School: Powell
Nickname: Panthers
Colors: black and orange
Stadium: Panther Stadium
State championships: 1957, 1987 and 2006
Times worth remembering: The Panthers have consistently been one of the top teams in the Bighorn Basin, and that was made particularly clear in a pair of three-year spans — the three years from 1955-57 and the three years from 1965-67. The Panthers went 28-2 from 1955-57; both losses were to Worland, and both losses kept Powell from playing in the Class A championship. Finally, in 1957, the Panthers beat the Warriors and went on to win the title with an 11-0 season. And from 1965-67, Powell went 25-3-1, including 8-1-1 in 1966 and 9-0 in 1967, each good enough to win a mythical Class AA-A state championship.
Times worth forgetting: Powell’s toughest times came in back-to-back winless seasons in 1992-93. The Panthers went 0-8 each season and were outscored by an average of 30-5 in the two seasons; only two of the losses were by single digits.
Best team: It’s basically a toss-up between Powell’s two undefeated teams — the 11-0 team from 1957 and the 9-0 team from 1967. The slight nod goes to the ’57 team, which won the Class A title but was probably the best team in the state regardless of class. One of Powell’s 11 victories was 13-6 over Sheridan, which finished 7-1-1 and tied Natrona for the mythical Class AA championship. And few teams controlled a championship game the way the Panthers did in ’57, in which they destroyed Torrington 40-6 on the Trailblazers’ home field to win the title.
Biggest win: The 1966 season finale was set up perfectly for the Panthers — a chance to prove themselves against the top-ranked team in the state, Cody, on the Broncs’ home field. And the Panthers never hesitated. Powell controlled the game from start to finish, winning 32-13 in an “upset” that vaulted the Panthers into first place in the final statewide poll despite an early-season loss to Worland and a tie with Riverton. The 1967 finale set up similarly, but in that game top-ranked Powell justified its ranking by smacking Cody 20-7.
Heartbreaker: Powell had all the momentum going its way heading into the second-to-last game of the 1978 regular season against Rock Springs — the Panthers had won six in a row, four by shutout, and were seemingly in perfect shape for the Tigers. But the Tigers didn’t get the message from Powell and beat the Panthers 15-7. Rock Springs went on to win the state championship, beating Laramie 7-6 two weeks later; Powell beat Cody the next week to finish at 7-1 but never again reached the same level of success in Class AA ball.