Semifinal playoff pairings. Game times and dates to be set by WHSAA and participating schools. Games hosted by higher seed.

Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Gillette
Natrona at Sheridan

Class 3A
Star Valley at Torrington
Green River at Jackson

Class 2A
Greybull at Wheatland
Glenrock at Lovell

Class 1A 11-man
Southeast at Upton-Sundance
Tongue River at Lingle

Class 1A six-man
Snake River at Kaycee
Hulett at Meeteetse

–patrick

What’s unique about this year’s Wyoming high school football playoff brackets isn’t who’s new. It’s who’s out.

Three schools — Cheyenne Central, Cody and Lusk — broke long strings of playoff qualifications. Central’s out for the first time after 11 consecutive qualifications, while Cody and Lusk are out after nine consecutive years of postseason berths.

And while most of the usual suspects still qualified for the playoffs (Gillette qualified for the 26th year in a row, Natrona the 24th and Cokeville the 23rd), seeing brackets without Central, Cody or Lusk feels a bit weird.

Even so, the loss of some venerable programs doesn’t necessarily mean the brackets had a lot of room for playoff neophytes.

Of the seven qualifiers this year that didn’t qualify last year — Buffalo, Glenrock, Green River, Hulett, NSI, Rock Springs and Southeast — six have reached the playoffs at least once in the past three seasons. Only six-man NSI, who is in the playoffs for the first time in six years, can truly be called a playoff newcomer. The Wolves were the only one of Wyoming’s 11 programs with playoff droughts of four years or longer who broke through to qualify for the postseason in 2015.

The repetition breeds familiarity: Five games (Laramie/Gillette, Douglas/Star Valley, Lyman/Wheatland, Rocky Mountain/Upton-Sundance and Tongue River/Cokeville) are rematches of quarterfinal games from last year.

What is a little bit different about the 20 quarterfinal games is who gets to host them. Seven of the 20 hosts this week are hosting their first playoff games in at least four years.

Torrington will break the longest home postseason drought, as it will host its first playoff game since 1996. Shoshoni will host its first since 2001; Wheatland its first since 2005; Hulett its first since 2008; Buffalo and Greybull their first since 2010; and Glenrock its first since 2011. And Upton-Sundance will host a playoff game for the first time in the co-op’s four-year history.

+++

Coaching milestones

How about this? Cokeville coach Todd Dayton will go for career win No. 300 this week. I outlined Dayton’s storied coaching career prior to this season. …

Also, Gillette coach Vic Wilkerson will go for win No. 100 on Friday. Wilkerson started as the Camels’ head coach in 2004 and enters Friday’s game against Laramie with a career record of 99-32. …

+++

Here’s some picks. Bold teams are the ones I think will one; non-bold ones will just need to be bold in person rather than on this blog:

Class 4A
(8) Laramie at (1) Gillette: The Camels have just been doing Camel-like things all season long. That should keep right on happening. (Rematch of a quarterfinal game from last year.)
(5) Rock Springs at (4) Cheyenne East: These two teams met to start the regular season, so it only seems right that they meet to start the postseason, too. The Tigers have to be eager for revenge after falling 13-7 in the season opener. This might be THE best game of the quarterfinals. (First playoff meeting since 2008 quarterfinals).
(7) Evanston at (2) Sheridan: One: It’s a long ways from Evanston to Sheridan. Two: Sheridan’s really, really good. (First playoff meeting since 2008 quarterfinals.)
(6) Kelly Walsh at (3) Natrona: I’m always weary when rivalry games happen again in the postseason. The emotions stir for a week — and that either leads to amazing results or to fantastic frustration. And remember: This was a 20-14 game in the regular season. (First playoff meeting since 2013 quarterfinals.)
Class 3A
(4W) Powell at (1E) Torrington: I’ve got no reason to think the Trailblazers won’t keep rolling along. (First playoff meeting since 2013 quarterfinals.)
(3E) Douglas at (2W) Star Valley: The Braves already beat the Bearcats once this year, and it wasn’t pretty. It’ll be closer this time, but still, Star Valley’s the favorite. (Rematch of a quarterfinal game from last year.)
(4E) Riverton at (1W) Jackson: The Broncs need to be careful. The emotional high of beating Star Valley last week could lead to a lull this week. If that’s there, the Wolverines have the ability to win this one. (First playoff meeting.)
(3W) Green River at (2E) Buffalo: OK, really now, THIS might be the best matchup of the quarterfinals. I’ll give the Bison the nod, just because they’re at home, but this one should be a great game. (First playoff meeting since 1976 Class A championship game.)
Class 2A
(4W) Lyman at (1E) Wheatland: Bulldogs 47, Eagles 0 in Week 1. Two months probably can’t cover that gap. (Rematch of a quarterfinal game from last year.)
(3E) Big Horn at (2W) Greybull: Big Horn just won the biggest game of its season. Greybull just lost its biggest. The emotional reaction to those games more than anything will determine which way this one goes. And it could go to the final seconds. (First playoff meeting since 2010 semifinals.)
(4E) Thermopolis at (1W) Lovell: The Thermopolis we saw last week was the Thermopolis I thought we’d see all season. They will give the Bulldogs some trouble in the opening round… (First playoff meeting since 2010 semifinals.)
(3W) Mountain View at (2E) Glenrock: The Buffalos will be game. But the Herders have the clear advantage in this one. (First playoff meeting since 2006 quarterfinals.)
Class 1A 11-man
(4E) Southeast at (1W) Shoshoni: The Cyclones’ first trip to Fremont County won’t be a fun one; the Wranglers have been a buzzsaw all season, especially on defense. (First playoff meeting since 2012 quarterfinals.)
(3W) Rocky Mountain at (2E) Upton-Sundance: The Grizzlies’ run game has been on fire lately, and that might cause the Patriots some problems. Probably not enough problems, though. (Rematch of a quarterfinal game from last year.)
(4W) Riverside at (1E) Lingle: The Rebels are plucky, but they’ve also suffered two consecutive confidence-crushing defeats. Lingle, meanwhile, bounced back big time last week. (First meeting ever, and obviously their first playoff meeting.)
(3E) Tongue River at (2W) Cokeville: OK, THIS might be the best matchup of the quarterfinals. The honest truth is that I have no clue who to pick. What I do know, though, is that John Scott is building a program in Dayton that’ll rival any in 1A. This game could prove that to the rest of the state. (Rematch of a quarterfinal game from last year.)
Class 1A six-man
(4W) Dubois at (1E) Kaycee: I think the Buckaroos are just thankful that Guernsey’s on the other side of the bracket — because Kaycee’s been destroying everyone else. (First playoff meeting.)
(3E) NSI at (2W) Snake River: Wait, wait, wait. THIS ONE REALLY could be the best game of the quarterfinals. The Wolves’ high-scoring offense is fun to watch, but so is Snake River’s, and the Rattlers get to play at home. (First meeting ever, and obviously their first playoff meeting.)
(4E) Guernsey-Sunrise at (1W) Meeteetse: A rematch of a Week 8 game in which neither team wanted to give away too much because they knew they’d probably be playing each other again… but the score will probably be about the same as last week’s. (First playoff meeting since 2013 semifinals).
(3W) Farson at (2E) Hulett: Now I’m super serious. This will be the best game of the quarterfinals, NO DOUBT! I think Farson has the on-paper advantage, but dang: 405 miles is a long way. (First playoff meeting.)

