“They haven’t played?” Part 1: Enrollment

When two teams are close to each other in total enrollment, it makes sense that, eventually, those schools will play each other on a football field.

Wyoming, after all, went to great lengths to pool together schools with close enrollments into far-flung conferences (or, in the case of Class 4A, just one classification). Those schools will see each other often in both regular season and postseason play. Schools close to a classification cutoff will sometimes bounce back and forth between classifications, giving them chances to play numerous schools both above and below their enrollment.

Sometimes, though, schools with similar enrollments end up missing each other every season.

For example: Pinedale and Wheatland occupy spots 23 and 24, respectively, in the WHSAA’s enrollment tallies. They’re both in Class 2A for football, but the two schools have yet to play each other. Ever.

Distance — and a history of being in separate classifications — have prevented the Wranglers and Bulldogs from facing each other, even though they’re right next to each other in enrollment.

In other cases, time has been the biggest obstacle. For example, Rock River hasn’t played EITHER school right above (Meeteetse) and right below it (Ten Sleep) on the gridiron. But Rock River has only been a varsity football program for one season.

Something similar is happening for Cokeville and St. Stephens; the two programs are right next to each other in enrollment but play in different classifications (1A 11-man for Cokeville and 1A six-man for St. Stephens) and, obviously, haven’t faced off since St. Stephens resurrected its varsity program two years ago.

Other schools, meanwhile, have pretty much run out of close-enrollment schools to play. Gillette, Rock Springs and Guernsey-Sunrise have played every single available school both above and below their enrollments, with the closest school being 13 places away. (Gillette and Rock Springs don’t have a ton of schools above their enrollment, and Guernsey-Sunrise doesn’t have a ton below, contributing to the wide berths for each school.)

But that’s just the closest. The title for widest range range — the number of total schools, both above and below combined — goes to Thermopolis at 29 schools. The Bobcats have played every current 3A and 2A school, the bottom three schools in 4A and the largest 1A 11-man school.

Ten Sleep and Rock River, at a range of 0, have the smallest. Ten Sleep and Rock River limit each other pretty effectively, as Ten Sleep is the smallest football-playing school in the state and hasn’t played the second-smallest in Rock River.

Pinedale’s one-place range is the next smallest, as the No. 23 Wranglers haven’t played No. 24 Wheatland or No. 21 Torrington.

Here’s a quick glance to see which Wyoming high schools closest to each other in enrollment haven’t faced each other — yet — and how far apart they are in the WHSAA’s enrollment “standings.” (Note: Upton and Sundance are considered separately here.)

Class 4A
Gillette: Jackson (13 spots)
Natrona: Star Valley (11 spots)
Rock Springs: Douglas (13 spots)
Cheyenne East: Star Valley (9 spots)
Kelly Walsh: Star Valley (8 spots)
Cheyenne Central: Star Valley (7 spots)
Cheyenne South: Green River (4 spots)
Sheridan: Jackson (6 spots)
Laramie: Star Valley (4 spots)
Evanston: Douglas (6 spots)

Class 3A
Green River: Cheyenne South (4 spots)
Riverton: Cheyenne South (5 spots)
Star Valley: Laramie (4 spots)
Jackson: Laramie (5 spots)
Cody: Cheyenne South AND Pinedale (8 spots each)
Douglas: Evanston (6 spots)
Rawlins: Cheyenne South (7 spots)
Lander: Pinedale (5 spots)
Powell: Pinedale (4 spots)
Worland: Pinedale (3 spots)
Torrington: Pinedale (2 spots)
Buffalo: Laramie (11 spots)

Class 2A
Pinedale: Wheatland (1 spot)
Wheatland: Pinedale (1 spot)
Newcastle: Pinedale (2 spots)
Mountain View: Torrington (5 spots)
Glenrock: Worland (7 spots)
Lovell: Torrington (7 spots)
Thermopolis: Wyoming Indian (9 spots)
Lyman: Burns (4 spots)
Big Piney: Burns (3 spots)
Kemmerer: Burns (2 spots)
Greybull: Pine Bluffs (11 spots)
Burns: Kemmerer (2 spots)
Big Horn: Shoshoni (8 spots)
Wright: Wyoming Indian (2 spots)

Class 1A 11-man
Moorcroft: Shoshoni (6 spots)
Wyoming Indian: Wright (2 spots)
Wind River: Pine Bluffs (5 spots)
Rocky Mountain: Kemmerer (8 spots)
Tongue River: Shoshoni (2 spots)
Lusk: Wyoming Indian (4 spots)
Shoshoni: Tongue River AND Sundance (2 spots each)
Pine Bluffs: Wind River AND Burlington (5 spots each)
Sundance: Shoshoni (2 spots)
Southeast: St. Stephens (7 spots)
Saratoga: St. Stephens (6 spots)
Riverside: Lingle (3 spots)
Burlington: Moorcroft (12 spots)
Upton: Rocky Mountain (10 spots)
Lingle: St. Stephens (2 spots)
Cokeville: St. Stephens (1 spot)

Class 1A six-man
St. Stephens: Cokeville (1 spot)
Hanna: Sundance (9 spots)
Guernsey-Sunrise: Wyoming Indian (13 spots)
Normative Services: Snake River (6 spots)
Midwest: Riverside (9 spots)
Dubois: Rock River (6 spots)
Hulett: St. Stephens (6 spots)
Farson: Rock River (4 spots)
Kaycee: St. Stephens (8 spots)
Snake River: Rock River (2 spots)
Meeteetse: Rock River (1 spot)
Rock River: Meeteetse AND Ten Sleep (1 spot each)
Ten Sleep: Rock River (1 spot)

