Week 3 picks

Every year, there is one game that seems to define small-school football in southeastern Wyoming: Lusk-Southeast.

Without fail, either the Tigers or the Cyclones — or, usually, both — are in the hunt for conference and state honors.

Both teams know the road to a state championship will eventually end up going through the other.

Southeast won 1A titles in 1999 and 2000 with 9-1 records. Both seasons, the only losses were to Lusk, which went unbeaten both years in winning back-to-back 2A titles. And they played against each other for the 2A title in 2001 and met in the semis in 2002.

Recently, Southeast has been at the top of its game, winning three consecutive state titles. Meanwhile, Lusk has been rebuilding — and finished six points from a state championship game berth last year.

This year, the two teams are back in the same classification (1A) and they’re both aiming high. Southeast is ranked first in 1A, Lusk second. They’re both feeling good about where they’re headed — Southeast beat Newcastle and Sundance by a combined 78-6 in its first two games, while Lusk topped Burns and Hulett to stake a 2-0 start.

This game, right here in Week 3, will most likely decide who wins the 1A East and who has home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. And the winner is the odds-on favorite to win it all in Laramie come November.

The stakes are high, certainly. And Yoder will be rocking come about 7:30 Friday night.

No team has a definite edge in this matchup. But, at home, I’ll pick the Cyclones.

And I’ll make that pick knowing that it might not be the last time these two teams play each other this season.

Here are the rest of this week’s picks. My projected winners are in bold, but that doesn’t mean I’m rooting against those non-bolded squads:

Thursday
Interclass
Big Piney frosh/sophs at Farson: The Pronghorns’ pride won’t let them stay down for long… They’ll get this one and win for the first time since 1989. 5 p.m.

