Rock Springs coach Tom Jassman resigned Tuesday as head football coach of Rock Springs.

Jassman had been the head coach of the Tigers the past three seasons. Rock Springs went 6-24 the past three seasons and 1-8 in 2013 but did qualify for the playoffs in 2011 and 2012.

Jassman said via email he resigned because the three-year commitment he had made to the program was complete. He said he made a promise to his wife to coach for only three seasons.

A replacement has not yet been named.

–patrick

When the postseason schedule is set, you can pretty much count in certain teams to be there.

Seven schools come into the playoffs this year with postseason qualifying streaks of 10 or more years; the players for three schools have never known a year in which their school didn’t make the postseason.

Gillette (24 consecutive years), Natrona (22) and Cokeville (21) all reached the postseason to continue impressive postseason qualifying streaks. Southeast (17 years), Big Horn (15), Douglas (12), and Cheyenne Central (10) have all qualified for more than a decade straight, too.

+++

Missing out: Some teams not in the bracket this year either continued or broke some long streaks, too. Buffalo missed the playoffs for the first time since missing in 1998 — the Bison had qualified for 14 consecutive years — while Green River missed the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Wyoming Indian missed the playoffs for the 17th year in a row, by far the longest such active streak in the state, while Rawlins, Moorcroft, Pinedale and NSI all missed the playoffs for the fifth year in a row.

+++

Our house: The same four teams (Gillette, Natrona, Sheridan, Cheyenne East) are hosting in the 4A quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.

Cokeville hosts in the opening round for the 21st consecutive season; Southeast is hosting a first-round playoff game for the 17th consecutive season. Douglas (eight straight seasons) and Gillette (seven) have also been first-round hosts consistently and continue those streaks this year.

Of this year’s first-round hosts, Rocky Mountain has been the longest removed from such duties; the Grizzlies are hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2002. This is also Rocky’s first playoff game on its new field in Cowley.

+++

Welcome back: Of the 40 teams in the playoffs, Jackson breaks the longest playoff drought; the Broncs are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007. Torrington, which, like Jackson, is in the 3A bracket, is in the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

The other 38 teams that qualified for this year’s postseason either qualified last year or in 2011.

+++

On to the picks, where I see a lot of scratch brackets happening. Can it really be that straightforward? Projected winners in bold:

Class 4A
(8) Evanston at (1) Gillette: The Camels are rolling right now; last week’s victory over East helped prove that to everyone. Rematch of a 2012 quarterfinal playoff game.
(5) Kelly Walsh at (4) Natrona: No doubt KW was fortunate to win the Oil Bowl. It will take even more of that kind of good fortune to beat the Mustangs in the playoffs. First playoff meeting since 2006; that year, NC lost in the regular season and won in the playoffs.
(7) Laramie at (2) Sheridan: The Broncs have been lost in the shuffle a bit this year since losing the Energy Bowl. But they’ll come out firing, especially against a Plainsmen team that they now know they can’t overlook. First playoff meeting since 2000.
(6) Cheyenne Central at (3) Cheyenne East: These intra-city rivals are meeting for the fourth time in two years. That hasn’t happened since back in the days when they played each other twice a year. That said, East has won all three games the past three years. Rematch of a 2012 quarterfinal playoff game.

Class 3A
(4E) Torrington at (1W) Powell: The Panthers were silly if they didn’t book their hotel rooms for Laramie two weeks from now back in November. First playoff meeting since the 1957 Class A title game.
(3W) Cody at (2E) Lander: The Tigers are playing well and, at home, will give the Broncs fits. Still, I like Cody on the road. First playoff meeting.
(4W) Jackson at (1E) Douglas: The Bearcats have been scary efficient in blowing through the East Conference. Jackson will be game, but it may not be much of a game. First playoff meeting since 2007 semifinals.
(3E) Riverton at (2W) Star Valley: I wondered how the Braves would respond after having so much success, but losing so much to graduation, after last year. Consider that question answered. First playoff meeting since 1998 3A title game.

Class 2A
(4E) Wheatland at (1W) Lovell: Despite this being a 1-4 game, I think the Platte County Bulldogs could put up a real fight in this game and make Lovell work for this victory. The parity in 2A this year will be evident in games like this. First game between these two programs.
(3W) Lyman at (2E) Big Horn: As far as the Rams are concerned, this was the game that should have been played a year ago in Laramie. The Eagles are a tough first-round draw and I think it’ll be close, but Big Horn has been playing really well lately. Only the second game between these programs; first came in 2011 quarterfinals.
(4W) Thermopolis at (1E) Burns: Even back in August, we knew Burns would be tough. But unbeaten? The Broncs have been impressive and have responded to every challenge so far this season. Look for that to continue. First playoff meeting.
(3E) Newcastle at (2W) Mountain View: We saw this game last year. The only difference was that it was in Newcastle. I’ll go with the home team again… but the Dogies will make it interesting. This could be the best game of the week; if I could only watch one game this week, this would be the one. Rematch of a 2012 quarterfinal game.

