Five Minute Introduction (times four): Arvada-Clearmont, Chugwater, Reliance, St. Stephens

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

School: Arvada-Clearmont
Nickname: Panthers
Colors: blue and yellow
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: None
Times worth remembering: In their first football season as combined schools, Arvada and Clearmont went 3-1-1 in 1960, the only loss to the Buffalo JV squad. The Panthers later avenged that loss, and also swept a home-and-home with Big Horn and tied Tongue River.
Times worth forgetting: After dropping football after the 1962 season, A-C brought football back for 1969-71 — and went 2-18-2 in that span. The team’s only wins came over Lodge Grass, Mont., and the Gillette sophomore squad. In 1971, the team scored only 8 points in its final seven games, all Powder River Conference losses.

===============

School: Chugwater
Nickname: Buffaloes
Colors: blue and white
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: none
Times worth remembering: The records don’t show any Chugwater victories in 10 games…. So the closest the Buffaloes ever came, a 27-26 loss to Huntley in the final game of the 1956 season, is by default the program’s pinnacle.
Times worth forgetting: The program’s final game, the 1957 finale against Huntley, was canceled due to Chugwater’s poor field conditions.

===============

School: Reliance
Nickname: Pirates
Colors: maroon and white
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: none
Times worth remembering: The 1951-52 seasons were probably Reliance’s best of the ‘50s, as the Pirates went 4-2-1 and 5-2 against Class A competition. Both years, Reliance lost to Superior and Evanston, but beat the likes of Star Valley, Jackson and Green River.
Times worth forgetting: The last two years were Reliance’s toughest, especially the second-to-last year in 1956. That season, the Pirates lost their first three games by a combined score of 157-7, then canceled the rest of the season. In 1957, the Pirates went 2-4 in Class B, beating only Pinedale and Lyman.

===============

School: St. Stephens
Nickname: Eagles
Colors: red and white
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: none
Times worth remembering: St. Stephens only had football for nine seasons, but it didn’t take long to establish a reputation. The Eagles had six consecutive winning seasons from 1959-64, including an 8-1 season and a runner-up finish in 1961 and an 8-0 season and a mythical state championship in 1962. The ’62 team outscored its opponents 286-28.
Times worth forgetting: It took a couple years for the Eagles to learn how to play the sport, though. St. Stephens was a combined 2-11 in its first two seasons. The Eagles scored only 20 points their first season and their lone win was a 7-6 nail-biter over the Riverton JV; they improved in ’58 but still only scored 33 points for the season.

2009 WHSAA football power ratings: Glad or sad they’re gone?

by ⋅ 3 Comments

The Wyoming High School Activities Association’s eight-year experiment with power ratings came to a merciful close last fall. The 2009 season was a return to the past — using conference records to determine playoff qualifiers — but did it make any change?

Actually, if last year’s system was in place this year, only one of the playoff qualifiers would have changed: Powell would have made it in Class 3A and Riverton would have been bumped.

That’s the only change, but it’s interesting and important to note that the more common opponents teams have, the less relevant power ratings become. Such was the case this year — with nothing but common opponents in 4A and all but one week of common opponents in 2A and 1A 11-man.

For argument, though, here are this year’s WHSAA power ratings, class by class, with a little breakdown of how playoff qualifying would have broken down:

In Class 4A, it wouldn’t have mattered, since the power ratings can’t really influence anything if the teams only play each other round-robin style. The playoff pairings are exactly the same. For argument’s sake, though, here they are:
1. Sheridan 32.39
2. Cheyenne Central 31.28
3. Gillette 31.28
4. Green River 30.27
5. Kelly Walsh 29.06
6. Rock Springs 27.94
7. Laramie 26.83
8. Natrona 25.72
9. Cheyenne East 25.72
10. Evanston 24.03

In Class 3A…. There is the most room for change, because there are fewer common opponents in this division than in any other. With the East (Douglas) hosting the title game last year, the West top seed would have been No. 1 overall. (Note: All that’s missing is the result from Hardin, Mont., from Friday, which would bump Cody’s PR up or down a few decimals, but wouldn’t have affected playoff seeding anyway.)
1. Douglas 32.82
2. Buffalo 30.88
3. Star Valley 30.50
4. Cody 30.30
5. Worland 29.88
6. Torrington 29.07
7. Powell 28.50
8. Lander 28.38
9. Riverton 27.13
10. Jackson 25.75
11. Wheatland 24.44
12. Rawlins 23.25
Playoff Pairings: (8) Lander at (1W) Cody; (5) Star Valley at (2E) Buffalo; (6) Torrington at (2W) Worland; (7) Powell at (1E) Douglas

In both 2A and 1A 11-man, little would have changed because the systems, like the one in 4A, relies a ton on conference games….

