With the 2021 postseason coming into sharper focus with two weeks remaining in the regular season, here’s a breakdown of what’s possible in each Wyoming high school football conference:
Class 4A
In: Cheyenne East, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Thunder Basin, Natrona, Campbell County, Kelly Walsh.
Neither in nor out: Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne South, Laramie.
Out: No one.
Can the top seed be decided this week? Not even close. With four teams at 6-1, the top four seeds, much less the top seed, are all up for grabs.
Break it down for me: After the mess at the top between East, Rock Springs, Sheridan and Thunder Basin, it gets a little easier. Central has the best odds for the last spot, with South and Laramie both needing a win in Week 7 — against each other, conveniently — to stay in realistic contention.
Class 3A East
In: Douglas, Buffalo.
Neither in nor out: Worland, Lander, Rawlins, Riverton.
Out: No one.
Can the top seed be decided this week? Kind of. Buffalo and Douglas, both 3-0, play each other, but only Buffalo secures the top seed with a victory in Week 7; Douglas would get it, though, with a victory and a Riverton upset of Worland.
Break it down for me: Rawlins and Riverton are desperately trying to stay in the hunt, and both need Ws this week before meeting each other in Week 8. Otherwise, Lander and Worland are in.
Class 3A West
In: Cody, Jackson.
Neither in nor out: Evanston, Powell, Star Valley, Green River.
Out: No one.
Can the top seed be decided this week? Nope; the big Cody-Jackson showdown is in Week 8.
Break it down for me: Evanston, Powell and Star Valley are all 1-2, fighting for the final two playoff spots. Green River is in desperation mode.
Class 2A East
In: Torrington.
Neither in nor out: Wheatland, Upton-Sundance, Big Horn, Burns, Newcastle, Tongue River.
Out: Glenrock.
Can the top seed be decided this week? Yes; if Torrington beats Wheatland, Torrington will be the No. 1 seed.
Break it down for me: Of the available spots, Wheatland has the easiest road to the playoffs, Tongue River the toughest. The real fight is for spots 3-4, with U-S, Big Horn, Burns and Newcastle all in real contention.
Class 2A West
In: Lyman.
Neither in nor out: Cokeville, Lovell, Big Piney, Kemmerer, Thermopolis, Mountain View.
Out: Pinedale.
Can the top seed be decided this week? Yes; if Lyman wins this week against Pinedale, the Eagles will be the West’s top seed.
Break it down for me: This one is a bit trickier as Big Piney and Thermopolis play on Tuesday of Week 8 in a COVID makeup. But it would take a LOT to go crazy for Cokeville or Lovell to not make it. That leaves a huge chase for the fourth spot, with Big Piney having a slight edge over the three teams with losing records in conference play.
Class 1A nine-man East
In: Pine Bluffs.
Neither in nor out: Lusk, Southeast, Wright, Lingle, Saratoga.
Out: No one.
Ineligible: Moorcroft.
Can the top seed be decided this week? It’s already decided; Pine Bluffs will be the No. 1 seed out of the East. Even with a loss next week in the conference finale against Lingle, the Hornets have tiebreakers against anyone they would tie.
Break it down for me: Lusk and Southeast are all but in and will meet next week in a game that will likely decide the No. 2 seed. The Saratoga-Wright game next week will be huge for deciding the conference’s fourth seed. And Lingle’s just in the middle of it all, a good a chance as anyone.
Class 1A nine-man West
In: Shoshoni.
Neither in nor out: Wind River, Rocky Mountain, Riverside, Greybull.
Out: St. Stephens, Wyoming Indian.
Can the top seed be decided this week? Yes; a Shoshoni victory against Greybull will give the Wranglers the top seed no matter what happens in Week 8.
Break it down for me: This week’s top game is between Wind River and Rocky Mountain, which will likely decide first-round hosting duties. Greybull’s loss to Riverside likely left them on the outside looking in; an upset over Shoshoni this week, and then some tiebreaker magic, is the only thing that can save the Buffs’ season.
Class 1A six-man East
In: Hulett.
Neither in nor out: Guernsey, Midwest, Hanna, Kaycee.
Out: No one.
Can the top seed be decided this week? It’s already decided; Hulett sewed up the No. 1 seed in Week 6.
Break it down for me: Guernsey is in great shape, Midwest good shape. Hanna and Kaycee are both 0-2 in league play, though. They’ll play each other in Week 8, as will Guernsey and Midwest in a conference that will leave a lot to the last day.
Class 1A six-man West
In: Snake River.
Neither in nor out: Encampment, Meeteetse, Farson, Dubois.
Out: Burlington.
Can the top seed be decided this week? It’s already decided; Snake River secured the West’s top seed last week.
Break it down for me: Encampment, Dubois, Meeteetse and Farson are in a scrap for the final three seeds. Encampment and Farson both have two games left; Dubois and Meeteetse each only have one game. Of the four remaining West games, three are between these four teams, including Meeteetse vs. Farson and Dubois vs. Encampment next week.
–patrick
This post was updated at 3:24 p.m. Saturday to reflect new scenarios in the 1A six-man East.
This post was updated at 4:33 p.m. Saturday to reflect new scenarios in the 1A six-man West.