Wright resigns as Saratoga’s head football coach

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Saratoga head football coach Logan Wright has resigned leading the Panthers but plans to stay in Saratoga.

Wright confirmed his resignation Monday via Twitter message to wyoming-football.com.

The Panthers went 18-20 over the past five years with Wright as head coach, including two years in six-man and three in Class 1A nine-man. Saratoga has gone 3-5 in each of the past three seasons in nine-man.

“I have so many great memories here as the football coach and am excited to see the program continue to grow and find success in the future,” Wright wrote.

Wright, a physical education and health teacher, will stay in Saratoga. Wright said he wanted to “focus on my young and growing family. Coaching is still in my future, but not at this time.”

Statewide, Campbell County, Rock Springs, Evanston, Lander, Glenrock and Guernsey are also searching for a head coach for next season. Meanwhile, Green River and Riverton have hired a new head coach for the 2023 season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Rosters announced for 2023 Wyoming Shrine Bowl

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The rosters for the 2023 Wyoming Shrine Bowl all-star football game were announced Thursday by Frank Selby, the Shrine Bowl’s executive chairman.

Rosters include:

SOUTH
BIG PINEY: Thomas Howard.
BURNS: Cody Hape, Cooper Lakin.
CHEYENNE CENTRAL: Keagan Bartlett, Auggie Lain, Richard Prescott.
CHEYENNE EAST: Ethan Brinkman, Trevor Eldridge, Dominic Kaszas, Garet Schlabs.
CHEYENNE SOUTH: Robert Campbell, Isaiah Hernandez.
COKEVILLE: Jesus Bencomo, Landon Walker.
DOUGLAS: Jackson Hughes; Luke Skeen.
EVANSTON: Braxton Bauer, Carson Van Gieson.
GLENROCK: Rylan Bloem.
GREEN RIVER: Kyler Bartlett, Tanner Moseley.
LARAMIE: Adrien Calderon, Christopher Gonzales.
LYMAN: McKoy Smith.
MOUNTAIN VIEW: Braden Walker.
PINE BLUFFS: Diego Paniagua; Dalton Schaefer.
ROCK SPRINGS: Carter McBurnett.
SNAKE RIVER: Hadley Myers, Kannadis Peroulis.
SOUTHEAST: Wyatt Campbell.
STAR VALLEY: Derek Astle, Brandon Beck, Jacob Hodges, Taft McClure, Chase Stewart.
Student manager: Kylee Erickson, Star Valley.
Student trainer: Quincie Moser, Cheyenne East.
Coaching staff: McKay Young, Star Valley (head coach); Jesse Blunn, Cheyenne East; Cody Peacock, Lyman; Ballard Johnson and Tyrel Clove, Star Valley; Brian Anderson, Pine Bluffs; Jack Cobb, Snake River.
Trainer: TL Espinoza, Cheyenne East.

NORTH
BIG HORN: Wyatt Brown, Cooper Garber, Dylan Greenough-Groom.
BUFFALO: Blake Bell, Michael Ihnat.
CAMPBELL COUNTY: Jeffrey Pelton.
CODY: Remy Broussard, Jace Grant, Matt Nelson, Luke Talich.
HULETT: Hunter Reilly.
KELLY WALSH: Erich Hulshizer, Chris Pickering.
LANDER: Gabe Harris, Matisse Weaver.
LOVELL: Benjamin Nichols, Preston Nichols, Connor Strom.
NATRONA: Cody Crawford, Breckin McClintock, Kayden Pharr, Wyatt Powell.
NEWCASTLE: Holden McConkey.
RIVERTON: Braden Vincent.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN: Nate Minemyer.
SHERIDAN: Dillan Bennett, Colson Coon, Deed Kirschner, Casen Wilson.
SHOSHONI: Pehton Truempler.
THUNDER BASIN: Kayden LaFramboise, Logan Loftus, Jayden Luciano.
TONGUE RIVER: Tavis Aksamit.
WORLAND: Brock Douzenis, Kade Weber.
Student manager: Hannah Zent, Big Horn.
Student trainer: Olivia Ballew, Sheridan.
Coaching staff: Kirk McLaughlin, Big Horn (head coach); Colter Brantz and Andrew Marcure, Big Horn; Boz Backen, Hulett; Richard Despain, Rocky Mountain; Jim Talich, Cody; Aaron Papich, Kelly Walsh.
Trainer: Christian Galindo, Thunder Basin.

