Four questions to answer
Powell, right? Yep. Powell is quite clearly the 3A favorite this year. With six of their nine all-state players coming back, and riding the momentum of back-to-back state championships and a 15-game winning streak, the Panthers are the team to catch.
So who can catch Powell? Given the right circumstances, a number of teams have the potential to topple the Panthers off their championship perch. Cody returns all four of its all-state selections; Star Valley returns a pair of all-staters and nearly knocked off Powell in last year’s title game; Green River, Douglas and Buffalo are perennial contenders and should compete again this fall. The path from Powell to Laramie is well-worn, but it’s not free of sinkholes just yet….
What affect will coaching turnover have in 3A? Quite a bit, actually. New coaches in Cody (Matt McFadden) and Riverton (Pat Patterson) will affect their conferences dramatically — McFadden and Cody in how it handles higher expectations and a load of talent, Patterson and Riverton in how it handles the target that comes with winning a conference title and the fallout of a shocking first-round playoff loss.
Will the East Conference actually win a playoff game this year? Maybe not. The power in 3A this year is quite clearly in the West. Of the 13 returning all-state selections, 12 are in the West Conference. Unless the East develops young talent quickly this season, a second consecutive first-round sweep for West Conference teams is a distinct possibility.
Four players to watch
Tony Lujan, Garrett Lynch and Brendan Phister, Powell. Really, I could make all four “players to watch” come from Powell, but out of fairness to the other schools, I’ll group these three together. And what a group it is — Lujan, Lynch and Phister are all already two-time first-team all-state choices, and it’s their leadership that could help lead Powell to a third consecutive state title.
Logan Barker, Douglas. The senior was the East Conference’s defensive player of the year last year, and he’s the only returning East Conference player who was an all-state selection last year. He was also Douglas’ leading rusher last season with 1,008 yards.
Carter Myers, Cody. Myers is the Broncs’ Mr. Everything. As a sophomore, he led Cody in assisted tackles but showed his diversity by notching a fumble recovery, an interception AND a blocked kick on defense, as well. Oh, and he was the team’s No. 2 rusher, No. 3 receiver, No. 2 scorer and top kicker.
Trace Haderlie, Star Valley. Haderlie is 3A’s top returning quarterback; the all-state choice threw for a 3A-best 1,605 yards last season and tossed 16 touchdowns. As the Braves continue to emphasize the passing game, Haderlie’s abilities will help key Star Valley’s success in 2013.
Four key games
Douglas at Buffalo, Sept. 27. Although Riverton is the defending East Conference champion, the Bearcats and Bison have long been the East’s top programs. And a victory in the conference opener is essential to getting a leg up in the race for the conference championship.
Powell at Star Valley, Oct. 4. The angle here is simple: Powell has won the 3A state championship two years in a row, beat Star Valley in last year’s title game and comes into the season with the state’s longest active winning streak. The catch? Powell hasn’t won in Afton since 1999. This game may be Powell’s biggest hurdle to a third consecutive trip to Laramie.
Cody at Powell, Oct. 18. Ten — count ’em, 10 — returning all-state players are slated to play in this game, four for Cody and six for Powell. That alone should make this game worth the price of admission, but the heated nature of one of the state’s oldest rivalries helps make the game a must-see.
Riverton at Lander, Oct. 24. In 2011, Lander was the East’s “it” team in the regular season, but after a 7-1 regular season, the Tigers lost in the quarterfinals. In 2012, Riverton was dubbed “it” after winning the conference championship, but the Wolverines, too, didn’t win a game in the playoffs. Success for the Fremont County schools the postseason in 2013 may depend on ending the regular season the right way here.
Predicted order of finish
East: Douglas, Buffalo, Riverton, Lander, Torrington, Rawlins. West: Powell, Star Valley, Cody, Green River, Jackson, Worland.
Way-too-early title-game score prediction
If you believe the hype, the only question is who Powell will beat in the title game. I’ll believe it. Powell 24, Star Valley 14.
Trivia
Now that Rawlins’ losing streak is over, which Wyoming team has the longest active losing streak, entering 2013?
Classification’s 2013 theme song
Powell, Powell, Powell… right? Who do you think has the best chance of knocking the Panthers off their title perch? Can anyone end the winning streak? Comment below and let me know!
