In between teaching classes, taking classes, making a trip to Fort Collins and squeezing in quality time with the wife, I really hit the missing games list and the Byes Project hard this week. The Byes Project is an effort to account for all “Open” weeks in which schools have no games listed. I’ve also tossed in a couple Coaches Project updates, too…

In all, 11 games were added to the database (four of those are now “missing games”) and 14 games were removed from the missing games list.

New additions:

Added Cowley’s 28-20 victory over Bridger, Mont., on Oct. 18, 1975

Added the Pinedale-Reliance game scheduled for Oct. 9, 1956 (and added it to the missing games list because I couldn’t find a result)

Added Pinedale’s 36-18 victory over Lyman on Oct. 27, 1956

Added the Saratoga-Kremmling, Colo., game scheduled for Oct. 14, 1949 (and added it to the missing games list because I couldn’t find a result)

Added Saratoga’s loss to the Rawlins JV in October 1955 (and added it to the missing games list because I couldn’t find a score, a date or a location)

Added Saratoga’s loss to the Laramie JV on Oct. 13, 1955 (and added it to the missing games list because I couldn’t find a score)

Added Saratoga’s 32-26 loss to the Laramie JV on Oct. 12, 1956

Added Lingle’s 45-20 victory over Guernsey on Oct. 15, 1954

Added Guernsey’s 51-19 victory over Chugwater on Oct. 6, 1954

Added Sunrise’s two victories over Guernsey in 1953, a 55-19 victory on Sept. 18 and a 63-6 victory on Oct. 23

Missing games:

Found the location for Pine Bluffs’ 65-6 victory over Huntley on Nov. 8, 1957 (it was in Pine Bluffs)

Found the score for Upton’s 12-7 loss to Edgemont, S.D., on Sept. 21, 1956

Found the location for Saratoga’s 36-0 victory over the Rawlins JV on Oct. 9, 1956 (it was in Saratoga)

Deleted an entry for Newcastle’s 7-0 victory over Edgemont, S.D., on either Sept. 9 or 10, 1955; Newcastle actually beat Belle Fourche, S.D., 7-0 on Sept. 9, and that game was already part of the database

Found the score for Big Piney’s 50-12 victory over Baggs (Snake River) on Sept. 23, 1955

Found the date and location for Lingle’s 39-0 victory over Sunrise on Sept. 30, 1955 (it was in Sunrise)

Found the score and location for Lingle’s 42-13 victory over Albin on Oct. 28, 1955 (it was in Albin)

Found the location for Lingle’s 34-12 victory over Huntley on Sept. 17, 154 (it was in Lingle)

Found the location for Sunrise’s 45-0 victory over Guernsey on Sept. 17, 1954 (it was in Sunrise)

Found the score and changed the date for Lingle’s 46-8 victory over Harrison, Neb., on Oct. 6, 1954 (had originally listed Oct. 8)

Found the date and location for Morton’s 0-0 tie with the Lander JV on Oct. 6, 1954 (it was in Lander)

Found the score for Morton’s 6-6 tie with the Lander JV on Sept. 24, 1953

Found the score for Sunrise’s 19-19 tie with Albin on Sept. 25, 1953

Found the score for Sunrise’s 32-20 victory over Lingle on Oct. 30, 1953

Coaches Project:

Added coaches to the team pages for Sundance, Ten Sleep, Deaver-Frannie, Pinedale, Gillette, Saratoga, Lingle, Guernsey, Morton and Lander. Check out those teams’ pages to see the updates. Still could use some help for Cokeville….

As always, if you see an error or an omission in the game-by-game result listings or in the listing of the coaches, feel free to let me know. My e-mail address is pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Lyman:

Once again, Lyman coach Ted Holmstrom has come through in a big way in providing help regarding his school’s football history. He recently sent me updates for 11 seasons — 11 new games and 10 missing games:

1947: Corrected the date of the Oct. 24 game between Lyman and Big Piney (had originally listed Oct. 17)

1952: Added three games, Lyman’s 51-0 victory over Big Piney on Oct. 10; Lyman’s 18-18 tie with Cokeville on Oct. 17; and Lyman’s 37-6 victory over Big Piney on Oct. 24. Found the score for Lyman’s 42-18 victory over Cokeville on Oct. 3. Also removed a missing game scheduled Oct. 24 with Baggs-Snake River.

1953: Added two games, Lyman’s 38-14 loss to Cokeville on Oct. 1 and Lyman’s 61-61 tie with Big Piney on Oct. 16. (That 61-61 tie also set a new state record for the highest-scoring tie game — and by a wide margin, too.)

1954: Added one game, Lyman’s 48-33 victory over North Rich, Utah, on Oct. 21. Also found scores for two games, Lyman’s 38-21 loss to Cokeville on Sept. 24 and Lyman’s 54-13 victory over Baggs-Snake River on Oct. 11.

