What’s the biggest change to 1A nine-man this year? The lack of deep, experienced and talented senior classes. Last year, several teams were legitimate state championship threats thanks to senior classes just like that; place any one of those teams into the mix this year and they would be the automatic favorites this year. However, graduation decimated almost all of those programs. Look at it this way: Last year, 20 all-state players returned across the classification. This year, between transfers and attrition, it’s slated to be as few as four all-staters coming back.
Who’s survived the purge? Big Piney and Wind River. The Punchers were junior-heavy last year but kept up with the West Conference’s best, training that will set them up well for 2023. Meanwhile, Wind River graduated a ton but has the benefit of back-to-back big classes and will be a senior-heavy team, a rarity in 1A nine-man this season.
How different will the East Conference look this year? Quite a bit. Three East Conference programs — Wright, Saratoga and Guernsey — will have new coaches. All three teams missed the playoffs last year, but Todd Weber in Saratoga, Neal Hughes in Guernsey and Larry Yeradi in Wright, who takes back the head coaching duties after a year away, will be in positions to change the trajectories of those programs.
What about Pine Bluffs? Oh yeah. I’m not sure how we’ve made it this far without talking about the literal defending champions of the classification. The Hornets won’t be overrun with talent this year but have a system and a set of expectations in place. And they haven’t lost a conference game in two years. Cliche as it is, until someone proves they can beat Pine Bluffs, the Hornets are the team everyone else has to chase.
Preseason class MVP
Cooper Frederick, Wind River. The only two-time all-state selection playing this season at any level above six-man in the state, Frederick has proven his worth time and again to the Cougars’ fortunes. When he does well, so do the Cougars; witness his 1,919 rushing yards in Wind River’s 7-3 season in 2022. A year older, Frederick will be a handful to stop, especially for nine-man’s defenses this year that lack the experience of last year’s units.
Preseason class breakout player
Brenner Moore, Rocky Mountain. Moore was just about the only underclassmen who cracked the Grizzlies’ lineup last year. He put up solid numbers — 26 tackles, a couple pass deflections, 113 receiving yards — but will be much more of a leader on both sides of the ball for a Grizzly team that may need a minute to find itself.
Other players to watch
Louden Bremer, Lingle.As a sophomore, Bremer had a huge influence on the Doggers, leading them in receiving (25 catches for 482 yards) and tackles (71). As a junior, Bremer will play just as critical of a role as the Doggers look for their first home playoff game since 2015.
Karsyn Gurr and Ruben Stoutenberg, Big Piney. Two of Big Piney’s biggest offensive weapons are also threats elsewhere. Stoutenberg carried for 327 yards and had 184 receiving yards, but was also valuable on defense where he led the Punchers with 72 tackles. Gurr led Big Piney in receiving with 363 yards and six TDs but was also the West Conference’s special teams player of the year in 2022 thanks to his kick return abilities.
Shawn Shmidl, Pine Bluffs. Maybe this statistic, more than any, represents the value Shmidl, a junior, brings to the defending state champs: Only one player who had more than 20 tackles last year is expected back for the Hornets in 2023. Shmidl had 54. A cornerstone around which a young defense can build, Shmidl will have to transform from role player to leader to keep the Hornets’ momentum rolling.
Ty Strohschein, Riverside. The Rebels are a significantly better team with Strohschein in the lineup. His experience running the ball (684 yards, six TDs last year) and, maybe even more so, on defense (77.5 tackles, more than double any other returner for Riverside) will be key in a suddenly wide-open West Conference championship and playoff race.
Four key games
Big Piney at Wind River, Sept. 21. Big Piney has the challenge of playing the West Conference’s other three playoff qualifiers from 2022 — Rocky Mountain, Wind River and Shoshoni — all on the road this year. This one against the Cougars in Pavillion could be the biggest test for the Punchers, who play those three games in a span of five weeks to start conference play.
Shoshoni at Rocky Mountain, Sept. 23. After the past two seasons, how could we not include this one? Even though both teams will bring inexperienced rosters to the field in 2023, the advantage is that so does pretty much everyone else. And the stakes could be just as high as usual if these program’s young players have developed quickly.
Southeast at Lingle, Oct. 6. Southeast’s 36-35 victory last season against its longtime Goshen County rival was the margin by which second and third places were decided in the East Conference. With both teams in the championship discussion this fall, the stakes this year could be even higher than just a home playoff game.
Pine Bluffs at Southeast, Oct. 20. The regular-season finale for both teams will likely have some high stakes, just as it did in 2022. Chances are good, though, that the Cyclones will be much more competitive than they were last year, a game that ended 63-6 in the Hornets’ favor on their march toward an undefeated state championship.
Predicted order of finish
East Conference: Pine Bluffs; Southeast; Lingle; Saratoga; Lusk; Wright; Moorcroft; Guernsey.
West Conference: Big Piney; Wind River; Shoshoni; Riverside; Rocky Mountain; Greybull; Wyoming Indian; St. Stephens.
Preseason top five: 1. Pine Bluffs; 2. Big Piney; 3. Wind River; 4. Southeast; 5. Lingle.