+++

Brothers Tad and Homer must have had some bonding over the end of the regular season. They only disagree on two of their picks for the quarterfinals.

The picks
Tad: Douglas over Star Valley; Southeast over Shoshoni.
Homer: Star Valley over Douglas; Shoshoni over Southeast.
Both: Gillette over Laramie; Cheyenne East over Rock Springs; Sheridan over Evanston; Natrona over Kelly Walsh; Powell over Torrington; Riverton over Jackson; Green River over Buffalo; Wheatland over Lyman; Big Horn over Greybull; Thermopolis over Lovell; Mountain View over Glenrock; Upton-Sundance over Rocky Mountain; Lingle over Riverside; Cokeville over Tongue River; Dubois over Kaycee; Snake River over NSI; Meeteetse over Guernsey-Sunrise; Farson over Hulett.

The records
Class 4A
Laramie at Gillette (Gillette 19-18 overall, Gillette 11-8 at this location)
Rock Springs at Cheyenne East (East 24-18 overall, East 17-7 at this location)
Evanston at Sheridan (Sheridan 14-2 overall, Sheridan 7-1 at this location)
Kelly Walsh at Natrona (Natrona 42-12 overall, Natrona 20-7 at this location)
Class 3A
Powell at Torrington (Powell 6-0 overall, Powell 4-0 at this location)
Douglas at Star Valley (Douglas 9-3 overall, Star Valley 3-1 at this location)
Riverton at Jackson (Riverton 2-0 overall, Riverton 1-0 at this location)
Green River at Buffalo (Green River 3-1 overall, Green River 2-0 at this location)
Class 2A
Lyman at Wheatland (Wheatland 4-1 overall, Wheatland 2-0 at this location)
Big Horn at Greybull (Big Horn 14-4 overall, Big Horn 6-1 at this location)
Thermopolis at Lovell (Thermopolis 42-35 overall, Thermopolis 19-18 at this location)
Mountain View at Glenrock (Mountain View 8-4, Mountain View 3-1 at this location)
Class 1A 11-man
Southeast at Shoshoni (Southeast 2-0, first meeting at this location)
Rocky Mountain at Upton-Sundance (Upton-Sundance 2-0, first meeting at this location)
Riverside at Lingle (first meeting)
Tongue River at Cokeville (tied 1-1 overall, tied 1-1 at this location)
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Kaycee (Dubois 2-0 overall, Dubois 1-0 at this location)
NSI at Snake River (first meeting)
Guernsey-Sunrise at Meeteetse (Meeteetse 5-2 overall, Meeteetse 3-2 at this location)
Farson at Hulett (Farson 2-0 overall, Farson 1-0 at this location)

Last week’s records: Patrick, 23-9 (72 percent); Tad, 24-8 (75 percent); Homer, 23-9 (72 percent).

Season records: Patrick, 206-55 (79 percent); Tad, 165-96 (63 percent); Homer, 147-114 (56 percent).

With that… let’s play some games! I’m ready for the postseason, especially this quarterfinal round. This might have been my most difficult quarterfinal round to pick since I started making weekly picks 11 years ago. What matchups are YOU most excited to see? Post a comment and let me know how you see the first round shaking out.

–patrick

Class 4A
(8) Laramie at (1) Gillette
(5) Rock Springs at (4) Cheyenne East
(7) Evanston at (2) Sheridan
(6) Kelly Walsh at (3) Natrona
Updated Saturday to reflect results of coin flip.

Class 3A
(4W) Powell at (1E) Torrington
(3E) Douglas at (2W) Star Valley
(4E) Riverton at (1W) Jackson
(3W) Green River at (2E) Buffalo
Coin flip will decide 2-3-4 seeds from the East.
Updated Saturday to reflect results of the coin flip.

Class 2A
(4W) Lyman at (1E) Wheatland
(3E) Big Horn at (2W) Greybull
(4E) Thermopolis at (1W) Lovell
(3W) Mountain View at (2E) Glenrock
Updated Friday to reflect results of East coin flip.

Class 1A 11-man
(4E) Southeast at (1W) Shoshoni
(3W) Rocky Mountain at (2E) Upton-Sundance
(4W) Riverside at (1E) Lingle
(3E) Tongue River at (2W) Cokeville
Updated Saturday to reflect results of West coin flip.

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

–patrick

The most exciting team in Wyoming this season enters the final week of the season at .500, struggling for a playoff spot.

One thing is for sure: When the Normative Services Wolves take the field, points will be scored.