Next Thursday: Class 4A.
–patrick
To answer the trivia question. That would be NSI.
Powell will be deep this year. Patrick didn’t even get to mention Hayden Cragoe, Cory Heny, Riley Stringer, Matt Widdecomb, Zack Thompson, Carter Baxter or Garrett Michaels.(and I am sure I missed a few) Cody has a list of studs coming back too. I know there is a ton of football to be played, but it would be fun to see a Park County battle down in Laramie come November! Easy there Star Valley fans – I would NEVER count the Braves out of being in the championship game either, history would tell a smart Panther fan to always respect the Braves. Ditto goes to those Bearcats in Douglas!! Good luck to ALL teams this year as 3A looks to be wild again. Hope injuries are kept to a minimum and everyone gets to compete at full strength.
Interesting synopsis Patrick
I agree with you on most points, here are my two bits on 3A….. I agree that Powell brings back a ton of talent and they clearly have to be the favorite, but they lost some very important players to graduation…how will their understudies measure up and how will they handle Star Valley on the road. Powell has always struggled in the Valley and I think Star Valley’s offense will be the difference. Trace Haderlie is the real deal, and Powell lost a huge part of their offense with Dewey Schwann. I predict Star Valley in a squeaker…eventually sending the Panthers to Douglas in the semi-finals.
Conversely both Cody and Douglas return a passel of starters and winning experience.Both teams were undergoing significant reloading years in 2012, Cody’s upset victory over a senior heavy Riverton squad on the road was a prelude of the future of 3A football in Wyoming, look out in 2014 considering how many sophomores made up that squad.
As for Douglas, this is probably one of the most fundamentally sound 3A programs and coaching staffs in the state, with a proven system that wins.I watched them at Star Valley last year, and even though my Braves won 28-0, I never felt comfortable. After the game I realized that their quarterback,running back, and 4/5ths of their o line were juniors and most of their defense were sophomores… I was excited that they would be off our schedule in 2013….wrong, we get to make the trip to Douglas again, not sure how that works.
I think Riverton, Green River and Buffalo have the most to replace of last years playoff teams. Riverton has to adjust to a new system, Green River will be rebuilding, and Buffalo just doesn’t have the numbers right now.
Here are my super computer predictions LOL….
West: Star Valley, Powell, Cody, Green River
East: Douglas, Lander, Riverton, Buffalo
That would be South…NSI won one game in 2012 and won one game in 2011 (Big Horn’s JV). The question was which Wyoming team has the longest active losing streak, entering 2013? Not…which Wyoming team has the longest active losing streak vs. varsity opponents entering 2013. NSI has lost 3 straight…South’s streak is at 18.
Rawlins has this one. The South Bison have the longest streak at 18. For their sake, I hope it ends this season.
–patrick
It’s hard to disagree with your picks but I think Riverton will finish behind Douglas and ahead of Buffalo. We should be better than some think. Lots of good skill players and if our line comes together I think we can surprise some people. Dylan Lewis should be a name to watch. Good luck to all!
“Will the East Conference actually win a playoff game this year? Maybe not.” Ouch! No doubt the west is deeper this year, but the number 4 west beating the number 1 east this year, I think not. No worries Patrick the Bearcats will just put their heads down and go to work. Thanks for getting us pumped for football and in doing so leaving yourself open for comments from biased fans like myself. Thanks for doing what you do!
I figured I might get some Douglas folks riled up, Bearcat Fan. 🙂 Glad you’re taking it the right way.
Of course, for the record, I’d love to see Douglas prove me wrong, too!
–patrick
I still say Cody is going to make a mess of things out west. Jackson and Green River will be in a dog fight for the 4th position in the west.
The East is certainly a weaker conference this year, but don’t think that they are out of the race for a championship.
Douglas, Buffalo, and Riverton will be the top 3 teams, but Lander and Rawlins will fight for the 4th spot.
Stan,
I completely agree. It’s going to be fun to watch it all shake out! Cody is going to be real good, Star Valley is always scary, Douglas never has a “re-building” year like most schools do, Buffalo has a ton of history and Powell is on a roll! Gotta love 3A football.