The news that Burlington is all but abandoning its 11-man schedule for a series of six-man games this year isn’t all that surprising. The Huskies struggled with participation numbers both last year and this year and are scheduled to move to six-man officially in 2016.

However, Burlington’s move appears to be the first time in at least 50 years that a team has started a season, canceled it, and scheduled what amounts to an entirely new series of games in its place.

Canceling a season once it has started? That’s not new. I found seven instances in the past 50 years in Wyoming where a team canceled or forfeited at least two games at the end of its season:

  • In 2002, NSI played three games but forfeited its final three contests after the school’s students suffered food poisoning brought on by some bad chow in the institution’s cafeteria.
  • In 1994, dwindling participation numbers at Ten Sleep forced the Pioneers to cancel two games, although the program held out long enough to play its scheduled season finale against Meeteetse.
  • Something similar happened to Ten Sleep in 1992; the Pioneers forfeited their final two games, both nonconference games, after going winless in their conference games.
  • Farson played three games in 1990 before forfeiting one; the Pronghorns came back for one more game and then forfeited their final three. The season was Farson’s last until 2009.
  • The 1975 season in Dubois was also stopped short as the Rams forfeited their final two games of the season.
  • Meeteetse started its 1971 season 5-1 but had to forfeit its final three games of the season.
  • And in 1965, Pavillion started 2-2 but canceled its final two games.

Other programs have scheduled sub-varsity seasons — for example, Hulett in 2010, Midwest in 2008 and 2002, Ten Sleep in 2008 and 2007, Meeteetse in 2002 and Dubois in 1998 — against either sub-varsity teams or generous-feeling varsity squads. However, those plans came together before the start of a season.

Meanwhile, some teams have scheduled a season only to have it end before the first snap: Tongue River in 2011, for example. (I outlined canceled seasons and sub-varsity seasons on this blog in 2011.)

And, meanwhile, some teams have successfully petitioned the WHSAA to “play down” and play teams in a different classification, but with the loss of playoff opportunities as a consequence (like Wyoming Indian did in 2007-08, or Lusk in 1990-92).

But a team has never had the chance to do what Burlington is doing this season — start a season with the intention of finishing it, but then cancel the season in time to build what basically amounts to a new schedule.

Good for Burlington. Playing is better than not playing. And I’m glad to see that Burlington’s future opponents now have chances to schedule new games in place of the Burlington game. Three already have.

The mess for wyoming-football.com is figuring out how to record something unprecedented.

+++

Here’s where the record-keeper in me gets into this.

As the unelected, self-appointed documenter of Wyoming high school football history (a title that carries as much weight as the pope of Chilitown), I have to decide what counts here and what doesn’t. I feel a responsibility to fully reflect a season in its entirety. That’s why I fight back so hard during Zero Week, when I say if it looks like a game and gets timed like a game and gets played like a game and gets officiated like a game, it’s a game, regardless of what the WHSAA says.

As noted, Burlington’s case is unique. Its forfeit losses will count — after all, it started the season and then, unlike mass cancellations of seasons past, played it week by week.

Usually, occasional weekly forfeits are just recorded as a loss; everyone plays again next week and we move on. It happens. But when a team forfeits, and then forfeits again, and then forfeits again, and THEN decides to schedule a bunch of new games, that makes things a bit trickier.

In situations where teams have canceled seasons or moved to JV schedules prior to the start of a season, I’ve simply wiped the slate clean. For example, the 2011 Tongue River season isn’t a bunch of forfeit losses. It just doesn’t exist. I feel that’s a more accurate reflection of Tongue River’s 2011 season than to have the Eagles listed at 0-8 that season, which is what the Wyoming High School Activities Association did that season.

And in situations where a team cancels or forfeits to end a year, I just note that. Generally, when that’s been done, any scheduled games other teams play to take the place of those missed games are tallied, as well, and counted toward that team’s final record — but, generally, teams haven’t scheduled new games to make up for the ones they miss via forfeit.

This situation is unique both for Burlington and for its opponents who were fortunate enough to schedule new games in place of playing the Huskies. That’s what Cokeville, Shoshoni and Rocky Mountain have already done. My conundrum: Count ONLY the forfeited game? Or count BOTH the forfeited game AND the new game?

Like I said, I feel part of my responsibility, not only to this season but to every season, is to record and reflect the season as a whole. That’s why the first option — counting only the forfeited game but not the game played in its stead — feels fraudulent. In doing so, I’d be counting something that didn’t happen on the field (a forfeit) but not counting something that did (the make-up game). That just doesn’t feel right.

And that says nothing about the six-man games Burlington will play. Do I count those alongside the forfeits in Burlington’s season record? Ignore the nomenclature for a second, that Burlington itself is calling these games “exhibitions,” and look at the reality: Best players on the field. Score kept. Feels like a game; should be counted like one, right?

What do you think? Let me know what you think would be most appropriate. Leave me a comment and help me reason this through.

Just don’t bring up Zero Week. 🙂

–patrick

Burlington has forfeited all but one of its 11-man football games in 2015 and has added four six-man games to close out the season.

Burlington is scheduled to move to Class 1A six-man officially in 2016. The Huskies are a part of the Class 1A 11-man West Conference this season but have failed to play a single conference game due to a lack of players.

Burlington AD Mike Aagard said via email the program was down to nine players, but a few more have joined the team. He said the program is taking a “week by week” approach.

However, three of Burlington’s upcoming opponents — Cokeville (Oct. 2), Shoshoni (Oct. 16) and Rocky Mountain (Oct. 23) — have all scheduled games to take Burlington’s place. Burlington will forfeit those games.

For now, Burlington’s game with Saratoga on Oct. 9 is still scheduled, Aagard said.

The Huskies previously forfeited games to Riverside, Wyoming Indian and Wind River. The only 11-man game Burlington played this season was in Week 1, a 52-0 loss to Lusk.

The Burlington school website calendar says the Huskies have scheduled the following six-man games:

Saturday, Sept. 26 at Custer, Mont., 1 p.m. (Burlington lost this game 60-37.)
Monday, Oct. 12 at Meeteetse, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 17 at Midwest, TBA
Saturday, Oct. 24 at Kaycee, TBA

Replacement games have been set by Cokeville, Shoshoni and Rocky Mountain.

The Cokeville school calendar indicates a game with the Evanston JV at 4 p.m. Thursday in Cokeville.