Way-too-early title game score prediction
Pine Bluffs 30, Big Piney 28. Right now, the Hornets are the team to take down, but the upsides of programs like the others in the top five are ignored only by the foolhardy. The football may not be as strong as last year, but the race might be even more exciting because of that.
Who do you see taking home the title in a depleted, but incredibly competitive, classification this year? Leave a comment, or drop a line on Twitter or Facebook.
Since the institution of overtime in 1975, Wyoming high school football has had 283 games go into overtime. Some of those games came in the most high-stakes situations — games that decided conference titles, playoff appearances, playoff games or even state championships.
From that group of 283, here are the top 10 overtime games in state history, followed by the “next 10” and then 26 others I found fascinating in their own right.
The top 10
N7/2014 Campbell County 34 Cheyenne East 31 4A SF-2OT: The only OT game of 2014 season gave the Camels a spot in the 4A championship game. Talon Nelson’s 20-yard TD catch in the second overtime boosted the Camels past the Thunderbirds after East could only notch a field goal in that session. Gillette rallied from a 21-7 fourth-quarter deficit with two touchdowns to force overtime.
N15/2013 Powell 19 Douglas 13 3A Championship-at Laramie-OT: In a battle of undefeated teams, Powell survived thanks to Hayden Cragoe’s 1-yard run in overtime and won its third consecutive state championship. Powell’s defense had two interceptions, a blocked extra point and a stuff of Douglas’ fourth-and-1 run in OT, all in advance of Cragoe’s score.
S18/2009 Kelly Walsh 28 Natrona 27 2OT: The Trojans rallied from a 21-0 third-quarter deficit thanks to three touchdowns and an interception on defense from Lucas Nolan. Then, after a scoreless first overtime, the Trojans got a score from Riley Moore to take the lead. A Clay Brownell touchdown pulled Natrona within one, but Cormick Eaton stopped Brownell on the 2-point conversion attempt to give KW the Oil Bowl victory.
N4/2005 Cheyenne Central 23 Natrona 20 5A SF-OT: The Indians rallied from a 17-3 third-quarter deficit to force overtime and upset the Mustangs. The game-tying touchdown from Corey Wheeler in the final minute pushed the game to extra time. Bryan Hill’s 1-yard run sealed the game after Natrona had to settle for a field goal on its OT possession. The Indians beat East in the 5A championship the next week.
O26/2001 Glenrock 33 Big Piney 34 3A SF-OT: Big Piney survived this semifinal thriller only after squandering a 27-0 first-quarter lead. Glenrock rallied to score 27 points of its own in the second and third quarters, setting up overtime. Glenrock’s missed extra point in OT was the difference. Big Piney won the 3A championship the next week.
N3/1990 Rawlins 0 Torrington 6 3A SF-OT: Rawlins, which entered the game at 3-5, nearly pulled off the upset of the century against the undefeated Trailblazers. The only points of the game came on the final play, when Jory Kaufman caught a 7-yard pass from Lance Petsch. Torrington won the 3A title the next week.
O17/1986 Midwest 14 Big Horn 21 OT: Top-ranked Big Horn beat second-ranked Midwest in a game that decided a playoff spot, as the 7-1 Oilers stayed home for the postseason. Peter Pelissier scored the game-winning touchdown and also recovered a Midwest fumble in overtime. But getting to OT was tough for Big Horn, which rallied from a 14-0 deficit with 14 fourth-quarter points. Cecil Garland’s 84-yard touchdown catch with 40 seconds remaining, and Rich Garber’s conversion run, tied the game at 14 and sent it to overtime – that is, after a Midwest touchdown pass with 8 seconds remaining was called back by a penalty.
N5/1983 Buffalo 13 Evanston 12 3A Championship-OT: Evanston missed two chances to win the Class 3A championship – one a field goal on the final play of regulation, the other a 2-point conversion attempt that ended with Buffalo tackling David Petersen just short of the end zone. Steve Pabst scored the game-winner for Buffalo, and Eric Thompson provided the extra point; Brent Sanders brought Evanston within one before opportunity slipped by, again.
O23/1982 Saratoga 28 Moorcroft 20 B SF-OT: Despite trailing 20-0 early in the third quarter, Saratoga rallied and scored the game’s final 28 points, including three touchdowns by David Jones (who ran for 214 yards) and the OT winner from Rob Pigg. The victory sent Saratoga to the Class B championship.
N13/1976 Laramie 40 Cody 41 AA Championship-3OT: One of the most famous championship games in state history, the Broncs beat the Plainsmen in triple overtime to win the Class AA title in Laramie coach John Deti Sr.’s final game. Cody rallied from a 20-8 halftime deficit, and Rob Russell’s extra point in overtime was the difference after the Broncs blocked Laramie’s kick in that frame. Both teams had scored 2-point conversions in the first overtime and missed conversions – Laramie a run, Cody a kick – in the second OT.
The next 10 best
S30 and O3/2022 Lander 29 Riverton 28 OT: This game was delayed in first quarter due to lightning and eventually postponed to the following Monday, but the drama more than made up for the delay. Gabe Harris’ catch on a 2-point conversion cemented the victory for the Tigers in the Fremont County rivalry game that was odder than most.