The game will be June 10 at Casper’s Harry Geldien Stadium, home of Kelly Walsh. It raises money for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Salt Lake City.

Selby also extended an invitation to all former Shrine Bowl alumni — including coaches, players, trainers, officials and more — to help celebrate the Shrine Bowl’s 50th anniversary. Former participants can email wyshrinebowlalumni@gmail.com for more information.

The North leads the all-time series 26-19-3. The game was not played in 2020.

–patrick

Updated 6:10 p.m. March 24 to add Skeen and Paniagua, who were left off the initial list of players sent out.

Six-man all-star game players chosen for Wyoming

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The 2023 Wyoming-Nebraska six-man all-star football game roster is set for Team Wyoming.

Wyoming all-stars head coach Jack Cobb of Snake River, the defending 1A six-man champion, shared the roster via email Thursday.

The roster is dominated by two teams, with players from runner-up Burlington nabbing five spots and Snake River grabbing four more. Dubois, Encampment, Farson, Hanna and Hulett also have players on the team.

The team includes:

BURLINGTON: Carson Jones, Noah McMakin, Pablo Mendez, Cohen Schlenker, Seth Wardell.
DUBOIS: Kaden Chamley, Ryan Wells, Clayton Rux.
ENCAMPMENT: Briston Sifford, Ben Wagy.
FARSON: Matthew Smith, Simeon Stotts.
HANNA: Tom Wagner.
HULETT: Hunter Reilly.
SNAKE RIVER: Wade Corson, David Hernandez, Hadley Myers, Kannadis Peroulis.

Coaches for team Wyoming include Cobb; Trent Aagard of Burlington; Kegan Willford of Encampment; and Sam Weeldreyer and Kyle Jeffres of Snake River.

The game will be played at 7 p.m. June 2 in Chadron, Nebraska. Wyoming leads the all-time series 6-5 and won last year’s game 68-44.

–patrick

Post updated 3:47 p.m. March 23 to include coaches.

Green River names alumnus as its new head coach

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Green River native Blaine Christensen will be the next head coach at his alma mater.

Christensen’s hiring was first reported Thursday by SweetwaterNow.

He comes to Green River after four years as an assistant coach at nearby Rock Springs. In a statement published on SweetwaterNow, Christensen said the opportunities provided by coaching in Green River were hard to pass up.

“As a graduate of Green River High School I know and understand the tradition and pride the community of Green River has,” he wrote. “The ultimate goal is to make sure that anyone involved with the program becomes better husbands, fathers, and employees. Along with making them better people we are also going to compete day in and day out to put a product on the field the community of Green River can be proud of.”

Christensen was an all-state choice for Green River in 2012 and later played at Black Hills State. He is the son of former Rock Springs head coach Jamie Christensen, who led the Tigers to back-to-back state championships in 2001 and 2002.

He takes over for Kevin Cuthbertson, who resigned in November. The Wolves last made the Class 3A playoffs in 2017.