Through six games (bye in Week 1), NSI has scored 389 points (average of 64.8 per game) and given up 362 (average 60.3). Both marks are on pace to be among the top 10 all-time in state history.

Yes — the Wolves have a historically high-scoring offense AND a historically leaky defense.

The top of the state’s season scoring leaders list is littered with state champions; the top of the list showing the most points allowed in a season is similarly littered with winless or near-winless teams. Historically, there hasn’t been much room on either list for .500 teams.

Until this season. Until the Wolves. Until the six-man team from Sheridan played in games this season with final scores of 69-19, 67-61, 65-45, 82-66, 90-38 and 90-59. The Wolves have one more game left in the regular season; they need to beat Midwest on Friday to secure a playoff berth from the 1A six-man East Conference. (Expect some scoring. Midwest is giving up about 51.4 points per game so far this year. When these two teams played each other last year, Midwest won 78-64.)

No team in state history has ever both scored and allowed 60 points per game in any single season. Heck, no team has done that with 50 points per game. And only a couple teams have both scored and allowed at least 40 points per game in a season.

What the Wolves are doing this season is unprecedented.

And, if you like seeing touchdowns, it’s pretty exciting, too.

+++

NSI isn’t the only team scoring points at a record pace. Meeteetse has scored 518 points, or an average of 74 per game, through its seven games. If the Longhorns can keep up this pace, they’ll obliterate the records for most points in a season (803, set by Meeteetse in 2013) and most average points per game (68.22 ppg, set by Guernsey-Sunrise in 2009).

Dubois, meanwhile, scored 102 points in its 102-6o victory against Ten Sleep last week. The 162 combined points were the most in any single game in state history, and the 102 points represented the first time any Wyoming high school team had cracked the century mark in a game since 1930. See the other single-game scoring records here.

+++

On to Week 8, the last week of the regular season. In all, 23 games this week will have an impact one way or another on playoff seeding. Five teams (Cheyenne Central, Newcastle, Thermopolis, NSI and Midwest) are in true win-and-you’re-in, lose-and-you’re-out situations. For them, the playoffs may as well start this week. Newcastle plays Thermopolis and Midwest plays NSI for the final playoff spot from their respective conferences, while Central plays Evanston in what was probably the hardest game of the week for me to pick.

Home-field advantage is also up for grabs in three specific games: Star Valley and Jackson face off for the top seed from the 3A West; Lovell and Greybull meet for the 2A West title; and the Shoshoni-Riverside winner wins the No. 1 seed from the 1A 11-man West. Additionally, Wheatland faces Big Horn for the conference title in the 2A East — Wheatland wins it outright with a victory, while Big Horn can cause a three-way tie for first by beating the Bulldogs.

The 1A 11-man East and the 1A six-man East top seeds won’t be as easy to figure out. Here’s a guide.

And here’s your guide to projected winners for the week, who I’ve noted with boldness:

Thursday
Interclass
Gillette JV vs. Rocky Mountain
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
Douglas at Buffalo
Green River at Worland
Jackson at Star Valley
Lander at Riverton
Powell at Cody
Torrington at Rawlins
Class 2A
Big Horn at Wheatland
Burns at Wright
Kemmerer at Glenrock
Lovell at Greybull
Lyman at Mountain View
Pinedale at Big Piney
Thermopolis at Newcastle
Class 1A 11-man
Moorcroft at Lingle
Shoshoni at Riverside
Southeast at Upton-Sundance
Tongue River at Pine Bluffs
Wind River at Cokeville
Wyoming Indian at Saratoga
Class 1A six-man
Hanna at Kaycee
Meeteetse at Guernsey-Sunrise
Midwest at NSI
Snake River at Farson
Ten Sleep at St. Stephens
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Rock River at Hulett
Interclass
Dubois at Natrona sophs
Open: Lusk.

Rocky Mountain already picked up a forfeit victory against Burlington this week.

For a full schedule including start times, click here.

+++

The resident curmudgeons Tad and Homer have their picks this week, too. They’re not discouraged by their recent rough showings; picks they miss are simply more data for them to mull over.

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

The records
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Evanston (Central 9-5 overall, tie 4-4 at this location)
Cheyenne South at Sheridan (Sheridan 4-0 overall, Sheridan 2-0 at this location)
Gillette at Cheyenne East (Gillette 25-17 overall, East 11-9 at this location)
Kelly Walsh at Laramie (Laramie 22-17 overall, Laramie 15-6 at this location)
Rock Springs at Natrona (Natrona 48-19-3 overall, Natrona 32-7-1 at this location)
Class 3A
Douglas at Buffalo (Buffalo 34-30-1 overall, Buffalo 21-10-1 at this location)
Green River at Worland (Green River 8-5 overall, Green River 5-3 at this location)
Jackson at Star Valley (Star Valley 63-15 overall, Star Valley 32-8 at this location)
Lander at Riverton (Riverton 60-51-7 overall, Riverton 32-24-2 at this location)
Powell at Cody (Cody 60-51-4 overall, Cody 30-22-1 at this location)
Torrington at Rawlins (Torrington 25-5-1 overall, Torrington 10-5 at this location)
Class 2A
Big Horn at Wheatland (Big Horn 5-0 overall, Big Horn 2-0 at this location)
Burns at Wright (tie 11-11 overall, Wright 6-3 at this location)
Kemmerer at Glenrock (tie 6-6 overall, Glenrock 4-2 at this location)
Lovell at Greybull (Lovell 55-28-4 overall, Lovell 28-11-2 at this location)
Lyman at Mountain View (Mountain View 44-31 overall, Mountain View 21-16 at this location)
Pinedale at Big Piney (Big Piney 55-45 overall, Big Piney 29-18 at this location)
Thermopolis at Newcastle (Thermopolis 17-8 overall, tie 5-5 at this location)
Class 1A 11-man
Moorcroft at Lingle (Moorcroft 4-3 overall, Moorcroft 2-1 at this location)
Rocky Mountain at Burlington (Rocky Mountain 14-5 overall, Rocky Mountain 6-3 at this location) (Rocky already picked up the W via forfeit for this game)
Shoshoni at Riverside (Riverside 13-7 overall, Riverside 5-4 at this location)
Southeast at Upton-Sundance (Southeast 2-1 overall, first at this location)
Tongue River at Pine Bluffs (Tongue River 1-0 overall, first at this location)
Wind River at Cokeville (Cokeville 18-5 overall, Cokeville 9-3 at this location)
Wyoming Indian at Saratoga (Saratoga 10-2 overall, Saratoga 5-1 at this location)
Class 1A six-man
Hanna at Kaycee (Kaycee 6-1 overall, Kaycee 3-0 at this location)
Meeteetse at Guernsey-Sunrise (Meeteetse 4-2 overall, Meeteetse 1-0 at this location)
Midwest at NSI (NSI 7-2 overall, NSI 3-1 at this location)
Rock River at Hulett (Hulett 1-0 overall, first at this location)
Snake River at Farson (Snake River 8-2 overall, Snake River 3-1 at this location)
Ten Sleep at St. Stephens (St. Stephens 3-2 overall, St. Stephens 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, 26-5 (84 percent); Tad, 15-16 (48 percent); Homer, 20-11 (65 percent).

