School: Albin
Nickname: Wildcats
Colors: red and white
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: None
Times worth remembering: Albin was consistently decent, winning at least one game in each of the shortened seasons from 1946-50, including the only multiple-win season that I can find, a 2-1 campaign in 1946.
Times worth forgetting: The Wildcats went four seasons with only one victory, and only played one more game after that victory, ending the program after a 1-6 season in 1955.
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School: Dayton
Nickname: Elks
Colors: blue and red
Stadium: Unknown
State championship: 1953
Times worth remembering: The Elks had a relatively successful run before combining with Ranchester to form Tongue River in 1956, including four consecutive conference championships from 1952-55 and a state championship in 1953.
Times worth forgetting: The Dayton program was extremely successful for its short span In fact, it had only two losing seasons – an 0-2-1 campaign in 1949, the first full-fledged year of the program after World War II, and a 2-3 season in 1951.
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School: Pavillion
Nickname: Panthers
Colors: red and white
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: None
Times worth remembering: It didn’t take long for Pavillion to gain respect. After a 1-7 season in its 1959 premiere, the Panthers went 7-1 in 1960, reeling off seven victories in a row to start the season before falling to Shoshoni in the season finale.
Times worth forgetting: The Panthers’ biggest struggles came in back-to-back seasons in 1962 and ’63. Pavillion went 2-6 in 1962 and 1-6-1 in 1963, losing five times by shutout while failing to climb out of double digits 12 times in 16 games. The 1963 season was particularly tough; the Panthers only scored 26 points all season and the only victory came in a 2-0 slugfest against Meeteetse.
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School: Superior
Nickname: Dragons
Colors: purple and white
Stadium: Unknown
State championships: None
Times worth remembering: After finding mixed success against Class A schools through 1957, the Dragons dropped to Class B play in 1958 and immediately became a powerhouse. Superior posted three consecutive winning seasons from 1958-60, including a 7-0 season in 1960. In those three years, Superior went 18-3-1. However, none of the seasons, not even the 1960 undefeated season, resulted in a playoff berth.
Times worth forgetting: The Dragons knew when they were in above their heads. Superior’s last year of Class A play was in 1957, a year in which the Dragons posted an 0-6 record. The team was shut out five times in those six games and scored only once, in a 25-14 loss to Saratoga.
For Albin, you might note that both Burns Bronc championship teams relied on substantial contributions from skill players hailing from Albin. When did each of the schools you list get consolidated into their current homes?
Good point, Hillsdale. For a while there, the football team went by the name “Burns-Albin.” I haven’t included that on the site for simplicity’s sake, but Albin definitely shipped a ton of talent down to Burns for gridiron glory.
As for consolidation, the Albin program got shut down in 1955 but the school didn’t go until earlier this decade (2003). Dayton and Ranchester combined to form Tongue River in 1956 (and promptly won a state championship). Pavillion and Morton combined to form Wind River in 1969.
Superior looks like it closed in 1962, from what I can gather; Superior and Reliance closed at roughly the same time, Reliance maybe four or five years prior. Of course, neither community is what it was like back in their heydays, but I actually kind of like Reliance. Went there a few years ago and it seemed like a halfway decent community, sort of a diamond in the rough because you really don’t end up going up to Reliance unless you have a reason to. Same could be said for Superior, too, but Reliance just struck me as the community that’s a little bit more vibrant now. OK, I got distracted there….
–patrick