School: Riverton
Nickname: Wolverines
Colors: maroon and black
Stadium: Tonkin Stadium
State championships: 1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999
Times worth remembering: Three championships, two undefeated seasons and a 26-game winning streak — the late 1990s were by far the peak of the Riverton program. Titles in 1997, 1998 and 1999, including back-to-back 10-0 seasons in 1998 and 1999, established Riverton as a 3A powerhouse. The Wolverines weren’t especially dominant, but they knew how to win — 10 wins in that time frame were by eight points or fewer, including all three state title games.
Times worth forgetting: Two periods were especially tough for the Wolverines: a 4-30-2 stretch from 1955-59 and a 4-29 run from 2005-08. The recent run qualifies as Riverton’s toughest, though; the late 50s teams were outscored by an average of 24.5-9.4 and won at least one game every season; the 2000s teams were outscored 30.2-8.8 on average, and had the school’s only winless season (0-8) in 2005.
Best team: Good luck trying to find some differences between Riverton’s squads in 1998 and 1999 — they were nearly equal in every facet. Both teams went 10-0 and won the 3A state championships in similar fashion, riding efficient offenses and tough defenses. The 1998 team had a 254-76 scoring edge in its 10 games; the 1999 team had a 333-85 point advantage. Both teams had six first-team all-state players, including three players who were on both (Jeff Mowry, Terry Cottenoir and Tom Vincent).
Biggest win: Few high school games will ever match the dramatic circumstances of the 1994 3A title game between Riverton and Lander. The two longtime rivals were meeting for the first time in playoff circumstances, and both were coming off road victories in the semifinals. The game itself was a tense, seesaw battle, one not decided until Corte McGuffey hit Kevin Devries with the winning TD pass in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. Riverton won the game 33-27, notching its first state football championship in the process.
Heartbreaker: Riverton’s 1973 fairy-tale ending ran into just one speed bump: Laramie. After losing the 1972 championship game to Kelly Walsh, the Wolverines came back strong again in 1973, finishing the regular season 7-2. But, for the second straight year, the Wolverines couldn’t finish the job. Laramie topped Riverton 22-7, giving the Wolverines their second consecutive championship-game loss. It was Riverton’s last best chance; the Wolverines lost decisively to Cheyenne Central in the 1979 championship game and didn’t make it back again until 1994.