Central’s linebackers play up to challenge (Wyoming Tribune Eagle). … Wright-Moorcroft recap (Gillette News-Record). … Evanston-Cheyenne East recap (Uinta County Herald). … Snake River-Midwest recap (Rawlins Times). … Douglas-Riverton recap (Douglas Budget).
–patrick
School: LaGrange
Nickname: Longhorns
Colors: red and white
Stadium: unknown
State championships: None
Short history: The Longhorns’ football history is a brief one. The team went 0-5 in its only season, 1961, and its best chance went by the wayside in a 15-7 loss to Pine Bluffs in the season finale.
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School: Ranchester
Nickname: Rustlers
Colors: purple and gold
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: None
Times worth remembering: The Rustlers posted two non-losing seasons in six years before combining with Dayton to become Tongue River, 3-3 in 1953 and 4-2 in 1955.
Times worth forgetting: On the flipside, Ranchester’s other seasons were pretty bad, including two winless seasons, 0-3 in 1951 and 0-4 in 1954.
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School: Sunrise
Nickname: Miners
Colors: blue and white
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: None
Times worth remembering: The Miners picked the wrong time to have their best season. Sunrise posted an 8-0 record in 1961 — just one year after the WHSAA did away with the eight-man playoff system. The season included a 26-20 intersectional win over Mountain View.
Times worth forgetting: The late 1950s were a tough time for the Miners. From 1955-59, Sunrise did not have a winning season. The toughest year was the first year of the streak — a 2-3-1 season in 1955.
Ten Sleep-Farson and Worland-Jackson recaps (Northern Wyo Daily News, click today).
I did it. I worked out all the playoff possibilities for the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth seeds for the Class 4A playoffs.*
The schedule for Week 8 is Cheyenne Central at Kelly Walsh, Evanston at Rock Springs, Green River at Gillette, Laramie at Cheyenne East, and Natrona at Sheridan. The first four games are the most critical to the 5-8 seeds. Anyway, here is the breakdown for who would take the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth seeds, and who would be eliminated, if certain teams win. There are 17 different possibilities for how the seeds could break down. They are as follows:
| If East Beats Laramie | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Elim |
| RS win, GR win, KW loss | CC | CE | KW | GR | Lar, RS |
| RS win, GR loss, KW loss | CC | RS | CE | KW | Lar, GR |
| RS loss, GR win, KW loss | CC | CE | KW | GR | Lar, RS |
| RS loss, GR loss, KW loss | CC | CE | KW | GR | Lar, RS |
| RS win, GR win, KW win* | KW | CC | RS | CE | Lar, GR |
| RS win, GR loss, KW win | KW | CC | RS | CE | Lar, GR |
| RS loss, GR win, KW win | KW | CC | CE | GR | Lar, RS |
| RS loss, GR loss, KW win | KW | CC | CE | GR | Lar, RS |
| *-seeding dependent on Sheridan loss to Natrona | |||||
| If Laramie Beats East | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Elim |
| RS win, GR win, KW loss | CC | KW | GR | RS | Lar, CE |
| RS win, GR loss, KW loss | CC | KW | RS | Lar | CE, GR |
| RS loss, GR win, KW loss | CC | KW | GR | RS | Lar, CE |
| RS loss, GR loss, KW loss | CC | KW | RS | Lar | CE, GR |
| RS win, GR win, KW win | KW | CC | GR | RS | Lar, CE |
| RS win, GR loss, KW win | KW | CC | RS | Lar | CE, GR |
| RS loss, GR win, KW win | KW | CC | GR | RS | Lar, CE |
| RS loss, GR loss, KW win | KW | CC | RS | Lar | CE, GR |
In short:
Kelly Walsh is in. The winner of Kelly Walsh-Central is the fifth seed. If Central loses, the Indians are the sixth seed.
If Laramie loses, they’re out. If East loses, they’re out. If Laramie wins and Green River wins, both East and Laramie are out.
The only place where the Sheridan-Natrona outcome has an effect on these seeds is if KW, Rock Springs, Green River and East all win. If Sheridan happens to beat Natrona on top of all that, then it depends on more than I can explain here.