Class 1A 11-man
(4E) Upton-Sundance at (1W) Cokeville: Good luck, Patriots: Cokeville has NEVER lost a first-round playoff game since the playoffs expanded to eight teams in 1991. First game between these programs; Cokeville last played Upton in 2005, Sundance in 1991.
(3W) Burlington at (2E) Southeast: The Huskies played well enough to win the West Conference’s triangular playoff on Tuesday. But there’s a big difference between winning a triangular playoff and winning a playoff game. First meeting since 2008 title game.
(4W) Riverside at (1E) Lusk: The Tigers have notched six consecutive shutouts, including a 52-0 beat down of the Rebels, and are coming off a bye. Advantage Lusk. First playoff meeting since 2008.
(3E) Lingle at (2W) Rocky Mountain: The Doggers are one of only two road teams I’m picking to win this week. And it’s tough, because I love the Grizzlies and I think they’ve had a great season. Every time I think about this game, though, my gut tells me Lingle has the upper hand, even on the road. Only the second game between these programs; the first came in the 2009 quarterfinals.

Class 1A six-man
(4E) Kaycee at (1W) Meeteetse: The Longhorns have been on fire ever since they got back from Texas. No reason to think that will stop now. First playoff meeting.
(3W) Snake River at (2E) Guernsey-Sunrise: The Vikings won the most important game of their season last week, and I think that momentum will carry over to their meeting with the Rattlers. First playoff meeting and, oddly enough, only the third time they’ve ever played on the same field.
(4W) Farson at (1E) Midwest: Midwest’s only loss this season came courtesy of the Pronghorns. Sort of. Forfeits are funny like that. In this case, it means zilch. The Oilers are primed for a deep playoff run. First playoff meeting.
(3E) Hulett at (2W) Dubois: The Rams already beat the Red Devils once this season on the road. This time, Dubois has the home-field advantage AND the mental edge of prior success. First playoff meeting since the 2006 1A quarterfinals.

For a full schedule including kick times, check out the 2013 schedule and results page.

Last week: 26-5 (84 percent). This season: 219-48 (82 percent).

The first round of the postseason is always a fun time — the potential for upsets, the elimination of pretend contenders, the high-stakes nature of every game. So what teams should we watch for this week? Who’s being overlooked, and who’s being looked at too much? Post your thoughts below.

–patrick

Burlington, Riverside and Shoshoni will play each other in a triangular playoff at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Worland to decide the final two spots in the Class 1A 11-man playoff bracket.

The three squads tied for the third and fourth seeds from the West Conference.

The winner of Tuesday’s playoff will face Southeast in the first round, while the team that emerges as the second seed will play at Lusk. Both games will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Yoder and Lusk, respectively.

Burlington will play Shoshoni in the first half.

–patrick

Full brackets are available on the WHSAA website.

Friday, Nov. 1

Class 4A

(8) Evanston at (1) Gillette, 6 p.m.

(5) Kelly Walsh at (4) Natrona, 7 p.m.

(7) Laramie at (2) Sheridan, 7 p.m.

(6) Cheyenne Central at (3) Cheyenne East, 5 p.m.

Class 3A

(4E) Torrington at (1W) Powell, 6 p.m.

(3W) Cody at (2E) Lander, 7 p.m.

(4W) Jackson at (1E) Douglas, 7 p.m.

(3E) Riverton at (2W) Star Valley, 5:30 p.m.

Class 2A

(4E) Wheatland at (1W) Lovell, 6 p.m.

(3W) Lyman at (2E) Big Horn, 2 p.m.

(4W) Thermopolis at (1E) Burns, 7 p.m.

(3E) Newcastle at (2W) Mountain View, 2 p.m.

Class 1A 11-man

(4E) Upton-Sundance at (1W) Cokeville, 1 p.m.

(3E) Lingle (2W) Rocky Mountain, 6 p.m.

Class 1A six-man

(4E) Kaycee at (1W) Meeteetse, 5 p.m.

(3W) Snake River at (2E) Guernsey, 2 p.m.

(4W) Farson at (1E) Midwest, 7 p.m.

(3E) Hulett at (2W) Dubois, 2 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 2

Class 1A 11-man

(3W) Burlington at (2E) Southeast, 1 p.m.

(4W) Riverside at (1E) Lusk, 1 p.m.

–patrick

Unofficial first-round playoff matchups. Games will be at 7 p.m. Friday at fields with lights or at 2 p.m. Friday at fields without lights, unless both participating schools can reach a mutual agreement for a different time.

Class 4A
(8) Evanston at (1) Gillette
(5) Kelly Walsh at (4) Natrona
(7) Laramie at (2) Sheridan
(6) Cheyenne Central at (3) Cheyenne East

Class 3A
(4E) Torrington at (1W) Powell
(3W) Cody at (2E) Lander
(4W) Jackson at (1E) Douglas
(3E) Riverton at (2W) Star Valley

Class 2A
(4E) Wheatland at (1W) Lovell
(3W) Lyman at (2E) Big Horn
(4W) Thermopolis at (1E) Burns
(3E) Newcastle at (2W) Mountain View

Class 1A 11-man (final spots to be decided in triangular playoff on Tuesday)
(4E) Upton-Sundance at (1W) Cokeville
(3W) Burlington/Riverside/Shoshoni at (2E) Southeast
(4W) Burlington/Riverside/Shoshoni at (1E) Lusk
(3E) Lingle (2W) Rocky Mountain

Class 1A six-man
(4E) Kaycee at (1W) Meeteetse
(3W) Snake River at (2E) Guernsey
(4W) Farson at (1E) Midwest
(3E) Hulett at (2W) Dubois

–patrick

The conventional wisdom in Class 4A the past few years has been counterintuitive: A loss or two in the regular season isn’t bad.

