Carbon County will be the hotspot for some of Wyoming’s most interesting games in Week 1.
In the course of one weekend, we’ll figure out not only who Class 1A six-man’s favorite is, we’ll figure out who is that team’s greatest threat.
The fun starts Friday in Encampment, where the Tigers host six-man newcomer Riverside in a game that will help determine how strong both teams’ championship aspirations are this season. Both teams are experienced and talented, and they both want to prove they belong in the conversation for six-man’s best.
As good as Encampment and Riverside will be this fall — and they should both be pretty good, making Friday’s game a must-watch — there’s no doubt that they, and everyone else, are chasing two other programs.
And that’s where the fun continues Saturday in Baggs, where Snake River hosts Burlington in a rematch of last year’s Class 1A six-man championship game and an early test to see who will turn the conversation in their direction.
I mean, come on. This game epitomizes the kind of rivalry that’s been missing in six-man since its rebirth in 2009. Heading into last year’s championship game, the Rattlers had won 30 games in a row and were trying to win a third straight title; they came up one yard short against the Huskies, who avenged a title-game loss to the Rattlers in 2022 to win their first state title since 1994. They provided the kind of six-man championship game Wyoming had never had — evenly matched, well-played on both sides, down to the final possession. Burlington just happened to get one more good play than Snake River.
Saturday, the Rattlers get the chance to try to even the tally, start a new streak and put the focus back on the purple and yellow, which is where it’s mostly been for three years. Of course, Burlington has the crown, and that’s where it will stay until November, and Laramie.
No state champions will be coronated in Week 1. And the two Big Horn County programs making the journey south this week, just like the two Carbon County programs hosting them, aren’t out of anything with a loss. In the grand scheme of things, they’re playing nonconference games that have no effect on playoff chances.
A little psychological advantage, just in case of another meeting later this season, wouldn’t hurt.
And the pace of the chase is a lot more fun when you can dictate it instead of follow it.
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Most every team saw some kind of action last week, with 28 teams tallying their first victory or first loss in Zero Week and many others playing in scrimmages or jamborees. Of the remaining 36 teams, 34 will enter the W or L column for the first time this week, and all 64 will have seen someone across from them on the line who wasn’t a teammate (either last week or this week) by Saturday night. Some other potential showstoppers this week:
The two Class 4A teams who pulled off victories that I didn’t predict for them were Natrona and Rock Springs. They’ll see each other this week in Rock Springs, and I’m curious to see who can keep the early season momentum rolling. …
Riverton’s 7-0 victory against Powell in Zero Week action was a head-turner for me. Is the Riverton revival complete? Well, this week the Wolverines go to Cody, so one way or another, we’ll all find out. …
Whenever Big Horn plays Lovell, it’s never disappointing. With as much parity as there might be in 2A this year, I might just vote the winner of this game No. 1 in my 2A poll next week (he said, knowing that a ton of other 2A teams have potential to be equally as impressive). …
I’m quite interested in how last year’s Class 1A nine-man title-game participants, champ Big Piney and runner-up Wind River, do in their games. Both play in Goshen County, oddly enough, and they’re going against teams in Southeast (Big Piney) and Lingle (Wind River) that figure to be at or near the top of the title chase this year. …
A handful of out-of-state games are super-intriguing, including games with 2A West squads Cokeville (at West Jefferson, Idaho) and Mountain View (hosting Rich County, Utah). …
A late change to the schedule has Evanston hosting Vista Ridge out of Colorado Springs on Friday. The Red Devils were originally scheduled to play South Summit, Utah, this week, but here we are. It’s Vista Ridge’s first game against a Wyoming opponent, so that’s pretty cool. Also playing its first game against a Wyoming team is Holyoke, Colo., which is coming up to play Glenrock on Saturday. …
Coin-flip games this week abound, as they often do in Week 1. I turned to a heads-tails method of picking for several games: Laramie-Kelly Walsh, Greybull-Wright, Kaycee-Farson, Hanna-Hulett. If the pick went against you this week in those games, blame Mr. Lincoln and the penny in my pocket. I’ll certainly blame him if I’m wrong.
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On to the picks. When I bold a team, that means I think they will win. Hopefully your browser is equipped to view different font formats. If it’s not… dude, it’s time to upgrade. Even Netscape and dial-up had bold text capabilities.
Thursday
Class 2A
Kemmerer vs. Moorcroft (at Shoshoni)
Interclass
Cheyenne South JV at Saratoga
Friday
Class 4A
Campbell County at Cheyenne Central
Cheyenne East at Cheyenne South
Laramie at Kelly Walsh
Natrona at Rock Springs
Sheridan at Thunder Basin
Class 3A
Douglas at Jackson
Lander at Green River
Riverton at Cody
Class 2A
Big Horn at Lovell
Burns at Lyman
Tongue River at Thermopolis
Class 1A nine-man
Big Piney at Southeast
Greybull at Wright
Lusk at Rocky Mountain
Pine Bluffs at Shoshoni
Wind River at Lingle
Class 1A six-man
Casper Christian at Midwest
Kaycee at Farson
Riverside at Encampment
Interclass
Newcastle at Buffalo
Pinedale at Rawlins
Powell at Worland
Wheatland at Torrington
Interstate
Cokeville at West Jefferson, Idaho
Preston, Idaho, at Star Valley
Rich County, Utah, at Mountain View
Vista Ridge, Colo., at Evanston
Saturday
Class 1A nine-man
Wyoming Indian at Guernsey
Class 1A six-man
Burlington at Snake River
Dubois at Ten Sleep
Hanna vs. Hulett (at Midwest)
Interstate
Holyoke, Colo., at Glenrock
Upton-Sundance has an open week, while Meeteetse is scrimmaging the Cody JV. For a full schedule including kickoff times, click here.
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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:
Last week: 12-4 (75 percent). This season: 12-4 (75 percent).
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What things will you be looking for in Wyoming’s first full week of games? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.
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–patrick