In Class 2A… With both of last year’s hosts, Burns and Glenrock, in the East, the top seed would have gone to the West Conference champ… but little matter. Playoff pairings would have been exactly the same.
1. Glenrock 33.75
2. Kemmerer 32.63
3. Greybull 32.25
4. Thermopolis 31.88
5. Big Piney 30.88
6. Big Horn 30.00
7. Lovell 29.63
8. Wright 28.38
9. Burns 27.00
10. Moorcroft 26.88
11. Lyman 26.25
12. Pinedale 26.00
13. Mountain View 25.13
14. Wyoming Indian 25.00
15. Tongue River 24.63
16. Newcastle 23.75
Playoff  pairings: (8) Wright at (1W) Kemmerer; (5) Big Piney at (2E) Thermopolis; (6) Big Horn at (2W) Greybull; (7) Lovell at (1E) Glenrock.

In 1A 11-man… A couple first-round matchups would have been flipped around, with Riverside and Pine Bluffs cutting their travel down to play teams closer to home in the first round. With Burlington hosting last year, the top seed would have gone to the East Conference winner… The Dubois-Shoshoni game scheduled for Tuesday is omitted here; neither one was in the playoff hunt, and the result of that game would have had a negligible effect on the power ratings and wouldn’t have changed the playoff pairings.
1. Cokeville 33.11
2. Lingle 32.25
3. Southeast 32.00
4. Wind River 31.86
5. Lusk 31.13
6. Pine Bluffs 29.56
7. Riverside 29.49
8. Rocky Mountain 29.36
9. Burlington 28.76
10. Hulett 28.38
11. Saratoga 26.39
12. Sundance 26.13
13. Upton 25.81
14. Normative Services 25.13
Dubois, Shoshoni NA
Playoff pairings: (8) Rocky Mountain at (1E) Southeast; (5) Lusk at (2W) Wind River; (6) Pine Bluffs at (2E) Lingle; (7) Riverside at (1W) Cokeville.

In 1A six-man… without a defending state champion, the conference that earned hosting duties would have been assigned by the WHSAA. I’ve presented both options below. Oddly enough, the four East Conference teams went 1-4 in the power ratings… In either case, the first-round pairings would have been different in both options.
1. Guernsey 33.97
2. Midwest 31.95
3. Hanna 30.17
4. Kaycee 29.34
5. Ten Sleep 28.25
6. Snake River 27.03
7. Meeteetse 24.56
8. Farson 23.50
Playoff pairings with East winner as top seed: (8) Farson at (1E) Guernsey; (5) Hanna at (2W) Snake River; (6) Kaycee at (2E) Midwest; (7) Meeteetse at (1W) Ten Sleep.
Playoff pairings with West winner as top seed: (8) Farson at (1W) Ten Sleep; (5) Hanna at (2E) Midwest; (6) Kaycee at (2W) Snake River; (7) Meeteetse at (1E) Guernsey.

Like I said earlier today, I haven’t heard anyone whining about the loss of power ratings. After seeing this, though, what do you think? Still glad to see it gone, or do you think there were instances this year that give it cause for coming back? Let me know your opinion; post a comment below.

–patrick

Week 8 Humble Pie: The Cornelius Brothers, clunkers that go and desperate grips (updated)

by ⋅ 5 Comments

Two days ago, I said Southeast could consider it a success if it stayed within two touchdowns of Lingle.

Now, it’s Lingle that should feel good about staying within two touchdowns of Southeast.

The Cyclones flipped the Class 1A 11-man hierarchy on its head Friday night by beating the previously unbeaten Doggers 27-11 in Yoder. The victory is a huge one for the blue and white, a team whose aspirations for a fourth consecutive state championship all of a sudden look a lot more viable.

Clearly, Southeast has the athleticism, the ability and — maybe most important — the experience to hang with any 1A team in the state. We knew that before Friday. But what this victory does for the Cyclones, and what it does for the Doggers, can’t be underemphasized.