Season records: Patrick, 183-46 (80 percent); Tad, 141-88 (62 percent); Homer, 124-105 (54 percent).

And that’s the end of the regular season, folks. How do YOU see it all coming together? Leave a comment here and let’s discuss the last week of the regular season!

–patrick

When the new Gillette high school opens in 2017, it will have a name, a mascot and school colors.

The Gillette News-Record reported last week that the options have already been narrowed down to 10 school names, 10 color combinations and 11 mascots. That leaves 1,100 potential combinations of school names, colors and mascots.

The process of choosing those three pieces of the new school has already begun in Gillette, where students will be surveyed starting Tuesday about their preferences for Wyoming’s newest high school. The final choice from the school board will be announced Dec. 8.

Really, though, there’s only one true, objective way to pick these three elements, and it’s a lot more fun, too: SLOT MACHINE!

Pull the lever on the new Gillette high school slot machine today! And leave your favorite combination in a comment here! Let us know what lucky combination you hit!

–patrick

Here are the playoff scenarios for Wyoming high school football teams entering Week 8, the final week of the regular season. A full schedule of Week 8 games is here.

Class 4A
Gillette: In. No. 1 seed.
Sheridan: In. No. 2 seed.
Natrona: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Gillette victory. Tie for 3-4-5 seeds (coin flip to break) with loss and Cheyenne East victory.
Cheyenne East: In. No. 4 seed with Natrona victory (no matter what East does). Tie for 3-4-5 seeds (coin flip to break) with victory and Rock Springs victory. No. 5 seed with loss and Rock Springs victory.
Rock Springs: In. No. 3 seed with victory and Gillette victory. Tie for 3-4-5 seeds (coin flip to break) with victory and Cheyenne East victory. No. 5 seed with loss.
Kelly Walsh: In. No. 6 seed with victory. No. 7 seed with loss and Central victory. Tie for 6-7-8 seeds (coin flip to break) with loss and Evanston victory.
Cheyenne Central: Neither in nor out. No. 7 seed with victory and Kelly Walsh victory. No. 8 seed with victory and Laramie victory. Out with loss.
Laramie: Neither in nor out. No. 6 seed with victory and Central victory. Tie for 6-7-8 seeds (coin flip to break) with victory and Evanston victory. No. 8 seed with loss and Evanston victory. Out with loss and Central victory.
Evanston: Neither in nor out. No. 7 seed with victory and Kelly Walsh victory. Tie for 6-7-8 seeds (coin flip to break) with victory and Laramie victory. No. 8 seed with loss and Kelly Walsh victory. Out with loss and Laramie victory.
Cheyenne South: Out.

Class 3A East
Torrington: In. No. 1 seed.
Douglas: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Lander victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (coin flip to break) with loss and Riverton victory.
Buffalo: In. No. 2 seed with victory and Lander victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (coin flip to break) with victory and Riverton victory. No. 4 seed with loss.
Riverton: In. No. 3 seed with Douglas victory (no matter what Riverton does). Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (coin flip to break) with victory and Buffalo victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Buffalo victory.
Lander, Rawlins: Out.

Class 3A West
Star Valley: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss.
Jackson: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss.
Green River: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Cody victory. Tie for 3-4-5 spots (triangular playoff to break) with loss and Powell victory.
Worland: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory and Cody victory. Tie for 3-4-5 spots (triangular playoff to break) with victory and Powell victory. Tie for 4-5-6 spots (triangular playoff to break) with loss and Cody victory. Out with loss and Powell victory.
Powell: Neither in nor out. Tie for 3-4-5 spots (triangular playoff to break) with victory and Worland victory. No. 4 seed with victory and Green River victory. Tie for 4-5-6 spots (triangular playoff to break) with loss and Green River victory. Out with loss and Worland victory.
Cody: Neither in nor out. Tie for 4-5-6 spots (triangular playoff to break) with victory and Green River victory. Out with loss or Worland victory.

Class 2A East
Wheatland: In. No. 1 seed with win. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (coin flip to break) with loss.
Glenrock: In. No. 2 seed with Wheatland win. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (coin flip to break) with Big Horn win.
Big Horn: In. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (coin flip to break) with win. No. 3 seed with loss.
Newcastle: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Thermopolis: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Burns, Wright: Out.

Class 2A West
Lovell: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss.
Greybull: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss.
Lyman: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss.
Mountain View: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss.
Big Piney, Kemmerer, Pinedale: Out.