1957: Found scores for two missing games, Lyman’s 34-12 loss to Cokeville on Oct. 11 and Lyman’s 34-30 victory over Mountain View on Oct. 18.

1958: Added two games, Lyman’s 39-12 victory over Mountain View on Sept. 26 and Lyman’s 12-7 loss to Hanna on Oct. 17.

1959: Found scores for two missing games, Lyman’s 28-19 loss to Superior on Sept. 11 and Lyman’s 21-0 victory over Mountain View on Sept. 18.

1966: Added Lyman’s 18-0 loss to Provo, Utah, on Oct. 7.

1967: Added Lyman’s 46-33 victory over Ogden Deaf School, Utah, on Oct. 6

1968: Found a score for Lyman’s 36-6 victory over Ogden Deaf School, Utah, on Oct. 18.

1969: Added Lyman’s 7-6 victory over Park City, Utah, on Oct. 24.

Coach Holmstrom also hooked me up with all the missing coaches I had for Lyman on the Coaches Project. Thanks, coach!

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Glendo:

Glendo native and current Greybull coach John Cundall hooked me up with a list of Glendo’s coaches for the Coaches Project. Every year but 1952 has been accounted for in regards to the Eagles’ history. Glendo coaches were notoriously tough for me to find, so coach Cundall’s list was a huge, huge help to me. Thanks a ton, coach!

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Coaches Project:

In between receiving awesome e-mails from coaches, I’ve been chipping away at the Coaches Project on my own. The following schools have received updates in the past couple weeks, mostly in the 1960s or early 1970s: Arvada-Clearmont, Basin, Bow-Basin, Byron, Cowley, Deaver-Frannie, Goshen Hole, Guernsey, Hanna, Huntley, Jackson, Lander, Lingle, Manderson, Pavillion, Saratoga, St. Mary’s, Sunrise, Ten Sleep, Tongue River, Torrington. Check out those teams’ individual pages to see the updates.

The coaching list for Bow-Basin is now complete, which is pretty sweet.

I’ve got nearly every coach from 1964 to the present, with the exception of Huntley in the four seasons from 1965-68, Deaver-Frannie and Manderson in 1970, Pinedale in 1964 and Goshen Hole in 1966…. as well as Cokeville for pretty much every year prior to 1976. Cokeville is the only school where I’m still getting hung up, so if anyone knows who Cokeville’s coaches were back in the day, shoot me an e-mail to pschmiedt@yahoo.com and fill me in on who’s missing from the list. Cokeville’s team page is here.

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That’s it for now. Obviously it’s been a fun week!

–patrick

School: Morton
Nickname: Broncs
Colors: Unknown
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: None
Times worth remembering: Only one thing stood in the way of a Morton dynasty in the mid-1950s — Byron. The Broncs were a combined 22-4 in three seasons from 1956-58; three of those losses came against Byron, and all three helped keep Morton out of the playoffs. Even so, the Broncs were consistent winners with a penchant for winning close, competitive, hard-fought defensive games (nine of Morton’s 22 wins in those years were by 10 points or less).
Times worth forgetting: In three seasons from 1960-62, the Broncs were the conference doormat. Those three seasons, Morton finished a combined 3-17-1, only posting victories over the Riverton JV team, Manderson and the Worland Institute (boys’ school) team.
Best team: A team has never done more with less than the Morton Broncs did in 1965. That season, Morton posted a 5-1-1 record and finished third in the final statewide poll for the mythical title, but what was impressive about the Broncs was how they won. The scores from Morton’s victories that year? 13-6, 6-0, 6-0, 12-8 and 19-14. The lone loss was a 13-6 nail-biter to eventual mythical champ Byron; the lone tie was a 0-0 draw with Big Piney. Two other games were canceled.
Biggest win: For a school with no playoff appearances, big victories are hard to find. But imagine the thrill the Broncs felt on Oct. 18, 1957. That day, Morton beat Shoshoni in classic Morton style — a hard-fought, close, thrilling 13-6 contest — for its 15th consecutive victory. It set up a dream matchup with Byron the next week on Morton’s home field — a game that has no drama to it whatsoever if the Broncs don’t beat Shoshoni in the previous week.
Heartbreaker: The mythical Class B title was Morton’s to claim in 1964. All they had to do was beat Byron in the season finale. But Byron was ready for the challenge and swamped Morton 34-12 in the capper. As it was, Morton finished fourth in the final statewide poll; Byron, even with one loss, won the mythical title. It wasn’t the first time Byron thwarted Morton (see 1956-58), and it wasn’t the last — a similar scenario unfolded in 1965, and Byron again got the best of Morton to wrap up the mythical state title.

Morton team page.

The Wyoming Chapter of the National Football Foundation today released the list of its scholar-athlete award finalists and its special award winners.

