Monthly Archives: October 2011

Death.

Taxes.

Star Valley beating Powell when they play in Afton.

Those, my friends, are the three certainties in life. Get to know them; they will come in handy.

In retrospect, we should have anticipated unranked and underappreciated Star Valley’s 19-13 upset of top-ranked and rolling Powell. The Braves always play better at home — 12 of Star Valley’s past 17 victories have been in Afton — and they always play well against Powell, especially in Afton.

Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane of Powell’s recent trips to the Little Switzerland of America:

2009: Powell and Star Valley meet up in a game that seems to be even on paper. Result: Star Valley 29, Powell 3.

2007: Powell, then the defending state champion, comes into Afton reeling after a double-OT loss to Cody. Result: Star Valley 20, Powell 13, in overtime.

2005: Powell comes to Afton undefeated, winners of its first six games of the season. Result: Star Valley 20, Powell 0.

2004: In the second game of the season, both teams are 0-1 and looking to gain some momentum in Afton. Result: Star Valley 19, Powell 7.

2002: Powell comes into Afton high after a 1-0 start; Star Valley is 0-1 and looking to gain traction. Result: Star Valley 27, Powell 7.

2001: Powell, the only team to beat the Braves in the regular season, rolls into Star Valley for a semifinal playoff game. Result: Star Valley 21, Powell 7.

And now, 2011: Powell comes to Afton as the top-ranked team in 3A to face the unranked Braves. Result: Star Valley 19, Powell 13.

With Friday’s loss, the Panthers are now 2-15 all-time in Afton.

What this game reveals, too, is a more alarming trend for Star Valley. Since 2007, the Braves are 12-8 in Afton and are just 5-18 away from home (a mark that includes two road wins this year). I am having a hard time finding another school that has such a huge disparity between home and road records in that same time span.

The numbers aren’t deceiving. They’re clear as a valley stream. In short: Don’t ever, ever, EVER underestimate the Braves at home. They win games in Afton that they would lose on the road. That’s as certain as death and taxes.

Staying in 3A, second mad props to Torrington, which lambasted Rawlins 34-3 to keep the Outlaws’ losing streak alive. You wonder sometimes what inspires teams. Clearly, Torrington was motivated to not be the team to which Rawlins ended its losing streak. It’s not the strongest motivation, but it’s motivation nonetheless. And it just might be enough to spark the Trailblazers to finish the season stronger than they have started it. It might not save the 2011 season, but it might bring some hope and inspiration for future seasons and point the program in the right direction. As for the Outlaws…. well, they have a new mascot.

Third mad props to Saratoga, which threw itself right back into the 1A West playoff mix by picking up an important 22-21 victory over a resurgent Wind River squad. Waddie Love’s 2-point conversion with less than four minutes remaining was the difference for the Panthers. In a conference where three teams are currently tied for the third and fourth playoff spots — and where three other teams are just one game back — every victory will be important not only for conference standings, but for potential tiebreaker use down the line.

Staying in the 1A West (where you pick the winners at your own peril), fourth mad props to Riverside, which became the frontrunner for the No. 2 bid for the West’s other home playoff game behind Cokeville with its 19-6 victory over Shoshoni. Both teams came in at 2-1 and desperately needed to win for the same reasons Saratoga and Wind River needed victories on Friday: positioning for the playoffs and possible tiebreaking victories. A little bit of a hierarchy was established by the Rebels with this victory; now, the Rebels need to continue cashing in on their opportunities to put some breathing room between them and the rest of the field. First up, Saratoga next week in Basin….

Fifth mad props to Sheridan, which not only beat Gillette, it destroyed the Camels 38-14 in the Energy Bowl. It was ex-Camel Jordan Roberts who made the difference for Sheridan: 37 carries, 271 yards, three touchdowns. The Sheridan defense also did its part, holding the Camels scoreless for the game’s final 33 minutes. The victory helps Sheridan inch ever closer to home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs — something they can wrap up if they keep playing like they did on Friday.

Sixth mad props to Sundance, which surprised everyone but itself by beating Lingle 15-6. This is slowly becoming a Sundance tradition: beating an unexpecting team from the south. This year, Lingle; last year, Southeast; in 2009, Pine Bluffs; in 2008, Saratoga. Don’t take the Bulldogs for granted at home, especially if you’re supporting a team from the south.

And what else drew my attention this week? Well:

The Bridger Valley Bowl is looking like possibly the best game of the week next week. Eager to see how Mountain View and Lyman stack up against each other. … Cody finally got moving in the right direction with its 22-7 victory over Jackson. For a team that has had so many frustrating losses this season, this one had to feel good — and it assures the Broncs that they still have a pretty good shot of not only making the playoffs, but maybe doing some damage once they get there. … Lander’s first loss of the season was rather emphatic, wasn’t it? I figured Douglas would win, but I never counted on a 45-7 Bearcat whitewash. … Friday was not a pretty day in six-man. The four games were decided by an average of 46 points. The closest game was Midwest’s 56-19 victory over Hulett, and that was a game the Oilers led 50-0 at halftime.

So with 31 games this week, I certainly have not touched on everything worth talking about. So what do you think? What Week 5 moments were the most surprising or interesting to you? Post some thoughts below, if you feel the urge.

This week: 25-6 (81 percent). This season: 142-34 (81 percent).

–patrick