Just look at the records of the state championship winning teams since 2005: Central in 2005 (7-4), Gillette in 2006 (11-1), East in 2007 (9-2), Gillette in 2008 (10-2), Sheridan in 2009 (11-1), Natrona in 2010 (11-1), Sheridan in 2011 (11-1).

Last year’s 12-0 Natrona team was the first big-school squad to win a state championship while going undefeated since Green River did it in 2004.

Which brings us to this year’s Class 4A race.

Of the conference championships up for grabs last week, only one remains undecided — Class 4A.

The big schools’ regular-season title remains undecided because the two teams with the best records, Gillette and Cheyenne East, weren’t on each other’s schedules until the final week of the regular season.

Gillette, at 8-0 but with scares from Cheyenne Central (16-10) and Natrona (24-23 in OT), has emerged as the favorite for the big-school championship. Cheyenne East, with its only loss in a 7-1 season an inexplicable 42-21 defeat at Sheridan, remains as the Camels’ lone challenger.

The winner Friday wins the regular-season crown.

Nice, but not the ultimate goal.

Win or lose, the Camels have home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. East can earn the same with a victory Friday, but will need some help to get the No. 2 seed if it loses.

Class 4A’s recent championship history has proven a Camel loss wouldn’t be devastating. The Camels themselves in 2006 and 2008 showed that a regular-season loss could be overcome in the playoffs. And a Gillette loss might put them on the opposite side of the bracket from the team that gave Gillette its biggest challenge this season, Natrona.

But the odd conventional wisdom falls apart in the face of this: It’s still better to be undefeated entering the playoffs than it is to enter with a loss.

Natrona in 2011 is the last big-school team since Laramie in 2000 to enter the playoffs undefeated and not win the state title — and Laramie lost the title game to an undefeated Gillette team that year.

Final summation? Nothing definitive. Both the Camels and the Thunderbirds have a great shot at winning the state title, win or lose this week for both. And while a loss or two in the regular season doesn’t hurt, an undefeated run is historically better….

And with some parity finally returning to Class 4A this year, the Camels have a fantastic chance to show such parity doesn’t really apply to them.

Now that would be some conventional wisdom everyone can understand.

Other games I’m watching: Almost all of them. Of this week’s 32 games, 23 have some kind of influence on the postseason, either in qualifying or in seeding. Only eight of the 40 playoff spots are still available, but only 12 of the 32 teams that have qualified actually know their seed. And 18 teams are going for those final eight spots. Yeah, it’s a busy week. … Both Thursday games (Riverton at Lander and Newcastle at Wheatland) are critical. Their timing is handy, though. Because of how everything else worked out, and because these two games were scheduled a day early, we’ll know the 3A East and 2A East seedings before Friday’s first snap. … I’ll be keeping a close eye on the games that help to decide who hosts in the first round and who goes on the road, especially Jackson-Star Valley, Riverton-Lander, Greybull-Lyman, Southeast-Lingle and Guernsey-Kaycee. … A lot of pride will be at stake in Moorcroft when the Wolves host Wright. Both teams are winless this year and don’t want to have that streak carry over to next year.

On to the picks. Teams I think will be winners by the time the game is done in bold:

Thursday
Class 3A
Riverton at Lander
Class 2A
Newcastle at Wheatland
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Evanston
Cheyenne South at Sheridan
Gillette at Cheyenne East
Kelly Walsh at Laramie
Rock Springs at Natrona
Class 3A
Buffalo at Rawlins
Douglas at Torrington
Jackson at Star Valley
Powell at Green River
Worland at Cody
Class 2A
Glenrock at Burns
Greybull at Lyman
Lovell at Big Piney
Mountain View at Kemmerer
Thermopolis at Pinedale
Tongue River at Big Horn
Wright at Moorcroft
Class 1A 11-man
Pine Bluffs at Upton-Sundance (at Sundance)
Riverside at Burlington
Shoshoni at Cokeville
Southeast at Lingle
Wind River at Rocky Mountain
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Wyoming Indian
Farson at Meeteetse
Hanna at Saratoga
Midwest at St. Stephens
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Guernsey-Sunrise at Kaycee
Normative Services at Hulett
Snake River at Ten Sleep
Open: Lusk.

For a full schedule including kick times, check out the 2013 schedule and results page.

Last week: 27-5 (84 percent). This season: 193-43 (82 percent).

How are your school’s postseason plans shaking up? Will Week 8 influence your quarterfinal opponent? Is Week 8 your make-or-break? Or will you be ready to hang up those cleats by the end of this week’s games? Post a comment below to fill me in on what’s at stake for you in Week 8… or to make fun of my picks. Either way, it’s cool.

–patrick

Here is a PRELIMINARY look at potential playoff scenarios entering Week 8.

(Monday update: Class 3A West has been updated to reflect my mistake: Worland is not out of the running yet. // Saturday updates: Class 4A, Class 2A West and Class 1A six-man updates are complete!)

The Week 8 schedule is here.

