Few conferences have playoff races as clear as the 2A West.
Eight teams — four at 3-0 in league play, four at 0-3.
And this week, with the four 3-0 teams meeting each other, the race will ratchet up several notches.
Kemmerer, Big Piney, Lovell and Greybull are all unbeaten in conference play — in fact, of the four, Kemmerer is the only team that isn’t undefeated this season. Kemmerer (3-1) travels to Big Piney (4-0) for a 4 p.m. game on Friday, while Greybull (5-0) hosts Lovell (4-0) at 7 p.m. Friday.
All four teams took different routes to the same point:
Kemmerer was the one team expected to be here. State champions in 2005 and 2007 and runners-up last year, the Rangers brought a wealth of experience back this season. After losing to defending champion Glenrock to open the season, Kemmerer has won three in a row, all conference games, by the combined score of 176-17.
Lovell was a bit of a question mark entering the season. With a new coach and some key cogs to replace, the Bulldogs have been coolly efficient, beating Wright 21-3, Pinedale 21-0, Lyman 40-23 and Mountain View 20-0 — the team’s first 4-0 start since 1997. However, Lovell’s four opponents this season have a combined record of 1-17.
Greybull is off to a 5-0 start, its best since 1996 when the team went 5-0 on its way to a 7-2 season and a semifinal appearance in the 1A-Division I playoffs. The offense, aside from a 7-6 win over Big Horn, has been scoring more than 30 points per game, and the defense has been good enough to turn those games into big victories.
Big Piney might be the biggest surprise undefeated team in the state. After a 1-7 campaign last season, not much was expected out of the Punchers in 2009. But Big Piney has won every close game, beating Burlington 20-12, Mountain View 21-14 and Lyman 20-7. Toss in a big win over Wyoming Indian, and the Punchers are 4-0 for the first time since 2003.
This week, though, something has to give.
Kemmerer has just been dominant the past three weeks, and I think the Rangers will hand Big Piney their first loss this season.
Meanwhile, the Lovell-Greybull game should be a close, hard-fought game — one that could even go into overtime. That said, it’s hard to doubt the Buffaloes. This is a program that has been building steadily for several years now. A victory Friday could be a defining one for a program that’s seen its share of struggles. I’ll pick the Buffs — I think they’re up to the challenge.
But no matter what happens on Friday, the 2A West is going to be fun to watch for the next four weeks.
The rest of this week’s picks are posted below, with projected winning teams in bold:
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Natrona County: The winner of this game could end up being a darkhorse in the playoffs. The loser will have to fight just to simply make it to the postseason. 7 p.m.
Gillette at Cheyenne Central: Although some of the luster has worn off of this one thanks to both teams losing last week, the game might even be more important now — a loss could eventually force the losing team onto the road in the first round of the playoffs. A victory, though, means another step toward home-field advantage in the postseason…. 7 p.m.
Green River at Rock Springs: The Tigers finally got the breakthrough they needed last week by beating Kelly Walsh. The trick now is to avoid a letdown — but the anticipation surrounding the Trona Bowl should keep this one close and exciting. Call it Wolves, but not by much. 7 p.m.
Kelly Walsh at Evanston: Both teams lost in overtime last week… Think both won’t be fired up for this one? Both teams will be aching to get back on the winning track. 7 p.m.
Laramie at Sheridan: The Broncs look like they’ve put their lone loss behind them. Now it’s up to the rest of 4A to catch up. 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Cody at Jackson: No lame Broncs vs. Broncs jokes here…. Cody has been one of 3A’s best defensive teams and needs to maintain that trend in what could be a trap game for the blue and yellow. 7 p.m.
Powell at Star Valley: The Braves’ offensive struggles won’t get any easier against the stout Panthers’ defense. 4 p.m.
Rawlins at Torrington: It’ll be a Schlager-knocker in Goshen County. 7 p.m.
Riverton at Buffalo: Beware the Wolverines coming off a big win. But, even more so, beware the Bison coming off a loss. 7 p.m.
Wheatland at Douglas: Top-ranked Bearcats should just keep on rolling…. 7 p.m.