++++++

And here are the ranges for each program (not counting the school itself or the schools on the edge of the bounds):

Class 4A
Gillette: 12 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Jackson (14))
Natrona: 10 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Star Valley (13))
Rock Springs: 12 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Star Valley (13))
Cheyenne East: 11 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Star Valley (13))
Kelly Walsh: 11 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Star Valley (13))
Cheyenne Central: 11 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Star Valley (13))
Cheyenne South: 9 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Green River (11))
Sheridan: 12 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Jackson (14))
Laramie: 11 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Star Valley (13))
Evanston: 14 (upper bound: none; lower bound: Douglas (16))

Class 3A
Green River: 15 (upper bound: Cheyenne South (7); lower bound, Newcastle (25))
Riverton: 14 (upper bound: Cheyenne South (7); lower bound, Pinedale (23))
Star Valley: 10 (upper bound: Laramie (9); lower bound: Pinedale (23))
Jackson: 23 (upper bound: Laramie (9); lower bound: Burns (34))
Cody: 14 (upper bound: South (7); lower bound: Pinedale (23))
Douglas: 11 (upper bound: Evanston (10); lower bound: Pinedale (23))
Rawlins: 21 (upper bound: South (7); lower bound: Lyman (30))
Lander: 14 (upper bound: South (7); lower bound: Pinedale (23))
Powell: 14 (upper bound: South (7); lower bound: Pinedale (23))
Worland: 14 (upper bound: South (7); lower bound: Pinedale (23))
Torrington: 14 (upper bound: South (7); lower bound: Pinedale (23))
Buffalo: 21 (upper bound: Laramie (9); lower bound: Burns (34))

Class 2A
Pinedale: 1 (upper bound: Torrington (21); lower bound: Wheatland (24))
Wheatland: 13 (upper bound: Pinedale (23); lower bound: Wyoming Indian (38))
Newcastle: 13 (upper bound: Pinedale (23); lower bound: Wyoming Indian (38))
Mountain View: 14 (upper bound: Torrington (21); lower bound: Moorcroft (37))
Glenrock: 21 (upper bound: Worland (20); lower bound: Shoshoni (43))
Lovell: 19 (upper bound: Torrington (21); lower bound: Lusk (42))
Thermopolis: 29 (upper bound: South (7); lower bound: Wyoming Indian (38))
Lyman: 11 (upper bound: Torrington (21); lower bound: Burns (34))
Big Piney: 11 (upper bound: Torrington (21); lower bound: Burns (34))
Kemmerer: 11 (upper bound: Torrington (21); lower bound: Burns (34))
Greybull: 25 (upper bound: Rawlins (17); lower bound: Pine Bluffs (44))
Burns: 9 (upper bound: Kemmerer (32); lower bound: Shoshoni (43))
Big Horn: 18 (upper bound: Pinedale (23); lower bound: Shoshoni (43))
Wright: 15 (upper bound: Torrington (21); lower bound: Wyoming Indian (38))

Class 1A 11-man
Moorcroft: 11 (upper bound: Lyman (30); lower bound: Shoshoni (43))
Wyoming Indian: 3 (upper bound: Wright (36); lower bound: Tongue River (41))
Wind River: 13 (upper bound: Thermopolis (29); lower bound: Pine Bluffs (44))
Rocky Mountain: 16 (upper bound: Kemmerer (32); lower bound: Upton (50))
Tongue River: 3 (upper bound: Wyoming Indian (38); lower bound: Shoshoni (43))
Lusk: 13 (upper bound: Wyoming Indian (38); lower bound: St. Stephens (53))
Shoshoni: 2 (upper bound: Tongue River (41); lower bound: Sundance (45))
Pine Bluffs: 8 (upper bound: Wind River (39); lower bound: Burlington (49))
Sundance: 4 (upper bound: Shoshoni (43); lower bound: Burlington (49))
Southeast: 13 (upper bound: Wyoming Indian (38); lower bound: St. Stephens (53))
Saratoga: 22 (upper bound: Thermopolis (29); lower bound: St. Stephens (53))
Riverside: 13 (upper bound: Wright (36); lower bound: Lingle (51))
Burlington: 22 (upper bound: Moorcroft (37); lower bound: Kaycee (61))
Upton: 18 (upper bound: Rocky Mountain (40); lower bound: Farson (60))
Lingle: 3 (upper bound: Riverside (48); lower bound: St. Stephens (53))
Cokeville: 14 (upper bound: Moorcroft (37); lower bound: St. Stephens (53))

Class 1A six-man
St. Stephens: 5 (upper bound: Cokeville (52); lower bound: Hulett (59))
Hanna: 19 (upper bound: Sundance (45); lower bound: none)
Guernsey-Sunrise: 22 (upper bound: Wyoming Indian (38); lower bound: none)
Normative Services: 19 (upper bound: Tongue River (41); lower bound: Snake River (62))
Midwest: 16 (upper bound: Riverside (48); lower bound: none)
Dubois: 17 (upper bound: Sundance (45); lower bound: Rock River (64))
Hulett: 11 (upper bound: St. Stephens (53); lower bound: none)
Farson: 12 (upper bound: Upton (50); lower bound: Rock River (64))
Kaycee: 11 (upper bound: St. Stephens (53); lower bound: none)
Snake River: 5 (upper bound: Normative Services (57); lower bound: Rock River (64))
Meeteetse: 15 (upper bound: Saratoga (47); lower bound: Rock River (64))
Rock River: 0 (upper bound: Meeteetse (63); lower bound: Ten Sleep (65))
Ten Sleep: 0 (upper bound: Rock River (64); lower bound: none)

Later this week: Part 2, distance.

–patrick