O2/2020 Sheridan 31 Natrona 38 4OT: Believe it or not, this one was 10-10 in regulation. Natrona scored TDs on all four of its overtime possessions, including three by QB Tyler Hill, and then recovered a fumble by Sheridan on the final play of the game.
N2/2007 Campbell County 34 Cheyenne East 35 5A SF-2OT: The Camels almost produced the most epic goal-line stand in state history, but Alex Stratton scored on a 1-yard plunge on fourth down, and Jeremy Kurz kicked the critical extra point, to boost East into the 5A championship. East blocked the Camels’ extra point attempt in the second OT to set up the opportunity for the final margin. East won the 5A championship a week later.
N9/2002 Star Valley 14 Worland 17 4A Championship – OT: Casey Lass’ 18-yard field goal, shorter than an extra point, was the final play of a defensively focused games where points were in short supply. Marc Bradshaw scored both of Worland’s touchdowns, as the Warriors avenged an 18-16 loss from earlier in the season and won despite being outgained by nearly 100 yards.
O30/1993 Cokeville 22 Southeast 21 1A SF-OT: The Panthers went for the win and reaped the benefits, as Rick Himmerich’s 2-point conversion gave Cokeville the victory. The Panthers led 14-0 early but Tim Williams scored three touchdowns for Southeast to keep the Cyclones in it. Cokeville won the 1A 11-man championship one week later.
N10/1990 Lovell 20 Thermopolis 21 2A Championship-OT: Richie Mitchell’s extra point in overtime gave the Bobcats the 2A title and an undefeated season. Rick McKinney scored twice for Thermopolis and Kovi Christiansen scored twice for Lovell, although the OT touchdowns went to Steve Montanez (Lovell) and Corey Wahler (Thermopolis).
O9/1987 Lovell 22 Greybull 14 OT: Three touchdowns by Steve Sessions, including the go-ahead score in overtime, was the deciding factor that got Lovell into the playoffs, and kept Greybull out, as the Bulldogs marched toward their eventual Class 2A championship. Sessions’ 4-yard score in OT held up as Greybull failed to score on its possession.
O21/1983 Laramie 3 Cheyenne Central 6 2OT: One of Wyoming’s more controversial overtime finishes, the Indians were given new life after the first overtime when their potential game-winning field goal was blocked. Laramie’s John Cowper picked up the blocked kick and ran, but officials blew the play dead. Then, in the second overtime, Laramie scored a field goal but Andre Rudolph’s touchdown ended it all. Laramie protested to the WHSAA, but to no avail. If Laramie would have won, it would have created four-way tie for first in the old EWAC; as it was, Central won outright and beat Rock Springs easily in the 4A championship game.
O3/1980 Evanston 13 Star Valley 14 OT: Star Valley’s Class A championship season never happens without this victory against the Red Devils, who were ranked No. 1 at the time and would have eventually won the conference title (and booted the Braves from the playoffs entirely) if they had gotten this victory. However, the Braves held out the Red Devils on a two-point conversion attempt, as Jamie Lowe’s 2-yard run, and Tod Spencer’s PAT kick, just moments earlier held up.
S9/1977 Newell (SD) 34 Upton 26 5OT: The Wyoming Bobcats and the South Dakota Irrigators combined for a state record for the number of overtimes. After a 14-14 regulation, neither team scored in either of the first two overtimes and then matched each other with 12 combined points in third and fourth overtimes. Brian Pope had the winning touchdown and conversion run in the fifth overtime for Newell, scores that Upton couldn’t match.
The boxscore from the Rapid City Journal for the game between Upton and Newell, S.D., from 1977.
26 others worth your time
S16/2022 Lovell 12 Lyman 6 OT: Jared Mangus’ 6-yard touchdown run on the final play dictated the champion of the 2A West and ended Lyman’s 20-game winning streak.
S13/2019 Laramie 41 Campbell County 48 OT: The victory that broke the Camels’ 21-game losing streak was a wild shootout where 35 points came in the fourth quarter alone. Kaden Race’s 12-yard run and a subsequent defensive stand gave the Camels the victory.
O28/2016 Pinedale 14 Big Horn 20 2A QF-OT: Big Horn’s march to the 2A title almost ended in the first round. The Rams were down 14-0 at half and, even after two scores from Colton Williams, still needed two interceptions in the red zone in the fourth quarter to push it to OT.
S6/2013 Cheyenne East 42 Natrona 41 3OT: The loss, punctuated by a bobbled snap on the final play of the game on an extra-point try, was a portend of things to come for snakebit NC, which lost three OT games that year and four games by one point.
O28/2011 Evanston 27 Cheyenne East 28 4A QF-OT: Jeremy Woods had three touchdowns, including East’s overtime touchdown, to send the Thunderbirds into the 4A semifinals. Extra points were the difference, as East made its kick in OT after Evanston missed its try. East rallied from a 14-0 halftime deficit.
S24/2010 Campbell County 27 Sheridan 24 OT: The Camels needed 17 points in the fourth quarter just to get to overtime (an offensive explosion in a game that was 3-0 at halftime), and Jordan Rueschhoff’s two field goals – one with 28 seconds remaining, the second on the final play of the game – gave the Camels the Energy Bowl victory.