Worland at Lander: Given the Warriors’ continued improvement, this could be a good one. Definitely one to watch. Sort of under the radar, but there are big, big implications that’ll sprout from this one. Potential game of the week — one I’d love to go watch. 7 p.m.
Class 2A
Big Horn at Thermopolis: Speaking of potential games of the week, how about this doozy between the Rams and Bobcats? This has all the makings of a great, hard-fought — and high-scoring — contest. Since it’s in Thermopolis, I’ll give my nod to the Bobcats, but this has all the makings of the type of game that comes down to the last few seconds. 7 p.m.
Burns at Moorcroft: Don’t let one loss convince you the Wolves are down. 3 p.m.
Mountain View at Pinedale: This shapes up on paper as an extremely even game. The desire to break into the win column will be a huge motivator for both teams, so it should be a good one. Other than gut instinct, I’ve got no real reason for picking the Buffalos. 7 p.m.
Newcastle at Glenrock: Like I said last week: Herders + home game = victory. 7 p.m.
Wright at Tongue River: The Panthers finally got rolling last week, and with games against Glenrock and Moorcroft coming the next two weeks, they need to keep that momentum going in the game they’re “supposed” to win. 2 p.m.
Wyoming Indian at Lyman: Lyman just keeps proving to me that they’re getting better — and I like their chances at home if that improvement keeps building on itself. 4 p.m.
Class 1A 11-man
Cokeville at Rocky Mountain: Cokeville needs this. This will likely be the Panthers’ toughest test to date, and it’ll be a great way to see just exactly where they stack up against high-quality competition. 6 p.m.
Dubois at Burlington: After last week, the Huskies are searching for a way to get back on track and into the playoff hunt again. The Rams, meanwhile, need to get something started soon before it’s too late. 3 p.m.
Lingle at Sundance: The Doggers are for real — but don’t be surprised to see the Bulldogs keep it close in what’ll probably be a high-scoring get-together. 2 p.m.
Lusk at Pine Bluffs: Lusk has the edge in history: The Hornets have beaten the Tigers just once in the past 18 contests between the two schools. 7:30 p.m.
Riverside at Shoshoni: Don’t look now, but with Shoshoni, Saratoga and Dubois coming up the next three weeks, the Rebels could be a team on fire come their Week 8 game against Wind River. Like I said, don’t look now… because that’s a long way away. Wranglers first. 7 p.m.
Upton at Hulett: The Red Devils are slowly climbing back up the 1A-11 East standings. 1:30 p.m.
Wind River at Saratoga: Winning in Saratoga is never easy, so despite the on-paper mismatch, this is a game the Cougars can’t take lightly. 3:30 p.m.
Class 1A 6-man
Kaycee at Hanna: Huge playoff implications rest on the outcome of this game — and both teams know it. Expect a close one in the Miners’ homecoming. 4 p.m.
Saturday
Class 1A 11-man
Southeast vs. Normative Services, at Casper (NCHS): The Wolves have shown some explosiveness the past couple weeks, but they probably don’t have enough depth to keep up with the Cyclones. 3 p.m.
Class 1A 6-man
Farson at Meeteetse: This is one of those really intriguing games that I’d love to go watch. At home, I’ll take the Longhorns, but if it was in Farson I’d probably switch it up. Either way, both teams need a win and they’d love to get it here. 1 p.m.
Snake River at Ten Sleep: It’s looking more and more like the Pioneers’ Week 1 loss to Guernsey was less a reflection on Ten Sleep than it was on Guernsey. In other words, Ten Sleep looks dangerous. 3 p.m.
Interclass
Midwest at Natrona frosh-soph: The Oilers already beat the Mustangs’ sub-varsity squad in Midwest this year — and with an undefeated season in limbo, look for the Oilers to complete the sweep. 1 p.m.
Guernsey is off this week.
Now, the question is: How about you? What blowouts, upsets or overtime games do you see coming this week? Any games out there look intriguing to you? Post a comment below and let me know where you’re headed this week.
–patrick