Carbon County offers the starkest contrast between gridiron success and struggle.
One county school — Snake River — has the state’s longest active winning streak. Another — Rawlins — has the longest active losing streak.
Both are closing in on state records.
Rawlins has the more immediate chance at a record, but the record is one the Outlaws would rather not have.
After last week’s 45-35 loss to Wheatland, Rawlins has now lost 32 consecutive games, a streak dating back to the team’s last victory on Sept. 12, 2008. Three more losses and Rawlins will bypass Greybull’s 35-game losing streak from 1978-82 for the state’s longest.
The Outlaws would rather that it not come to that. And their best chance to stop that from happening may come on Friday at home against Jackson.
After all, Rawlins has reasons to be optimistic.
The 35 points the Outlaws scored last week were the most in one game since they scored 39 in beating Powell 39-14 in the 3A championship game in 2000 — a game that seems like a lifetime ago in Carbon County. The 35-point total tops the entire SEASON totals Rawlins had in 2002 (18 points) and matches the season total offensive scoring output the Outlaws had just two years ago.
Down in Baggs, though, a different story is developing.
The Snake River Rattlers won their 22nd consecutive game last week in their 59-0 demolition of Ten Sleep. After a 10-0 season in 2010 and an 11-0 mark in 2011, the Rattlers are going for three titles in a row and, barring a cancellation or a loss, a chance at their 32nd consecutive victory by season’s end.
The state’s longest recorded winning streak belongs to Laramie (34 consecutive victories from 1959-63) and Worland (36 consecutive unbeaten, including two ties, from 1953-56). Byron also unofficially has a winning streak that stretches well past 40 games in an undefeated run from 1945-50, but several of the games that made that streak have not been verified. Snake River can climb to second all-time on the winning streaks list and fifth all-time on the unbeaten streaks list if they can win No. 32 in Laramie in November.
As coincidence would have it, in the same week Rawlins has what may be its best chance at victory in 2012, Snake River has what may be its toughest regular-season game, facing the team it beat in last year’s state championship game, Dubois. Both games are Friday; the kickoff in Baggs is at 3 p.m., while the kickoff in Rawlins is at 7 p.m. Go to both.
Streaks have a way of self-perpetuating. Unless habits or circumstances change, streaks feed into themselves and become bigger than any one game. For better or worse, they give a program momentum that is only understandable in the moment.
Fortunately for Rawlins, it showed last week that maybe, just maybe, circumstances are changing for the Outlaws.
And fortunately for Snake River, it showed last week that maybe, just maybe, circumstances aren’t changing for the Rattlers.
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This week’s picks. Projected winners in bold:
Thursday
Class 1A 11-man
Wind River at Shoshoni
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Natrona
Evanston at Rock Springs
Gillette at Cheyenne East
Laramie at Kelly Walsh
Sheridan at Cheyenne South
Class 3A
Buffalo at Powell
Douglas at Cody
Jackson at Rawlins
Riverton at Green River
Star Valley at Lander
Worland at Torrington
Class 2A
Big Piney at Thermopolis
Burns at Big Horn
Glenrock at Tongue River
Greybull at Mountain View
Lyman at Kemmerer
Moorcroft at Newcastle
Pinedale at Lovell
Wright at Wheatland
Class 1A 11-man
Cokeville at Riverside
Pine Bluffs at Normative Services
Rocky Mountain at Wyoming Indian
Saratoga at Burlington
Upton-Sundance at Lingle
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Snake River
Hulett at Hanna
Kaycee at Farson
Interstate
Hill City, S.D., at Lusk
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Midwest at Meeteetse
Ten Sleep at Guernsey
Open: Southeast.
Last week: 24-8 (.750). This season: 38-9 (.809).
Any thoughts you want to share? Any picks you want to make? Share them below in the comments.
–patrick
By the way, now that I’m doing shortened picks, if you want to pick my brain about any one particular game, here is the place to do it. Go for it!
–patrick
I’m surprised you didn’t pick the Superior-Reliance game this week…HOT ACTION IN THAT ONE!
Gillette will beat East.
LSR goes down! Did not see that one coming.
I think Gillette-East was not all that surprising. Would be interesting to see them meet again.
And Snake River falls. I figured Dubois would be the toughest challenge. Obviously the Rams were up to it. In Baggs at that.
Patrick
Young sophomore QB for East was a bit overwhelmed in this one and it showed. Overthrowing WR’s and throwing picks…the middle of the D held great. Give it up to Camels RB, who doesn’t quit at contact, and the coaches for picking up that they could run the same pass play over and over again and be successful. Was a great game to watch.
The GR Riverton game was a classic. Lots of offense,very little defense, and a controversial ending. Great game to watch!
Riverton, what can you share about the ending? I didn’t hear much about it.
–patrick
Patrick. It was a great game where neither team could stop the other. Ball on about 4 yard line with 6 seconds left. Pass thrown in the far corner. Receiver goes up comes down on his back and bobbles the ball and hands the ref the ball and ref calls no catch. Impossible to tell from stands on either side. Riv players celebrate the catch. GR kids say no catch. Doubt game film will settle it. Added to a touchdown called back earlier with about 5 min left on a 3rd and 1 from about the 4 for aiding the runner didn’t help. Also many thought there should have been a second or two for another play on an incomplete pass. Doubt there’s any way to tell that either. It was a great game that could have went either way but GR won. Good luck to them and we are on to Cody!
I was also at the GR / Riverton game and it was indeed a classic! Webb showed why he was the best QB in 3A with over 250 yards passing and the Christensen kid from GR had a big game running the ball ! Both kids showed why they were the Alfa male of their teams … But both D’s struggled ! It was a good week of football all around the state !
Go wolverines !
As a side note Green River was only ahead by 6. They kicked the extra point on their last touchdown and and made it. I think an inadvertent whistle made them rekick it and it was blocked. Would have been a tough way for them not to have the tie and overtime. Also Allstate linebacker, running back did not suit up. Great game!