This Tuesday, we will have two versions of one of the rarer happenings in Wyoming high school football — a triangular playoff. It has been 13 years since one has been played in the state (thanks mostly to power ratings dominating playoff qualification during that time), but the three-way playoff has been a part of Wyoming’s prep football scene for more than 75 years. Here is a quick look back at the state’s first 10 triangular playoffs:
Nov. 16, 1935: The first triangular tiebreaker was touted by the Laramie Republican-Boomerang as “the most unusual football game ever played in Wyoming.” With Casper, Cheyenne and Laramie all tied for the Southeast region’s playoff spot, the three teams met in Laramie to attempt to break the tie. Six quarters were played, with Natrona winning one of its halves, 7-0 over Cheyenne, and tying Laramie 6-6 in the other. Natrona’s spot in the playoffs was assured when Cheyenne beat Laramie 19-6 in their half of football. Natrona lost 19-7 to Rock Springs in the state semifinals the following week.
Oct. 30, 1953: The second three-way playoff pitted six-man teams Pinedale, Cokeville and Hanna, who had all tied for the Southwest region’s top spot and the league’s berth in the state playoffs. The three teams met in Rock Springs, and Cokeville ruled the day — the Panthers beat Hanna 27-6 in one half and Pinedale 14-6 in the other half. Pinedale beat Hanna 19-6 in its half of football. Cokeville lost 32-19 to Glenrock in the state semifinals the following week.
Oct. 29, 1985: It was 32 years before another triangular playoff was staged. This time, it was the Class 2A teams in the southeast corner that met for the league’s one spot in the playoffs. Lusk, Pine Bluffs and Seton had all tied for the conference title. Lusk eliminated Pine Bluffs by beating the Hornets 19-0 in the first half, but Seton was up to the task in the second half and shut out the Tigers 14-0 to advance to the playoffs. Seton beat Moorcroft 7-6 in the state semifinals before losing to Shoshoni 18-7 in the state championship.
Oct. 25, 1988: Three teams tied for the second seed from the 4A West Conference at the conclusion of the 1988 regular season. With just one spot available, those three teams — Evanston, Green River and Riverton — met in Rock Springs to settle their differences. Evanston won both halves, topping Riverton 6-3 and Green River 7-0 in overtime to advance into the playoffs. Once there, the Red Devils made the most of their second chance. Evanston beat Laramie 21-14 in the state semifinals before losing to Cheyenne Central 26-9 in the state championship.
Oct. 22, 1991: It was a big, muddled mess in the middle of the 2A Northeast Conference standings in 1991. Three teams were left chasing conference champion Moorcroft and couldn’t resolve their tie in the regular season. So Upton, Wright and Sundance met in Gillette to play for the league’s No. 2 seed. Upton beat Wright 7-0 in the first half, but fell 21-0 to Sundance in the second half. Sundance lost to Cokeville 32-8 in the state quarterfinals later that week.
Oct. 29, 1991: One week later, three more teams met on the same field to resolve the differences of another conference. This time, it was the 1A nine-man East that had trouble deciding its playoff representatives. The conference’s three members — Big Horn, Hulett and Midwest — had all gone 1-1 against each other. In the playoff, Hulett lost its two halves, 10-0 to Midwest and 22-0 to Big Horn. Midwest earned the higher seed in the playoffs by virtue of its regular-season victory over Big Horn. Both the Rams and the Oilers hashed out that discrepancy later in the playoff bracket: Midwest beat Burlington 8-0 and Big Horn beat Dubois 37-14 in the state semifinals later that week, and Midwest beat Big Horn 6-0 for the championship two weeks later.
Oct. 24, 1995: Three teams, Lander, Cody and Star Valley, tied for top honors in the 3A West in 1995, and with two playoff spots on the line, they met in Riverton to play a triangular. Lander eliminated Cody 13-10 in overtime in the first half, while Star Valley knocked off Lander in the second half to take the conference’s top seed. It was not the last time they met. Star Valley beat Torrington 13-7 and Lander beat Riverton 35-28 in the state semifinals later that week; Star Valley beat Lander 32-14 for the championship two weeks later.
Oct. 29, 1996: The following season, there was another tie atop a 3A conference. This time, the tie came in the East, where Douglas, Riverton and Torrington all tied for the top honors. Playing in Casper, Riverton eliminated Douglas by beating the Bearcats 19-6 in the first half; Torrington took the top seed by beating Riverton 12-6 in the second half. Torrington beat Cody 19-7 and Riverton lost to Star Valley 28-0 in the state semifinals later that week; Star Valley beat Torrington 35-0 for the championship.
Oct. 19, 1998: Three teams posted 1-2 conference records in the Class 1A-Division II Northeast Conference in 1998, setting up a three-way playoff in Gillette for the conference’s second seed in the playoffs. Hulett won both halves it played to take that honor, topping Big Horn 12-0 in the first half and Midwest 11-6 in the second half. Hulett lost to Southeast 56-8 in the state quarterfinals later that week. (I played for Midwest in this playoff.)
Oct. 18, 1999: It was a bit different one year later, when three teams in the Class 1A-Division I Northeast tied for the conference championship. With three teams tied for two playoff spots, Tongue River, Sundance and Moorcroft met in Gillette to break the tie. Tongue River won its two halves of football, beating Sundance 14-6 and Moorcroft 14-0, while Moorcroft beat Sundance 24-0 to earn the conference’s second seed. Tongue River beat Wind River 43-27 and Moorcroft lost to Rocky Mountain 35-20 in the state quarterfinals later that week; Tongue River lost to Lusk 49-7 the next week in the state semifinals.
The short history of triangular playoffs will be added to on Tuesday, when for the first time we will have two triangular playoffs on the same day. Thermopolis, Greybull and Kemmerer will meet at 6 p.m. in Riverton to break the tie for two remaining playoff spots out of the 2A West, while Lingle, Pine Bluffs and Sundance will meet at 6 p.m. in Douglas to play off for two playoff spots from the 1A 11-man East.
Love it or hate it, there’s no ignoring that three-way playoffs have influenced playoff brackets. We’ve even had two state champions emerge from such play-in contests — Midwest in 1991 and Star Valley in 1995. With four teams advancing from Tuesday’s contests, 2011’s playoff brackets may be the most ever influenced by the triangular play-in.
–patrick
I think there was a three way tie in 89 in the 2A North with Tongue River, Moorcroft, and Wright. I think they decided with a coin flip however.
Patrick,
Right on with the influence of the triangle playoff. I remember the game involving Star Valley almost felt like with a victory you got the leg up on a program that was dead even two weeks before. Keep an eye on the teams that make it in, it can be a real momentum booster.