School: Cokeville
Nickname: Panthers
Colors: black and orange
Stadium: Panther Field
State championships: 1978, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2002 and 2003
Times worth remembering: Pick ‘em. Cokeville’s success — 16 state championships in a 21-year span from 1983-2003 and 17 titles overall — makes the Panthers the pinnacle of consistent success. But perhaps the Panthers’ best stretch came from 1986-91, when the program put together six consecutive state championships and won 26 consecutive games at one point.
Times worth forgetting: Cokeville has had its struggles, too. The program’s toughest times came in 1964 and 1965, as the Panthers went a combined 0-12-1. Every loss the Panthers suffered was by at least 12 points.
Best team: Again, pick ‘em. Cokeville has had 12 undefeated teams in school history, but the team that stands out more than any is the team from 1989. That year, Class 1A became exclusively a 9-man division, and Cokeville opted up to Class 2A play to stick with its 11-man program. The change did nothing to stop Cokeville’s run of championships, as they went 10-0 and blasted the two best teams 2A had to offer in the playoffs, both on the road — Greybull 35-11 in the semis and Burns 46-0 in the championship.
Biggest win: Again, pick ‘em. All 17 championship-game victories have added a little bit more to Cokeville’s mystique. If any one stands out, it’s No. 17, a 14-13 win over Southeast in 2003 secured only after Nathan Fiscus made an open-field tackle on Alan Moore on the Cyclones’ two-point conversion try in the final moments of the fourth quarter.
Heartbreaker: The Panthers were one yard away from the 2006 1A championship, but the 19-yard field goal attempt Cokeville tried on the final play of the game went wide. Cokeville lost 14-12 to Guernsey after losing a 12-0 lead; the Panthers gave up a safety in the fourth quarter for the final margin and also had a touchdown negated on a holding penalty in the final quarter.