Shoshoni AD Max Mills said via email the Wranglers will host the Natrona sophomores at 6 p.m. Oct. 15.

The Rocky Mountain school calendar indicates a game with the Gillette JV at 5 p.m. Oct. 22 in Sheridan.

Meanwhile, Saratoga’s school calendar indicates a game with the Wheatland JV at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 12 in Saratoga as a potential replacement if the Burlington game falls through.

–patrick

A couple small updates this week, most of them for Meeteetse.

The big update is the Meeteetse 1982 season. That year, the Longhorns canceled their varsity season but added a JV season midway through they year. I had no idea about the JV season, and so I added all the games from that season. As is standard on this site, if a team plays only a JV schedule during a season, I count that as a season and add the games to my database. Meeteetse played six games in the span of 18 days:

Beat Byron JV 26-0 on Oct. 2 in Byron
Beat North Big Horn JV 20-6 on Oct. 4 in Meeteetse
Lost to Worland JV 27-8 on Oct. 9 in Worland
Beat Wyoming Indian JV 20-6 on Oct. 11 in Ethete
Beat Shoshoni JV 34-6 on Oct. 13 in Shoshoni
Beat Thermopolis JV 18-12 on Oct. 20 in Thermopolis

I also updated Meeteetse’s 27-6 victory against the Cody JV on Sept. 12, 1988. I had originally listed the game as canceled; it was actually postponed and rescheduled for the following Monday.

I also added Meeteetse’s 36-6 loss to the Cody JV on Oct. 8, 1995. The game was added to the missing games list because I couldn’t determine its location.

I also updated Meeteetse’s head coach for 1986; it was Neil Cox, not Hunter Short.

Other updates:

Found the score for Laramie’s 25-0 loss to the University of Wyoming on Oct. 12, 1909.

Corrected the spelling of longtime Douglas coach Pete Petranovich’s last name. Thanks to Carson Rowley, Pete’s grandson, for helping me with that fix!

All the updates have been made on all the relevant pages.

–patrick

The process of building a football program in Farson took time.

The Pronghorns’ program resurfaced for the first time in two decades in 2009 with the introduction of six-man football. Farson struggled its first four years; from 2009-12, the Pronghorns won just three games.

Farson’s first big breakthrough didn’t come until its third season, when the Pronghorns beat Meeteetse in the season opener for their first victory against another six-man varsity opponent.

Two years later, Farson started to find itself, winning three games and picking up a fourth victory by forfeit. And then in 2014, Farson had its best season yet, finishing 6-3 — its first winning record since coming back.

The 2015 season might be Farson’s best yet.

Farson is 3-0 for just the second time in school history. They’ve won games by 14, 33 and 68 points. They tied a school record last week with 70 points in a victory against Dubois.

The success, though, is balanced out by trepidation.

Farson won its first three games last year, too. Everything was going well. And then Meeteetse got in the way.

Remember that game? Folks in Farson — and Meeteetse — sure do. Meeteetse led 30-0 in the second quarter and 46-13 at halftime. Then Farson rallied. And rallied. And rallied. And lost, 62-61. (Video of that game is below, as produced by Wyopreps.)

The loss ended up costing Farson a shot at home-field advantage in the playoffs. The Pronghorns eventually fell to the Class 1A six-man West Conference’s No. 4 seed and had to travel across the state to play undefeated — and eventual state champion — Guernsey in the first round. The Pronghorns got thumped.

Meeteetse, meanwhile, finished as the conference’s No. 3 seed and drew a road date with Kaycee, a game the Longhorns won with surprising ease.

While the 2011 game may have shown Farson its worst days were behind it, the 2014 game against Meeteetse taught Farson it still had work to do.

Meeteetse has unintentionally become Farson’s measuring stick.

This year’s game, with both Farson and Meeteetse coming in undefeated, could loom even larger, especially as a gauge for Farson. Farson and Meeteetse are the only two teams remaining in the West Conference without a conference loss. And while Farson might be proud of its school-record 70 from last week, Meeteetse has been putting up points like crazy, scoring 81, 81 and 73 in three outings so far. This game — as it was last year — will be crucial in deciding the conference champion and the home-field playoff advantage that brings with it.

When the Pronghorns and Longhorns meet Friday night in Meeteetse, the final score will represent more than just who won and who lost. It will also measure how far a slowly building upstart program has come in seven years.

+++

Other games that I’m keeping my eye on, because Week 4 is bae:

Glenrock’s victory against Big Horn turned conventional wisdom about the 2A East on its head. The Herders’ game against Wheatland has a new dimension to it now, doesn’t it? The Herders have home-field advantage; the Bulldogs have a target. …

I’m curious to see how Burlington does after two weeks of forfeit losses. …

Apologies to Star Valley-Cody, but Rawlins-Buffalo might be the most intriguing 3A game this week. Buffalo appears to be much better than I originally thought. And Rawlins has had back-to-back tough losses. In a 3A East that looks as wide open as it’s been in years, this game is critical. …

And, yes, Star Valley-Cody. The Braves have been one of 3A’s most improved teams thus far, but defending champ Cody will present a stout challenge, especially in Cody. This one might be for a home playoff game when it’s all said and done.

With the news breaking last week about Lingle’s petition to move to six-man in 2016 and 2017, this week’s rivalry game between the Doggers and Southeast takes on special significance. This might be the last time these two squads meet, at least for the foreseeable future. …

The 2A West has a huge make-or-break this week with Lyman playing at Pinedale and Mountain View traveling to Lovell. All four teams have shown flashes of potential, but all four have also shown they have weak spots. This might be the week we see a couple of these teams patch up those weak spots and stay in the race for a home playoff game. …

Here, finally, are the picks for the week, with projected winners in the non-narrow typeface:

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

For a full schedule including start times, click here.

+++

In making their picks this week, Tad and Homer actually came to a lot of agreement. They only disagree on four games. How cute!

The picks
Tad: Kelly Walsh over Cheyenne East; Worland over Jackson; Wheatland over Glenrock; Wind River over Burlington.
Homer: Cheyenne East over Kelly Walsh; Jackson over Worland; Glenrock over Wheatland; Burlington over Wind River.
Both: Gillette over Cheyenne South; Cheyenne Central over Laramie; Natrona over Evanston; Sheridan over Rock Springs; Powell over Green River; Douglas over Lander; Buffalo over Rawlins; Riverton over Torrington; Star Valley over Cody; Kemmerer over Big Piney; Newcastle over Greybull; Pinedale over Lyman; Mountain View over Lovell; Thermopolis over Burns; Big Horn over Wright; Upton-Sundance over Moorcroft; Cokeville over Rocky Mountain; Saratoga over Shoshoni; Southeast over Lingle; Lusk over Tongue River; Riverside over Wyoming Indian; Dubois over Hulett; Meeteetse over Farson; Midwest over Kaycee; Guernsey-Sunrise over Normative Services; Hanna over Rock River; Snake River over Ten Sleep.