Friday
Class 4A
Gillette at Cheyenne East: This will probably be a great game despite it being a matchup of undefeated vs. winless. Put it this way: I don’t see the Camels winning by 50. But I still think they win. 7 p.m.
Green River at Evanston: Green River will be a team on a mission this week — just ask Sheridan how much a loss can motivate you. The Wolves have something to prove, and it’ll show. 7 p.m.
Kelly Walsh at Natrona County: No clue. The Oil Bowl is usually pretty predictable one way or the other. This year, with the game being so early in the season, it’s hard to say what might happen. Either way, one team will establish itself as a 4A contender, while another will be on the fringe looking in until the playoffs. 6 p.m.
Laramie at Cheyenne Central: As long as the Indians don’t get caught looking ahead — Capital Bowl is next week, possible showdown of undefeateds with Gillette two weeks away — they should knock off the Plainsmen for the eighth consecutive year. 6 p.m.
Sheridan at Rock Springs: The Tigers proved last week they can hang with the top 4A teams in the state. But “hanging with” and “beating” are two different animals. The Broncs, meanwhile, look like a team on a mission. 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Buffalo at Powell: If the Bison have proven anything through two games, it’s that they know how to play defense. That’s good, because Powell won’t allow a whole lot of points either. I’d be surprised to see either team go above 20 points in this one — heck, they might not reach 20 combined. 6 p.m.
Lander at Riverton: Another typically late-season rivalry gets renewed early. And I’m betting that, with both teams coming off close losses, it’ll be an intense one up at Tonkin. 7 p.m.
Rawlins at Jackson: Last week was tough on both teams. This week has to be better — win or lose. 7 p.m.
Torrington at Cody: The ‘Blazers’ big win last week makes this game really interesting. But the way the Broncs have played the last two weeks makes them the pick in this one. Even so, I think Torrington will keep it close and interesting well into the fourth quarter. 7 p.m.
Wheatland at Worland: Another interesting game that I can’t quite put my finger on. Class 3A still has some sorting to do in its hierarchy, and this is one of those games that’ll help clear up some of those questions. 6 p.m.
Class 2A
Big Piney at Mountain View: Back in July, I really thought the Buffalos were going to be one of the better teams in the 2A West, and I wasn’t really high on the Punchers. Now, in mid-September, those thoughts have switched sides. Of course, one game could flip it right back…. . 3 p.m.
Burns at Newcastle: I’m 0-2 picking the Broncs this year. Now that I go and pick against them, they’ll probably win… Ugh. Oh well. I still think the Dogies have the makings of a playoff team despite losing two in a row. 7 p.m.
Glenrock at Thermopolis: The Herders have earned that No. 1 ranking for a reason. And, for what it’s worth, Thermop hasn’t beaten Glenrock since 1999. 7 p.m.
Greybull at Wyoming Indian: The last time the Buffs started 4-0 was 1996; Greybull can reach that mark this year by winning in Ethete. I’ll give the edge to the team building a ton of momentum. 7 p.m.
Lyman at Lovell: The Eagles have the state’s longest active losing streak at 13 games, and breaking that streak against the Bulldogs — on the road — will be a tough task. 6 p.m. (changed from 4 p.m.)
Moorcroft at Tongue River: The Eagles, despite being 0-2, are a better team than they were last year. Don’t act too shocked if they give the Wolves a run for their money. 2 p.m.
Pinedale at Kemmerer: The Rangers are motivated. Last week helped prove that. That momentum will be tough for anyone to stop — something the Wranglers will likely learn on Friday. 4 p.m.
Wright vs. Big Horn, at Sheridan: Wright is probably the best winless 2A team in the state. Both teams participated in close games last week, and luck fell with the Rams and away from the Panthers. Law of averages says the luck falls the other way this week. 7 p.m.
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Shoshoni: It seems like everyone has forgotten about the Huskies. This might be the week everyone remembers why they were a preseason contender. 7 p.m.
Cokeville at Saratoga: The orange-and-black Panthers have beaten the purple-and-gold Panthers 10 consecutive times dating back to 1988. And Cokeville looks determined to prove itself all over again this season. 3:30 p.m.
Hulett at Lingle: For as much as I like Hulett this season, it’s hard to ignore what the Doggers have done on the scoreboard so far this season (116-7 scoring advantage in their first two games). And although the Red Devils will probably bring the Doggers back to earth score-wise, I’ll take the upstart Doggers to win — albeit in a very close game — at home. 7:30 p.m.
Pine Bluffs at Sundance: Are the Hornets real 1A title contenders? And can they keep from looking past the Bulldogs — a team entirely capable of pulling off an upset? 3 p.m.
Rocky Mountain at Riverside: Yeah, yeah, I know what the records and the scoreboard have said. But which team do you think got more out of the past two weeks — the one with the two easy blowout victories or the one with the narrow victory and the tough loss? It’ll be close, but I think it’ll be those lessons learned by the Rebels in those first two games that will carry them through. 7 p.m.
Wind River at Dubois: The Cougars have already beaten Wyoming Indian and Shoshoni — and the Fremont County small-school championship can be theirs with one more victory. 1 p.m.
Interstate
Alliance, Neb., at Douglas: Alliance should give the Bearcats a challenge — but probably not a loss. 7 p.m.
Star Valley at Marsh Valley, Idaho: Star Valley always seems to draw the toughest opponents out of Idaho, and the Eagles (3-0) from Marsh Valley are no exception. 7 p.m.

Saturday
Class 1A 11-man
Upton at Normative Services: A tough start for the Wolves won’t get any easier this season — Hulett, Southeast, Lingle and Lusk are NSI’s next four opponents. 7 p.m.
Class 1A 6-man
Guernsey at Hanna: One (Guernsey) versus two (Hanna) in six man will help set the stage for the rest of the season. If the Miners can’t hang with the Vikings, who will? Noon.
Meeteetse at Ten Sleep: The West Conference championship might be decided right here — and don’t think both teams don’t know that. 1 p.m.
Midwest at Kaycee: I’m really interested to see how this one turns out. Midwest obviously has the edge in experience; Kaycee is athletic; and, together, the two schools have a pretty deep rivalry. Finally, they get to hug it out on the football field. 3 p.m.
Interclass
Snake River at Natrona frosh-sophs: Long trip, fake grass, uncertain opponent… and yet I pick the Rattlers. Maybe I just think they’re due. 1:30 p.m.

And another week of picks is in the books. Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Rants? Praise? Post your comments below.

–patrick