Week 5 picks: Pride and tradition run deep in Energy Bowl

Sheridan’s gridiron success is documented well.

From the beginning of the Broncs’ program more than 100 years ago, the blue and yellow have always been among the state’s best programs.

As one of the first, Sheridan had a head start: the first six schools in Wyoming to consistently sponsor football, along with Sheridan, were Cheyenne (later Central), Laramie, Natrona, Buffalo and University Prep.

In those early days, Sheridan was consistently the at the top. In the first 22 years of organized play in the state, from 1921-42, Sheridan won or shared the state championship nine times, nearly twice as often as any other program. Since then, Sheridan has won 14 more state titles, most recently in 2011.

While its status the past few years as one of Class 4A’s “Big Four” is unquestioned, the Broncs have also been pushed by programs whose football lineage is not nearly as glamorous.

Namely, Gillette.

The Camels’ football history isn’t nearly as prestigious as their northeastern Wyoming neighbors. While the Broncs were winning games and stacking up state championships like firewood, the Camels were plodding along as consistent underachievers. In fact, Sheridan had won 21 state championships by the time Gillette won its first in 1998.

Unsurprisingly, the series between the two was as uneven as a poorly installed teeter-totter. Sheridan did not lose to Gillette the first 17 times they played each other.

Then the Camels changed.

Consider this: In their first 40 years of football, the Camels won less than 44 percent of their games. In their past 45, the Camels have won more than 60 percent.

Since that turnaround, the rivalry between Sheridan and Gillette has been one of the state’s best, and most even. Since restarting their rivalry in 1970, Gillette is 28-25 against Sheridan, including a 16-4 run in the past 20.

They’ll play again on Friday.

Like usual, the game is critical. At 5-0, Sheridan is one of two remaining undefeated teams in Class 4A (Natrona’s the other), while Gillette is right behind at 4-1.

Homer Scott Field will be hopping on Friday, for reasons well beyond those apparent on the field for those 48 minutes.

We’d expect nothing less between two programs with as much pride and tradition as these two — even if one of them started faster.

What else I’m watching closely this week:

The 50th Oil Bowl will be played Friday when Natrona and Kelly Walsh renew their intra-city rivalry in Casper. Although Natrona has had a big advantage in this series dating back to 1965, this game is always a big one in the Oil City. …

Central and East also renew their Capital Bowl rivalry this week. In case you’re not noticing the pattern, the WHSAA did a nice job of setting up the biggest of the 4A rivalries into one week in this schedule. …

Under new coach Corey Wheeler, Rawlins is 3-1 and has already secured its best season since its 9-0 championship season in 2000. The Outlaws get one of their toughest tests of the season with No. 1 Riverton coming to Outlaw Stadium. Riverton’s the clear favorite, but there’s always something scary about an upstart with confidence…

In the weird 2A nonconference game of the week, Big Piney travels to Wheatland for the first meeting between the two schools in football. …

The only two undefeated teams in 1A six-man East Conference games are Guernsey and Hanna. They’ll play each other on Friday in Carbon County. …

The chase for the final three playoff spots in the 1A 11-man West is getting really interesting. Don’t be too surprised if we have to have a tiebreaker playoff in that conference again this year. This week’s key game pits resurgent Wind River up against Rocky Mountain in Byron Cowley. …

I’ve been touting since the preseason that the 1A six-man West might be the most even, competitive conference in the state this year. Will that continue when Dubois travels to Meeteetse? Probably. And the Rams can throw a wrench into the conference standings if they can knock off the Longhorns. …

The biggest upset of the week last week may have been Moorcroft’s shutout victory against Upton-Sundance. I’m curious to see if the Wolves can keep that momentum going against Southeast in Yoder. …

On to the picks. Projected winners in bold, as per usual. Because that’s how we do it, and to change it now would only cause confusion.

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Cheyenne East
Cheyenne South at Laramie
Gillette at Sheridan
Natrona at Kelly Walsh
Rock Springs at Evanston
Class 3A
Douglas at Torrington
Jackson at Green River
Lander at Buffalo
Riverton at Rawlins
Star Valley at Powell
Worland at Cody
Class 2A
Big Piney at Wheatland
Glenrock at Burns (at Cheyenne South HS)
Greybull at Kemmerer
Lyman at Lovell
Mountain View at Pinedale
Thermopolis at Big Horn
Wright at Newcastle
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Cokeville
Lusk at Pine Bluffs
Moorcroft at Southeast
Riverside at Saratoga
Upton-Sundance at Lingle
Wind River at Rocky Mountain
Wyoming Indian at Shoshoni
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Meeteetse
Farson at NSI
Guernsey-Sunrise at Hanna
Rock River at Midwest
St. Stephens at Snake River
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Kaycee at Hulett
Interclass
Tongue River at Kelly Walsh JV
Open: Ten Sleep.

Last week: 27-4 (87 percent). This season: 109-36 (75 percent).

For a full season schedule, including kickoff times for this week’s games, click here.

And that’s Week 5 in a nutshell. But that’s not all we could talk about. What game is drawing your attention this week? Leave a comment to let me know what you’re watching, or what game I mis-picked, or whatever else strikes your fancy about Wyoming high school football.

–patrick