*It should be known that this interpretation of the seeding possibilities contains breaking of four-way ties, something that is not addressed in the WHSAA handbook. In those cases, I took the team with the top record against the other three teams; when doing that resulted in another tie, I looked at the head-to-head winner of those two teams and made that team the winner of the four-way tiebreaker. Then, I went back to the three-way tiebreaker and started at the start of the tiebreaking procedures for the remaining three teams. I hope this interpretation of the tiebreakers matches with what the WHSAA might use if presented with that situation, but again, it’s important to note that this procedure is not specifically addressed in the handbook.
You’re welcome….
–patrick
A simple look at the scores told you Laramie was going to be better in Week 7 than in Week 4.
But did anyone see this coming? Even Laramie?
Did anyone see the Plainsmen exploding for 28 fourth-quarter points to beat Green River? Did anyone see the Plainsmen finding the fortitude to rally from a 20-0 third-quarter deficit?
In the end, it doesn’t matter if anyone saw it coming. Because it happened.
Just like that, Laramie is back in the playoff conversation. An eight-game losing streak that dated back to last season is snapped. A suddenly winnable game against Cheyenne East looms in the season finale.
All of a sudden, the Plainsmen are back in vogue. It ain’t quite 1964, but for the first time in a long time, the Plainsmen have momentum.
And how. Laramie had every reason to pack it in on Friday night after falling behind 20-0 on the road to Green River — a team that beat Cheyenne Central last week in comeback fashion. Of course, Central put 56 points up on Laramie in the first half earlier this year…
Never mind any of that now. Laramie forgot about it midway through the third quarter and burst forth for 35 points in the game’s final 19 minutes. For perspective, remember that Laramie had scored just 33 points in its past six GAMES.
But I digress. I keep finding myself bringing up these numbers about how badly the Plainsmen struggled up to about 8:15 on Friday. In part, that makes Friday’s comeback all the more impressive, because no one saw it coming.
Except, maybe, the guys in maroon and yellow. It happened. Believe it. And believe in the Plainsmen.
Staying in 4A, second mad props to Cheyenne Central, which overcame seven turnovers to beat Sheridan 28-21 in one of the weirdest, and most exciting, games I have ever attended. It was a case of opportunism at its finest. Central cashed in on its opportunities. Sheridan, which only scored seven points off the seven turnovers, did not. Sheridan came in banged up and shorthanded — and left that way, too — but, considering all the struggles the Broncs have undergone this fall, they really put up a gritty fight. Central just neutralized every bad play it made with two good ones.
Third mad props to Lander, which strengthened its playoff profile considerably — and damaged Star Valley’s considerably, too — by beating the Braves 27-20. This game, too, looked like a weird back-and-forth affair, especially in the first half, when Lander zoomed out to a 17-0 lead only to watch Star Valley score 2o points in the second quarter and enter halftime tied at 20. The defenses took over in the second half, but Lander prevailed. And in the process, secured a playoff berth and actually moved into fantastic position to host a first-round playoff game, something they can secure if they beat Powell next week.
Fourth mad props to Burns, big winners (42-14) over Glenrock. It may be hard to believe with a score like that, but this game was actually that close, tense, tight game I predicted entering the fourth quarter. Then Burns decided it wanted to stay in the playoff race and scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away. Now, the Broncs are in a fun, if slightly desperate, position — win next week against Wright and they’re in the playoffs, lose and they’re out. No excuses there. And after that dominating fourth quarter, the Broncs should be full of that dangerous tonic, confidence, that coaches love for their teams to gulp down this time of the season.
And that’s all I missed this week. But some other items caught my attention this week, too:
How about those Dubois Rams? The 67 points the Rams put up on Riverside were the second-most ever for a Dubois team in a single game against a team not named Wyoming Indian (topped only by a 69-point output against Hanna in 1994). It will definitely help the Rams to play that first-round playoff game at home, against either Lingle or Southeast, which has to make the long trip west. …
Here’s a number for you: Gillette put up 723 yards of total offense against Kelly Walsh. I guess those yards do add up fast when you have five touchdowns of at least 48 yards like the Camels did Friday. …
Just a random observation, but I’ve noticed a lot of teams going with decal-less helmets this fall. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like a lot more teams than usual are going for the stark look on their headgear. Anyone else noticing this? Any explanation why? …
Am I crazy for thinking that neither one of the 3A conference champions should be the favorite for the 3A title once the playoffs start? I like Cody and I like Douglas, but my goodness, I am really liking Buffalo right now. …
Week 8 talk, of course, will be all about playoff seeding. I tried to put together all the scenarios (except for the mess at the bottom of 4A) here (either click or just scroll down a bit). If I truly get inspired, I might tackle the “bottom of 4A” possibilities.