The records
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Kelly Walsh (tie 24-24 overall, East 12-10 at this location)
Cheyenne South at Gillette (Gillette 4-0 overall, Gillette 2-0 at this location)
Laramie at Cheyenne Central (Central 66-58-6 overall, Central 41-20-2 at this location)
Natrona at Evanston (Natrona 14-4 overall, Natrona 6-1 at this location)
Rock Springs at Sheridan (Sheridan 17-4-2 overall, Sheridan 10-2-1 at this location)
Class 3A
Green River at Powell (Powell 10-5 overall, Powell 5-2 at this location)
Lander at Douglas (Douglas 9-6 overall, Douglas 5-4 at this location)
Rawlins at Buffalo (Buffalo 18-3-1 overall, Buffalo 10-1 at this location)
Riverton at Torrington (Riverton 11-6 overall, Riverton 4-3 at this location)
Star Valley at Cody (Star Valley 18-9 overall, Star Valley 10-3 at this location)
Worland at Jackson (Worland 19-13 overall, Jackson 8-5 at this location)
Class 2A
Big Piney at Kemmerer (Kemmerer 23-19-1 overall, Kemmerer 14-7 at this location)
Greybull at Newcastle (Newcastle 5-2 overall, Newcastle 2-1 at this location)
Lyman at Pinedale (Pinedale 38-32 overall, Pinedale 21-16 at this location)
Mountain View at Lovell (Mountain View 9-6 overall, Mountain View 3-2 at this location)
Thermopolis at Burns (Thermopolis 4-0 overall, Thermopolis 2-0 at this location)
Wheatland at Glenrock (Wheatland 14-13 overall, Glenrock 8-6 at this location)
Wright at Big Horn (Big Horn 11-4 overall, Big Horn 4-2 at this location)
Class 1A 11-man
Moorcroft at Upton-Sundance (tie 1-1 overall, Upton-Sundance 1-0 at this location)
Rocky Mountain at Cokeville (Cokeville 10-0 overall, Cokeville 5-0 at this location)
Shoshoni at Saratoga (Saratoga 8-6 overall, Saratoga 5-2 at this location)
Southeast at Lingle (Southeast 25-11 overall, Southeast 14-4 at this location)
Tongue River at Lusk (Lusk 5-2 overall, Lusk 3-0 at this location)
Wind River at Burlington (Wind River 11-8 overall, Burlington 4-3 at this location)
Wyoming Indian at Riverside (Riverside 11-1 overall, Riverside 4-1 at this location)
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Hulett (Dubois 5-2 overall, Dubois 3-0 at this location)
Farson at Meeteetse (Meeteetse 6-1 overall, Meeteetse 3-0 at this location)
Kaycee at Midwest (Midwest 5-4 overall, Midwest 3-2 at this location)
NSI at Guernsey-Sunrise (Guernsey-Sunrise 6-0 overall, Guernsey-Sunrise 5-0 at this location)
Rock River at Hanna (Hanna 1-0 overall, first at this location)
Ten Sleep at Snake River (Snake River 5-1 overall, Snake River 2-0 at this location)

Weekly reminder: Tad picks the series leader; Homer picks the location leader; when a series is tied, both Tad and Homer pick the home team.

Last week’s records: Patrick, 26-6 (81 percent); Tad, 20-12 (63 percent); Homer, 14-18 (44 percent).

Season records: Patrick, 85-21 (80 percent); Tad, 69-39 (64 percent); Homer, 54-52 (51 percent).

Like I said, Week 4 is bae. I had trouble making about a dozen picks this week. The schedule is full of what should be some great, close, competitive games. Which one stands out to you? Where did I go wrong with my picks? Post your thoughts and let’s talk Week 4!

–patrick

In advance of the first quarterly meeting of the Wyoming High School Activities Association’s Board of Directors on Sept. 29-30 in Casper, the WHSAA has released the enrollment numbers it will use to classify schools for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 sports seasons to the state’s high schools.

And the potential changes are numerous.

Although larger changes could be made to the classification structures of various sports — such as changing the number of schools in each classification — the following changes are on tap if no such changes are made:

Football

Class 4A and Class 3A will remain the same.

Class 2A will see Moorcroft jump back into the classification after two years in Class 1A 11-man. WHSAA Commissioner Ron Laird said via email to wyoming-football.com that Moorcroft has filed a petition to stay in Class 1A 11-man. Even if it’s approved, such a move might make the Wolves ineligible for the postseason.

Class 1A 11-man will see Wright come down from Class 2A to take Moorcroft’s prior place in 1A.

Riverside will be the 11th-largest Class 1A 11-man school but has asked to play six-man. Lingle, meanwhile, is the 14th-largest 11-man school but has also asked to play down in six-man. Class 1A 11-man’s size is designated as 14 schools.

Previously, when schools have asked to opt down a classification, if the WHSAA approved the option, those schools have been ineligible for the playoffs.

Cokeville, which came in 51st place — just below the cutoff for 11-man football — opted up to Class 1A 11-man again, Laird said.

Burlington, meanwhile, will be below the six-man/11-man cutoff and will move to six-man, coach Aaron Papich said via email Thursday.

Upton and Sundance are slated to continue their co-op for football, Laird said. Laird also said the Patriots’ playoff eligibility for the 2016 season won’t be determined until hard enrollment figures come in prior to that school year. Their decision to join football programs will not affect the classification of any other schools.

Other sports

Other sports will see significant shifts, too.

Jackson has supplanted Riverton as the state’s 12th-largest school and, because of that, will be scheduled to enter Class 4A for all sports except football in the fall of 2016. The difference between Jackson (742.26) and Riverton (741.70) ended up being less than one student.

Thermopolis and Lyman are scheduled to move from Class 2A to Class 3A, while Glenrock and Lovell are scheduled to move from Class 3A to Class 2A.

