School: Rock Springs
Nickname: Tigers
Colors: orange and black
Stadium: Tiger Stadium
State championships: 1978, 1987, 2001 and 2002
Times worth remembering: An undefeated season is special, but back-to-back undefeated seasons are rare. The Tigers hung two years of utter domination on the rest of Wyoming’s 5A field, piling up a 22-0 record in 2001 and 2002 — and usually winning big in the process. Rock Springs won 18 of those 22 games by more than eight points and outscored opponents 858-216 — an average margin of 39-10.
Times worth forgetting: The Tigers had eight consecutive non-winning seasons in the 1990s, although that number is somewhat deceiving — the Tigers twice made the 4A semifinals in that span. Consistently garnering at least respect, Rock Springs just couldn’t get over the hump from 1993-95, when it went a combined 3-20. The Tigers were in games, and seven of those losses were by 10 points or less, but the team never found the right formula for consistent winning in those years.
Best team: The 2002 Rock Springs team is regarded not only as the best team in school history, but one of the best in state history. The Tigers averaged nearly 43 points per game, gave up fewer than eight points per game and notched five shutouts, including an 87-0 destruction of Cody and a 70-0 pasting of Laramie. Rock Springs had 10 first-team all-state players, including 5A’s lineman of the year (Nate Gehle) and back of the year (Matt Romanowski), and had four CST Super 25 first-team players.
Biggest win: The Tigers were clear underdogs heading into the 1978 state championship game against Laramie. After all, the Plainsmen had beaten the Tigers 28-0 earlier in the season, so why should the title game be any different? Well, it was. Playing in front of the home fans on a snowy, windy field, Robby Spence scored Rock Springs’ only touchdown in the first four minutes of the game and Don Morris added what ended up being the winning extra point as the Tigers notched a 7-6 victory – the school’s first state championship since winning the “Big Six” title in 1959.
Heartbreaker: The 1975 championship was one of those games no one should lose. With 9-0 Rock Springs meeting 9-0 Natrona County for the state championship, the two teams staged a defensive struggle for the ages, called at the time by the Casper Star-Tribune “the best-ever Class AA playoff championship.” NC held Rock Springs to just 101 total yards and won 13-6, denying the Tigers the chance to win their first state championship game — a feat Rock Springs would have to wait four more years to accomplish.
Patrick, didn’t the back-to-back champions have John Wendling as the QB as well? Talk about a guy who has proven himself at every level. Champion at high school, an all-timer type at UW and still playing in the NFL, hard to do much better than that as a Wyoming native I think. I talked to a scout for the Bills this year who was taking a good hard look at Chris Prosinski during the SDSU game and his numbers are very comparable. Here’s to hoping Chris Pro is in the big league next year at this time.
John Wendling was a part of the 2001 team but not the 2002 team, and he was a running back, not a quarterback… but everything else you said, I agree with. Wendling and Prosinski both are phenomenal athletes. Even if Prosinski is not drafted, he’ll be given a shot somewhere.
–patrick
Played on the 2001&2002 teams and I have to agree that it was an amazing experience. Thank you Patrick.