Anything you noticed this week? Any great players/teams/performances from the past week that caught attention you might not normally have focused there? Any playoff predictions? Post your thoughts below.
This week: 27-4 (87 percent). This season: 188-45 (81 percent).
–patrick
Cokeville’s coach keeps on piling up victories (Casper Star-Tribune). … Laramie-Green River recap (Laramie Boomerang).
–patrick
I can’t sleep, so I’ve decided to put together a little cheat sheet for next week. I figured out all the possible playoff seeds for every team, except those at the muddled bottom of Class 4A, where there are 15 different seeding possibilities and I didn’t want to work through every possible scenario….
That said, here’s next week’s cheat sheet for playoff seeding, based on my interpretations of the WHSAA tiebreaker guidelines (remember, my interpretations, not necessarily the WHSAA’s, but I tried to be good about it):
Class 4A
Natrona: Top seed, win or lose.
Evanston, Gillette, Sheridan: Right now, all three are tied for second seed. If the three-way tie remains after the end of this week, it depends — if all three win, Sheridan wins the tiebreaker and is the second seed, Evanston is third and Gillette is fourth, but if all three lose, then Evanston wins the tiebreaker, Gillette is third and Sheridan fourth (with Cheyenne Central being the highest-ranked team to compare). In any two-way ties, Evanston has the tiebreaker on Gillette, Sheridan has the tiebreaker on Evanston and Gillette has the tiebreaker on Sheridan. Any way you break it down, none of these teams finishes lower than fourth, win or lose next week.
Cheyenne Central: Is fifth seed with a win over KW and is sixth seed with a loss.
Kelly Walsh: Is fifth seed with a win over Central. With a loss, KW can finish anywhere from sixth to ninth, depending on the outcomes of other games.
Cheyenne East, Green River, Rock Springs: Right now, these three are tied for the seventh, eighth and ninth seeds. Depending on the outcome of their games and the KW-Central game, there are 15 different possible seeding combinations.
Laramie: Right now, in 10th. Can still qualify for the playoffs with a win and a Green River loss. Laramie is guaranteed a spot if they win, Green River loses and Rock Springs wins. If Laramie wins and both Rock Springs and Green River lose, it creates a four-way tie for the final two playoff spots, and I think that Laramie and Rock Springs earn the final two spots, but the WHSAA handbook doesn’t address four-way ties….
Class 3A
East Conference
Douglas: East Conference champ.
Buffalo: Second seed out of the East.
Riverton and Wheatland: Both in; the only question is which one is the three seed and which is the four seed. They conveniently play each other, so that works.
Torrington and Rawlins: Eliminated.
West Conference
Cody: West Conference champ.
Lander: Qualified. No. 2 seed with a win. No. 3 seed with a loss AND a Worland loss; No. 4 seed with a loss AND a Worland win.
Powell: Qualified. No. 2 seed with a win AND a Worland loss. No. 3 seed with a win AND a Worland win. No. 4 seed with a loss.
Worland: Qualifies for the playoffs with a win OR a Star Valley loss. No. 2 seed with a win AND a Powell win. No. 3 seed with a win AND a Powell loss. No. 4 seed with a loss AND a Powell win. Fails to qualify with a loss AND a Star Valley win AND a Powell win.
Star Valley: Needs a win AND a Worland loss to qualify as the fourth seed.
Jackson: Eliminated.
(Thanks to Kevin for catching my mistake in the 3A West.)
Class 2A
East Conference
Big Horn: East Conference champion.
Thermopolis: No. 2 seed from the East.
