Thermopolis, with or without a new coach with a new offensive approach, was going to be better in 2009.
The bulk of the Bobcats’ 2008 squad was back, and even though Thermopolis was only 2-7 last season, the seeds of improvement and respectability had been planted.
But who saw THIS coming?
Thermopolis is in the Class 2A championship game — and went through perennial power Kemmerer to make it to Laramie.
“Through” is the key word here. The Bobcats made the trek to Kemmerer, then acted like the Rangers were little more than another pesky foe to be dispatched than the program that had won state titles in 2005 and 2007 and finished second last year. The Bobcats won 33-13, a score that might have seemed improbable at the end of last season but, given what’s happened this season in Hot Springs County, shouldn’t be all that surprising anymore.
New coach Chuck Syverson and his son, quarterback Mitch, have injected life into the program. Colin Herold and Chris Leyba have been fantastic targets for Syverson’s passes and are 1-2 in 2A in receiving.
Now, Thermopolis travels to Laramie to face defending champion Glenrock in the 2A title game.
And with or without a victory next Friday, the Thermopolis turnaround remains one of the best high school football stories this year in Wyoming.
Second mad props go to the Kaycee Bucakroos, who earned a berth in the six-man championship game in their first year by knocking off Midwest 58-56. Kaycee rallied from a 40-28 deficit early in the third quarter and took a 44-40 lead with six minutes to go — and then the fun started:
Midwest grabbed a 48-44 lead with 3 1/2 minutes to go on a TD run by Riley Harshman… Kaycee re-took the lead 52-48 on a 35-yard touchdown run 30 seconds later… Harshman scored again on a 40-yard TD pass with 35 seconds to go to give Midwest a 56-52 lead… and then Kaycee notched the winning points with 14 seconds remaining on a 55-yard run by (fill in missing name of Kaycee player here…. post a comment below if you know who scored!).
It sounds like the type of game no one should lose. But someone had to. Kaycee just ended up with the last score in a back-and-forth game, and now they’ve earned a spot in Laramie in their first season. That’s quite an accomplishment… and for Kaycee, it’s made all the more impressive by the fact that the Buckaroos had to win two road playoff games — at Ten Sleep in the first round, then at Midwest in the semis — to make it to the title game. That’s a lotta moxie for a program that’s just getting started.
From Saturday: Third mad props to Lingle, which fell behind early but rallied to beat previously unbeaten Cokeville 25-14. In winning, the Doggers set up a rematch with the only team to beat them this season — Southeast. The Doggers lost to the Cyclones 27-11 back in Week 8, but you can bet that the rematch in Laramie will be a bit different if Lingle has anything to say about it. The Doggers’ effort on Saturday is not to be discounted, either. They beat Cokeville in Cokeville — not an easy task — and gave the Panthers their first loss of the year. And it’s not a short trip from Lingle to Cokeville. The Doggers overcame not only the Panthers but the road trip, as well. That should be a great confidence booster for Lingle, which will be playing in its first state championship game since winning the 9-man championship in 1990.
Some other stuff that not only turned my head, but my torso, too:
The Central defense is underrated. I was fortunate enough to catch the Central-Gillette game on Friday in Cheyenne, and even though I’ve watched Central play several times this year, I’ve never seen that defense play that well. It was almost scary how efficient the Indians were at stopping Gillette’s offense — the Camels had minus-13 net rushing yards and barely more than 100 total yards for the game.
And speaking of 4A, how about that game between Sheridan and Kelly Walsh? The Broncs eked out a 9-7 victory after a 28-yard field goal by Drew Slikker with 9.2 seconds remaining. Once again, it was the type of game neither team should lose. For Sheridan, it’s an exciting portion of a trip to a larger goal in Laramie… and, for Kelly Walsh, it’s the type of game that stings more than it should. Give it 10 or 20 years, guys, and it’ll be the type of game you’re just glad to be a part of.
I say next Sunday, Douglas meets up with the winner of the Central-Sheridan game….
Who says experience doesn’t count for anything? Just ask Southeast. Or Wind River. Players learn something about how to get the job done when you win three consecutive championships.
So what else turned your torso this weekend? Which championship game looks most appealing to you next weekend? Post a comment below and let me know.
More later this week.
This week: 7-3 (70 percent). This season: 234-58 (80 percent).
–patrick
Patrick,
There really were a lot of surprises in these games. The winners might not be surprises, but how they won might be. Take Southeast for one. They give up 312 passing yards and only 6 points on defense. They also handled a line that many though would tear them apart. And I’m with you on the Lingle game. It’s tough to win in Cokeville let alone come from behind. What a game! That one should be an interesting match up on Friday!
Oh by the way, I learned through a reliable source this week that it was Kaycee junior Shawn Straub who played the role of hero for the Buckaroos… he was the scorer of that late touchdown that gave Kaycee the victory over Midwest. Shawn is one of a few guys on the team who has some tackle football experience — he played at Buffalo before Kaycee started its program this year.
–patrick