N5/2010 Buffalo 24 Cody 21 3A SF-OT: Cody went for the win, but Aaron Tyser made sure the Broncs didn’t get it. Tyser’s tackle on Brady Gulde on fourth-and-2 in overtime – when Cody could have kicked a field goal which, if good, would have prompted a second overtime – sent the Bison to the 3A championship game. Wyatt Witty’s field goal in overtime provided the winning points, which cemented Buffalo’s rally from a 14-0 deficit.
O17/2008 Buffalo 14 Douglas 21 OT CST: In a preview of the 4A championship game that came less than a month later, the Bearcats won the East Conference and secured home-field advantage for the playoffs. Douglas overcame a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to win, with Cody Bohlander’s 10-yard run and a subsequent defensive stand did the trick.
N8/2008 Powell 27 Douglas 28 4A SF-2OT: Cody Bohlander was a busy guy. His 2-point conversion run after a Powell penalty gave the Bearcats just enough to win. Bohlander also scored a 3-yard TD with less than a minute remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime and also scored on another 3-yard run in the second overtime to set up the winning score. Douglas won the 4A title the next week.
S14/2007 Big Horn 13 Riverside 12 OT: In a preview of thriller of a title game a few weeks later, the Rams came out on top thanks to Colby Wollenman’s extra point, sealing the victory after Riverside’s 2-point conversion had failed on their preceding overtime possession. The Rebels got their revenge, though…
O29/2004 Guernsey-Sunrise 24 Burlington 21 1A SF-OT: Shawn King’s field goal in overtime was the difference for the Vikings, who won their first state title in school history the next week.
O28/2000 Cheyenne Central 21 Laramie 27 4A SF-OT: Laramie rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter and scored the game-tying points on David Milam’s 14-yard touchdown catch from Jackson Hoopes with 20 seconds remaining. James Grimes’ 10-yard run sealed the Plainsmen’s berth in the 4A championship game.
O1/1993 Cheyenne Central 20 Natrona 21 2OT: Natrona scored 14 points in the final 57 seconds of regulation on a pair of Josh Kalinowski touchdown passes to send the game to overtime. After a scoreless first overtime, Chase Anfinson’s 10-yard touchdown gave Natrona its lead. Central scored but missed its conversion.
O11/1991 Cheyenne East 21 Cheyenne Central 22 OT: In a season where neither Cheyenne team did much, Central’s victory, assured by Ty Alexander’s touchdown and subsequent 2-point conversion, was the season highlight in the Capital City.
O26/1991 Pine Bluffs 22 Moorcroft 14 1A QF-OT: Pine Bluffs had to score a touchdown and a 2-point conversion with no time remaining in the fourth quarter just to get the game to overtime – and did just that. The Hornets drove more than two-thirds of the field in the final 33 seconds; once in overtime, Duane Gilbert’s 1-yard run gave the Hornets the points they needed.
N2/1991 Star Valley 20 Torrington 13 3A SF-2 OT: In a game the Casper Star-Tribune said was played in minus-28 wind chills, the Braves’ Kade Kennington scored the only touchdown of the second OT period with a 2-yard touchdown run to send the defending state champs packing on their home field. Kennington scored twice in the game, including an 87-yard run in the first quarter.
O20/1989 Douglas 31 Glenrock 37 4OT: Mick Lehner’s final game as the head coach of the Herders was a memorable one, as the Converse County rivals went blow for blow four overtimes deep. Bruce Johnston’s 2-yard TD run sealed the game; Jake Hagar’s fumble recovery of a Bearcat bobble in the first half of the fourth OT gave the Herders the opportunity. It was the second of three consecutive overtime games over three seasons between the Herders and Bearcats.
O25/1988 Green River 0 Evanston 7 1/2 playoff-at Rock Springs OT: This victory in a half-playoff game launched Evanston into the playoffs. Then the Red Devils knocked off Laramie in Laramie in the semifinals to reach the 4A title game. Shortly after beating Riverton 6-3 in the first half of the triangular playoff, the Red Devils and Wolves played a scoreless half of football. Garth Wagstaff sealed the victory with an interception on Green River’s first play of overtime; Jason Mitchell had scored Evanston’s only touchdown of the playoff moments before.
S4/1987 Big Horn 45 Riverside 45 3OT-tie: Can’t get much weirder than this. The game should have gone into a fourth overtime, but the officials mistakenly called the game after three extra frames, resulting in a tie. Becket Hinckley scored six touchdowns for Riverside, while six different players scored touchdowns for Big Horn.
O9/1981 Moorcroft 12 Sundance 13 OT: Greg Taylor’s 10-yard touchdown catch from Corey Vail, followed by Brian McInerney’s extra point, gave the Bulldogs their first playoff berth in school history. Moorcroft’s Rock Mirich scored on Moocroft’s possession, but when the Wolves went for two, Neil Warden bobbled a potential game-winning catch. However, the Wolves needed Warden’s 84-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter just to get into overtime.
S8/1978 Lingle 12 Pine Bluffs 6 OT; S29/1978 Southeast 0 Lingle 6 OT: Lingle had to win two overtime games in September to secure the Texas Trail championship and a spot in the Class B playoffs in October, where the Doggers eventually finished as runners-up. Bruce Mowry’s 7-yard run supplied the victory against Southeast.