Class 4A
Gillette: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss.
Cheyenne East: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss and Sheridan loss. No. 3 seed with loss and Sheridan victory.
Sheridan: In. No. 2 seed with victory and East loss. No. 3 seed with victory and East victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Kelly Walsh victory. No. 3 seed with loss, Kelly Walsh loss and Natrona loss. No. 4 seed with loss, Kelly Walsh loss and Natrona victory.
Kelly Walsh: In. No. 4 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Natrona loss. No. 5 seed with loss and Natrona victory.
Natrona: In. No. 3 seed with victory, Sheridan loss and Kelly Walsh loss. No. 4 seed with victory, Sheridan victory and Kelly Walsh loss. No. 5 seed with victory and Kelly Walsh victory. No. 5 seed with loss.
Cheyenne Central: In. No. 6 seed with victory. No. 7 seed with loss.
Evanston: Neither in nor out. No. 6 seed with victory. Potential for 7 seed, 8 seed or out with loss.
Laramie: Neither in nor out. No. 7 seed with victory and Evanston loss. No. 8 seed with Evanston victory. No. 8 seed with loss and Rock Springs loss. Out with loss, Central loss and Rock Springs victory.
Rock Springs: Neither in nor out. Potential for 7 seed, 8 seed or out with victory. Out with loss. Out with Evanston victory.
Cheyenne South: Neither in nor out. No. 7 seed with victory, Laramie and Evanston losses and Rock Springs victory. No. 8 seed with victory, Laramie victory, Rock Springs victory and Central victory. Out with Evanston victory.
Note: In all cases where Evanston beats Central, Evanston will be No. 6, Central will be No. 7 and Laramie will be No. 8. Here are the seedings if Central beats Evanston:

Central Beats Evanston CC Eva Lar RS CS
South W, Lar W, RS W 6 out 7 out 8
South W, Lar W, RS L 6 8 7 out out
South W, Lar L, RS W 6 out out 8 7
South L, Lar W, RS W 6 out 7 8 out
South L, Lar L, RS W 6 8 out 7 out
South L, Lar W, RS L 6 8 7 out out
South W, Lar L, RS L 6 7 8 out out
South L, Lar L, RS L 6 7 8 out out

Class 3A East
Douglas: In. No. 1 seed.
Riverton: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Lander: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Torrington: In. No. 4 seed.
Rawlins, Buffalo: Out.

Class 3A West (updated 10-21)
Powell: In. No. 1 seed.
Star Valley: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Cody loss. Tie for 2-3-4 spots (and coin flip to break) with loss and Cody victory.
Jackson: Neither in nor out. No. 2 seed with victory and Cody loss. Tie for 2-3-4 spots (and coin flip to break) with victory and Cody victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Cody victory. Tie for 3-4-5 spots (and playoff to break) with loss and Cody loss.
Cody: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory and Star Valley victory. Tie for 2-3-4 spots (and coin flip to break) with victory and Star Valley loss. Tie for 3-4-5- spots (and playoff to break) with loss and Star Valley victory. Eliminated with loss and Star Valley loss.
Worland: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory and Jackson victory. Tie for 3-4-5 spots (and playoff to break) with victory and Jackson loss. Eliminated with loss.
Green River
: Out.

Class 2A East
Burns: In. No. 1 seed.
Big Horn: In. No. 2 seed.
Wheatland: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss.
Newcastle: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss.
Glenrock, Tongue River, Moorcroft, Wright: Out.

Class 2A West
Lovell: In. No. 1 seed.
Mountain View: In. No. 2 seed with victory or Lyman loss. No. 3 seed with loss and Lyman victory.
Thermopolis: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory and Lyman victory. Three-way playoff participant with victory and Greybull victory. Eliminated with loss.
Lyman: Neither in nor out. No. 2 seed with victory and Mountain View loss. No. 3 seed with victory and Mountain View victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Thermopolis loss. Three-way playoff participant with loss and Thermopolis victory.
Greybull: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory and Thermopolis loss. Three-way playoff participant with victory and Thermopolis victory. Eliminated with loss.
Big Piney: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory, Pinedale victory and Lyman victory only. Eliminated in all other scenarios.
Pinedale: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory, Lovell victory and Lyman victory only. Eliminated in all other scenarios.
Kemmerer: Out.

Lyman beats Greybull Lym MV The Gre BP Pin
BP W, MV W, The W 3 2 4 out out out
BP W, MV W, The L 3 2 out out 4 out
BP W, MV L, The W 2 3 4 out out out
BP L, MV W, The W 3 2 4 out out out
BP W, MV L, The L 2 3 out out 4 out
BP L, MV W, The L 3 2 out out out 4
BP L, MV L, The W 2 3 4 out out out
BP L, MV L, The L 2 3 out out out 4
Greybull beats Lyman
BP W, MV W, The W 345 2 345 345 out out
BP W, MV W, The L 4 2 out 3 out out
BP W, MV L, The W 345 2 345 345 out out
BP L, MV W, The W 345 2 345 345 out out
BP W, MV L, The L 4 2 out 3 out out
BP L, MV W, The L 4 2 out 3 out out
BP L, MV L, The W 345 2 345 345 out out
BP L, MV L, The L 4 2 out 3 out out

Class 1A 11-man East
Lusk: In. No. 1 seed.
Southeast: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Lingle: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Upton-Sundance: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Pine Bluffs: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.

