With state wrestling and state basketball dominating the high school sports discussions the past couple weeks, I can’t help but think about championships in football — and which teams might hoist the trophies in 2011.
Obviously, there is a ton of time between March and November. Players move in, move out, drop out, come back, develop, underdevelop, gain confidence; coaches quit, get fired, move on, change schemes. Then the season actually starts.
But I always enjoy looking ahead and thinking about what might be coming next fall. Based on what I know from last season, here are my choices for the top five in each classification in 2011 (realizing, of course, that it’s March):
4A (updated!)
1. Sheridan. I like the direction coach Don Julian has that program going. (Update: Just heard, right after posting this, that Gillette’s Jordan Roberts moved to Sheridan in January and will be playing for the Broncs this fall. That makes them the automatic favorites in my book.)
2. Cheyenne East. Trevon Hinker and Jeremy Woods are both back. Most of the role players, though, are gone. If the Thunderbirds find some others to step up and support their two studs….
3. Evanston. A couple first-team all-staters are back in Matt Eddington and Austin Wiggins.
4. Gillette. (Update: See Sheridan. Now Gillette’s rebuilding process just got a bit tougher, but not impossible.)
5. Cheyenne Central. Indians always seem to do a good job of reloading, but they have their work cut out for them in 2011.
Who I’m overlooking: Natrona. Didn’t the Mustangs just win the 4A state championship? How can I leave them off this list? Well, losing one of the most talented senior classes in history won’t help.
3A
1. Douglas. Three years without a loss? Yeah, the Bearcats have earned this spot until someone takes it from them.
2. Cody. The Broncs have one of the most exciting players in the state in Brady Gulde coming back.
3. Powell. Holy crud. The Panthers have five all-staters coming back.
4. Buffalo. The Bison never seem to rebuild.
5. Green River. The drop from 4A is no guarantee of success, but the Wolves’ experience playing with the big boys will give 3A teams fits.
Who I’m overlooking: Lander. All three of the Tigers’ all-state selections from last year are back. That experience is invaluable.
2A
1. Lovell. In what should be a wide-open classification, the Bulldogs probably have the most raw talent coming back.
2. Wheatland. The experience playing up will come in handy in a wide-open conference.
3. Lyman. This program is growing by leaps and bounds. This might be the Eagles’ breakthrough year.
4. Thermopolis. Banners don’t lie.
5. Greybull. Lost a lot. Have a lot coming back.
Who I’m overlooking: Burns. I think the Broncs are close to a breakthrough thanks to a pair of returning all-state players.
1A 11-man
1. Cokeville. After the way the Panthers mowed through the rest of the 1A classification last year, how can you NOT like Cokeville to win it again?
2. Southeast. Not too many programs would consider an appearance in the state semifinals a down year.
3. Rocky Mountain. This team came darn close to going on the road to Yoder and pulling the upset; I think they’ll be better this year.
4. Lingle. I like the grit the Doggers showed in the playoffs. The program is slowly gaining consistency.
5. Burlington. I could put just about anyone in 1A here, but I think Anson George could be the difference for the Huskies.
Who I’m overlooking: Lusk. Rebuilding? Or is the JV ready for the Friday night lights?
1A six-man
1. Snake River. Gotta like the defending champs, especially because of the key roles underclassmen played for them in the title run.
2. Dubois. The Rams came out of nowhere last year in 11-man; in six-man, they’ll be contenders right away.
3. Kaycee. Sure, Shawn Straub is gone, but the Buckaroos are more than just one player.
4. Midwest. I wonder what would have happened last year if the Oilers had not lost that tight regular-season game at Hanna….
5. Hanna. Last year’s runners-up lost a lot of talent, but there are enough returners for the Miners to contend.
Who I’m overlooking: Farson. The Pronghorns are getting stronger — and this year might be the year they prove it.
What do you think? Which teams do you think should be the odds-on favorites to win it all in 2011? Who will be some of the most explosive players and teams in the state next fall? Post your thoughts below and let’s talk about it.
–patrick
Patrick,
I think the sleeper in 3a has to be Riverton. They return most of their backfield and both times we (Douglas) played them last year it was a good game. TJ Galey is a tough kid at rb/lb.
Thanks,
Shane
Powell and Lander may have All Staters coming back but Riverton beat them both and have almost entire line and backfield coming back. If the defence steps up don’t count us out!
Cokeville will run away with another 1A title. Sure they lose Maddox but he was not the one that hurt Lusk so bad in the Championship game. It was the junior running back. Besides the East side of the state is going to be bad. Lusk, Lingle, and Pine lost tons of seniors. Southeast will still be trying to rebuild, Upton will only have 13 players, and NSI never knows what they will have out. So it looks like Cokeville, with the the rest 1A trying to catch up.
Riverton and Stins, I can’t disagree with you at all. 3A looks like it will be awesome this fall, and Riverton should be right in the mix. I think Douglas has earned the top spot, but after that any one of about seven teams has a chance to be in Laramie in November — Riverton among them. Right now I think Riverton should push Buffalo and Douglas in the East, and with Lander coming over, it should be a really competitive conference at the top.
The West will be really interesting with Cody, Powell and Green River fighting it out. Can’t forget about Worland, which beat Powell late last year and made things interesting, or Star Valley, which is always good.
Man, the more I think about it, the more I think the race for the top in 3A is going to be the best in the state next year.
And 1A Fan, I agree completely…. I will not be surprised to see Cokeville win it again — and to go undefeated again in the process. Right now, they are that far ahead of the rest of the field. Sure, they’ve got some rebuilding (or reloading) to do, but the Panthers are starting from a much better spot than every other program in 1A 11-man right now.
–patrick
I agree Douglas is top dog unless they lose a game. Looking at the schedules I don’t believe there will be an undefeated team in 3a this year. No disrespect to anyone but every week is tough game for everyone. Love the schedule and looking forward to a fun year!
Are you going to do a team-by-team preseason breakdown for this year too?
Not sure. Haven’t really done so in the past, but if time permits, maybe. We’ll see.
–patrick
What I should say is team by team predictions