O7/1977 Meeteetse 32 Ten Sleep 26 2OT: Meeteetse’s TD in the second overtime gave the Longhorns the Big Horn Basin’s northern section crown and eventually a spot in the Class B playoffs. The teams matched each other score for score in a 20-20 regulation. Clair Bennion and Guy Watts each scored twice for Meeteetse.
O21/1977 Star Valley 26 Kemmerer 32 2OT: Russell Lee of Star Valley had a dynamite game, scoring on runs of 92 and 75 yards as well as a 97-yard kickoff return, but the Braves couldn’t convert on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the second overtime, opening the door for Kemmerer. Matt Fagnant scored the winner for Kemmerer, and Jim Joslin added three touchdowns of his own for the Rangers.
S11/1976 Big Piney 12 Lyman 18 4OT: In a parity-filled Southwest Conference, Lyman’s eventual Class B state championship run was almost thrown off by last-place Big Piney in early September. Clyde Gillespie’s touchdown pass to Russ Eyre in the fourth overtime was the difference.
N1/1975 Pinedale 6 Basin 0 B SF-OT: The first overtime playoff game in modern times went to the Wranglers, who won a defensive struggle behind Neil Reed’s 9-yard touchdown in the extra frame. Basin actually out-gained Pinedale 175-132 but couldn’t punch in a score. Pinedale won the Class B title the next week.
S5/1975 Basin 30 Tongue River 24 2OT: Wyoming’s first overtime game went double, as Basin ended Tongue River’s 18-game winning streak and gave the Eagles their first loss to a Wyoming team in four years. Mike Dellos scored three times for Basin, including both Basin touchdowns in overtime.
Don’t see an overtime game on these lists that you think should be on here? Let me know in the comments below! I was limited in what I could share here by what I could find online. If the game you think deserved more attention isn’t on this list, you’re probably right! I wasn’t able to find details on every single overtime game, unfortunately, and I KNOW there were other OT games that had big stakes and fascinating endings that I just couldn’t find anything about. Also, I didn’t want to touch on EVERY overtime game, which by their nature are thrilling. All 283 games could have made this list. Which one was YOUR most memorable?
Will Snake River ever lose again? Yes, but maybe not this year. The Rattlers enter 2023 on a 21-game winning streak and have had undefeated seasons in three of the past four years. The run has been dominant: Dubois was the only six-man team to stay within 45 points of Snake River last year. When a team starts that far ahead of the pack, it doesn’t really matter how many players graduate — they start at the top of the list.
Can anyone hang with the Rattlers this year? Yep, and Snake River won’t need to look outside its conference for some of its biggest competition. Two South Conference rivals, Encampment and Dubois, return the individual firepower to make six-man waves this fall. Meanwhile, North foe Burlington, last year’s title-game victim, continues to display the kind of depth that makes most other teams envious. Any of the top four could take it all; after that, the gap widens pretty fast.
So who’s coming out of the North then? Burlington, and can we put a pin in the rest of that? The Huskies has the early edge in the North as the team that played in War Memorial Stadium to end last season and as the team that returns the bulk of the experience. However, four of the other five teams in the North — Meeteetse, Kaycee, Hulett and Midwest — all appear to be on more or less equal footing entering 2023. The chase for the North’s four playoff spots could be one of the most exciting playoff races in the state this fall.
Will six-man’s newest team be a contender? Possibly. Casper Christian played a hodgepodge of six-man games last year against a few other varsity squads as well as Natrona’s freshmen and sophomores, finishing 1-6 but going 0-4 against the other six-man teams in the classification. This year, though, the Mountaineers return every player from last year’s team, and they have an added motivation by being playoff-eligible members of the South Conference this fall, a benefit they didn’t have last year.
Preseason class MVP
Wyatt Trembly, Dubois. Class 1A six-man’s co-offensive player of the year in 2022 should be even better as a senior — and that’s as much expectation as it is praise. Trembly’s 2022 was incomparable in six-man ranks, as his 2,502 rushing yards set a state six-man record. The expectation that 2023 could be even better, stats-wise, comes in part because of Dubois’ significant losses to graduation and the Rams’ necessity to rely on six-man’s best player even more.
Preseason class breakout player
Ethan Salzman, Meeteetse. Salzman has done double duty the past couple years, playing a season of golf with Cody’s team before joining the Longhorns for the back half of the football season. However, as a senior this year, Salzman is dedicating the fall to football alone. That stability could boost the young Longhorns to success.
Other players to watch
Quade Jordan, Encampment. As the Tiger program leaves its honeymoon stage as six-man’s newest team, Jordan’s play will be a huge reason why Encampment will be looked at as a part of a consistently successful developing program and not just a fortunate interloper. Already a two-time all-state selection, Jordan broke 1,000 yards rushing (1,084) and also had 70 tackles on defense, including 14 for loss, last season.
Joseph Pina, Meeteetse.The Longhorns’ only returning all-state player did it all last year to earn his second all-state nod. He led Meeteetse in rushing, receiving and tackles. He was a four-digit back, carrying for 1,234 yards, and a triple-digit tackler with 122. The Longhorns will be thin, but they’ll be competitive thanks to Pina.