Class 1A 11-man West
Cokeville: In. No. 1 seed.
Rocky Mountain: In. No. 2 seed.
Shoshoni: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory and Riverside loss. No. 4 seed with Riverside victory. Tie for 3-4-5 spots (and playoff to break) with loss and Riverside loss.
Riverside: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory. Tie for 3-4-5 spots (and playoff to break) with loss and Shoshoni loss. Out with loss and Shoshoni victory.
Burlington: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory and Shoshoni victory. Tie for 3-4-5 spots (and playoff to break) with victory and Shoshoni loss. Out with loss.
Wind River: Out.

Class 1A six-man East
Midwest: In. No. 1 seed.
Kaycee: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Hulett loss. No. 4 seed with loss and Hulett victory.
Guernsey-Sunrise: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Hulett loss. No. 4 seed with loss and Hulett victory.
Hulett: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Saratoga: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory and Hulett loss. Out with loss or Hulett victory.
Hanna: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory and Hulett loss. Out with loss or Hulett victory.
NSI: Out.

Class 1A six-man West
Meeteetse: In. No. 1 seed.
Dubois: In. No. 2 seed.
Snake River: In. No. 3 seed with victory or Farson loss. No. 4 seed with loss and Farson victory.
Farson: In. No. 3 seed with victory and Snake River loss. No. 4 seed with loss or Snake River victory.
Wyoming Indian, Ten Sleep, St. Stephens: Out.

–patrick

Normally, Week 8 provides Wyoming football fans with the most postseason drama.

This year, though, we’ll get a lot more questions answered in Week 7.

We enter the weekend with the possibility that EVERY conference championship could be decided by the end of Friday’s games.

One conference champion has already been decided, as Lovell wrapped up the 2A West title last week with a victory and some help.

Of the remaining eight conferences, six of them can be won on Friday with nothing more than a victory. Two other conference titles can be wrapped up with the right set of circumstances.

Here’s how the conference title races break down:

4A: Gillette can win the conference title with a victory and a Cheyenne East loss.

3A East: Douglas can win the conference title with a victory; Riverton can with the title with a victory and a Lander loss.

3A West: Powell can win the conference title with a victory.

2A East: Burns can win the conference title with a victory.

2A West: Lovell has already won the conference title.

1A 11-man East: Lusk can win the conference title with a victory; Southeast can win the title with a victory and a Lingle loss.

1A 11-man West: Cokeville can with the conference title with a victory and a Shoshoni loss.

1A six-man East: Midwest can win the title with a victory.

1A six-man West: Meeteetse can win the title with a victory.

+++

Of course, all the teams highlighted here play in important games this week. Of these, though, one game keeps drawing my attention: Lusk at Southeast. This should not be a surprise to anyone… These two programs have been among the most consistent, successful programs in the state the past few years, and they played each other for the state title last season.

This year, Lusk is undefeated, coming in 6-0. And Southeast is 3-3, in danger of its first losing season since 1996.

Anyone who claims Southeast is out of the running, though, has a memory that’s much too short for my liking. All we have to do is look back to last year.

Lusk, if you’ll remember, was undefeated until losing to Southeast in the title game, while Southeast struggled to a 5-3 regular season (6-2, but with a forfeit) before catching fire in the playoffs. Remember, Lusk beat Southeast in the regular season last year, too.

Oddly enough, the 2013 season is shaping up a lot like 2012 for these two teams. Lusk’s still unbeaten; Southeast has some losses.

But to doubt Southeast is to reject every historical precedent we’ve seen.

Despite the 3-3 record, I still have the Cyclones ranked third in my Class 1A 11-man poll (behind my No. 1 Cokeville and my No. 2 Lusk). Southeast’s losses are to Burns, Cokeville and the Natrona sophomores; the Cyclones’ victories are against struggling Pine Bluffs and Wind River, but also 21-6 against an Upton-Sundance squad that I think is one of the best in the classification this year.

The Cyclones have made it to the state title game six of the past seven years. Even with the losses, and even with a .500 record — and even if the Cyclones lose to Lusk on Friday — it’s silly to count out the blue and white.

A victory against Lusk would all but give Southeast the conference crown and home-field advantage in the playoffs (although Lingle still has something to say about that).

Lusk, though, is the favorite, and I’m picking the Tigers to win. Lusk has notched five shutouts in a row entering Friday’s game. The Tigers’ demonstrated prowess on both sides of the ball should have them in great position to reach Laramie for the third time in four years.

The easy pick (and, let’s admit it, my pick) for the 1A 11-man title game is Lusk-Cokeville. The only problem with that pick is that Southeast will make the playoffs. And you never count out Southeast.

Ever.

+++

Best of the rest: All of the games involving potential conference championship clinchers are on my radar, obviously: Cody-Powell, Douglas-Riverton, Wheatland-Burns, Burlington-Cokeville, Kaycee-Midwest, Meeteetse-St. Stephens. On paper, most of them look like lopsided matchups. If more than two of these are close games, I’ll be happy. … The Wheatland-Burns game lost some of its luster when the Bulldogs lost last week, but this one can still be memorable; it means just as much in the conference championship race as we figured it might a week ago at this time. … Cheyenne South’s best chance to break its losing streak may come Friday at home against Rock Springs. The Bison end the season with a road trip to Sheridan, so it may be now or next year for South to finally pull out a victory. … Torrington hasn’t beaten Buffalo since 1992. That streak may end this week, after 21 years and nine games between them. … The messy 2A West gets even messier this week; two of the three teams tied for second (Mountain View and Thermopolis) play each other in what might be the most important game of the season for both teams. I already fear figuring out the playoff scenarios for that conference next week. … Speaking of messy playoff races, a postseason spot may be on the line Saturday when Saratoga hits the road to face Guernsey. That game has been the toughest of the week to pick. The 1A six-man East Conference has been fun to follow this year; it’ll be interesting to see if that regular-season big-game gamut pays off in the postseason for East squads.