To see full bios on the award winners, click here (Microsoft Word .doc format).

The winners and finalists will be recognized at a banquet March 20 in Laramie. Tickets are $30 apiece and open to the public; for ticket info, call Kermit or Wendy Sweeny in Worland at (307) 347-2979.

Finalists
Kyle Redding, Midwest (1A-6 lineman)
Jon Borah, Hanna (1A-6 back)
Jordan Sparks, Cokeville (1A-11 lineman)
Tanner May, Southeast (1A-11 back)
Leland Pfeifer, Hulett (1A-11 back)
Eric  Robinson, Kemmerer (2A lineman)
Colin Herold, Thermopolis (2A back)
Quentin Kane, Douglas (3A lineman)
Pierre Etchemendy, Douglas (3A back)
Chris Andrews, Green River (4A lineman)
Levi Henrie, Cheyenne Central (4A lineman)
Austin Woodward, Sheridan (4A back)
University of Wyoming: Weston Johnson, linebacker; Russ Arnold, center.

Special award winners
Keith & Joyce Bloom Scholar-Athlete Courage Award: Bobby Anderson, Riverside.
Scholar-Athlete Perseverance Award: Chuck Maike II, Wheatland.
Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football: Dave Rangitsch, Saratoga; Natrona County football crew (Bob Matson, Dennis Rate, Ed Rate, David Shutts, Bruce Heberlein, Matt Johnson)
Greatest UW Football Fan: Sue Nelson, Laramie; Carrol Orrison, Casper.
Greatest High School Football Fan: Lester Fatheree, Jr., Kemmerer.
Ox Zellner Football Official Career Achievement: Mike Harris, Riverton.
Football Coach Career Achievement: Carl Mirich, Moorcroft.

Coach Ted Holmstrom down in Lyman hooked me up big time with some scores from the late 1940s and early 1950s that I was missing. First, a big thanks to coach Holmstrom for helping me out! It’s really appreciated. Now, onto the updates he provided for Lyman:

Reliance’s 36-6 victory over Lyman on Oct. 11, 1946

Lyman’s 19-13 victory over Big Piney on Oct. 17, 1947 (this gives Big Piney two games on this date, but for now I’ll let it stand until I can figure out more)

Lyman’s 38-14 victory over Big Piney on Oct. 15, 1948 (and took it off the missing games list)

Lyman’s 26-18 victory over Pinedale on Sept. 16, 1949

Hanna’s 13-6 victory over Lyman on Sept. 23, 1949

Lyman’s 26-18 victory over Cokeville on Oct. 12, 1949

Lyman’s 51-6 victory over Farson on Oct. 11, 1950 (and took off an Oct. 13, 1950, empty listing on the missing games list for a game between Lyman’s JV and Farson)

All the updates have been made on the relevant pages.

He also let me know Lyman’s coach in 1946 was Bill Johnson. Thanks again, coach Holmstrom!

I’ve also put in a few updates of my own on the Coaches Project. Updates for Byron, Cowley, Deaver-Frannie, Lander, Manderson, Morton, Pavillion, Saratoga, St. Stephens and Wind River have recently been added; check out those individual team pages to see those updates.

I also:

Found the location for Morton’s 0-0 tie with Big Piney on Sept. 4, 1965 (it was in Morton)

Found out the Oct. 5, 1965, game between Pavillion and the Riverton JV was canceled

Found the score for Saratoga’s 7-0 loss to the Laramie JV on Oct. 29, 1955

All three games were taken off the missing games list.

–patrick

School: Rawlins
Nickname: Outlaws
Colors: red and white
Stadium: Outlaw Stadium
State championship: 2000
Times worth remembering: The Outlaws were one of the more consistent teams in the 1950s. After dropping out of the “Big Six” in 1953, Rawlins had five consecutive winning seasons, including playoff berths in 1953, 1956 and 1957. The peak of the run came in 1953 and 1954, when the Outlaws were 8-2 and 7-2-1, respectively.
Times worth forgetting: The 21st century started so well for the Outlaws. Then, after a state championship and an undefeated season in 2000, Rawlins hit a seven-year streak of difficulties. From 2001-07, the Outlaws didn’t have any more than one victory in any season and went a combined 6-53, losing 26 times by shutout.
Best team: It’s a tossup between old school and new school. Old school, the 1947 Outlaws finished 8-0-2 and atop the statewide balloting for a mythical title at the end of the season. In 10 games, the Outlaws posted six shutouts and gave up only 33 points the entire season. New school, Rawlins’ only undefeated, untied team and only state championship in the playoff era came in 2000, the culmination of a three-year buildup to the state’s top prize. Led by running back Scott Muir, the Outlaws had one of the most efficient offenses in the state — Rawlins averaged nearly 38 points per game — and rolled past Powell in the 3A title game.
Biggest win: The 2000 title game was Rawlins’ revenge. After years of struggling, including a 1998 season in which the Outlaws went 0-8 against the exact same schedule they faced two years later, Rawlins finally had the chance to be on top. The 39-14 victory over Powell in the title game was anticlimactic, but for the team and the community, the win was cathartic — putting past seasons and three previous championship-game losses in the past.
Heartbreaker: Of Rawlins’ three championship-game losses, the first one in 1974 was the toughest to accept — because of the three, that was the one Rawlins really had the best chance of winning. The ’74 Outlaws were 9-0 heading into the championship and had won their regular-season games by an average of 29-3. But in the title game against East, the Outlaws lost two fumbles inside their own 15-yard line, leading to both of the Thunderbirds’ touchdowns in a 14-0 loss on the Outlaws’ home field. Of small consolation was the 1974 all-state team: Rawlins had eight first-team selections; no other team had more than four and East only had three.