First of all, the Cyclones’ defense slowed down the Doggers’ ground game like no other team has. Lingle had scored at least 41 points in every other game this fall but were held to 30 points less than that on Friday. Second, the Cyclones’ offense put up 27 points, almost quadruple what the Lingle defense normally gives up. Third, and maybe most importantly, Southeast usurped the East Conference championship right out from under the Doggers and guaranteed home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Now, Lingle and Cokeville — the top two ranked teams for most of the season in 1A — are on the same side of the bracket. And, provided Lingle can get past Rocky Mountain and Cokeville beats Pine Bluffs in the first round, Lingle would have to travel to Cokeville in order to earn a berth in the title game.

Southeast’s road to Laramie is no easier, not with a game Riverside team coming to Yoder for the first round and either Wind River or Lusk awaiting in the semifinals.

But now it’s the Cyclones, not the Doggers, that are at home for the playoffs — something that will be critical, especially considering how many good teams are in that classification this fall.

Staying in the 1A East, second mad props to Pine Bluffs, which used a huge tackle from Max Williams on a two-point conversion try in the final minute of the game to edge Hulett 22-20 and earn the fourth and final playoff spot in the East. The Hornets had a 22-6 lead, then hung on for dear life after the Red Devils scored two touchdowns in the game’s final six minutes to make it interesting. And never mind that Pine will be a huge underdog in the first round as it has to travel all the way to Cokeville to play the undefeated Panthers in the first round. Pine Bluffs is in the playoffs — for the first time since 2003. For now, that’s all that matters.

While we’re at it, third mad props to another 1A East team, Normative Services, which earned its first victory in the season finale by upending Sundance 38-15. The Wolves had a rough time in 2009, losing all but one game in their seven-game losing streak by at least 35 points before upending the Bulldogs on Thursday. For the program and the school, it’s an encouraging end — the Wolves had some decent athletes, including a few players who gritted out the team’s first berth to the state basketball tournament last winter — and it gives hope to a team that, because of the nature of the school, is constantly rebuilding. After seeing all the breaks fall the other way, it’s nice to see one finally fall the way of the Wolves.

Fourth mad props to Wright, which earned a playoff berth by knocking out defending 2A champion Burns 22-14. Much like Pine Bluffs, Wright earns a playoff berth only to have to travel across the state for a game that, on paper, looks like a mismatch — Wright at Kemmerer. But, like Pine, Wright is happy simply to have the chance. It may not go well, but at least for the Panthers it will go… and that’s important for a multitude of reasons. And there’s always the chance of something unexpected happening once the playoffs start.

Fifth mad props to Pinedale, which upended Wyoming Indian 46-12 to end the season with a pair of victories after an 0-6 start. The Wranglers’ struggles were a little befuddling to me, especially after the success they had last year, so to see them turn it around — albeit a little too late to return the playoffs — has to be encouraging for 2010. Really, Pinedale wasn’t too far away from making the playoffs: nine points (a 12-7 loss to Big Piney and a 9-5 loss to Mountain View) ended up being enough to keep the Wranglers at home.

Sixth mad props to the Green River frosh/soph team, which beat Hanna 70-26 on Thursday to mark the second sub-varsity win over a six-man varsity team this season (corrected).

Saturday addition: Seventh mad props to Big Piney, which shut out Lovell 14-0 to head into the playoffs on the right foot. The Punchers, 1-7 last year, are officially back. At 6-2, Big Piney is a threat in the 2A playoff bracket, even with a road game at Thermopolis in the first round. I knew Big Piney would turn it around; I just didn’t think it would be this fast. But it’s been kind of fun to watch this year, and Saturday’s victory is a little taste of what the future could hold for the Punchers.

Some other stuff that’s interesting to me, including a meaningless link to the Tetris music videos and the Snoop Tetris remix:

First things first: The playoff pairings (minus Saturday’s games) are set. Click here for those. (Saturday update: The Wyoming High School Activities Association has also posted official brackets on its site; dates and times will be published there as well.) Dates and times will probably be announced Monday or Tuesday for all games, maybe sooner, but first-round games are set for 7 p.m. Friday unless the schools can mutually agree to change. Kemmerer and Cokeville will obviously have to change (no lights), and some six-man games will probably move to Saturday, but other than that I think most everyone will stick to Friday.