Upton is scheduled to move from Class 1A to Class 2A, while Saratoga is scheduled to move from Class 2A to Class 1A.

Gillette’s new school

The ADM figures do not account for the proposed second high school in Gillette, which is tentatively scheduled to open in the fall of 2017.

Districts

Tentative district alignments set by the WHSAA are as follows, as noted in information provided to the schools:

Football
4A and 3A: Unchanged
2A East: Wheatland, Newcastle, Thermopolis, Moorcroft, Glenrock, Big Horn, Burns.
2A West: Pinedale, Mountain View, Lyman, Lovell, Big Piney, Kemmerer, Greybull.
1A 11-man East: Tongue River, Wright, Upton/Sundance, Pine Bluffs, Southeast, Lusk.
1A 11-man West: Wyoming Indian, Rocky Mountain, Wind River, Shoshoni, Saratoga, Cokeville.
1A six-man East: Lingle, Guernsey, NSI, Midwest, Hanna, Hulett, Kaycee, Rock River.
1A six-man West: Riverside, Burlington, Dubois, Snake River, Farson, St. Stephens, Meeteetse, Ten Sleep.

Non-football
4A East: Gillette, Cheyenne East, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne South, Laramie, Sheridan.
4A West: Kelly Walsh, Natrona, Rock Springs, Evanston, Green River, Jackson.
3A East: Douglas, Rawlins, Worland, Torrington, Buffalo, Wheatland, Newcastle, Thermopolis.
3A West: Riverton, Star Valley, Cody, Lander, Powell, Pinedale, Mountain View, Lyman.
2A East: Moorcroft, Glenrock, Burns, Big Horn, Tongue River, Wright, Sundance, Pine Bluffs, Southeast, Lusk, Upton.
2A West: Lovell, Big Piney, Kemmerer, Greybull, Wyoming Indian, Rocky Mountain, Wind River, Shoshoni, Riverside.
1A East: Lingle, Guernsey, NSI, Midwest, Hanna, Hulett, Kaycee, Rock River, Arvada-Clearmont, Glendo, Chugwater.
1A West: Saratoga, Cokeville, Burlington, Dubois, Snake River, Farson, St. Stephens, Encampment, Meeteetse, Ten Sleep.
(North and South conferences for non-football sports will be set by participating schools in 3A, 2A and 1A.)

+++

The “Average Daily Membership” enrollment numbers for grades 9-12, rounded to the nearest full number:

  1. Gillette, 2,519
  2. Kelly Walsh, 1,893
  3. Natrona, 1,870
  4. Rock Springs, 1,588
  5. Cheyenne East, 1,541
  6. Cheyenne South, 1,340
  7. Cheyenne Central, 1,267
  8. Laramie, 1,066
  9. Sheridan, 965
  10. Evanston, 857
  11. Green River, 837
  12. Jackson, 742
  13. Riverton, 742
  14. Star Valley, 724
  15. Cody, 613
  16. Douglas, 522
  17. Lander, 520
  18. Powell, 514
  19. Rawlins, 492
  20. Worland, 415
  21. Torrington, 361
  22. Buffalo, 332
  23. Pinedale, 299
  24. Wheatland, 272
  25. Mountain View, 236
  26. Newcastle, 224
  27. Thermopolis, 215
  28. Lyman, 210
  29. Lovell, 204
  30. Moorcroft, 193
  31. Big Piney, 192
  32. Glenrock, 191
  33. Burns, 187
  34. Kemmerer, 177
  35. Greybull, 174
  36. Big Horn, 159
  37. Tongue River, 150
  38. Wyoming Indian, 146
  39. Wright, 145
  40. Rocky Mountain, 125
  41. Wind River, 120
  42. Sundance, 118
  43. Pine Bluffs, 111
  44. Southeast, 108
  45. Lusk, 106
  46. Shoshoni, 106
  47. Riverside, 90
  48. Upton, 87
  49. Saratoga, 85
  50. Lingle, 83
  51. Cokeville, 78
  52. Guernsey-Sunrise, 71
  53. Burlington, 67
  54. NSI, 65
  55. Midwest, 55
  56. Arapaho Charter, 53
  57. Hanna, 52
  58. Dubois, 51
  59. Hulett, 49
  60. Snake River, 48
  61. Farson, 48
  62. Fort Washakie, 48
  63. St. Stephens, 45
  64. Kaycee, 45
  65. Encampment, 44
  66. Rock River, 32
  67. Meeteetse, 32
  68. Arvada-Clearmont, 30
  69. Ten Sleep, 27
  70. Glendo, 19
  71. Chugwater, 13

–patrick

Edited 8:10 a.m. Sept. 18 to fix a typo in Burns’ ADM.

Riverside will petition the WHSAA to play in the six-man football division of Class 1A in 2016 and 2017.

Rebels coach Sam Buck and activities director Shane Schaffner verified the decision via an email to Wyoming-football.com Thursday.

“We were looking at having 13-15 players over the next couple of years and after dealing with low numbers the last couple of years I think it’s only fair for the players,” Buck wrote. “I think safety is the top priority. Having to play younger players who are not physically ready to compete against 17-18 year olds isn’t safe. Over the next couple of years the number of young players we will have to depend on will only increase.”

Buck and Schaffner also noted that Riverside’s current problems in fulfilling its schedule played a hand in the decision. The Rebels forfeited its Week 1 game to Greybull and won last week after Burlington forfeited to Riverside.

Buck said the move may be temporary.

“While I love the 11-man game and hope Riverside will be able to get our numbers back to the numbers to field an 11-man team, we’re going to embrace the opportunity positively and work like crazy to learn the 6-man game so we can compete,” he said.

Schaffner said it was important for Riverside to maintain football at the school, as it is the only fall sports option for boys at the school.

Riverside may not be eligible for the six-man playoffs; in the enrollment numbers used by the WHSAA to determine classification for the next two seasons, Riverside is still classified as an 11-man school. Lingle, which made a similar decision last week, is in the same position with its enrollment, as well; the Doggers will be classified as an 11-man school and may not be eligible for the playoffs.

–patrick

Screen Shot 2015-09-11 at 7.10.21 AM

Some folks would buy this shirt because it reminds them of the good times of the early 2010s. Some folks would buy it to burn it.

The 2011 Class 4A playoffs brought a unique twist for Wyoming’s big schools.

For the first time in big-school history, the same four teams — Gillette, Cheyenne East, Sheridan and Natrona — reached the playoff’s semifinal round as the previous year.

