Week 2 picks

Five years ago, this game was the making of pure fantasy.

Two years ago, this game was possible, but impossible.

This week, this game takes center stage.

The game: Snake River at Dubois. The two teams that have already asserted themselves as among the best six-man teams in the state will meet at 3 p.m. Saturday to give the six-man classification its 2011 favorite.

The Rattlers, of course, are the defending six-man state champions and have what is now a state-best winning streak at 10 games. A program that was more than 50 years dormant until 2009 has already established itself as a perennial contender.

The Rams were stragglers in the 11-man ranks for several years but had a tremendous 2010, finishing 7-2 in their final year of the 100-yard game before moving to six-man this season.

In addition to their impressive 2010 seasons, both squads put up impressive victories in Week 1 of 2011: Snake River 45-6 over Ten Sleep, Dubois 49-20 over Midwest.

Now, the first meeting ever between the two programs just might be a preview of a November playoff game, maybe even the big one they play in the big stadium. The six-man game is explosive in its very make-up, and based on what these two teams have already accomplished, it’s fair to say that this game may come down to the final possession. This is the type of matchup that could create the game to show everything six-man football can be.

As the defending champs, I choose Snake River to win, but I know Dubois has the potential to become Wyoming’s six-man frontrunner, too.

All this from a game we could have only foresaw in our imaginations just a few years ago.

Here are the rest of the picks for the week, with projected winners in bold:

Thursday
Class 1A 11-man
Shoshoni at Wind River: Both teams played in what amounted to blowouts last week. The strength of both teams was probably obscured a bit by the quality of competition in both cases. This one should be a much better game for both, probably decided by a touchdown or less. I’m just picking the home team. 7:30 p.m. (WR 27-18)
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Gillette: The biggest 4A game of the week is right here, as two undefeated squads face each other. Big? No. It’s HUGE. And it’s hard to pick against the Camels at home in a huge game. 7 p.m. (Gil 21-16)
Cheyenne South at Sheridan: Doesn’t matter who Sheridan was facing this week — I was picking them. The Broncs have to be eager to shake off last week’s loss. 6 p.m. (First meeting)
Kelly Walsh at Laramie: This one could go either way quite easily. Whoever wins this one will likely win by less than a touchdown. Coin flip this one…. my penny says Laramie. Sorry, Trojans. 7 p.m. (Lar 19-16)
Natrona at Cheyenne Central: I think it’s clear now: the Mustangs are reloading, not rebuilding. 7 p.m. (tied 47-47-3)
Rock Springs at Evanston: I had the chance to watch Evanston in person last week and I came away impressed. Rock Springs will keep it interesting, but I think the Red Devils win it. 7 p.m. (RS 43-26-5)
Class 3A
Cody at Douglas: Find me one person who realistically expected neither one of these teams to have a victory heading into this game. 7 p.m. (Dou 1-0)
Green River at Riverton: The Wolves may have been the most impressive team in the opening week of the 3A schedule. 7 p.m. (GR 19-10)
Lander at Star Valley: This is a game that has kept me sleepless all week. The reason I am going with the Braves? Location. 7 p.m. (SV 19-7)
Powell at Buffalo: Is this a preview of the 3A title game? Maybe, maybe not, but the Panthers and the Bison are both clearly in the upper echelon of 3A football teams. 7 p.m. (Buf 18-16)
Rawlins at Jackson: The Broncs  were the more impressive of these two teams in their Week 1 interstate matchups. Watch for Jackson to keep rolling. 7 p.m. (Jac 3-2)
Torrington at Worland: The Warriors’ offense has had a slow start to the season, but if they can get rolling against the Trailblazers, watch out. 6 p.m. (Wor 6-3)
Class 2A
Big Horn at Burns: Despite the loss to Lusk last week, I’m still confident the Broncs are one of the best teams in the East this year. 6 p.m. (BH 3-2)
Kemmerer at Lyman: Maybe the game of the week in 2A. The Rangers are eager to prove they belong in the discussion of the West’s top teams; the Eagles are already there and want to stay in the discussion. 5 p.m. (Kem 23-10)
Lovell at Pinedale: One of these teams had an impressive Week 1 performance. The other did not. 7 p.m. (Lov 5-1)
Mountain View at Greybull: Another one keeping me awake at night. As usual, when I can’t decide between what looks like two evenly matched teams, I pick the home team — and it’s a long ways from Mountain View to Greybull. 7 p.m. (MV 3-2)
Newcastle at Moorcroft: This is a really interesting game that, when it’s all said and done, we may look back on and say, “That one was for a playoff spot.” 1 p.m. (New 10-7)
Thermopolis at Big Piney: A little pride check after last week’s loss to Glenrock won’t hurt the Bobcats in the long run. 2:30 p.m. (tied 6-6)
Wheatland at Wright: Both teams are coming off difficult Week 1 losses and want to make a good first impression in conference play. 7 p.m. (First meeting)
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Saratoga: I like what both of these teams did in their season openers. It’s just that one of these teams was impressive in a victory and the other was impressive in a loss. 2 p.m. (Brl 2-0)
Lingle at Upton: Lingle has outscored Upton 117-7 in their meetings the past two years. Tough to overlook a number like that. 7 p.m. (Lin 4-2)
Normative Services at Pine Bluffs: Speaking of dominance, the Hornets have outscored the Wolves 99-6 in their past two matchups. 5 p.m. (PB 2-0)
Riverside at Cokeville: Even with a loss last week, Cokeville is still Cokeville — although the Rebels will put up a stout challenge. 2 p.m. (Cok 7-1)
Sundance at Southeast: Can you say “revenge game”? The Cyclones are still probably a bit angry about what the Bulldogs did to them last year. 7 p.m. (SE 6-2)
Wyoming Indian at Rocky Mountain: The Grizzlies have beaten the Chiefs 15 times in a row. Last week gave us no indication that this run is about to abruptly end. 4 p.m. (RM 16-2)
Class 1A six-man
Farson at Kaycee: The game of the week may be in Dubois, but the Buckaroos are going to have a say in who wins the six-man state championship this year by the time we get to Laramie. 3 p.m. (Kay 1-0)
Hanna at Hulett: The Red Devils put up an impressive showing in their official six-man debut last week. At home, they will get a challenge from the Miners, but I still like what Hulett is putting together this fall. 2 p.m. (Hul 4-1)
Meeteetse at Midwest: The Oilers should bounce back from a tough loss to Dubois last week. 5 p.m. (Mid 10-6)
Interclass
Natrona JV at Glenrock: The interesting subplot here is the presence of former Natrona lineman Taylor Millay, who’s now with the Heders… but with 21 other guys on the field at any given time, it’s the Herders as a whole who should win this one. 7 p.m. (NA)
Interstate
Lusk at Hill City, S.D.: The Tigers sure sent a statement last week, didn’t they? Gotta like Lusk in this one, too. 6:30 p.m. (First meeting)
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Guernsey at Ten Sleep: Neither one of these squads had the start to the season that they had hoped for. Nonetheless, both have the chance to turn it around right here. 3 p.m. (tied 1-1)

Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas? Rants? Post ’em below and let’s talk Week 2 football!

–patrick