The North’s Shrine Bowl team roster was released on Friday. WyoPreps and the Casper Star-Tribune carried the lists this week. Players on the North team include:

Buffalo: Donny Scantling.
Cody: Matt Frost; Stephen Petras; Shae Sandry; Jeremy Tuten.
Gillette: Alex Coolidge; Alan Sisel; Patrick Snead; Steven Turpin.
Hulett: Dylan Bush; Leland Pfeifer.
Jackson: Jack Maguire.
Kelly Walsh: Noah Creel; Thomas Manning; Lucas Nolan.
Lander: Hawk Cain; Garrett Irene.
Lovell: Tyler Anderson.
Midwest: Kyle Redding.
Moorcroft: DeeJay Hacklin; Shane Hadley.
Natrona: Taylor Villegas.
Powell: Joe Lujan.
Riverton: Kolby Slack.
Sheridan: Will Hendrickson; J.C. Hespe; Kody Williams; Austin Woodward.
Thermopolis: Colin Herold; Chris Leyba.
Wind River: Colton Blankenship; Doug Jordan.
Worland: Robert Heyer; Brad Hunter; Cody Smith.
Wright: Drew Hostetter.

Alternates: Bobby Anderson, Riverside; K.J. Blackburn, Rocky Mountain; Ryan Burget, Wright; Shawn Christiansen, Burlington; Shane Dickerson, Lovell; Andrew Georgen, Big Horn; Chayce Goton, Greybull; Derek Gregory, Newcastle; Trent Jordan, Wind River; Lex Leonhardt, Wind River; Andrew Orchard, Tongue River; Shelby Vinot, Wright.

Click here for the South team.

The game will be played June 12 at Cheney Alumni Field in Casper.

Thoughts? Which team do you think has the early advantage? Post a comment or seven below.

–patrick

An e-mail I received the other day got me thinking about which Wyoming football team could be classified as the most dominant.

There have been 149 unbeaten, untied teams in Wyoming since 1946, so whittling that list down is a project in and of itself. Calling one team out of those 149 the most dominant is even tougher.

The problem is that naming the state’s most dominant team requires answering two questions — the most dominant team, period, and the most dominant team when compared to school size.

When you answer the question “most dominant, period,” you look at the big schools. A few teams immediately jump to mind: Rock Springs in 2002, Natrona in 1999, Green River in 2004 and the 1991 Sheridan team that finished the season ranked in the top 25 nationally by USA Today.

When you look at dominant for size, you have to bring up Glenrock in 2008, Buffalo in 2005 and Lusk’s 2000 team that didn’t give up a point in the regular season. I think two teams from 2009 — Douglas and Guernsey — deserve to be in the conversation, as well.

But there are some older teams that deserve some consideration, too.

Worland won six straight titles in the 1950s, but never went against any “AA” teams. Laramie had some very good teams in the early and mid 1960s and won 34 straight at one point. Kelly Walsh with Mike Devereaux and Allyn Griffin was dominating in 1980 and 1981.

There were also some small-school dynamos, specifically Cokeville (in just about any year), Byron in the 1950s and both Cowley and Deaver-Frannie in the 1970s. Rocky Mountain had some great teams in the 1990s, as well….

There’s only been one unbeaten and unscored-on team in state history (at least that I know of) and that was the Heart Mountain camp team from 1943, but that season comes with all kinds of footnotes. Sometime I’ll blog about those Heart Mountain teams, because they were pretty interesting… but back to the topic at hand.

I’ve also found two teams that only gave up six points the entire season — Saratoga and Torrington, oddly enough both in 1974. Also, Tongue River in 1973 had eight shutouts in 10 games.

There were several other teams that only gave up points in one game.

Click here for a Casper Star-Tribune story from 2002, which I link to from my origins page, that talks about what teams might be considered the best ever.

How about you? What teams do you think deserve consideration for the title “best ever,” either for its size or overall? Post a comment below.

–patrick

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