There were some gutsy performances on Friday by teams that had to win: Laramie’s big comeback victory over East to make it to the playoffs and to leave East out; Cody’s overtime victory over Worland to secure the 3A West’s top seed; Riverton’s road victory over Wheatland to make the postseason; Lander’s home victory over Powell to snatch the 3A West’s final playoff spot; Rocky Mountain’s shutout victory over Saratoga to make it to the postseason and leave Burlington out; and the victories by Wright, Southeast and Pine Bluffs. What a great week for those teams… not so much for the teams they bumped out of the playoffs… but that’s what Week 8 is all about. …

Maybe it’s just me, but I haven’t heard anyone reminiscing about the good old days of power ratings. …

Rawlins didn’t have much to cheer for this season, finishing 0-8, but the only points scored by the Outlaws in Friday’s 55-6 loss to Buffalo came off a short plunge from three-year offensive line starter Ryley Dawson… That’s pretty cool, and certainly a memorable way to end an otherwise forgettable season. …

Looking ahead to 2011, I’m thinking about six-man and wondering which 11-man teams might make the move to drop down — or if any of the current six-man teams are thinking about a move up…. I’d say that the teams that are there now will all stay, but Shoshoni and Dubois, both winless so far this year and playing each other on Tuesday, should really look at a change. Unless the junior high numbers are really high or something, both of those squads might fit the six-man style better. Shoshoni has struggled with numbers all year and in at least one game couldn’t finish with 11 on the field. Something to think about. …

What drew your attention, your awe or your fury in Week 8? Post a comment below.

This week: 24-7 (77 percent). This year: 208-54 (79 percent).

–patrick

Newsbreak: Sheridan, Natrona, Cheyenne Central, Kelly Walsh, Pine Bluffs, Hulett, Gillette, Green River, Buffalo, Rawlins, Rocky Mountain, Saratoga, Laramie, Cheyenne East, Southeast, Lingle, Star Valley, Jackson

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Sheridan-Natrona, Cheyenne Central-Kelly Walsh and roundup (Casper Star-Tribune). … Cheyenne Central-Kelly Walsh and Pine Bluffs-Hulett (Wyoming Tribune Eagle). … Gillette-Green River (Gillette News-Record). … Buffalo-Rawlins and Rocky Mountain-Saratoga (Rawlins Daily Times). … Laramie-Cheyenne East (Laramie Boomerang). … Southeast-Lingle (Scottsbluff Star-Herald). … Star Valley-Jackson (Star Valley Independent).

–patrick

Newsbreak: Kelly Walsh, Cheyenne Central, Natrona, Sheridan, Cheyenne East, Laramie, Gillette, Green River, Snake River, Meeteetse, Greybull, Big Piney, Burlington, Rocky Mountain, Riverside, Saratoga, Kemmerer, Lovell

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Kelly Walsh-Cheyenne Central preview and Natrona-Sheridan preview (Casper Star-Tribune). … Cheyenne Central-Kelly Walsh and Cheyenne East-Laramie previews (Wyoming Tribune Eagle). … Gillette-Green River preview (Gillette News-Record). … Laramie-Cheyenne East preview (Laramie Boomerang). … Snake River-Meeteetse preview (Rawlins Daily Times). … Greybull-Big Piney (Greybull Standard). … Burlington-Rocky Mountain and Riverside-Saratoga (Basin Republican Rustler). … Kemmerer-Lovell (Kemmerer Gazette).

–patrick

Week 8 picks

by ⋅ 1 Comment

Officially, the playoffs start next week.

But for eight Wyoming teams, the path to the playoffs starts — or ends — with Week 8.

Four games in the final weekend of regular-season play equate to pigtail games for those eight teams, where the winner moves on and the loser moves back in with the parents.

Two of those games — Powell at Lander and Riverton at Wheatland, both scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday — are in Class 3A. Powell and Lander are scrapping for the final playoff bid from the West Conference; Riverton and Wheatland for the last bid from the East.

In 2A, Wright hosts Burns at 7 p.m. Friday for the final playoff spot from the East Conference, while in 1A-11, Hulett makes the journey to Pine Bluffs to play a 4 p.m. Friday game that will decide the last spot out of the East.

Other games are just as critical this Friday, but for most teams, their playoff hopes have already been decided or don’t completely rest on how they play on Friday.