Newcastle and Wright: Currently tied for third and fourth seeds. By my calculations, Newcastle has qualified, while Wright has not. Wright is No. 3 seed with win and is eliminated with a loss. Win or lose, Newcastle is No. 4 seed with a Wright win. Newcastle is No. 3 seed with win AND Wright loss. If both Wright and Newcastle lose, Newcastle is the No. 3 seed and Burns is the No. 4 seed.
Burns: The No. 4 seed with a win. Eliminated with a loss.
Tongue River, Glenrock, Moorcroft: Eliminated.
West Conference
Lyman: Conference champion with a win. No. 2 seed with a loss and a Lovell loss. No. 3 seed with a loss and a Lovell win.
Greybull: Conference champion with a win AND a Lovell loss. No. 2 seed with a win and a Lovell win. No. 3 seed with a loss, no matter what Lovell does. Lovell: Conference champion with a win AND a Lyman loss. No. 2 seed with a Lyman win, win or lose. No. 3 seed with a Loss AND a Lyman loss.
Big Piney: Are the No. 4 seed with a win. Are the No. 4 seed with a loss AND a Mountain View loss. Are the No. 4 seed with a loss AND a Mountain View win AND a Pinedale win. Are eliminated with a loss AND a Mountain View win AND a Pinedale loss.
Mountain View: Qualify if and only if they win AND Big Piney loses AND Pinedale loses.
Pinedale, Kemmerer, Wyoming Indian: Eliminated.
Class 1A 11-man
East Conference
Lusk: East Conference champion.
Lingle: No. 2 seed with a win. No. 3 seed with a loss.
Southeast: No. 2 seed with a win. No. 3 seed with a loss, no matter what Sundance does.
Pine Bluffs: No. 4 seed, no matter what anyone else does.
Sundance, Upton, Normative Services, Hulett: Eliminated.
West Conference
Cokeville: West Conference champion.
Dubois: No. 2 seed, win or lose.
Burlington and Rocky Mountain: Both qualified. Rocky Mountain is the No. 3 seed with a win OR a Burlington loss. Burlington is the No. 3 seed with a win AND a Rocky Mountain loss.
Riverside, Saratoga, Shoshoni, Wind River: Eliminated.
Class 1A six-man (REGULAR SEASON COMPLETE THIS WEEK)
Snake River: No. 1 seed.
Kaycee, Hanna, Ten Sleep: Came into Week 7 tied for the No. 2, 3 and 4 seeds. Hanna is No. 2, Ten Sleep 3 and Kaycee 4, regardless of how Kaycee does on Saturday.
Midwest: No. 5 seed.
Meeteetse: No. 6 seed.
Guernsey: No. 7 seed.
Farson: No. 8 seed.
(This will be updated to reflect Saturday’s games after those games are complete.)
If the playoffs started today, this is how the brackets would look:
4A: (8) Rock Springs at (1) Natrona; (5) Central at (4) Sheridan; (7) Green River at (2) Evanston; (6) Kelly Walsh at (3) Gillette.
3A: (4W) Powell at (1E) Douglas; (3E) Riverton/Wheatland (coin flip) at (2W) Lander; (4E) Riverton/Wheatland (coin flip) at (1W) Cody; (3W) Worland at (2E) Buffalo.
2A: (4W) Big Piney at (1E) Big Horn; (3E) Wright at (2W) Lovell; (4E) Newcastle at (1W) Lyman; (3W) Greybull at (2E) Thermopolis.
1A 11: (4W) Burlington at (1E) Lusk; (3E) Southeast at (2W) Dubois; (4E) Pine Bluffs at (1W) Cokeville; (3W) Rocky Mountain at (2E) Lingle.
1A 6: (8) Farson at (1) Snake River; (5) Midwest at (4) Kaycee; (7) Guernsey at (2) Hanna; (6) Meeteetse at (3) Ten Sleep.
OK, now I’m going to bed. I’m spent.
–patrick
The Basin Republican Rustler reported today’s game between Burlington and Rocky Mountain will be the Grizzlies’ first home game at their new stadium in Cowley. If somebody gets a chance to upload some pictures of the stadium/game to the Wyoming-football.com Flickr group, that would be awesome…. or you can just e-mail them to me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com. A curious fan (me) says thanks!
–patrick