Class 1A 11-man East
Lingle, Upton-Sundance: In.
Pine Bluffs, Southeast, Tongue River: Neither in nor out.
Lusk, Moorcroft: Out.
The scenarios for the 1A 11-man East Conference, where the Week 8 schedule is Moorcroft vs. Lingle, Southeast vs. Upton-Sundance and Tongue River vs. Pine Bluffs:

Lingle beats Moorcroft Lin US SE TR PB
US win, PB win (See note 1) 1 2 4 3 out
SE win, PB win 1 3 2 out 4
US win, TR win 1 2 4 3 out
SE win, TR win (See note 2) 1 4 3 2 out
Moorcroft beats Lingle Lin US SE TR PB
US win, PB win (See note 1) 2 1 4 3 out
SE win, PB win 1 3 2 out 4
US win, TR win 3 1 4 2 out
SE win, TR win (See note 3) 1 3 2 4 out

Note 1: In both of these scenarios, where Tongue River, Southeast and Pine Bluffs tie at 3-3 in conference, I believe TR gets the 3 seed for its victory against Lingle, and Southeast gets the 4 for beating Pine head to head.
Note 2: In this scenario, where Upton-Sundance, Southeast and Tongue River tie at 4-2, I believe TR gets the 2 seed for beating Lingle, then Southeast gets the 3 seed for beating U-S head-to-head.
Note 3: I’m unclear on how the WHSAA would break a four-way tie in this scenario, but it looks like Tongue River’s loss to Lusk (the highest-ranking non-tied team where teams don’t have equal records) would knock it down to the 4 seed. Then it’s breaking a 3-way tie between Lingle, Upton-Sundance and Southeast, which Lingle earns due to head-to-head victories over both. Southeast is then the 3 seed due to a head-to-head victory over US.

Class 1A 11-man West
Shoshoni: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss.
Riverside: In. No. 1 seed with victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (coin flip to break) with loss and Cokeville victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Wind River victory.
Cokeville: In. No. 3 seed with victory and Riverside victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (coin flip to break) with victory and Shoshoni victory. No. 4 seed with loss.
Rocky Mountain: In. No. 2 seed with Shoshoni and Wind River victories. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (coin flip to break) with Shoshoni and Cokeville victories. No. 3 seed with Riverside and Wind River victories. No. 4 seed with Riverside and Cokeville victories.
Burlington, Saratoga, Wind River, Wyoming Indian: Out.

Class 1A six-man East
Guernsey-Sunrise, Hulett, Kaycee: In.
Midwest, Normative Services: Neither in nor out.
Hanna, Rock River: Out.
The scenarios for the 1A six-man East Conference, where the Week 8 schedule is Kaycee vs. Hanna, Midwest vs. NSI and Rock River vs. Hulett:

Kaycee beats Hanna Kay Hul Gue NSI Mid
Mid W, RR W 1 2 3 out 4
Mid W, Hul W 1 2 3 out 4
NSI W, RR W 1 2 4 3 out
NSI W, Hul W 1 2 4 3 out
Hanna beats Kaycee Kay Hul Gue NSI Mid
Mid W, RR W (See note 1) 1 2 3 out 4
Mid W, Hul W 3 1 2 out 4
NSI W, RR W (See note 2) 4 1 3 2 out
NSI W, Hul W 2 1 4 3 out

Note 1: I’m not totally sure how this tie between Kaycee, Hulett and Guernsey would be broken, but I assume Guernsey falls to the 3-seed by virtue of its loss to NSI, and Kaycee gets the 1 over Hulett due to head-to-head victory.
Note 2: Of all the scenarios, this one is the most confusing, but I think in this scenario Kaycee falls to the 4 seed due to its loss to the highest-ranked non-tied team, Hanna. That leaves a three-way tie between Hulett, Guernsey and NSI, which Hulett wins with head-to-head victories over both. NSI would get the 2 over Guernsey due to head-to-head victory.

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

–patrick

Torrington has waited a long time for this season.

Actually, 21 years.

When the Trailblazers take to Wiseman Field on Friday, they will play for their first conference title since 1996, when the Trailblazers tied with Riverton and Douglas for the 3A East title. If everything falls right, Torrington could also win its first outright conference title since winning the 3A East in 1994.

If the Blazers can get past Buffalo, struggling Rawlins awaits in Week 8. Although that game is no guarantee, a sweep of the Bison and the Outlaws will give Torrington the outright conference title and will keep the Trailblazers undefeated.

No one in the 3A East, least of all the Trailblazers, wants to crown Torrington as the conference champ just yet. If you asked a Magic 8 Ball, though, if Torrington was going to win the conference, the ball would probably respond with a “Signs point to yes.”

For the last two decades, the answer was more likely to be an “Outlook not so good.”

Lander, which last shared a conference title in 1995, is the only 3A team with a longer streak without a conference title than Torrington. Of the 12 teams in the classification, nine of them have won outright or shared a conference championship in the past seven seasons. Rawlins — which won an outright conference crown in 2000 — Torrington and Lander are the holdouts. (This always comes with the explanation that, from 2001-04, Wyoming schools below the big-school classification did not have conferences.)

But the Blazers are on track to break that streak. Fifth-year coach Mark Lenhardt has seen his team improve its record every season, from 1-8 to 1-7 to 3-6 to 7-3 to, this year so far, 6-0. Last year’s 41-14 victory against Jackson was the team’s first playoff win since 2005; Torrington’s 7-3 finish was the program’s first winning record since 1995.

Now, for the first time in two decades, Torrington’s conference championship goals are more than just dreams.

Or, as the Magic 8 Ball would say: “It is decidedly so.”

+++

Here’s a quick look at who’s playing for conference championships this week — and, consequently, teams that are playing in absolutely huge games this week:

Gillette can wrap home field and the top seed in 4A by beating Laramie.

Torrington can clinch the 3A East Conference’s top seed by beating Buffalo.

Wheatland could win the 2A East if the Bulldogs beat Burns and if Newcastle beats Big Horn.

Lingle can secure first in the 1A 11-man East by beating Tongue River.