Quick look back at last week: Why isn’t Jackson’s 64-48 victory over Green River getting more attention? I mean, 112 combined points? That’s the most in one 11-man game since 1930 (when Cheyenne High combined with University Prep for 119 points, as the Indians unceremoniously dumped the Buckaroos 113-6). And it’s tied for the fifth-most EVER in state history in an 11-man game. Has six-man desensitized us to basketball-worthy scores? Anyway…

On to the Week 7 picks. Teams I think will win are in bold, because if I underlined them you’d try to click on them.

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Kelly Walsh
Evanston at Cheyenne East
Laramie at Gillette
Natrona at Sheridan
Rock Springs at Cheyenne South
Class 3A
Cody at Powell
Douglas at Riverton
Green River at Star Valley
Jackson at Worland
Lander at Rawlins
Torrington at Buffalo
Class 2A
Big Piney at Greybull
Glenrock at Wright
Kemmerer at Lovell
Lyman at Pinedale
Moorcroft at Big Horn
Mountain View at Thermopolis
Tongue River at Newcastle
Wheatland at Burns
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Cokeville
Lingle at Upton-Sundance (at Upton)
Lusk at Southeast
Rocky Mountain at Shoshoni
Wind River at Riverside
Class 1A six-man
Hulett at Hanna
Kaycee at Midwest
Meeteetse at St. Stephens
Wyoming Indian at Farson
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Snake River
Saratoga at Guernsey-Sunrise
Ten Sleep at Normative Services
Interclass
Natrona sophs at Pine Bluffs

For a full schedule including kick times, check out the 2013 schedule and results page.

Last week: 24-8 (75 percent). This season: 166-38 (81 percent).

So… You know how we do this by now. You disagree with my picks and tell me why I’m wrong, I soberly nod in agreement, everybody happy! Do your part in this interaction and comment below.

–patrick

Since I wrote this post back in May, we’ve learned some new facts about Wyoming’s high school football landscape for 2014 and 2015.

We learned Moorcroft and Tongue River were moving to 1A 11-man. We learned Wyoming Indian and Saratoga were leaving six-man for 11-man. We learned Upton and Sundance are going to keep their co-op. We learned Lingle and Cokeville, despite having six-man enrollments, were going to play 11-man football. And we learned conference alignments.

So I knew I had to build a new dream schedule to fit the new conference alignments to update the one I made in May.

The schedule, though, couldn’t be just a nonconference schedule. The schedule had to be a full-on, eight-week, complete schedule, with home and road dates. Building the schedule any other way would leave it full of holes and bye weeks I couldn’t otherwise fix.

I built schedules as much as I could like the WHSAA, meaning I considered geography and competitive equity as much as I could in my decisions. I also did everything in my power to avoid schedules that would give teams either three consecutive home games or three consecutive road games. But I didn’t deal with some things the WHSAA does (see the end of this post for more on that).

Below, you’ll also see something called a JOB week. JOB stands for junior-varsity, out-of-state or bye week. Maybe it’s also my subconscious telling schools they got “jobbed” by me that week for leaving it open… Either way, that week is open for one of those three options: a junior-varsity vs. varsity game, an out-of-state game or a bye. I’ve tried to give most JOB weeks at the 11-man level to schools near state borders to facilitate out-of-state games.

I also didn’t build a 4A schedule. With no changes coming to the big-school division, there is no reason to tear up the schedule that was new this year.

++++++++

Class 3A: I maintained the current conference schedules as much as possible, although I had to change a couple host sites in the West. Otherwise, with the conferences remaining static, the changes came in the nonconference schedule.

3A East
Buffalo: at Cody; vs. Powell; vs. Worland; at Douglas; at Riverton; vs. Lander; at Torrington; vs. Rawlins.
Douglas: at Powell; vs. Worland; at Cody; vs. Buffalo; at Lander; at Rawlins; vs. Riverton; vs. Torrington.
Lander: at Star Valley; vs. Cody; vs. Green River; at Torrington; vs. Douglas; at Buffalo; vs. Rawlins; at Riverton.
Rawlins: at Wheatland; vs. Green River; vs. Jackson; at Riverton; vs. Torrington; vs. Douglas; at Lander; at Buffalo.
Riverton: at Green River; vs. Star Valley; at Powell; vs. Rawlins; vs. Buffalo; at Torrington; at Douglas; vs. Lander.
Torrington: at JOB; at JOB; vs. Wheatland; vs. Lander; at Rawlins; vs. Riverton; vs. Buffalo; at Douglas.