The feat was unprecedented in the big school ranks and extremely rare outside the big-school division. In fact, only three other times in Wyoming’s football history have the same four teams reached the semifinals.

But then it happened again in 2012. And again in 2013. And again in 2014.

Let me translate that: The same four programs have been in the 4A semifinals for five consecutive years.

Not only is such a run unprecedented, it’s unfathomable given the state’s high school football history.

The first two occurrences of repeat semifinalists were more anomalistic than trendsetting: Burlington, Big Horn, Hulett and Meeteetse reached the Class 1A nine-man semifinals in both 1993 and 1994, while Star Valley, Riverton, Torrington and Lander made the Class 3A semifinals consecutively in 1994 and 1995.

Probably the closest parallel in Wyoming to the 4A string we’re seeing now came from 2001-03, when Mountain View, Lovell, Big Piney and Glenrock all reached the Class 3A semis for three consecutive years.

Those three occurrences — 1A nine-man in 1993-94, 3A in 1994-95 and 3A in 2001-03 — are the only times Wyoming had repeat semifinalists until the foursome of Cheyenne East, Gillette, Sheridan and Natrona put their recent lock on the 4A semifinals.

Those “Big Four” have had their way in the playoffs, too. Of the 20 first-round playoff games the past five years, only three finished within a possession — East 28, Evanston 27 in 2011; East 13, Central 7 in 2013; and Sheridan 10, Kelly Walsh 3 in 2010. Last year’s 4A quarterfinal games were decided by 21, 30, 43 and 45 points, an average margin of victory of almost 35 points.

This week, 4A’s “Big Four” play each other; it’s the only time this week that these four schools play against one another in the same week. East will be at Sheridan, while Gillette will be at Natrona.

So far this season, East, Gillette, Sheridan and Natrona are 10-0 against the other six teams in 4A.

Anomaly, trend, or the result of elite programs separating themselves from the pack.

Call it what you will.

The same four teams, five years in a row? Maybe six, if the same four teams survive and advance again? Maybe more?

Wyoming has never had a run like that. And may never have one like it again.

+++

Other games to watch this week:

You guys: Cokeville-Shoshoni. For reals. I could write all day about this series. I nearly did. Cokeville is 23-1 all-time in this series, with that one Shoshoni W coming in 1997. But this Friday might be the time the Wranglers finally break that curse. I’m still taking Cokeville, because Cokeville, but if Shoshoni can pull this one off, I’ll be sure to shoot off some fireworks on the Wranglers’ behalf. …

Speaking of Wranglers, when did Lovell-Pinedale get this interesting? Pinedale has been one of the most pleasant surprises of 2015 — they’re 2-0 for just the second time since 1991 — while Lovell bounced back big last week with its victory against Big Piney. I’m taking Lovell, but Pinedale’s success has my attention. …

Central-Rock Springs could be a season-maker for one of those squads. The Tigers already have as many victories as the past two years combined, while Central has hung tough with quality competition and knocked off rival South. Both have shown flashes of greatness. …

Pine Bluffs might be better than we think. This week’s game in Yoder against Southeast will be telling. …

The big question of the week: Will Riverside actually step foot on a field? The Rebels forfeited in Week 1 and were forfeited to in Week 2. Unprecedented. …

A host of other games stick out as potential nailbiters: Evanston-Laramie, Kelly Walsh-Cheyenne South, Buffalo-Worland, Dubois-Farson, Hulett-NSI. Curious to see how those come out.

On to the picks, in which I choose the teams I think will win the upcoming games for the week and denote those teams by putting their school’s name in bold. Like you didn’t know that. Pffft.

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

For the second week in a row, Burlington will forfeit, and Wyoming Indian picks up the victory the Huskies gave up. The Chiefs’ losing streak is now officially over at 14 games.

For a full schedule including start times, click here.

+++

Everyone’s favorite pair of adorable brothers, Tad and Homer, made their picks as well:

Tad: Evanston over Laramie; Douglas over Star Valley; Torrington over Green River; Newcastle over Wheatland; Thermopolis over Wright; Riverside over Wind River; Upton-Sundance over Tongue River; Guernsey-Sunrise over Midwest; Hanna over St. Stephens; Hulett over Normative Services.

Homer: Laramie over Evanston; Star Valley over Douglas; Green River over Torrington; Wheatland over Newcastle; Wright over Thermopolis; Wind River over Riverside; Tongue River over Upton-Sundance; Midwest over Guernsey-Sunrise; St. Stephens over Hanna; Normative Services over Hulett.

Both: Cheyenne Central over Rock Springs; Sheridan over Cheyenne East; Natrona over Gillette; Kelly Walsh over Cheyenne South; Worland over Buffalo; Jackson over Rawlins; Cody over Lander; Powell over Riverton; Mountain View over Burns; Big Horn over Glenrock; Greybull over Big Piney; Kemmerer over Lyman; Lovell over Pinedale; Cokeville over Shoshoni; Lusk over Moorcroft; Southeast over Pine Bluffs; Rocky Mountain over Saratoga; Dubois over Farson; Ten Sleep over Meeteetse; Kaycee over Rock River; Lingle over Mitchell, Neb.; Snake River over Natrona sophs.

