Week 7 picks

One game is a showdown between two undefeated teams.

The second game pits two teams that are ranked first and second in their classification.

The third game has both — the two highest-ranked teams in the classification, both undefeated.

When it comes to sorting out the top of Class 4A, Class 1A 11-man and Class 1A six-man, no week is bigger than Week 7.

Three games (Cheyenne Central at Sheridan, Wind River at Cokeville and Guernsey at Midwest) will set the stage for the playoffs and maybe, just maybe, give us an indication of the type of game we might see in Laramie come Nov. 13-14.

First up is the six-man showdown in Oiler Country, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday long in advance — and, now, the perfect opportunity for curious six-man football folks to come up from Casper and down from Gillette and Sheridan and check out the best the state has had to offer so far in 2009. The Oilers come in rolling (two conference wins followed by two nonconference blowouts), while the Vikings come in rested (canceled game last week, bye week the week before).

Then, Friday afternoon, third-ranked and 6-0 Wind River travels southwest for a 2 p.m. kickoff with second-ranked and 6-0 Cokeville. The stakes are higher than just maintaining a perfect season: The winner wins the 1A West Conference championship outright and earns home games for the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Both Cokeville and Wind River have been dominant this fall, too. Wind River’s closest game was 22-14 over Wyoming Indian in Week 1; since then, the Cougars have rolled up 206 points and only given up seven. Meanwhile, Cokeville hasn’t really been challenged. The Panthers’ closest game was a 34-0 victory over Mountain View in Week 1; for the season, Cokeville has outscored its opponents by an astonishing 264-12.

Finally, in 4A, second-ranked Central makes the long trek north to play top-ranked Sheridan in a 6 p.m. kickoff. While 4A has been unpredictable and full of parity, the Broncs and Indians still stand alone, tied at 6-1 atop the classification.

The two teams are locked in a tight race for home-field advantage in the playoffs. The winner keeps a hold of maintaining its own destiny for that chase. Barring a loss in Week 8 — which, with Sheridan traveling to Natrona County and Central hosting Kelly Walsh, is entirely possible — Friday will determine that. The loser falls into the pit of two-loss teams, which now contains Gillette, Green River and Kelly Walsh, in the race to avoid a first-round road game.

All three games are state-championship caliber.

All three should bring out the fans — and not only from the towns in which the games are being played. These are the type of games that can draw in regional and, maybe, even a statewide audience.

So what will happen?

I think Guernsey beats Midwest, although the Oilers will give the Vikings their first real challenge this year and keep it close into the fourth quarter. I think Cokeville beats Wind River at home, but I think defense, not offense, will rule the day (as in a first-quarter touchdown might be the only score in a 6-0 game…). And I think Sheridan’s defensive backs shut down Central’s passing game and frustrate the Indians to win their seventh in a row.

But, like I said, all three games are championship caliber. In these type of games, all the hype dies as soon as the ball is kicked — and you’ve got to get the job done on the field.

Either way, all three should provide some great entertainment. Maybe they’ll even play it again — if the teams have any say about what happens in Laramie in November.

Here are my picks for the remaining games this week, projected winners indicated with the bold:

Thursday
Class 3A
Lander at Star Valley: It’s like a Thin Lizzy song… The Braves are back in town…. 6 p.m.
Class 2A
Lyman at Pinedale: The Eagles’ improvement is for real. However, if you’re looking for a blowout, look elsewhere — this one will still be close and low-scoring. 6 p.m.
Class 1A 11-man
Sundance at Hulett: Not to jinx it or nothing, but the last time the Red Devils beat the Bulldogs was 1979. That’s 30 years ago, if you’re counting. Sundance has won 19 straight games against Hulett, including the last four by shutout… Oh, well. Call it Hulett’s payback. 3 p.m.