Seth Maxson and Isaiah Skalberg, Snake River. Snake River’s recent run of dominance could continue if Maxson and Skalberg continues their successful runs. Maxson led the Rattlers in tackles and defensive points, while Skalberg was a solid pass-catcher and one of Snake’s best defensive players, as well.
Vaun Pierson, Kaycee. When you lead your team in both rushing yards and tackles, you have to be doing something right. The Buckaroos’ lone returning all-state selection, Pierson ran for 991 yards last season — while averaging 9.6 yards per carry — and led the Kaycee defense with 109 total tackles, including 15.5 for loss. He may be asked to do even more this year.
Four (OK, five) key games
Hulett at Burlington; Kaycee at Meeteetse, Sept. 8. With an unpredictable North Conference race, the opening weekend of conference play will be absolutely crucial. The Northwest teams draw home field this year, and the winners will take a temporary edge in a playoff race that could be decided by the thinnest of margins.
Dubois at Snake River, Sept. 9. The West Conference title eventually has to go through Baggs and the two-time defending champs. And what better way for a Ram team with exceptional talent but no berth in the championship game since 2014 to make a statement than right here against the Rattlers? The conference opener could be the conference decider.
Encampment at Snake River, Oct. 7. The Rattlers draw a bit of luck this year by having their two toughest opponents, on paper, come to Baggs for their games. That said, the Tigers would love to beat their Carbon County rivals — something they did in 2020 but haven’t done in four tries since — and help prove that 2023 is their year.
Burlington at Dubois, Oct. 21. This is about as big as a nonconference game can get in six-man. Last year’s regular-season game was close — Dubois won 60-52 — but the Huskies took their revenge and won by 49 in the playoff semifinals two weeks later. How will both teams respond to that history? And how crazy of a season will each team have seen before this game in Week 8?
Predicted order of finish
North Conference: Burlington; Meeteetse; Kaycee; Midwest; Hulett; Ten Sleep.
South Conference: Snake River; Encampment; Dubois; Farson; Casper Christian; Hanna.
Snake River 49, Burlington 33. The old cliche about having to beat the best to be the best is kind of lame, but I think it applies this year in six-man. With no one team emerging as a direct threat to the Rattlers, the two-time defending champs are the ones to look out for until some other team shows otherwise.
Which team has what it takes to de-fang the Rattlers’ title hopes? Leave a comment, or drop a line on Twitter or Facebook.
That’s how long this site, at least in its earliest iterations, has been online.
I first posted the framework for what would become wyoming-football.com online in early 2005 and officially moved it to this URL in mid-2006.
I was just over 23 years old when I started the site. I’m now 41. And my life has changed in significant ways in the past 18 years.
When I started, wyoming-football.com was a repository of historical information. It still is, but it’s grown into much more than that.
The problem with growth is that it requires time and energy.
At 41, I no longer have the time or the energy to run the site as I have the past several years. After some serious thinking, I have decided to return wyoming-football.com to its roots as a repository.
Don’t worry: The site will stay. What will change is how much time and energy goes into doing live work on social media and on the site in real time on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays during the season.
Two big changes are forthcoming this fall.
First: Live updates to the site will end. Instead, the season’s scoreboard page and standings will be updated once a week, probably each Sunday during the season. Team pages will no longer be updated weekly with results. Meanwhile, one big bulk update will continue to come at the end of each season for updates to team pages, similar to what I do with champlists.com and wyoming-basketball.com.
Second: Social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook will stay, but I will not use them for live score updates during the season.
Other activity you see on the site right now will continue, albeit some things may change slightly.
On The HQ — the blog where you’re reading this right now — weekly blog posts with picks will continue during the season. I will also likely post less frequently, although hopefully more thoughtfully, during the offseason, and I will stop doing individual posts for each coaching change that takes place during the offseason.
A HUGE thank you to those of you who were willing to support me over the past 13 years when I asked for the financial support necessary to maintain this site, whether through a book purchase, a page sponsorship or a Ko-fi donation. And another huge thanks to those who have helped support the site with your time and energy researching — and sharing — details about the sport and state we all love. Page sponsorships will continue as long as the sponsors are willing.
That said, I have other things I also want to do with my life, and for the first time in 18 years, I feel ready to devote my time and energy to those things, too — at least on Thursday and Friday nights and Saturday afternoons in the fall.
It’s time to choose the annual summertime team that has become a staple of discussion in, well… my house, at least: Wyoming’s top returning high school players, as chosen by uniform number.
You’re probably reading this part last, if you read it at all. You’ve already jumped to the list by now, looking up the number of your favorite player to see if they were ignored. And I know, I know, I know… You think I “left someone off.” Trust me when I say no one was left off; every returning player was considered. And the decisions were TOUGH, just like they always are. Certain numbers are tough to choose because of an overload of returning talent; in particular this year were Nos. 1 and 8.
In the end, I had to make choices, because that’s what this exercise is really about. And how do you compare? I’ll simply say the process is different for every single number, in part because the players wearing each number bring different skills, and stats, to the discussion.