3A West
Cody: vs. Buffalo; at Lander; vs. Douglas; at Green River; vs. Jackson; at Star Valley; vs. Powell; at Worland.
Green River: vs. Riverton; at Rawlins; at Lander; vs. Cody; at Worland; vs. Jackson; vs. Star Valley; at Powell.
Jackson: vs. JOB; at Pinedale; at Rawlins; vs. Powell; at Cody; at Green River; vs. Worland; vs. Star Valley.
Powell: vs. Douglas; at Buffalo; vs. Riverton; at Jackson; at Star Valley; vs. Worland; at Cody; vs. Green River.
Star Valley: vs. Lander; at Riverton; vs. JOB; at Worland; vs. Powell; vs. Cody; at Green River; at Jackson.
Worland: vs. Thermopolis; at Douglas; at Buffalo; vs. Star Valley; vs. Green River; at Powell; at Jackson; vs. Cody.

++++++++

Class 2A: The big scheduling challenge with an odd number of teams came here. Basically, I had three teams every week with byes — one from each 2A conference and one from the 1A 11-man East. I tried to develop a schedule that would allow two of those three teams to play each other, leaving only one team with a JOB week. So what you see in the 2A schedules are Week 1 nonconference games, with the second nonconference game coming at a different week for every team in the conference.

The 2A East, which had 2A West and 1A 11-man East schools to choose from, didn’t end up with any JOB weeks.

I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to looking at who hosted who in 2013; some teams may make the same road trips in 2014 that they did/will this year. However, no schools are making trips for a third consecutive year, near as I can tell…

2A East
Big Horn: at Tongue River; vs. Burns; vs. Glenrock; at Newcastle; at Thermopolis; vs. Wheatland; at Wright; vs. Moorcroft.
Burns
: vs. Southeast; at Big Horn; vs. Newcastle; at Glenrock; at Wheatland; vs. Thermopolis; at Lusk; vs. Wright.
Glenrock: at Lyman; vs. Newcastle; at Big Horn; vs. Burns; at Wright; vs. Kemmerer; at Thermopolis; vs. Wheatland.
Newcastle: vs. Lusk; at Glenrock; at Burns; vs. Big Horn; at Lovell; vs. Wright; at Wheatland; vs. Thermopolis.
Thermopolis: at Worland; vs. Wheatland; at Wright; vs. Lyman; vs. Big Horn; at Burns; vs. Glenrock; at Newcastle.
Wheatland: vs. Rawlins; at Thermopolis; at Torrington; vs. Wright; vs. Burns; at Big Horn; vs. Newcastle; at Glenrock.
Wright: at Moorcroft; vs. Upton-Sundance; vs. Thermopolis; at Wheatland; vs. Glenrock; at Newcastle; vs. Big Horn; at Burns.

2A West
Big Piney: vs. Wyoming Indian; at Mountain View; vs. Kemmerer; at Lovell; at Lyman; vs. Greybull; vs. Pinedale; at JOB.
Greybull: at Riverside; vs. Lyman; vs. Tongue River; at Pinedale; vs. Mountain View; at Big Piney; vs. Lovell; at Kemmerer.
Kemmerer: vs. Wind River; at Lovell; at Big Piney; vs. Mountain View; vs. Pinedale; at Glenrock; at Lyman; vs. Greybull.
Lovell: at Rocky Mountain; vs. Kemmerer; at Mountain View; vs. Big Piney; vs. Newcastle; at Pinedale; at Greybull; vs. Lyman.
Lyman: vs. Glenrock; at Greybull; vs. Pinedale; at Thermopolis; vs. Big Piney; at Mountain View; vs. Kemmerer; at Lovell.
Mountain View: at Cokeville; vs. Big Piney; vs. Lovell; at Kemmerer; at Greybull; vs. Lyman; vs. JOB; at Pinedale.
Pinedale: at Shoshoni; vs. Jackson; at Lyman; vs. Greybull; at Kemmerer; vs. Lovell; at Big Piney; vs. Mountain View.

++++++++

Class 1A 11-man: With unbalanced conferences — seven teams in the East, eight in the West — the goal was to do what I could to help out the teams in the East with their nonconference schedules. Some help will be needed from Nebraska, as most of the JOB weeks come for southeast corner schools, and Lingle ended up with a pair of JOB weeks. I considered a Week 6 swap that would have had Lingle playing Glenrock and Kemmerer playing a JOB week, but I couldn’t make the home/road balance work.

Just like I did in 2A, I didn’t consider who hosted who in 2013. But I did consider who hosted in 2012 and 2013 and tried to avoid instances of teams making the same road trip for the third consecutive year. I’m pretty sure I avoided all of those.

1A 11-man East
Lingle: at JOB; vs. Pine Bluffs; vs. Moorcroft; at Lusk; at Upton-Sundance; vs. JOB; at Southeast; vs. Tongue River.
Lusk: at Newcastle; at Moorcroft; vs. Pine Bluffs; vs. Lingle; at Tongue River; at Southeast; vs. Burns; vs. Upton-Sundance.
Moorcroft: vs. Wright; vs. Lusk; at Lingle; at Pine Bluffs; vs. Southeast; vs. Tongue River; at Upton-Sundance; at Big Horn.
Pine Bluffs: vs. Saratoga; at Lingle; at Lusk; vs. Moorcroft; at JOB; vs. Upton-Sundance; at Tongue River; vs. Southeast.
Southeast: at Burns; vs. Tongue River; at Upton-Sundance; vs. JOB; at Moorcroft; vs. Lusk; vs. Lingle; at Pine Bluffs.
Tongue River: vs. Big Horn; at Southeast; at Greybull; vs. Upton-Sundance; vs. Lusk; at Moorcroft; vs. Pine Bluffs; at Lingle.
Upton-Sundance: vs. Burlington; at Wright; vs. Southeast; at Tongue River; vs. Lingle; at Pine Bluffs; vs. Moorcroft; at Lusk.

