The five-part pick-a-thon for Wyoming high school football continues today with Class 2A. Before you dive in, see a brief introduction to how these picks are made.
THE PICKS
East: Big Horn, Burns, Glenrock, Wheatland, Newcastle, Wright, Moorcroft, Tongue River. West: Mountain View, Lovell, Greybull, Lyman, Pinedale, Thermopolis, Kemmerer, Big Piney.
THE TEAMS
Big Horn
Pick: First in East
Confidence Index: 45 percent
My gut says: In talking to the coaches in the East this summer, one thing is clear: No one knows who the favorite is. Big Horn gets the nod out of respect for what it did a year ago.
Burns
Pick: Second in East
Confidence Index: 65 percent
My gut says: Of all the teams in the East, Burns has the most returning. And they’ve got something to prove after a couple years of lackluster season finishes.
Glenrock
Pick: Third in East
Confidence Index: 25 percent
My gut says: I think Glenrock is a playoff team this year. That means they could finish anywhere from first to fourth… and anywhere in between.
Wheatland
Pick: Fourth in East
Confidence Index: 50 percent
My gut says: It’s been hard for me to get a read on the Bulldogs. I think they’ve got the talent to win the whole thing. I think they have to prove it to both themselves and their opponents before they can be legit contenders, though.
Newcastle
Pick: Fifth in East
Confidence Index: 25 percent
My gut says: This was the hardest pick of them all. Newcastle should be really good this year. In a jumbled, unpredictable East, though, they could finish on the outside looking in. But, obviously, I’m not confident about that…
Wright
Pick: Sixth in East
Confidence Index: 45 percent
My gut says: Of the six teams with legit chances to make a run at the East Conference title this year, the Panthers were the one most often labeled with the “potential” tag. The task is turning potential into results.
Moorcroft
Pick: Seventh in East
Confidence Index: 80 percent
My gut says: Moorcroft will be better. The problem is most everyone else in the East is, too.
Tongue River
Pick: Eighth in East
Confidence Index: 85 percent
My gut says: The rebuilding continues in Dayton. Rome wasn’t built in a day; neither will be the Eagles.
Mountain View
Pick: First in West
Confidence Index: 60 percent
My gut says: Mountain View might be a year away from its best season. They’re still good enough to win the West this year, though.
Lovell
Pick: Second in West
Confidence Index: 40 percent
My gut says: The Bulldogs lost a lot from last year’s squad, so having them this high is a bit scary to me. They earned a lot of respect from other coaches in the conference, though, even despite that.
Greybull
Pick: Third in West
Confidence Index: 45 percent
My gut says: For a team that finished 3-6, this might seem high, but almost every coach in the West said Greybull has the goods to go far this year.
Lyman
Pick: Fourth in West
Confidence Index: 15 percent
My gut says: Lyman earned more respect than this last year, but the loss of a tremendous senior class puts the Eagles here for now. I can’t tell whether they’re ready for another deep playoff run or rebuilding after losing so much.
Pinedale
Pick: Fifth in West
Confidence Index: 50 percent
My gut says: The Wranglers are still middle-of-the-road right now: good enough to demand respect, but not good enough (yet) to be feared.
Thermopolis
Pick: Sixth in West
Confidence Index: 30 percent
My gut says: A coaching change and the loss of a decently sized senior class has me thinking the worst for the Bobcats this fall. I put them here because I think they’ve got enough talent to prove me wrong. I think.
Kemmerer
Pick: Seventh in West
Confidence Index: 15 percent
My gut says: A Shawn Rogers-coached team should never be picked this low. And yet, here, I did it. I’m dumb.
Big Piney
Pick: Eighth in West
Confidence Index: 70 percent
My gut says: Until the Punchers pick up a conference victory, I have to default to picking them here. That said, this is a program that will improve dramatically this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish outside the cellar.
PLAYOFFS: Quarterfinals, Big Horn over Lyman, Burns over Greybull, Lovell over Glenrock, Mountain View over Wheatland; semifinals, Big Horn over Lovell, Mountain View over Burns; championship, Mountain View over Big Horn.
My confidence index in that championship game actually happening? Like 2 percent. This classification is by far the least predictable of any class this year. Talking to the coaches in the classification only further proved that.
Tomorrow: Class 3A.
–patrick
Your picks for 2A are going to be fairly accurate. Kemmerer will get in the playoffs, as you mentioned betting against coach Rogers.
Big Horn has to be the favorite on winning the championship though!
Putting Kemmerer there was the most frustrating pick out of 63 teams. Tried to juggle teams around and it just didn’t fit. The West is a mess. So is the East, though. Well, all of 2A is this year… 🙂
–patrick
Thermopolis will be the bottom of 2A West, a new coach, low participation, and the loss of seniors leaves them with a good quarterback but a new scheme, no lineman, and not many skilled players who will be playmakers.