These four games, though, have simpler circumstances. The winner’s in, the loser’s out.

Two of the four games are essentially pigtail games for brackets that have more or less been set. The Powell-Lander winner is the No. 4 seed from the conference and plays at Douglas in the first round, while the winner of the Burns-Wright game is fourth from the East and travels to Kemmerer in the quarterfinals.

The Hulett-Pine Bluffs winner is almost assured of the No. 4 seed out of the East — to go any higher, Lusk has to lose to Upton, which isn’t likely but, given the nature of the sport of football, isn’t impossible. Even so, no one can blame the Red Devils and the Hornets for planning their trip to West top seed Cokeville next week (provided they win on Friday, of course).

The Riverton-Wheatland winner, meanwhile, doesn’t know quite as much. The winner is in the playoffs and will play on the road in the first round, but past that — seeding and location of the game — still depend on other outcomes on Friday.

So who wins these critical games that are more or less pigtails?

Well, both Powell and Lander have suffered their fair share of gut-wrenching losses this year. Both of them deserve a spot, but only one can move on. And even though Lander hasn’t had much success in its home conference games this year, I think the Tigers take the final step they need to take as Bill Bush Stadium karma finally shines on the green and white.

Riverton, meanwhile, has proven it can play with some of the better teams in the state, while Wheatland has just one victory — last week’s triumph over Rawlins. I’ll take the Wolverines on the road.

Both Burns and Wright have proven to be intriguing teams this fall, and with the stakes in this game, this could end up being the best game of the week. I will not be surprised to see either team win this game; I WILL be surprised if it’s by more than a touchdown either way. I’ll give my nod to Burns.

And, finally, Hulett has the chance to do something it has never done before — win below the 43rd parallel. The Red Devils have never won a road game south of that line, which roughly divides Wyoming in half… the closest Hulett has ever come is a 1994 victory over Wyoming Indian. Aside from that, Hulett’s “furthest south” road wins have come against Midwest. OK, geography nerd break aside, I think Hulett has the athleticism it’ll take to slow down the Hornets and create some big plays, which should be enough to keep the northern tier of teams from being shut out of the playoffs in the 1A East. I’ll take Hulett, but not by much.

As always, the playoff race comes to a hilt in the final week of the season — although, by now, it’s mostly for seeding. In all, 16 of the state’s 62 teams have been eliminated from the playoff race, leaving 46 teams alive for 40 playoff spots.

Here are the rest of my picks, as always, in fun, with projected winners in bold:

Thursday
Class 1A 11-man
Dubois at Shoshoni: It’s about time for the Rams to end this losing streak they’re on — and what better time to do that than in the season finale against the county rivals? 7 p.m.
Riverside at Wind River: The Cougars, even despite the loss last week, will still be a huge threat in the playoffs. Rebuilding momentum for that run is the key now. 7 p.m.
Sundance at Normative Services: Sundance was not that far away from being a playoff qualifier, so closing the season with a road victory might be the inspiration for more success next season. 5 p.m.
Interclass
Hanna at Green River frosh/sophs: Hanna had a week off last week, so this will be a good way for the Miners to get back in the swing of things before the six-man playoffs. 6 p.m.

