If you had nothing but time and money, how would you spend them?
Well, meet the possibilities — a dream Wyoming high school football road trip, made possible by perusing the 2024 schedule and deciding what road trips were (1) doable, (2) had interesting football and (3) allowed me to see a lot of the state.
Your trip might be different, and that’s cool. My fantasy trip would allow me to see 41 of Wyoming’s 65 high school teams, and I’d make it to 27 different locations — not as many as I’d like, but as many as a schedule might allow. Over nine weeks, that’s an average of three new locations a week. I’ll take it. But I’d also take unlimited time and money, too.
My schedule:
Week 0
Cheyenne South at Sheridan, 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30
Sheridan JV at Tongue River, 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 31
Yes, I’m a sucker for history. So the chance to see South and Sheridan square off with the two longest active streaks in the state — one winning, one losing — was too much for me. Throw in a chance to head to Dayton and one of the most beautiful backdrops for football in the state the next day, and I’m in.
Week 1
Kemmerer vs. Moorcroft, 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 (at Shoshoni)
Lusk at Rocky Mountain, 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6
Riverton at Cody, 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6
Dubois at Ten Sleep, 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7
The crown jewel of this week’s Northwest corner action is the Riverton-Cody game, with the Wolverines coming off a solid rebuilding year and Cody being, well, Cody. The other games are all interesting in their own right — a neutral-site game is always unique, Lusk and Rocky should both be improved and Dubois and Ten Sleep both have new head coaches. All in all, a solid schedule.
Week 2
Natrona JV at Encampment, 4 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10
Cheyenne Central JV at Torrington, 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12
Upton-Sundance at Newcastle, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13
Riverside at Hulett, 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14
I’ll be honest — I try to double up on Fridays when I can. But nothing really worked for me. So I stayed to the eastern edge of the state and picked up an intriguing 2A game as well as some chances to see some other teams I’d really like to see this season in one fell swoop.
Week 3
Rocky Mountain at Greybull, 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19
Midwest at Kaycee, 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20
Cheyenne East at Sheridan, 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20
Burlington at Ten Sleep, 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21
There is no way I’d miss East-Sheridan this year. If the Broncs can win their first three, this one would be for the state record for longest winning streak. Everything else is gravy — and this would give me a chance to do the Slip Road trip, something that I never have done and really want to do. This isn’t JUST about football.
Week 4
Wind River at Wyoming Indian, 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26
Rocky Mountain at Big Piney, 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27
Green River at Evanston, 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27
Kemmerer at Mountain View, 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28
OK, Southwest corner — show me what you’ve got. I do like the idea of being able to see both 2023 1A nine-man championship game teams in the same week, as well as Evanston’s new-ish digs and Mountain View at home, always a nice opportunity.
Week 5
Kemmerer at Lyman, 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3
Wright at Saratoga, 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4
Torrington at Rawlins, 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4
Snake River at Dubois, 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5
This week is about quantity, and hitting up Carbon County for a doubleheader allows for that. It’s also a chance to see the Wright-Saratoga game, which has taken on a life of its own the past couple years, as well as a way to see defending 2A champ (now in 3A) Torrington and 1A six-man power Snake River in the same weekend. And a Lyman visit on top of all of that? Heck yeah.
Week 6
Cody sophs at Shoshoni, 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10
Casper Christian at Farson, noon Friday, Oct. 10
Cody at Star Valley, 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10
Wind River at Big Piney, 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11
Yep, the westside is getting a lot of midseason love, but there’s no way you’re going to have me miss that Cody-Star Valley game (might have to leave Farson early, sorry Pronghorns). Everything else around that is mostly convenience, but it’s also awesome to have a chance to see a rematch of last year’s 1A nine-man title game, too.
Week 7
Midwest at Meeteetse, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17
Riverside at Burlington, 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18
Campbell County at Sheridan, 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18
Hulett at Kaycee, 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19
I might have to dip out of Burlington a few minutes early to get to Sheridan on time, but those two games are really appealing and I’d love to try to get to them both. Two other six-man games bookend what could be an interesting week of games that will probably have tons of playoff implications.
Week 8
Rocky Mountain at Wind River, 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24
Burlington at Midwest, 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25
Rock Springs at Kelly Walsh, 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25
Snake River at Encampment, 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26
The Friday night prime-time slot choice here might seem a bit odd, with both Rock Springs and Kelly Walsh coming off tough seasons, but I’m really interested to see how they’ll both do with first-year coaches and how complete their turnarounds will be after one season, so catching them in the regular-season finale seems like a neat opportunity. Throw in what might be one of the best six-man games of the year in Encampment, another chance to see Rocky (that makes four!?) and a visit to my hometown home field, and that’s a great way to cap it all.
What’s your schedule look like? Let me know — leave a comment and tell me the route you’d take around the state!
–patrick