The records
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Rock Springs (Central 45-17-4 overall, Central 24-10-2 at this location)
Cheyenne East at Sheridan (Sheridan 24-12 overall, Sheridan 17-5 at this location)
Evanston at Laramie (Evanston 13-12 overall, Laramie 7-5 at this location)
Gillette at Natrona (Natrona 40-18 overall, Natrona 17-11 at this location)
Kelly Walsh at Cheyenne South (Kelly Walsh 4-0 overall, Kelly Walsh 2-0 at this location)
Class 3A
Buffalo at Worland (Worland 15-13 overall, Worland 7-6 at this location)
Douglas at Star Valley (Douglas 9-2 overall, Star Valley 2-1 at this location)
Jackson at Rawlins (Jackson 7-2 overall, Jackson 2-1 at this location)
Lander at Cody (Cody 50-16-3 overall, Cody 25-7-2 at this location)
Powell at Riverton (Powell 39-31-3 overall, Powell 18-17-2 at this location)
Torrington at Green River (Torrington 2-1 overall, first at this location)
Class 2A
Burns at Mountain View (Mountain View 1-0 overall, first at this location)
Glenrock at Big Horn (Big Horn 5-3 overall, Big Horn 2-0 at this location)
Greybull at Big Piney (Greybull 7-5 overall, Greybull 3-2 at this location)
Kemmerer at Lyman (Kemmerer 23-14 overall, Kemmerer 10-8 at this location)
Lovell at Pinedale (Lovell 9-1 overall, Lovell 5-1 at this location)
Newcastle at Wheatland (Newcastle 23-20-2 overall, tie 10-10-2 at this location)
Thermopolis at Wright (Thermopolis 3-2 overall, tie 1-1 at this location)
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Wyoming Indian (Burlington 17-4 overall, Burlington 7-3 at this location) (Wyoming Indian won this week by forfeit, records represent pre-forfeit status)
Cokeville at Shoshoni (Cokeville 23-1 overall, Cokeville 7-1 at this location)
Lusk at Moorcroft (Lusk 9-3 overall, Lusk 4-2 at this location)
Pine Bluffs at Southeast (Southeast 28-11 overall, Southeast 13-6 at this location)
Riverside at Wind River (Riverside 16-9 overall, tie 5-5 at this location)
Saratoga at Rocky Mountain (Rocky Mountain 6-1 overall, tie 1-1 at this location)
Upton-Sundance at Tongue River (Upton-Sundance 1-0 overall, first at this location)
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Farson (Dubois 6-1 overall, Dubois 3-0 at this location)
Guernsey-Sunrise at Midwest (Guernsey-Sunrise 10-8 overall, tie 5-5 at this location)
Hanna at St. Stephens (Hanna 1-0 overall, first at this location)
Hulett at NSI (Hulett 7-5 overall, NSI 4-1 at this location)
Meeteetse at Ten Sleep (Ten Sleep 28-24-1 overall, Ten Sleep 16-13 at this location)
Rock River at Kaycee (Kaycee 1-0 overall, first at this location)
Interstate
Lingle at Mitchell, Neb. (Lingle 2-0 overall, Lingle 1-0 at this location)

Weekly reminder: Tad picks the series leader; Homer picks the location leader; when a series is tied, both Tad and Homer pick the home team. And they always pick a varsity team over a sub-varsity team.

Last week’s records: Patrick, 25-7 (78 percent); Tad, 19-13 (59 percent); Homer, 16-16 (50 percent).

Season records: Patrick, 59-15 (80 percent); Tad, 49-27 (64 percent); Homer, 40-34 (54 percent).

I think Week 3 may be one of the most difficult weeks of the season to predict. Lots of evenly matched teams will play this week, and we may look back on this week in about a month and realize a ton of key games were played on Sept. 18. So who’s ready to break through and be seen on a statewide stage? Post a comment and let’s talk it through.

–patrick

Lingle will move to the six-man football division for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the Torrington Telegram reported today.

Lingle coach Kevin Derby told the Casper Star-Tribune the move was necessary to keep the program afloat, as the Doggers will only have about 15 or 16 players the next few years.

Lingle last played sub-11-man football in 1990, when it won the state nine-man championship. Prior to that, the school played six-man and eight-man football through the 1950s and 1960s, last playing six-man in 1956.

–patrick

For a couple decades, Gillette has held a special place in the hearts of other Wyoming high schools’ fans: the most hated high school sports program in the state.

The hate arises from two key areas — jealousy and frustration. Jealousy comes from Gillette’s success; the Camels are consistently at or near the top of every sport it offers. Frustration spurs both from that jealousy of the Camels’ success as well as Gillette’s size; since the early 1990s, Gillette has had one of the largest (and, since Cheyenne opened South High in 2011, the largest) 9-12 enrollment tallies in the state.

Other Class 4A schools sing a similar refrain: Of course Gillette’s the best. It’s the biggest. The only one rooting for Goliath is Goliath’s mom.

The argument, of course, has numerous flaws. Success is not determined by size alone. Body counts mean nothing without the systems in place to help those “bodies” reach excellence, and Gillette has one of the best systems in the state.

Gillette will have the chance to prove that idea in the fall of 2017, when it is scheduled to open a new, comprehensive high school.

But what if the Campbell County School District had decided against a second high school? What if one high school remained the standard in Gillette, maybe for another decade or more? What if that depth turned Gillette into a dominating behemoth that racked up state championships in every sport, forcing other schools rack up participation ribbons instead? And what if the rest of the state’s frustration manifested itself into a beat-Gillette-at-all-costs mentality — one that focused on pooling talent, no matter the setbacks?

The quickest way to pool talent is through a co-op agreement. When a program can bring together the talent of two or three or more high schools onto the same team, that program will inevitably improve simply because of the raw number of bodies available.

For example, what would happen if we took Gillette’s longtime rival Sheridan and added to the Broncs’ roster players from the other Sheridan County schools Tongue River, Big Horn, NSI Academy and Arvada-Clearmont — and then threw in Johnson County schools Buffalo and Kaycee, just for good measure? We’d have a team rich with talent, that’s for sure.

Even then, the Sheridan-Johnson counties co-op would be 676 students smaller than Gillette.

+++

The crux of this fantasy situation is this: What if Wyoming’s high schools started preparing co-ops with the sole intention of knocking off a big, bad Gillette — a Gillette that, in our scenario, is bigger and badder and more dominant than ever?

The co-ops, of course, would have to play by some rules. They would first have to be somewhat geographically feasible, playing by county lines and school district lines whenever possible. Second, co-ops wouldn’t be able to split up any existing schools. And last, co-ops would have to play by this ground rule: no bigger than Gillette, which has a current WHSAA average daily membership (fancy way of saying enrollment) of 2,439 students 9-12.

(Yes, I know, this is not how the WHSAA defines enrollment for a co-op. But stick with me for the sake of argument.)

The goal here isn’t beating Gillette. The goal is beating Gillette at its own game. That means joining forces for good, not for evil. So you won’t see any 10,000-student super-co-ops here. Beating Goliath with SuperGoliath 2.0 brings no satisfaction.

If Wyoming high schools went through all the rigmarole of forming co-ops following those three rules, we’d end up with 14 semi-feasible high school teams in the state:

Sheridan-Johnson: a co-op of Sheridan, Big Horn, Tongue River, Arvada-Clearmont, NSI Academy, Buffalo and Kaycee. Combined ADM of 1,763 (676 smaller than Gillette).