Kaycee, despite playing a nonconference game this week, could win the 1A six-man East if Midwest and Rock River beat their respective opponents (Hulett and Guernsey-Sunrise) this week.

The other conferences — the 3A West, the 2A West and the 1A 11-man West — can’t be decided just yet. Meanwhile, Meeteetse won the 1A six-man West after Week 5.

Cheyenne South, Rawlins, Burns, Wright, Kemmerer, Burlington, Saratoga, Wyoming Indian and Rock River have already been eliminated from postseason contention.

Other games that have me looking around and wondering if anyone else realizes that, you know, week 7 is, like, a big deal:

Natrona-Sheridan. For realsies. The winner here likely gets home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. (And, maybe, gets to host the rematch in the 4A semifinals.) If you’re anywhere near Homer Scott Field on Friday, get on up to the field and watch this one. …

Yes, I played for Midwest, but I’m not just saying this as an Oiler alum: The Hulett-Midwest game might be closer than you think. …

Week 8 looms large with potential conference title games in the 3A, 2A and 1A 11-man West conferences, but only if Star Valley and Jackson (3A), Lovell and Greybull (2A) and Riverside (1A-11) win this week. That said, the biggest challenges might come to Greybull and Riverside. …

Riverside-Rocky Mountain is absolutely huge. If the Rebels win this one, they’ll notch home field for the first round of the playoffs at least; if the Grizzlies can pull the upset, they’ll set up a potential three-way tie for the second, third and fourth spots in the conference between themselves, Riverside and Cokeville — that is if they all win in Week 8, too. …

And Greybull, meanwhile, faces Lyman, a team that’s been easy to overlook this year but is all too capable of pulling off an upset of this magnitude. The Eagles are 3-1 after dropping their first two games, the only loss coming to conference co-leader Lovell. …

Hardest games to pick this week? Big Piney-Mountain View, Newcastle-Big Horn, Kaycee-Snake River, NSI-Hanna. Big Piney’s underrated; Big Horn’s unpredictable; Snake River’s untested; NSI’s uncertain. Lots of uns this week. I tried the best I could to sort through it and pick some winners, who I’ve noted here in bold:

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

Shoshoni (against Burlington) and Cokeville (against Wyoming Indian) have already notched forfeit victories this week.

For a full schedule including start times, click here.

+++

The week wouldn’t be complete without Tad and Homer, who have their picks, as well. They both had it rough last week, which led to some bickering at the dinner table, which led to some hurt feelings, which didn’t affect their picks at all this week.

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

The records
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Kelly Walsh (Central 25-16 overall, Central 12-9 at this location)
Evanston at Cheyenne East (East 19-9 overall, East 11-4 at this location)
Laramie at Gillette (tie 18-18 overall, Gillette 10-8 at this location)
Natrona at Sheridan (Natrona 56-41-6 overall, Sheridan 26-20-3 at this location)
Rock Springs at Cheyenne South (Rock Springs 3-1 overall, tie 1-1 at this location)
Class 3A
Buffalo at Torrington (Buffalo 21-17 overall, tie 9-9 at this location)
Cody at Green River (Cody 14-8 overall, Green River 6-4 at this location)
Powell at Jackson (Powell 19-12 overall, Powell 8-6 at this location)
Rawlins at Lander (Lander 29-27-1 overall, Lander 16-8 at this location)
Riverton at Douglas (Riverton 21-12-1 overall, tie 7-7-1 at this location)
Worland at Star Valley (Star Valley 25-14 overall, Star Valley 13-7 at this location)
Class 2A
Big Piney at Mountain View (Big Piney 39-36 overall, Mountain View 20-17 at this location)
Glenrock at Thermopolis (Glenrock 19-13 overall, Glenrock 10-5 at this location)
Greybull at Lyman (Lyman 9-5 overall, Lyman 4-2 at this location)
Kemmerer at Lovell (Lovell 15-14 overall, Lovell 7-5 at this location)
Newcastle at Big Horn (Big Horn 5-1 overall, Big Horn 2-0 at this location)
Wheatland at Burns (tie 3-3 overall, Burns 3-0 at this location)
Wright at Pinedale (Pinedale 3-0 overall, Pinedale 2-0 at this location)
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Shoshoni (Shoshoni 17-16 overall, Shoshoni 9-5 at this location) (Shoshoni has already won this by forfeit, but here’s the records because why not)
Cokeville at Wyoming Indian (Cokeville 5-0 overall, Cokeville 2-0 at this location) (again, this one has already been forfeited to Cokeville, but the records are still interesting)
Lingle at Tongue River (Lingle 1-0 overall, first at this location)
Lusk at Southeast (Lusk 24-15 overall, tie 10-10 at this location)
Pine Bluffs at Moorcroft (Pine Bluffs 3-1 overall, Pine Bluffs 3-0 at this location)
Riverside at Rocky Mountain (Rocky Mountain 19-5 overall, Rocky Mountain 11-1 at this location)
Saratoga at Wind River (Wind River 8-3 overall, Wind River 5-0 at this location)
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Ten Sleep (Dubois 15-4 overall, Dubois 8-1 at this location)
Farson at St. Stephens (Farson 2-0 overall, Farson 1-0 at this location)
Guernsey-Sunrise at Rock River (Guernsey-Sunrise 1-0 overall, first at this location)
Hulett at Midwest (Midwest 30-18-1 overall, Midwest 14-8 at this location)
Kaycee at Snake River (Snake River 6-1 overall, Snake River 5-0 at this location)
NSI at Hanna (Hanna 2-0 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.

Last week’s records: Patrick, 23-7 (77 percent); Tad, 14-16 (47 percent); Homer, 11-19 (37 percent).

Season records: Patrick, 157-41 (79 percent); Tad, 126-72 (64 percent); Homer, 104-94 (53 percent).

What strikes you as interesting as you look at the Week 7 slate? Post your thoughts and let’s talk through the fun together.

–patrick

The Wyoming Shrine Bowl raised $35,000 this year to donate to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City, Utah, executive director John Cundall said via email.