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Laramie: Laramie knows it missed an opportunity last week against Green River. I don’t think the Plainsmen will let another one go. 7 p.m.
Gillette at Green River: This might be one of those games where the Wolves’ defensive troubles can’t be outweighed by their offensive firepower. 7 p.m.
Kelly Walsh at Cheyenne Central: KW will keep it closer than it did last week, but the Indians have the tacklers up front on defense and the athleticism on offense to pull this one out. 7 p.m.
Rock Springs at Evanston: The Tigers are finally playing up to their potential — and Evanston has no more playoff aspirations for which to play. 7 p.m.
Sheridan at Natrona County: The Broncs have won seven in a row for a reason. 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Buffalo at Rawlins: The Outlaws have had a rough go this season. The Bison will make sure Rawlins has no dream ending to the season. 6 p.m.
Douglas at Torrington: The Bearcats’ winning streak shows no signs of stopping… even against a Trailblazer team that wants to prove something before heading for the postseason. 7 p.m.
Jackson at Star Valley: Good fortune has been shining on the Braves in the second half of the season. After all, Star Valley deserves a little bit of that good stuff after the way they started the season. 7 p.m.
Worland at Cody: This has all the earmarks of a trap game for the high-flying Warriors… As if we needed another reminder, the 3A West reveals its parity once again. Should be a good one, close, and, given 3A West this year, it could be a shootout — maybe decided by some kind of kicking play in the fourth quarter. 7 p.m.
Class 2A
Big Horn at Newcastle: Big Horn is trying to build momentum for the playoffs. Newcastle is trying to avoid its eighth consecutive loss. Nod goes to the playoff-bound team. 7 p.m.
Greybull at Lyman: Greybull’s seed is assured — the Buffs will be the No. 2 seed out of the West — so this could be a trap game. Don’t count on it, though. 3 p.m.
Moorcroft at Glenrock: Three words: Herd. At. Home. Glenrock just keeps building momentum and victories on the way to the playoffs. 7 p.m.
Mountain View at Kemmerer: On the other side of the state, Kemmerer already has the West Conference championship in the bag, but the Rangers don’t want to do anything to slow that momentum. 3:30 p.m.
Thermopolis at Tongue River: On the verge of hosting their first playoff game in five years, the Bobcats don’t have it easy this week against the improved Eagles. 2 p.m.
Wyoming Indian at Pinedale: Hey, the Chiefs beat Mountain View for the first time in school history last week. How about two in a row? Wyoming Indian is 0-3 against Pinedale all-time… Look for that streak to end, too. 7 p.m.
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Cokeville: I’ve been thinking about this, and I don’t think it’s fair to call it the Panther Express anymore. It’s more the Panther Derailment Crew — they derail anyone in their path. This week, it’s Burlington that gets tossed in the ditch. 1 p.m.
Lingle at Southeast: The Cyclones might keep it close. But the way things have gone for the Doggers this fall, any final score within two touchdowns can be considered a success. 7:30 p.m.
Saratoga at Rocky Mountain: Not an easy a pick as you might think. Saratoga has been playing really, really well the last few weeks and has the ability to beat the Grizzlies… but, in Byron, I’ll take the brown and gold in a close one. 7 p.m.
Upton at Lusk: Think that double-OT loss to Pine Bluffs in Week 5 wasn’t a wake-up call for the Tigers? Last two weeks, Lusk 91, opponents 6. 7:30 p.m.
Class 1A 6-man
Meeteetse at Snake River: The stakes are high for this one — a home playoff game is a big deal. And for the Rattlers, who have never hosted a playoff game, it’s immense enough to inspire their best effort of the season. 3 p.m.

Saturday
Class 2A
Lovell at Big Piney: The winner goes to Thermopolis for the first round of the playoffs; the loser goes to Glenrock. Either way, it’s a tough draw. And this week is no cakewalk for either squad, either… Great Week 8 game, the type that prepares both teams for the intensity of the playoffs. For what it’s worth, I coin-flipped this one. 1 p.m.
Class 1A 6-man
Kaycee at Guernsey: The last thing the Vikings want to do is slow down all the momentum they’ve built up this season. 3 p.m.
Midwest at Ten Sleep: The Oilers and the Pioneers will be on the same side of the playoff bracket, so we may see this game as a rematch in two weeks — that is, if both teams can win in the first round. 1 p.m.

Week 8 open date: Farson.

What do you see coming next week in the playoffs? Or, if you’re the type that doesn’t like to look ahead as much, what Week 8 action strikes you as noteworthy? Post a comment below.

–patrick

Newsbreak: Buffalo, Laramie, Rawlins, Kemmerer, Lovell, Burlington, Rocky Mountain, Lusk, Normative Services, Wheatland, Lingle, Pine Bluffs, Glenrock, Burns, Green River, Saratoga, Shoshoni

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Buffalo’s Colter Young plays after amputation (Buffalo Bulletin). … Laramie has solid seniors (Laramie Boomerang). … Rawlins-Buffalo preview (Rawlins Daily Times). … Kemmerer-Lovell and Burlington-Rocky Mountain (Lovell Chronicle). … Lusk-Normative Services (Lusk Herald). … Wheatland-Rawlins (Platte County Record Times). … Lingle-Pine Bluffs and Glenrock-Burns (Pine Bluffs Post). … Green River-Laramie (GR Star). … Saratoga-Shoshoni (Saratoga Sun).

–patrick