Friday
Class 4A
Evanston at Cheyenne East: The Thunderbirds’ showing last week (a 20-0 loss to Rock Springs) left plenty to be desired. Look for East to bounce back at home, especially with their playoff hopes fading and likely extinguished if they can’t pull this one off. 7 p.m.
Gillette at Kelly Walsh: I keep sitting here, racking my brain for a reason not to pick one of these teams. I can’t do it. And I’ve learned that, when in doubt, pick the home team. Call it Trojans by, like, a half a point. No matter what, I think the game will be one of the close, exciting, down-to-the-last-play kinds. 7 p.m.
Green River at Laramie: In the mad dash for the final playoff spots in 4A, the Plainsmen will feel a heck of a lot more comfortable if they can pick up a victory at home. But, given Green River’s success, plus the Wolves’ added motivation to make up for last week, Laramie will probably need to wait a week. 7 p.m.
Natrona County at Rock Springs: Karma and luck have to turn the Mustangs’ way at some point. 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Cody at Powell: The Panthers have stumbled down the stretch this season — but Cody won’t be there to give Powell any crying shoulders. In fact, the Broncs would love nothing more than to extend the Panthers’ struggles. 7 p.m.
Douglas at Riverton: After the beat down the Wolverines gave Torrington on Monday, you can be sure the top-ranked Bearcats aren’t taking this one lightly. 7 p.m.
Jackson at Worland: Now that the Warriors have earned the right to control their own destiny, they have to hang onto it. Jackson will assuredly present a challenge, but Worland should be up for it. 6 p.m.
Torrington at Buffalo: The loss Torrington suffered on Monday can do one of two things: It can galvanize or it can destroy. My guess is the former… Buffalo could easily shove it into the latter, though. 6 p.m.
Wheatland at Rawlins: Someone has to win… and that someone keeps a flickering hope for a playoff spot alive. 7 p.m.
Class 2A
Big Piney at Greybull: If there’s such a thing as a good loss, Greybull had it last week. Enough positives to keep moving forward, enough negatives to know you’re not unbeatable. Look for Greybull to keep on pushing toward the postseason. 7 p.m.
Glenrock at Burns: Can anyone stop the Herders? Probably not… at least not before mid-November and Laramie and a state championship game. Maybe not even then. 7 p.m.
Kemmerer at Lovell: The long trip might help keep this game close, but the Rangers have just been dominant lately and have what it takes to make a long trip like that and still come away victorious. 6 p.m.
Mountain View at Wyoming Indian: The Buffalos and Chiefs have met only three times prior to this week — and every time, Mountain View has won by shutout (47-0 in 1999, 44-0 in 2000 and 54-0 in 2005). I think the Chiefs break the scoreless streak, but I think the Buffs win. 7 p.m.
Newcastle at Thermopolis: My Bobcat optimism of October has overtaken my Dogie optimism of August. 5 p.m.
Tongue River vs. Big Horn, at Sheridan: The Eagles’ victory last week was impressive. The problem? So was the Rams’ victory. 1 p.m.
Wright at Moorcroft: What has happened to the Wolves? And can they get back on track before it’s too late? Either way, the Panthers look like the stronger team right now. 3 p.m.
Class 1A 11-man
Dubois at Riverside: I told ya like a month ago — the Rebels are chugging along just the way they need to be to wrap up a playoff spot. 7 p.m.
Normative Services at Lusk: The Tigers need every conference victory they can scrounge at this point, so you can bet they won’t be overlooking the winless Wolves. 7 p.m.
Pine Bluffs at Lingle: When 41 points is your worst offensive outing of the season, you’re doing something right…. 7:30 p.m.
Rocky Mountain at Burlington: Last week’s big victory put the Grizzlies back on track. But don’t expect any walkovers here — the Huskies won’t let their playoff spot go without a fight. 2 p.m.
Shoshoni at Saratoga: The Panthers played tough on the road in difficult conditions last week. Watch for that improvement to continue. 3:30 p.m.
Southeast at Upton: Any ill effects the Cyclones had from losing to Lusk are gone by now — and as long as they don’t look ahead to next week’s big one against Lingle, they’ll be just fine. 7 p.m.
Class 1A 6-man
Hanna at Natrona frosh-sophs: With their playoff seeding basically set, the Miners just want to keep the momentum rolling in their final game of the regular season (they have a bye next week). 3 p.m.
Snake River at Farson: The Rattlers showed a lot of improvement in a 10-point loss to Ten Sleep last week — and a win here sets up a critical Week 8 game with Meeteetse in which the winner gets a home playoff game. 3 p.m.
Interclass
Lovell JV at Meeteetse: With a big one next week, watch for the Longhorns to start building momentum now. 3 p.m.

Saturday
Class 1A 6-man
Ten Sleep at Kaycee: I like this game a lot. Potential game of the week. Potential first-round playoff matchup. Potential upset. And, given all the red, white and blue, potential impromptu Fourth of July celebration. 3 p.m.

Whaddaya think? Perfect? Or did I write this in the middle of a caffeine binge when I wasn’t thinking clearly? Post a comment and let me know.

–patrick