That doesn’t mean that players not on this list aren’t worthy of attention. There are returning all-state players who couldn’t crack this list, but players with single-digit defensive points last year who did. But that’s the beauty of a list like this. It narrows down your competition by 99%.
And if I’m a freshman this year, and No. 38 is available… I’m claiming that jersey like it’s worth its weight in gold.
(If you want to see how these teams have come together in the past, here are links to the 2022, 2021, 2020, and 2019 preseason teams.)
My annual disclaimer: I can’t guarantee that the numbers players wore last year will be worn again by them this year. I can’t even guarantee that they’ll go out, or that they haven’t moved since the end of last year. I used last year’s stat listings and rosters posted online to determine what jersey number players wore; if your team didn’t compile stats or didn’t post a roster, I didn’t (moreover, couldn’t) include those players. Also, at least two of these players wore more than one number last year; they’re noted with asterisks.
Four Wyoming players helped Team USA to an 84-16 victory against Team Canada in the 25th annual CanAm Bowl six-man all-star game on Saturday in Hanna, Alberta, Canada.
Former Farson assistant coach Scott Reed, a Team USA coach, said the four Wyoming players — Kannadis Peroulis, Hadley Myers and David Hernandez from Snake River and Clayton Rux from Dubois — all had a hand in the victory.
Peroulis scored twice and had 237 rushing yards on just four carries. Myers added 106 rushing yards, threw a 21-yard touchdown pass and scored on an 88-yard kick return. Hernandez intercepted a pass and blocked a punt. And Rux played center, despite never playing the position previous to the CanAm Bowl, and was in on every offensive play for Team USA.
The 84 points scored by Team USA on Saturday was a CanAm Bowl team record, Reed said.
Reed said the CanAm Bowl will be played in Wyoming for the first time — and in the United States for just the second time — next year. CanAm Bowl XXVI is slated for July 6 in Meeteetse. The first CanAm Bowl to be played in the United States came in 2021 in Lambert, Montana. This year’s game in Alberta was the only other game in CanAm Bowl history to be played outside Saskatchewan.
Four Wyoming six-man football players will take part in the 25th CanAm Bowl, a six-man all-star game between teams from America and Canada, this week.
Snake River’s Hadley Myers, David Hernandez and Kannadis Peroulis and Dubois’ Clayton Rux will be a part of a group of six-man players from Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska and Texas to play in the game, which will be played Saturday in Hanna, Alberta, Canada.
Team USA has been practicing in Lambert, Montana, since Monday. The team leaves Friday for Alberta.
Former Farson assistant coach Scott Reed and Snake River assistant coach Sam Weeldreyer, along with Thomas Tritz of Oakwood, Texas, will comprise the coaching staff.
Team USA won last year’s game 71-30. The game wasn’t played in 2020 or 2021. Team USA leads the series 19-5.
The NCAA basketball tournament — “March Madness” — is the best sporting event in America. This is simply a fact, not a debate.
That experience is only one small step from being replicated at the high school level in Wyoming.
With only 67 boys teams and 66 girls teams playing high school basketball in Wyoming in 2023, the conditions are almost perfect for what could be the state’s greatest sporting event: a one-classification, single-elimination, all-teams-invited state basketball tournament.
The scheduling for such an event isn’t as crazy as it seems. Over one week, Wyoming’s own version of March Madness could take place across four basketball courts, likely in Casper; between boys and girls, it would be 126 games, plus five “pigtail” games, something that could be accomplished in six days. I broke it down, and the logistics are possible.
And let’s face it: The tournament would be awesome.
Seeding the teams
Each team in the state would be seeded either 1-67 (boys) or 1-66 based on a ranking system, to be determined. For now, we’ll use last season’s Maxpreps ratings for boys and girls, which have their own problems but will suffice as an example of what’s possible.
Scheduling logistics
The first-round games would be Monday and Tuesday, with boys games one day and girls games the other, rotating every other year. With 32 games to be played, eight games apiece could be played at the Ford Wyoming Center, Casper College, Natrona County and Kelly Walsh using a schedule similar to the first-day schedule already in use by the WHSAA — 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (The last four games are an hour earlier than the current schedule, just to keep things rolling.)
Pigtail games, or “first four” games, could be played on Monday/Tuesday morning in nearby gyms, such as Glenrock or Midwest, or at one of the middle-school gyms in Casper such as Centennial, Dean Morgan or CY, which are all capable of hosting a small high-school game. The schedule would be set so that pigtail winners would play in the late time slots on Monday/Tuesday night.
The second-round games would come on Wednesday, with another 32 games (16 boys, 16 girls) to be played at the four main sites, with sites rotating every year between boys and girls.
Thursday brings third-round games, or the Sweet 16 round. With only 16 games to be played, eight games apiece could be staged at the Ford Wyoming Center and Casper College, with boys and girls rotating sites annually.
Friday is the fourth round, the Elite Eight, with four games apiece between boys and girls to be played that afternoon and evening at the FWC and CC.
Saturday brings us the Final Four and championship rounds, all at the FWC, with semifinal games at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. … and championships at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Just like the NCAA Tournament, there would be no consolation rounds. When you lose, you’re done.