1A 11-man West
Burlington: at Upton-Sundance; vs. Cokeville; at Riverside; vs. Shoshoni; vs. Wind River; at Saratoga; at Wyoming Indian; vs. Rocky Mountain.
Cokeville: vs. Mountain View; at Burlington; vs. Rocky Mountain; at Saratoga; vs. Wyoming Indian; at Shoshoni; vs. Wind River; at Riverside.
Riverside: vs. Greybull; at Rocky Mountain; vs. Burlington; at Wyoming Indian; vs. Saratoga; at Wind River; at Shoshoni; vs. Cokeville.
Rocky Mountain: vs. Lovell; vs. Riverside; at Cokeville; at Wind River; vs. Shoshoni; vs. Wyoming Indian; at Saratoga; at Burlington.
Saratoga: at Pine Bluffs; vs. Shoshoni; at Wind River; vs. Cokeville; at Riverside; vs. Burlington; vs. Rocky Mountain; at Wyoming Indian.
Shoshoni
: vs. Pinedale; at Saratoga; vs. Wyoming Indian; at Burlington; at Rocky Mountain; vs. Cokeville; vs. Riverside; at Wind River.
Wind River: at Kemmerer; at Wyoming Indian; vs. Saratoga; vs. Rocky Mountain; at Burlington; vs. Riverside; at Cokeville; vs. Shoshoni.
Wyoming Indian: at Big Piney; vs. Wind River; at Shoshoni; vs. Riverside; at Cokeville; at Rocky Mountain; vs. Burlington; vs. Saratoga.

++++++++

Class 1A six-man: With 13 programs, one school has a JOB week every week. With a seven-six split, I tried to schedule the one open East team against one of the open West teams each week. The one week all the West schools played each other, the leftover East team (in this case, Midwest) got the JOB week.

This schedule also was not built to avoid two-year repeat trips, but it was built to avoid three-year repeats. Potential for several of those existed in six-man, and the schedule was built with those games as primary concerns.

1A six-man East
Guernsey-Sunrise: at JOB; vs. Hulett; at Kaycee; vs. Meeteetse; vs. Rock River; at NSI; vs. Midwest; at Hanna.
Hanna: at Snake River; vs. Kaycee; at Hulett; at Rock River; vs. Farson; at Midwest; vs. NSI; vs. Guernsey-Sunrise.
Hulett: at Ten Sleep; at Guernsey-Sunrise; vs. Hanna; vs. NSI; at Midwest; vs. Dubois; vs. Rock River; at Kaycee.
Kaycee: at Meeteetse; at Hanna; vs. Guernsey-Sunrise; vs. Midwest; at NSI; at Rock River; vs. St. Stephens; vs. Hulett.
Midwest: at Dubois; vs. Rock River; vs. JOB; at Kaycee; vs. Hulett; vs. Hanna; at Guernsey-Sunrise; at NSI.
NSI: at St. Stephens; vs. Snake River; at Rock River; at Hulett; vs. Kaycee; vs. Guernsey-Sunrise; at Hanna; vs. Midwest.
Rock River: at Farson; at Midwest; vs. NSI; vs. Hanna; at Guernsey-Sunrise; vs. Kaycee; at Hulett; vs. Ten Sleep.

1A six-man West
Dubois: vs. Midwest; at Meeteetse; vs. Farson; at Ten Sleep; vs. JOB; at Hulett; vs. Snake River; at St. Stephens.
Farson: vs. Rock River; at St. Stephens; at Dubois; vs. JOB; at Hanna; at Snake River; vs. Ten Sleep; vs. Meeteetse.
Meeteetse: vs. Kaycee; vs. Dubois; at St. Stephens; at Guernsey-Sunrise; vs. Snake River; at Ten Sleep; vs. JOB; at Farson.
St. Stephens: vs. NSI; at Farson; vs. Meeteetse; at Snake River; vs. Ten Sleep; at JOB; at Kaycee; vs. Dubois.
Snake River: vs. Hanna; at NSI; vs. Ten Sleep; vs. St. Stephens; at Meeteetse; vs. Farson; at Dubois; at JOB.
Ten Sleep: vs. Hulett; vs. JOB; at Snake River; vs. Dubois; at St. Stephens; vs. Meeteetse; at Farson; at Rock River.

So…. what do you think? Would this work? What do you want to see with your school’s schedule when the WHSAA releases the new one in November?

FWIW, going through this process makes you understand much more clearly what the WHSAA has to go through. I didn’t have to deal with out-of-state schedules — the WHSAA can’t just say JOB week, they actually have to go find someone for that school to play that week, which is easier said than done — and I also didn’t have to field any requests from schools like the WHSAA does. What the WHSAA has to do to piece together a schedule is much more difficult than I’ve shown here. I’m always excited to see what the schedule looks like, and this November — with all the changes to the classifications — will be especially interesting.

–patrick

The 2013 Wyoming Shrine Bowl all-star football game raised $20,000 for Shrine Hospitals this year.

The game, played for the 40th time, helped raise money for 22 Shrine Hospitals across the country that provide care to children with special health care needs, Executive Director John Cundall said in a release.

The 2014 game will be played on June 14 in Casper.

–patrick

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