Monthly Archives: July 2011

Each Friday, wyoming-football.com is taking a look at the teams, players and trends to watch in each classification this fall. Today, we look at Class 1A 11-man, the second preview in a series of five.

Four questions to answer
Is Cokeville building a new dynasty? The Panthers had gone a very un-Cokeville-like six years without a championship before winning the 1A 11-man title last fall. As usual, it was a small Cokeville team that took the field (in both weight and number), but eight of the Panthers’ 18 players were all-state picks last fall and four of those all-state choices are back this season.

Is Southeast ready to bounce back? Few teams have had the success the Cyclones have had in the past few years. With three consecutive state titles from 1999-2001 and four straight from 2006-09, as well as 14 consecutive years in which they have earned the right to host a first-round playoff game, the Cyclones have made it clear that the state title road will almost always go through Yoder. After a “down” year in which the Cyclones lost to eventual state champion Cokeville in the semifinals, Southeast returns all-staters Zac Zimmerer and Zach Eisenbarth and may again be the team to beat in the East Conference.

Who will challenge the two favorites? Cokeville and Southeast top the discussion of 1A 11-man title favorites, but after that, a whole bunch of uncertainty takes over. Parity appears to be the name of the game in 1A’s second tier, as numerous schools — Burlington, Rocky Mountain, Riverside and Wind River in the West and Pine Bluffs, Lingle and Lusk in the East — try to assert themselves as top-tier schools. But the problem might not be beating Cokeville and Southeast; it might be surviving the parity in the middle long enough to have the chance to move forward.

Is this the year Shoshoni ends the streak? Shoshoni’s losing streak is now at 19 games. The last time Shoshoni beat a current 1A 11-man team (without forfeiting it later) was 2006. It’s been quite a dry spell for the boys in blue, but the young Wranglers could be better this fall and should be more competitive; the only problem is that they play in the West, where every team is tough to beat week in and week out.

Four players to watch
Jordan Johnson, Cokeville. The Panther lineman was an all-state choice last fall, and with his play on both offense and defense, it’s easy to see why. He was second on the stout Panther defense last year with 137 defensive points and notched 17 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Brigham Teichert, Cokeville. The only Panther who had more defensive points than Johnson was Teichert. The junior led Cokeville with 198 team points last year, racking up 23 solo tackles, 16 tackles for loss and three fumble recoveries. The top defense in 1A 11-man returning its top two tacklers from an undefeated team? Doesn’t seem fair, does it?

Zac Zimmerer, Southeast. Zimmerer carried 152 times for 1,025 yards and 13 touchdowns last year and comes into 2011 as the classification’s top returning rusher. He also led the Cyclones with four interceptions on defense last year.

Anson George, Burlington. All George did last year was lead Burlington in receiving, punt returns, kick returns, scoring, kicking, defensive points, solo tackles and assisted tackles. Oh, and he was second on the team in rushing, too.

Four key games
Lusk at Southeast, Week 3. While Lingle and Pine Bluffs will have a say in who finishes atop the East Conference when it’s all said and done, this early-season showdown should help give everyone a good idea of where the top teams stand.

Rocky Mountain at Wind River, Week 4. The winner of this game probably has the best chance of challenging Cokeville for West Conference supremacy.

Cokeville at Rocky Mountain, Week 5. The Panthers’ toughest road trip this season may be the one to Cowley at the season’s midpoint.

Lingle at Southeast, Week 8. This game has had huge conference title and playoff seeding impacts the past two years. Look for this game in the regular-season finale to be just as important this year. (By the way, note that Southeast gets both Lusk and Lingle at home this year…)

Predicted order of finish
East: Southeast; Lingle; Lusk; Pine Bluffs; Sundance; Upton; Normative Services.
West: Cokeville; Rocky Mountain; Burlington; Wind River; Riverside; Saratoga; Wyoming Indian; Shoshoni.

Trivia
All-time, Cokeville is an incredible 100-19 (number corrected from original post) against current 1A 11-man programs. The Panthers are at least .500 against each of the other 14 schools in the classification. Two current 1A 11-man schools, though, have beaten the Panthers a classification high of five times apiece, combining to give Cokeville 10 of those 19 losses. Which two schools can claim this? Comment below if you have a guess, or if you want to talk about the 1A 11-man expectations you have for 2011.

