Zeroes and sixes part 2: Final four (and five)

In nearly 24,000 games over more than 120 years of Wyoming high school football, the final score of 4 has only happened seven times; the final score of 5 has happened 20 times, but 14 of those came prior to 1912, when touchdowns were worth five points instead of six. Since 1912, the final score of 5 has only happened six times.

And only two of those teams since 1912 have won games by scoring that many points: Pavillion in 1960 (four) and Cheyenne East in 2006 (five).

The seven occurrences of a final score of 4:

UW JV 12, Laramie 4 — Dec. 5, 1896. There’s not much known about this game other than the score. But the score alone is enough to bring attention to it here….

Kemmerer 7, Rock Springs 4 — Oct. 29, 1937. This was actually a big game in the 1937 season, as it decided the Southwest District title. If Rock Springs had won, the Tigers would have won the district title and went to the playoffs. Instead, Kemmerer won and represented the Southwest in the postseason.

Sheridan 25, Natrona 4 — Nov. 11, 1946. This game meant a lot more to Sheridan than to Natrona; the Broncs won the game to secure the big-school state championship, while Natrona finished with a losing record. This game was the final game of Sheridan’s regular-season schedule, and the last before the Broncs’ victory in the 1946 Turkey Bowl, which I call one of the 10 most important games in state history.

Byron 49, Big Horn 4 — Nov. 11, 1949. This six-man state semifinal game is here because the Rams converted a successful field goal, worth four points in six-man, for their only points of the game. Byron won the state title the next week, beating Reliance 28-20 for its second consecutive title.

Pavillion 4, St. Stephens 0 — Sept. 16, 1960. The Pavillion Panthers of 1960 are the only team in state history to win a game while scoring exactly four points, shutting out the Eagles while notching a pair of safeties to earn the victory. Pavillion finished 7-1 in 1960, the best finish in the program’s short history.

Lyman 12, Big Piney 4 — Sept. 11, 1970. The memory of this one didn’t last long. The Punchers got their revenge, beating the Eagles by a more traditional 30-6 score about a month later.

Wyoming Indian 22, Meeteetse 4 — Sept. 1, 2000. The only four-point final score in the past 45 years came in Week 1 of the 2000 season.

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The six five-point finals since 1912, when touchdowns became worth six points instead of five:

Kemmerer 21, Evanston 5 — Oct. 6, 1923. Kemmerer started its program uniquely; this was the first game in program history, and it produced a “5” on the scoreboard. It was KHS’s only victory in its inaugural season, and Evanston notched revenge two weeks later by beating the Rangers 19-13.

Cody 7, Thermopolis 5 — Oct. 31, 1931. The 1931 season — the first one for state-sanctioned statewide playoffs — was confusing in the Northwest. Despite tying with Cody for the Northwest title and losing by this unique 7-5 score, Thermopolis was given the Northwest’s spot in the playoffs, much to the chagrin of the Cody faithful.

Southeast 14, Cokeville 5 — Oct. 28, 2000. Wyoming had 69 years pass between final scores of 5. This playoff victory helped propel the Cyclones to the Class 1A-Division II state title this season.

Upton 25, Sundance 5 — Sept. 17, 2004. Sundance scored all five points — a safety and a field goal — in the second quarter of their loss to Upton. Oddly enough, both the Bulldogs and Bobcats lost to Big Horn in the Class 2A playoffs, Sundance in the semifinals and Upton in the state title game. Upton moved to Class 1A in 2005, and Upton in 1A and Sundance in 2A both won state titles that year.

Cheyenne East 5, Natrona 3 — Nov. 3, 2006. This was one of the craziest games in state playoff history, with East scoring all five of its points late in the fourth quarter and then hanging on as Natrona sent its field goal attempt wide left on the final play of the game. (And some folks in Casper will go to their graves thinking that field goal — which sailed over the top of the left upright — should have been ruled good.) East lost to Gillette the next week in the Class 5A title game. And it remains the only time since 1912 that a team has won a game by scoring exactly five points.

Mountain View 9, Pinedale 5 — Oct. 2, 2009. This was Mountain View’s only victory of the 2009 season, with a fourth-quarter touchdown sealing the game for the Buffalos.

–patrick