What makes a championship-caliber team? Is it great coaching? A strong program? Tradition? Or is it something much more straightforward: athletes?
Ten times in Wyoming state history, one group of senior athletes has been so dominant that it has put a monopoly on that year’s football, basketball and track state championships. Winning any one of the three is difficult enough; winning all three in the same season takes a special group of athletes. Only one school (Snake River) has ever done it twice, and the Rattlers did that in back-to-back years.
Here are the 10 groups that have accomplished the football-basketball-track sweep in the same academic year:
1958-59 Sheridan (shared football championship)
1968-69 Laramie
1968-69 Byron (shared football championship)
1977-78 Cheyenne Central
1980-81 Kelly Walsh
1980-81 Southeast
1994-95 Burlington
1998-99 Gillette
2010-11 Snake River
2011-12 Snake River
It’s also possible the 1941-42 Cheyenne Central teams did the same — the Indians won football and basketball, but the track champion is unknown for that year. Anyone with an hour to spare and access to some microfilm want to look that one up for me?
None of these schools also won the state wrestling championship. Actually, it’s arguably more difficult to pull off the football-wrestling-track sweep — only three schools have done that in one year:
1965-66 Cheyenne Central
1982-83 Star Valley
2008-09 Gillette
If any of Wyoming’s five football champion schools (Cheyenne East, Powell, Big Horn, Cokeville and Meeteetse) want to join either list, they definitely have history against them. But the right mix of athletes could make such a sweep happen.
–patrick
Natrona boys won all three in a calendar year when they won 2010 Basketball, 2010 Track, and 2011 Football… Also, won 2011 Track, but lost to Gillette in Semi’s in hoops… Close but not quite.
Powell definitely has a shot. I think they have a better shot at the football-basketball-wresting trio. That grappler team is loaded.
Heck with all their throwers they will be tough in Track too. Things rolling for the Panthers!
Cody could wreck the party for the track title…Powell should win the title in wrestling as Coach Urbach just kept rolling what Zawacki had in place. Not sure about basketball..
Good point about basketball Stan, at this point I wouldn’t be surprised at any team coming out of the group and winning it. Should be a crazy regional tournament out West.
Pingback: A championship sweep in a calendar year: Rare goals in reach for Pine Bluffs, Star Valley | WHSFB HQ — The Wyoming high school football blog