Here’s what the 2023 brackets would look like for boys and girls using the Maxpreps rankings at the end of the season, boys first:
Then girls:
Benefits
With a one-class, single-elimination tournament, the need for regional tournaments is eliminated. Without a need to qualify for state, the qualifying tournament can go away.
The “time out of school” argument also loses a bit of sway here, too. With regional tournaments, every team in the state — more or less — is already missing two days of class, and those who qualify for state are missing two more. In the proposed all-comers state tournament, since more than half the teams leave after the first round/pigtails, most teams would only need one day out of class to participate. Additionally, teams that play in the Monday round could potentially return to school and have class on Tuesday, and then return to the tournament for continued play on Wednesday. Three-quarters of teams would be back in class by Thursday morning.
Also, with classifications eliminated for state, regular-season scheduling could take on a whole new dynamic. Teams would no longer be required to schedule certain conference teams and could instead focus on a regionalized schedule that reduces travel or a more challenging schedule with more challenging teams to prepare for the rigors of the state tournament — or to boost that power ranking for a better seed.
And upsets! The potential for upsets and Cinderella runs is heightened in a single-elimination, all-class affair.
Are you serious?
I’m only half-joking when I suggest this. Wyoming’s setup now is absolutely fine and in line with what other states do to crown state basketball champions.
But there’s something inside me that thinks it’d be a lot of fun to watch every team battle it out across a week in Casper.
Forget the NCAAs. This would easily replace it as the must-watch sporting event of the year.
Boone Bowker, who has previously been an assistant coach with Thermopolis, will be the Bobcats’ new head football coach this fall.
Bowker confirmed his hiring via email this week with wyoming-football.com. Bowker said the hiring was finalized in April.
Bowker works at the school as a physical education teacher. A native of Big Piney, Bowker played football collegiately at Black Hills State. He was also the head football coach at Gordon-Rushville in Nebraska for three seasons, from the fall of 2018 to the fall of 2020.
He replaces Matt McPhie, who had coached the Bobcats for the previous seven seasons. Thermopolis was 20-40 over that span and had one playoff victory, in 2019.
There have been 106 total cases in Wyoming’s high school football history where players with the same names ended up as all-state selections. Most were coincidence — not everyone has a unique name. Some were father-son senior/junior situations. And some were just plain weird.
In four cases, players with the same name made the all-state team in the same year for different teams:
Clay Cundall: Made the all-state teams for both Greybull and Guernsey-Sunrise in 2009.
Shawn Kelley: Made the all-state teams for both Cody and Dubois in 1994.
Mike Williams: Made the all-state teams for both Natrona and Kemmerer in 1971.
Phil Martin: Made the all-state teams for both Buffalo and Lingle in 1970.
An honorable mention here goes to the two Larry Sessions from 1960; Moorcroft Larry was an all-state honorable mention in Class B eight-man in 1959 as an underclassman and was all-conference in 1960. Byron Larry was an all-state selection in B 11-man in both 1960 and 1961.
Meanwhile, the most common name for an all-state football player in Wyoming is Mike Johnson; mentioning “Mike Johnson” always has to come with the caveat of “Which one?” Some of the more common names for all-state selections:
Mike Johnson: Six Mike Johnsons have been all-state: The Byron one (1964), the Thermopolis one (1969-70), the Bow-Basin one (1976), the second Thermopolis one (1978), the Southeast one (1979-80) and the Wheatland one (1997-98).
Bob Johnson: Four Bob Johnsons have been all-state: The Natrona one (1954), the Rock Springs one (1959), the Huntley one (1965) and the Wheatland one (1973). There was also a Rob Johnson (Tongue River 2005-07).
Bob Wilson: Four Bob Wilsons have been all-state: The Sheridan one (1952), the Big Piney one (1958-59), the Glenrock one (1965) and the second Big Piney one (1979).
Jim Anderson: Four Jim Andersons have been all-state: The Douglas one (1960), the Natrona one (1967), the Cheyenne East one (1973) and the Laramie one (1979).
Bill Miller: Three Bill Millers have been all-state: The Cheyenne Central one (1958), the Cowley one (1965) and the Campbell County one (2003). There was also a Will Miller (Campbell County, 2020-21).
Don Anderson: Three Don Andersons have been all-state: The Cody one (1946), the Greybull one (1961-62) and the Ten Sleep one (1988).
Don Miller: Three Don Millers have been all-state: The Natrona one (1935), the Cheyenne Central one (1954) and the Burlington one (1987).
Mike Smith: Three Mike Smiths have been all-state: The Kemmerer one (1973), the Rawlins one (1974-75) and the Ten Sleep one (1983-84).
Mike Thompson: Three Mike Thompsons have been all-state: The Cody one (1982-83), the Cheyenne Central one (1988) and the second Cody one (2007).
Note that these lists don’t account for all possible first name variants such as Bob/Robert, Mike/Michael, etc. But it’s a pretty close approximation.
You can explore the all-state listings for yourself using the new searchable and sortable all-state database, which includes all selections from 1920 to 2022, minus the three all-state teams that have yet to be found (1926 all-class, 1932 all-class and 1994 1A nine-man).