The annual all-star football game was played in June. The 2016 game will be played June 11 in Casper.

–patrick

A new or rebuilt football field can be a uniting point for a community.

Repeat that effort over and over and over, at least 18 times, in a rural, spread-out state like Wyoming, and we not only have uniting points for communities but a trend that shows no signs of slowing.

Since 2007, 18 of Wyoming’s 65 high school football programs (64 plus one co-op) have had new or rebuilt facilities constructed. Nine stadiums have had lights added since 2009. And 21 programs statewide now have artificial turf.

Some are obvious: New six-man programs at Kaycee, Snake River and Farson (all 2009), St. Stephens (2011) and Rock River (2014, field built in 2012) all necessitated new facilities, as did the starting of Class 4A program Cheyenne South (2011).

But several other longstanding programs opened new facilities in new locations in the past 10 years: Cheyenne East and Kemmerer in 2014; Powell in 2012; Riverton in 2011; Rocky Mountain in 2010; Torrington and Upton in 2009; Buffalo and Saratoga in 2007.

In addition, several programs built basically new stadiums on top of their old facilities. Burns opened its new facility in 2015. Prior to that, Big Piney did so in 2014 and Big Horn in 2011.

Also, a handful of schools have added lights in the past 10 years. Moorcroft and Tongue River added lights for the 2015 season; prior to that, Big Horn and Kemmerer added lights in 2014 with their new facilities; Saratoga in 2012; Rocky Mountain in 2011; Upton and Pinedale in 2009; and Wind River in 2006 (damaged by wind but rebuilt for 2009).

With all these changes, only 15 Wyoming high school football fields are without lights in 2015. Nine of those 15 programs are in the six-man classification; the six 11-man programs without lights are Big Piney, Burlington, Cokeville, Lyman, Mountain View and Sundance. (Burlington will move to six-man in 2016.)

And, of course, let’s not forget that 21 schools now have an artificial surface, the bulk of those installed in the past decade. Southeast, which added a turf surface this summer, was Wyoming’s No. 21. Many of those updates, too, came with other cosmetic updates at several locations — things like new track surfaces, new jumping pits, new lights, new bleachers or new walkways were also a part of several of those projects.

For the future? Well, Laramie is building a new high school with a new stadium, set to open in the fall of 2016. Sundance is building a new elementary school on top of its current football field, which means that program, too, will need a new stadium at some point. Dubois, too, is set to open a new stadium next fall near its new school.

The list of stadiums that haven’t seen been moved, rebuilt or overhauled (artificial turf or light installation) in the past decade is pretty short: Evanston, Gillette and Kelly Walsh in 4A; Lander, Rawlins and Worland in 3A; Newcastle, Thermopolis, Wheatland, Wright, Greybull, Lovell, Lyman and Mountain View in 2A; Lingle, Pine Bluffs, Burlington, Cokeville, Riverside, Shoshoni and Wyoming Indian in 1A 11-man; and Guernsey, Hanna, Hulett, Midwest, NSI, Meeteetse and Ten Sleep in 1A six-man. That’s 28 of 65 — less than half. And many of these stadiums have had new grass, new bleachers or other new facilities added in the past decade without the work being a complete refurbishment of the entire stadium. (Although, admittedly, at some of these places, new bleachers alone is a refurbishment of the entire stadium.)

In short: Not many football fields in the state look like they did 10 years ago.

What changes have you seen in your community’s high school football stadium the past 10 years? Post a comment below if I’m missing something!

–patrick

Since Wyoming went back to conference play for its schools in 2005, the state has had 97 conference champions.

Of those 97, the winners of only 10 survived a conference loss to win a conference championship.

With the notable exception of Class 4A’s “conference” regular-season championship, those titles have always been shared. The conference champions since 2005 who won the league title with a conference loss were:

2006 2A Southeast: Burns, Southeast share at 2-1
2007 5A South: Cheyenne East, Cheyenne Central share at 4-1
2007 2A East: Sundance, Saratoga, Lusk share at 4-1
2009 4A: Sheridan 8-1
2009 3A West: Cody, Star Valley, Worland share at 4-1
2009 1A 11-man East: Southeast, Lingle share at 6-1
2010 4A: Natrona 8-1
2010 2A West: Lovell, Greybull, Lyman share at 6-1
2011 2A East: Glenrock, Newcastle share at 5-1
2014 1A six-man West: Dubois, Snake River share at 4-1

As you can see, only once in the past three seasons has a conference champion not gone undefeated in conference play. However, already this year, we know at least one conference champ will hoist a crown with at least one conference loss.

That champion will come from the Class 1A six-man East Conference. Each one of the seven schools in that conference already has a conference loss. Four of those schools — Guernsey-Sunrise, Kaycee, Hulett and NSI — start the week with one conference loss apiece.

The rotation works like this: Guernsey beat Kaycee; Kaycee beat Hulett; Hulett beat NSI; NSI beat Guernsey.

One way or another, the top of the 1A six-man East will sort itself out this week as Kaycee travels to NSI and Guernsey-Sunrise goes to Hulett.

Adding to the urgency this week: None of the top four teams in the conference will play each other after this week.

With the road teams at 3-1 in league play and the home teams at 2-1, some sense has to rise out of the confusion.

Either way, the team(s) that win the conference will be able to claim something that roughly only 10 percent of Wyoming conference champs can claim the past decade: They survived a conference loss to win their conference title.

+++

Meanwhile, no team in the state in any conference can win its conference with a victory this week. Gillette is the only team in Wyoming that could wrap up a regular-season title this week, but the Camels would need to beat Rock Springs and both Sheridan (playing at Cheyenne Central) and Natrona (hosting Cheyenne South) would have to lose for that to happen.