East Border: a co-op of Crook, Weston, Niobrara, Goshen and Platte counties as well as Wright (Wheatland, Glendo, Guernsey, Chugwater, Lusk, Torrington, Southeast, Lingle, Newcastle, Wright, Moorcroft, Sundance, Upton and Hulett). Combined ADM of 1,867.5 (571.5 smaller than Gillette).

KW-C-M (Kelly Walsh-Converse County-Midwest): a co-op of Kelly Walsh, Douglas, Glenrock and Midwest. Combined ADM of 2,194.5 (289.5 smaller than Gillette).

Cheyenne South-ELC (East Laramie County): a co-op of Cheyenne South, Burns and Pine Bluffs. Combined ADM of 1,498 (941 smaller than Gillette).

Albany-Carbon: a co-op of Laramie, Rock River, Rawlins, Hanna, Encampment, Snake River and Saratoga. Combined ADM of 1,783.5 (655.5 smaller than Gillette).

Northwest: a co-op of Park, Big Horn and Washakie counties (Cody, Powell, Lovell, Rocky Mountain, Greybull, Riverside, Burlington, Meeteetse, Worland and Ten Sleep). Combined ADM of 2,333.5 (105.5 smaller than Gillette).

Sweetwater: a co-op of Rock Springs, Green River and Farson. Combined ADM of 2,426.5 (12.5 smaller than Gillette).

Uinta-Lincoln: a co-op of Evanston, Mountain View, Lyman, Star Valley, Kemmerer and Cokeville. Combined ADM of 2,310.5 (128.5 smaller than Gillette).

Fremont-Hot Springs: a co-op of Riverton, Lander, Wyoming Indian, Wind River, Shoshoni, St. Stephens, Dubois, Fort Washakie Charter, Arapahoe Charter and Thermopolis. Combined ADM of 2,102.1 (336.9 smaller than Gillette).

Teton-Sublette: a co-op of Jackson, Pinedale and Big Piney. Combined ADM of 1,174 (1,265 smaller than Gillette).

The surviving standalone schools are:

Natrona: ADM of 2,183.5 (255.5 smaller than Gillette).

Cheyenne East: ADM of 1,468 (971 smaller than Gillette).

Cheyenne Central: ADM of 1,268.5 (1,170.5 smaller than Gillette).

The estimated borders of Wyoming's 14 Gillette-sized high schools.

The estimated borders of Wyoming’s 14 Gillette-sized high schools.

Those 14 programs could roughly split into two conferences, either north-south or east-west:

North Conference: Gillette (2,439); KW-C-M (2,194.5); East Border (1,867.5); Sheridan-Johnson (1,763); Northwest (2,333.5); Natrona (2,183.5); Fremont-Hot Springs (2,102.1)

South Conference: Cheyenne South-ELC (1,498); Cheyenne East (1,468); Cheyenne Central (1,268.5); Sweetwater (2,426.5); Uinta-Lincoln (2,310.5); Albany-Carbon (1,783.5); Teton-Sublette (1,174)

OR:

East Conference: Gillette (2,439); KW-C-M (2,194.5); East Border (1,867.5); Sheridan-Johnson (1,763); Cheyenne South-ELC (1,498); Cheyenne East (1,468); Cheyenne Central (1,268.5)

West Conference: Sweetwater (2,426.5); Northwest (2,333.5); Uinta-Lincoln (2,310.5); Natrona (2,183.5); Fremont-Hot Springs (2,102.1); Albany-Carbon (1,783.5); Teton-Sublette (1,174)

Take a moment to think about the potential teams that could arise from such co-ops — deep, talented, capable of continuous competitiveness.

Kind of like Gillette.

A lot of the hate on Gillette is unjustified. Size is not everything.

As we can see in these potential co-ops, though, size sure helps.

–patrick

The most overlooked game of Week 2 — heck, maybe the most overlooked game of the season — will probably be played Friday night in Pavillion.

Logically, the game between Wind River and Wyoming Indian won’t, and shouldn’t, get a lot of statewide attention. After all, no other Wyoming teams lost their Week 1 games by as many points as the Chiefs and Cougars did.

Wyoming Indian lost its season opener to Moorcroft 61-0. Wind River lost its season opener to Upton-Sundance 67-0.

On Friday, they play each other.

The statistical anomaly initially attracted me — the teams with the two biggest losses in the state playing each other seven days later doesn’t happen often. But thinking about this game got me thinking about the feeling that exists on the losing side of a blowout, especially in a season opener.

Week 1 is the litmus test for nine months’ worth of offseason preparation. When all that effort and time results in a huge shutout loss, it can’t help but sting.

The Cougars will host the game, trying to rebound from statistically the worst loss in program history. Entering the season, Wind River had never lost a game by more than 56 points; they lost in Week 1 by 67. How much does that hurt? Consider this: The Cougars spent all offseason preparing, knowing that the Upton-Sundance game would be their gauge for 2015. First-year coach Mykah Trujillo brought enthusiasm and energy to the program. Then came three weeks of preseason practice. All that mental and physical effort, and… 67-0. Oof.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, still fight hard. But they’ve lost 13 in a row dating back to September 2013, when the program was in its lone year of six-man play. The Chiefs haven’t won an 11-man game since 2011, when they beat… Wind River. In fact, that game is WIHS’s only 11-man victory in the 2010s. The reasons for Wyoming Indian’s football struggles are complex. That doesn’t mean the losing hurts any less for the guys in the Chiefs’ locker room.

When big victories seem out of reach, little ones become so much more important. Those little victories don’t happen on the scoreboard in a game that finishes 61-0 or 67-0. They manifest themselves as trust, as confidence; they show in effort, in improvement. In the best cases, the young men who play become better men, both mentally and physically, even if the Ws aren’t as consistent as they would like them to be.

Week 2 gives both teams a chance to overcome that sting, if even for an evening, or a moment. That evening and those moments won’t mean much around the state, but for the players in those helmets, and their coaches and parents and families, this evening and those moments have the potential to last a lifetime.

That is why the game between Wind River and Wyoming Indian deserves your attention.

That is why the game of football deserves your attention.

