A little distance but a lot of time separate the football programs in Newcastle, Upton and Sundance.
Only 28 miles separate Newcastle and Upton, and only 46 separate Newcastle and Sundance. In football, though, they may as well have been across the globe from each other.
Despite being so close, Newcastle hasn’t played Upton or Sundance all that recently, even though the Dogies have had traditional rivalries with both schools dating back to the early days of football in Wyoming.
Newcastle and Upton have played each other 40 times, but not at all since 1982. And Newcastle and Sundance have played each other 31 times, but only once since 1954.
However, both rivalries come back on Friday thanks to the Upton-Sundance Patriots. Friday’s game between the Patriots and Dogies could represent the start of a regional rivalry — one with its roots both in the past and in the existing framework of football in the state’s northeast corner.
The Upton-Sundance co-op is in a different classification from Newcastle (Upton-Sundance is 1A 11-man, Newcastle is 2A), but it’s not like the players are unfamiliar to one another. These programs play each other at the junior-high level before separating for high school. So the regional bragging rights in this one will be big.
Both teams come in hot, too, after winning-cross border battles against South Dakota foes in Zero Week. Newcastle opened its season by pasting Custer, S.D., 48-2; Upton-Sundance throttled Lead-Deadwood, S.D., 56-0.
Upton-Sundance is the defending Class 1A 11-man champion and has hopes for a repeat. Newcastle went 3-6 last year but, as the Custer game showed, the Dogies may be a surprising squad in the 2A East.
At least for one night, the programs will have the chance to renew their long-dormant rivalries — and start a new one in the process.
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Other games I’m watching closely this week: Cheyenne South at Cheyenne Central. Both the Bison and the Indians are 1-0; South won its season opener for the first time in program history, and Central became just the second team in Wyoming history to win a game by scoring exactly five points. It’s the only 1-0 vs. 1-0 game in 4A this week. … Green River at Riverton. Both of these teams are eager to prove they can hang with 3A’s best. The winner of this game will have a lot more valid claim — although Riverton won this game last year and Green River played for the 3A title. So go figure. … I’m really curious to see how Lingle and Snake River match up on Saturday in Lingle’s first six-man game since 1956. This might be a game that Snake River wins in Week 1 but Lingle wins in Week 8, after the Doggers gain some six-man experience. … Finally, St. Stephens travels to Rock River, and the Eagles just might get their first varsity victory in three-plus seasons of play. Rock River hired its coach at the end of last week and only has seven players. The Longhorns will still put up a fight, but the potential ingredients are there for an Eagle streak-stopper.
The picks for the week are below, and the teams in bold are the teams I’m predicting will win. For a full season schedule with kickoff times, click here.
Thursday
Interclass
Lusk at Moorcroft
Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne South at Cheyenne Central
Gillette at Evanston
Natrona at Cheyenne East
Rock Springs at Laramie
Sheridan at Kelly Walsh
Class 3A
Buffalo at Cody
Green River at Riverton
Lander at Worland
Powell at Douglas
Class 2A
Lovell at Big Horn
Pinedale at Glenrock
Thermopolis at Greybull
Class 1A 11-man
Wind River at Tongue River
Class 1A six-man
Dubois at Midwest (at Natrona County HS, Casper)
Hanna at Meeteetse
Normative Services at Burlington
Riverside at Kaycee
St. Stephens at Rock River
Interclass
Big Piney at Shoshoni
Burns at Saratoga
Cokeville at Mountain View
Kemmerer at Rocky Mountain
Lyman at Rawlins
Torrington at Wheatland
Upton-Sundance at Newcastle
Interstate
Mitchell, Neb., at Pine Bluffs
Preston, Idaho, at Star Valley
Southeast at Bayard, Neb.
Sugar-Salem, Idaho, at Jackson
Saturday
Class 1A six-man
Farson at Guernsey-Sunrise
Hulett at Ten Sleep
Lingle at Snake River
Wright has already defeated Wyoming Indian by forfeit this week; the Panthers play the Kelly Walsh sophomores Friday in Casper.
Here’s to hoping I can improve on my Zero Week pick accuracy. It was a rough start. My tallies so far:
Last week: 7-6 (54 percent). This season: 7-6 (54 percent).
One last plea, inspired by a conversation with my dad last week: People in Casper have a cool opportunity to support Natrona County’s smallest high school football team this fall with Midwest scheduled to play its home games “in town.” I sincerely hope the people of Casper will embrace the chance to (1) see some six-man football and learn something new about the game and (2) support a group of students going through a season in difficult circumstances. Midwest’s first game is at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Natrona.
Which teams do YOU think are ready to make a big showing in Week 1? Post a comment, or head over to the Wyoming-football.com Facebook or Twitter, and let’s talk!
–patrick