However, Meeteetse in the 1A six-man West Conference has already wrapped up the conference championship with three weeks left in the regular season. The undefeated Longhorns end conference play this week against winless St. Stephens, and then finish the regular season with a date against the Worland JV in Week 7 and a nonconference showdown against Guernsey-Sunrise in Week 8. The Longhorns own tiebreakers over any teams they might tie with in the unlikely event that St. Stephens pulls the biggest upset in Wyoming football history this week, making the final three weeks of the regular season one long postseason preparation party for the top-ranked Longhorns.

Conversely, some teams may be eliminated from postseason contention with losses today. That makes pretty much every game a big game this week. However, some are bigger than others:

Worland-Powell might be the most intriguing matchup of the week. Was Worland’s 10-7 victory against Cody last week a harbinger or an aberration? Either way, Todd Weber’s squad notched an important victory against Cody, one of those on which a coach can build a program. …

It’s hard to imagine a team with more confidence than Rock Springs. The Tigers have proven they can play with 4A’s best teams (hanging tough two weeks ago vs. Sheridan) and can win games even when they’re struggling (last week vs. Evanston). Tiger Stadium will be nuts on Friday when No. 1 Gillette makes its visit. …

Two weeks ago, who would have pictured that Jackson would be 2-0 in 3A West Conference play — and defending state champion Cody would be 0-2? They’ll face each other Friday in Park County. …

The last (and only) time Riverside beat Cokeville was 1992. Since joining the same conference in 2009, the Panthers have beaten the Rebels 49-6, 61-6, 48-0, 55-7, 54-8 and by forfeit. But on Friday, Riverside starts the game with a conference record of 4-0, while Cokeville is 3-1. The Rebels could push aside several years’ worth of frustration if they can somehow keep the momentum going in Lincoln County. …

I don’t know why I keep thinking about the only 2A nonconference game this week, Thermopolis playing at Lovell. I’ve been waiting for Thermop to bust through all season, and even though the Bobcats lost last week, the second half of that loss — where Thermopolis came back from down 26-0 only to lose 26-24 — might be a jumpstart to their season. The Bulldogs better be careful. …

The two most difficult games of the week to pick? Southeast-Tongue River and Lyman-Big Piney. And when it’s all said and done, both these games might be for playoff spots. …

On to this week’s picks. I’ve noted my selections below by denoting the team I think will win the game in bold type. Even if I didn’t tell you, I think you’d be able to figure that out:

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

For a full schedule including start times, click here.

+++

Ya boys Tad and Homer have their picks this week, too. And I better watch out. Tad actually won the weekly picks last week, topping both his brother Homer AND me:

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

The records
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Laramie (Laramie 33-25 overall, Laramie 17-11 at this location)
Cheyenne South at Natrona (Natrona 4-0 overall, Natrona 2-0 at this location)
Gillette at Rock Springs (Gillette 15-5 overall, Gillette 6-4 at this location)
Kelly Walsh at Evanston (Evanston 11-7 overall, tie 3-3 at this location)
Sheridan at Cheyenne Central (Sheridan 39-27-1 overall, Central 16-14 at this location)
Class 3A
Douglas at Rawlins (Douglas 23-9 overall, Douglas 11-4 at this location)
Jackson at Cody (Cody 17-6 overall, Cody 9-1 at this location)
Lander at Torrington (Lander 4-1 overall, Lander 2-0 at this location)
Riverton at Buffalo (Riverton 8-7 overall, tie 4-4 at this location)
Star Valley at Green River (Star Valley 35-31-5 overall, Green River 18-13-3 at this location)
Worland at Powell (Worland 39-33 overall, tie 19-19 at this location)
Class 2A
Big Horn at Burns (Big Horn 6-3 overall, Burns 3-2 at this location)
Glenrock at Newcastle (Glenrock 23-18 overall, Glenrock 10-9 at this location)
Greybull at Pinedale (Greybull 5-3 overall, Pinedale 3-1 at this location)
Lyman at Big Piney (Big Piney 45-34-1 overall, Big Piney 25-15 at this location)
Mountain View at Kemmerer (Mountain View 20-16 overall, Mountain View 14-5 at this location)
Thermopolis at Lovell (Thermopolis 42-34 overall, Thermopolis 19-17 at this location)
Wright at Wheatland (Wheatland 4-0 overall, Wheatland 2-0 at this location)
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Saratoga (Burlington 5-0 overall, Burlington 2-0 at this location) (Burlington has forfeited this game, but it’s still fun to look at the records)
Lusk at Lingle (Lusk 43-10-3 overall, Lusk 19-5 at this location)
Riverside at Cokeville (Cokeville 11-1 overall, Cokeville 5-0 at this location)
Tongue River at Southeast (tie 1-1 overall, Southeast 1-0 at this location)
Upton-Sundance at Pine Bluffs (Upton-Sundance 3-0 overall, Upton-Sundance 1-0 at this location)
Wind River at Shoshoni (Wind River 27-22 overall, tie 12-12 at this location)
Wyoming Indian at Rocky Mountain (Rocky Mountain 19-2 overall, Rocky Mountain 9-1 at this location) (again, Wyoming Indian has already forfeited this game, but records are fun to look at anyway)
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Snake River (Dubois 4-2 overall, Dubois 2-0 at this location)
Guernsey-Sunrise at Hulett (Guernsey-Sunrise 5-4 overall, Hulett 3-1 at this location)
Kaycee at NSI (Kaycee 2-0 overall, first at this location)
Midwest at Hanna (Hanna 9-6 overall, Hanna 4-3 at this location)
St. Stephens at Meeteetse (tie 4-4 overall, St. Stephens 3-1 at this location)
Ten Sleep at Farson (Ten Sleep 5-4 overall, tie 2-2 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, 24-8 (75 percent); Tad, 27-5 (84 percent); Homer, 22-10 (69 percent).

Season records: Patrick, 134-34 (80 percent); Tad, 112-56 (67 percent); Homer, 93-75 (55 percent).

For about 90 percent of teams, Week 6 represents either a time to survive, a time to maintain or a time to rise. So who’s set to do that? Leave a comment and let me know where my picks went awry, or what picks you think I got right!

–patrick

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