+++

Some other things I’m keeping an eye on in Week 2:

Kaycee and Guernsey playing this early in the season just doesn’t feel right. This game will go a long way in deciding the 1A six-man East Conference title, and that feels more like a Week 8 responsibility than a Week 2 responsibility. …

I’m really curious to see how Star Valley and Riverton stack up against each other. They both had impressive Week 1 victories, so this game should be good for both squads to improve and gauge their potential at a 3A title run. …

Upton-Sundance at Lusk could be spectacular, maybe the best game of the week. Both teams are coming off massive victories and want to stake their claim as contenders early. …

I’m curious to see how both Greybull and Riverside respond to taking Week 1 off. Greybull draws defending 2A champ Mountain View, while Riverside gets regional rival Burlington. First-game jitters? …

Don’t forget about NSI, either, which plays its first game against Rock River after taking Week 1 off. …

Kelly Walsh had to play my top two 4A teams (Sheridan and Gillette) the first two weeks of the season. I’m interested to see what happens when the Trojans play Rock Springs — which got a big W last week against Laramie — to see if the brutal start to the season was a blessing in disguise or a suicide mission. …

Since 1991, Pinedale has gone 2-0 to start a season just once (2002). A victory against Kemmerer would make the Wranglers 2-0 to start 2015. …

Moorcroft plays its first home night game with a 7 p.m. kickoff against Tongue River. And, of course, Tongue River played its first home night game last week. …

Snake River-Meeteetse is huge. Huuuuuge. Just like Kaycee-Guernsey in the East, this game will likely affect who finishes atop the 1A six-man West.

On to this week’s picks, where the team I think will win is in bold type. A bold font only makes sense for some bold picks:

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

+++

The resident brosephs, Tad and Homer, have their picks this week too:

Tad: Gillette over Cheyenne Central; Natrona over Laramie; Big Horn over Lyman; Newcastle over Burns; Mountain View over Greybull; Normative Services over Rock River; Bayard, Neb., over Southeast.

Homer: Cheyenne Central over Gillette; Laramie over Natrona; Lyman over Big Horn; Burns over Newcastle; Greybull over Mountain View; Rock River over Normative Services; Southeast over Bayard, Neb.

Both: Cheyenne East over Cheyenne South; Kelly Walsh over Rock Springs; Sheridan over Evanston; Powell over Buffalo; Douglas over Cody; Rawlins over Green River; Lander over Jackson; Riverton over Star Valley; Worland over Torrington; Lovell over Big Piney; Pinedale over Kemmerer; Wheatland over Thermopolis; Glenrock over Wright; Riverside over Burlington; Cokeville over Saratoga; Lingle over Pine Bluffs; Rocky Mountain over Shoshoni; Tongue River over Moorcroft; Lusk over Upton-Sundance; Wind River over Wyoming Indian; Hulett over Hanna; Guernsey-Sunrise over Kaycee; Ten Sleep over Midwest; Dubois over St. Stephens; Snake River over Meeteetse; Farson over Evanston JV.

The records
Class 4A
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne East (East 4-0 overall, East 2-0 at this location)
Gillette at Cheyenne Central (Gillette 26-24 overall, Central 17-8 at this location)
Natrona at Laramie (Natrona 48-34-1 overall, tie 18-18-1 at this location)
Rock Springs at Kelly Walsh (Kelly Walsh 15-10 overall, Kelly Walsh 7-4 at this location)
Sheridan at Evanston (Sheridan 13-2 overall, Sheridan 7-1 at this location)
Class 3A
Buffalo at Powell (Powell 20-18 overall, Powell 10-7 at this location)
Cody at Douglas (Douglas 6-1 overall, Douglas 3-0 at this location)
Green River at Rawlins (Rawlins 22-18-7 overall, Rawlins 12-9-2 at this location)
Jackson at Lander (Lander 22-13 overall, Lander 13-5 at this location)
Star Valley at Riverton (Riverton 10-4 overall, Riverton 5-0 at this location)
Torrington at Worland (Worland 8-5 overall, Worland 4-2 at this location)
Class 2A
Big Horn at Lyman (Big Horn 2-1 overall, Lyman 1-0 at this location)
Big Piney at Lovell (Lovell 8-4 overall, Lovell 5-1 at this location)
Burns at Newcastle (Newcastle 4-2 overall, Burns 2-1 at this location)
Mountain View at Greybull (Mountain View 6-3 overall, Greybull 2-1 at this location)
Pinedale at Kemmerer (Kemmerer 23-8 overall, Kemmerer 13-2 at this location)
Wheatland at Thermopolis (Wheatland 5-1 overall, Wheatland 2-1 at this location)
Wright at Glenrock (Glenrock 17-3 overall, Glenrock 8-2 at this location)
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Riverside (Riverside 14-11 overall, Riverside 6-5 at this location)
Cokeville at Saratoga (Cokeville 22-5 overall, Cokeville 10-2 at this location)
Lingle at Pine Bluffs (Lingle 39-22-2 overall, Lingle 19-9-1 at this location)
Shoshoni at Rocky Mountain (Rocky Mountain 12-8 overall, Rocky Mountain 6-3 at this location)
Tongue River at Moorcroft (Tongue River 31-21 overall, Tongue River 13-11 at this location)
Upton-Sundance at Lusk (Lusk 4-0 overall, Lusk 2-0 at this location)
Wyoming Indian at Wind River (Wind River 24-6 overall, Wind River 12-2 at this location)
Class 1A six-man
Hanna at Hulett (Hulett 6-3 overall, game will be at neutral location but Homer will go with the team listed as the official home team, in this case Hulett)
Kaycee at Guernsey-Sunrise (Guernsey-Sunrise 4-1 overall, Guernsey-Sunrise 1-0 at this location)
Midwest at Ten Sleep (Ten Sleep 10-7 overall, Ten Sleep 6-2 at this location)
NSI at Rock River (NSI 1-0 overall, first at this location)
St. Stephens at Dubois (Dubois 2-0 overall, Dubois 1-0 at this location)
Snake River at Meeteetse (Snake River 6-1 overall, Snake River 2-0 at this location)
Interstate
Bayard, Neb., at Southeast (Bay 1-0 overall, first at this location)

Weekly reminder: Tad picks the series leader; Homer picks the location leader; when a series is tied, both Tad and Homer pick the home team. New rule this week: They always pick the varsity team when it plays a sub-varsity team.

Last week’s records: Patrick, 27-5 (84 percent); Tad, 24-8 (75 percent); Homer, 18-14 (56 percent).

Season records: Patrick, 34-8 (81 percent); Tad, 30-12 (71 percent); Homer, 24-18 (57 percent).

What game in Week 2 is on the top of your list? Any potential upsets coming this week? Post your thoughts via a comment and we can chat! It’s the magic of the internet!

–patrick

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