry. Finally, they get to hug it out on the football field. 3 p.m.
Interclass
Snake River at Natrona frosh-sophs: Long trip, fake grass, uncertain opponent… and yet I pick the Rattlers. Maybe I just think they’re due. 1:30 p.m.
And another week of picks is in the books. Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Rants? Praise? Post your comments below.
–patrick