–patrick

Every Friday for the next five Fridays, Wyoming-football.com will preview each one of Wyoming’s five football classifications. Today, we look at Class 1A-six man.

Four questions to answer
How will newcomers Dubois and Hulett affect the six-man mix? For the first time, the six-man classification is expanding, as Dubois and Hulett join the classification from the 11-man ranks to push the league’s tally to 10 schools. Hulett played a limited six-man schedule last year, going 2-4, but lost its only game against a current six-man varsity team, 67-20 to Midwest. Dubois, meanwhile, was a 1A-11 playoff qualifier last year and returns two all-state players — Mitchell Baker and Ty Finley — from that team.

Can Snake River repeat? The Rattlers had a breakout season in 2010, going 10-0 while winning every game by at least 16 points on their way to winning the six-man state championship. With two of the team’s four all-state players back this year, including a bevy of other players who saw significant playing time last fall, the boys from Baggs may be primed to start a streak of championships.

Will conferences affect the six-man hierarchy? Conference play in six-man football is back after a one-year absence. The teams are split into North and South divisions, with Meeteetse, Ten Sleep, Dubois, Hulett and Kaycee in the North and Snake River, Farson, Hanna, Guernsey-Sunrise and Midwest in the South. The biggest change with conference play comes in the form of playoff qualifying. The top four teams in each conference will make the playoffs, meaning that, for the first time, two teams will be left out when the postseason starts.

Will six-man continue to be a draw for smaller programs? With Hulett and Dubois dropping down to six-man and St. Stephens starting a junior varsity program this fall, six-man’s ranks continue to grow and strengthen. The real answer to this question won’t come until fall 2012 and the reclassification discussions, but if six-man’s current programs deliver on another strong year, watch for the number of schools in six-man to continue to grow as more small schools feel less anxiety about making the transition.

Four players to watch
Mitchell Baker, Dubois. If he puts up numbers like he did in 11-man last year, Baker might be the premiere running back in six-man this fall. Baker carried the ball 165 times for 1,297 yards and 11 touchdowns last fall and also forced nine turnovers on defense (seven fumble recoveries, two interceptions) in helping the Rams to the 11-man playoffs.

James Caro, Kaycee. The junior quarterback is halfway to becoming just Wyoming’s second four-time all-state selection in the past 40 years. He threw for 1,006 yards and had an insane 24-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio last season (yes, that’s right, 24 touchdowns and just one interception). He also intercepted seven passes on defense.

Daniel Wille, Snake River. Wille led the Rattlers with 18 touchdowns last fall, carrying 71 times for 786 yards. With all-purpose back Sean Rietveld graduated, Wille’s numbers should increase as he looks to take over the workhorse role.

Adam VanNorman, Midwest. The senior is coming off an injured knee that kept him from participating in track and field last spring, but the Oilers’ only all-state selection last fall will be key in his team’s attempt to chase down Snake River and Hanna in the South Conference.

Four key games
Snake River at Dubois, Week 2. The two preseason favorites meet early in the season and should give us a clear-cut favorite for the rest of six-man to aim for.

Midwest at Hanna, Week 3. While Snake River is definitely the early favorite in the South Conference, the Oilers and Miners both want to prove themselves as contenders. Winning this early season game will be crucial in accomplishing that task.

Snake River at Hanna, Week 5. The rematch of last year’s six-man state championship game comes at the season’s midpoint, and the Miners will be itching for a bit of revenge.

Kaycee at Ten Sleep, Week 7. If Dubois struggles to adapt to the style of six-man play in its first year, this game could end up being for the North Conference championship. Even if it’s not, these two teams always seem to put together a fun afternoon whenever they play each other.

Predicted order of finish
North: Dubois; Kaycee; Ten Sleep; Hulett; Meeteetse.
South: Snake River; Midwest; Hanna; Guernsey-Sunrise; Farson.

Trivia
Earlier, I mentioned Kaycee’s Caro as a contender to be a four-time all-state selection. Only one other player in the past 40 years has accomplished that feat in Wyoming. Who was it? Comment below with your guess, or with your thoughts about the upcoming six-man season.

–patrick