When Jackson cracks the six-victory barrier, it’s usually a good sign.
The problem for the Broncs is they don’t hit that milestone often.
In a program history that dates back to 1931, Jackson has only notched six or more victories in a season eight times. In three of those eight seasons, Jackson won state championships; in four of the eight, the Broncs played in the state title game.
The Broncs won state titles in 2007 (11-0), 1986 (6-4) and 1981 (9-0); played for a state title in 1989 (7-2); and also cracked six victories in 1990 (7-2), 1982 (7-1), 1969 (6-4) and 1938 (6-0).
The point? When Jackson is good, Jackson is REALLY good.
Make it nine. This year, the Broncs raced out to a 6-0 start, its closest victory a 32-16 doubling-up of Worland two weeks ago. Already, the 2014 Broncs are one of the most successful squads in program history, regardless of how the rest of the season plays out.
But Jackson’s opponents haven’t been the best of the best; the combined record of the Broncs’ opponents is 9-23, and only one (Rawlins) has a winning record.
Which is why Friday’s showdown against 4-2 Cody is so interesting.
The Broncs from Park County present the Broncs from Teton County with arguably their biggest test of the season. After six games against so-sos, Jackson finally gets to play an uh-oh.
Cody’s been strong all season, with losses only to Laurel, Mont., in Week Zero (13-0) and to perennial tough beat Douglas in Week 2 (13-7). Defensively, the Broncs have shined, giving up just 61 points through their six games — a solid number in a classification where the average points allowed per game is more than double that.
And, for the record, Cody has cracked six or more victories 33 times in their program history, and it’s on track to do so again this year.
Cody, though, just like Jackson, has just the three state championships to its credit.
There’s the rub. Which team has the advantage — the program with the consistency of being a contender, or the program that knows how to be an upstart?
Winning momentum means more to a squad that doesn’t normally feel it. It burns hotter, but quicker. We’ll see Friday if Jackson’s winning momentum burned too hot, too fast.
Other games I’m keeping a close watch on this week:
Three undefeated teams remain in Class 1A 11-man. Two of them play Friday night when Lingle and Lusk renew acquaintances in Niobrara County. The winner is on track for home-field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. (By the way, one of the quieter streaks happening in the state is Lusk’s home winning streak. The Tigers have won 25 consecutive games at home since 2009, tied for fifth-longest in state history. The unofficial state record is 31, set by Byron from 1953-61. The last team to beat Lusk in Lusk? Lingle.) …
On the other side, winless Green River and winless Star Valley will face each other in Afton. What’s unfortunate is that both the Wolves and Braves have shown potential to be good squads this fall; they just haven’t quite put it all together at the right time. …
The only Thursday game has Shoshoni traveling to Pavillion to play Wind River. In a messy 1A 11-man West, this game could be the difference between a playoff spot and a spot on the couch. …
Class 4A is a mess on its bottom half: Five teams are at 2-4, and they’re playing for the final four playoff spots. The only game between two 2-4 teams this week, though, is the one between Evanston and Kelly Walsh in Casper. …
Guernsey has the chance to be the first team to secure a conference championship. If the Vikings beat Hulett on Saturday, they’ll win the 1A six-man East and host through the first two rounds of the playoffs. …
Even though it lost last week, Rawlins has improved dramatically this season. The Outlaws aren’t the favorites in their game against Douglas this week — the Outlaws haven’t beaten the Bearcats since 2001 — but expect a similar close game like the one Rawlins had last week against Riverton. The fact that it’s Week 6 and Rawlins is still in the conversation is amazing progress in and of itself. First-year coach Corey Wheeler has that program moving in a good direction, win or lose this week. …
Here are this week’s picks. Teams I project to have more points than their opponents by the end of their respective games are in bold, but fortunately for the teams not in bold, every game starts 0-0, and the officials don’t award points for projections:
Thursday
Class 1A 11-man
Shoshoni at Wind River
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central at Sheridan
Evanston at Kelly Walsh
Laramie at Cheyenne East
Natrona at Cheyenne South
Rock Springs at Gillette
Class 3A
Buffalo at Riverton
Cody at Jackson
Green River at Star Valley
Powell at Worland
Rawlins at Douglas
Torrington at Lander
Class 2A
Big Piney at Lyman
Burns at Big Horn
Kemmerer at Mountain View
Lovell at Thermopolis
Newcastle at Glenrock
Pinedale at Greybull
Wheatland at Wright
Class 1A 11-man
Cokeville at Riverside
Lingle at Lusk
Pine Bluffs at Upton-Sundance (at Upton)
Rocky Mountain at Wyoming Indian
Saratoga at Burlington
Southeast at Tongue River
Class 1A six-man
Hanna at Midwest
Meeteetse at St. Stephens
NSI at Kaycee
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Farson at Ten Sleep
Hulett at Guernsey-Sunrise
Snake River at Dubois
Interclass
Gillette JV at Moorcroft
Open: Rock River.
Last week: 29-3 (91 percent). This season: 138-39 (78 percent).
For a full season schedule, including kickoff times for this week’s games, click here.
We have some pretty amazing games on the schedule this week. Which one sticks out to you? Leave a comment and we can all chat about cool football stuff.
–patrick