Statewide, Campbell County, Rock Springs, Evanston, Lander, Glenrock and Guernsey are also searching for a head coach for next season. Meanwhile, Riverton has hired a new head coach for the 2023 season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Champlists winter blitz: Firsts for wrestling, indoor track, dynasties for swimming, skiing highlight state events

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Here’s a quick overview of the 2023 winter high school sports seasons in Wyoming, aside from basketball, as updated to champlists.com:

Boys wrestling: Sheridan won its second team title in program history in taking Class 4A’s top honors, while Kemmerer won its second team title — and its second in a row — in winning 2A. Meanwhile, Green River won its 18th team title in winning 3A. Douglas’ Lane Ewing, the Class 3A champ at 160 pounds, became Wyoming’s 27th four-time individual champion. Each team champion finished with three individual first-place finishers. Individual championships from Dane Steel (152), Kelten Crow (160) and Colson Coon (182) paced Sheridan to the 4A title. Green River’s 3A winners came from Lucas Todd (106), Kale Knezovich (138) and Thomas Dalton (145). Kemmerer got individual titles from Roany Proffit (126), Karl Haslem (132) and Riggen Walker (152).

Girls wrestling: Wyoming’s first girls state wrestling meet was a one-class affair, won by Star Valley. The Braves only had one individual champion — Veil Foreman at 135 — but had enough depth to win. Pinedale finished second. Wind River, with Molly Bornhoft at 105 and AnnaBeth Bornhoft at 115, was the only school to have more than one individual champion.

Boys swimming: The two biggest swimming dynasties in Wyoming continued unabated. The Lander boys won their 27th consecutive 3A swimming championship, while Laramie won its sixth straight championship in 4A. Lander won its 30th title in school history, while Laramie won its 26th, ranking 1-2 in state history. Cheyenne Central’s Ethan Merrell joined a list of just 30 boys swimmers in state history, and just the second from Central, to become a six-time individual champion, winning the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke for the third time each.

Indoor track: For the first time, indoor track teams were split into Class 4A and Class 3A divisions. Cody swept the first set of 3A team titles, while Natrona’s boys and Sheridan’s girls won 4A team titles. Natrona’s boys set a state meet record with 198.5 team points. Cheyenne East’s Taliah Morris set a new standard in the girls long jump at 19 feet, 2 inches, while Pinedale’s Colby Jenks set a new all-class record in the boys 800 (1:53.92). The Cheyenne Central girls also set a state record in the 1600 medley relay at 4:14.11.

Alpine skiing: Jackson swept the boys and girls alpine skiing titles for the 12th consecutive year, with the Jackson girls winning their 14th straight title. Jackson also swept the individual titles, with Taylor Smith sweeping the girls’ races and Owen Janssen (slalom) and Travis D’Amours (giant slalom) splitting the boys’ individual titles.

Nordic skiing: Lander’s girls ended Jackson’s streak of consecutive state championships at 11 and won their first state title since 2010. The Jackson boys, meanwhile, won their fifth straight title and their 13th title in 14 years. Natrona’s Ally Wheeler won both individual girls races, while Lander’s Bennett Hutchison (freestyle) and Jackson’s Sam Sinclair (classic) won the boys individual titles.

Basketball updates are also available on wyoming-basketball.com, as the full 2023 season has been posted.

As always, if you see anything that looks weird or incorrect, please let me know! I’m at pschmiedt@yahoo.com, or just leave a comment here on the blog.

–patrick

Two Wyoming schools look for new head coaches

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Both Glenrock and Guernsey-Sunrise will be in search of new head football coaches this year.

For the fourth time in four years in 2023, Glenrock’s football team will have a new head coach.

Longtime assistant Carl Federer, who took over the team as head coach in 2022, will not return to the position, co-activities director Sharon Tietema confirmed to wyoming-football.com via email Sunday.

The coaching position is listed as accepting applicants on the Converse County School District No. 2 website. Tietema said application review will begin at the end of April.

The Herders went 1-7 last year and did not make the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Previous head coaches recently for Glenrock have included Paul Downing in 2021 and Ryan Collier in 2019-20.

Meanwhile, after seven years as the head football coach at Guernsey-Sunrise, Curtis Cook has resigned.

In an email to wyoming-football.com, Cook said he will stay in Guernsey and continue to coach basketball — Cook took over as the girls head coach for the Vikings this year. Cook said he made the change to spend more time with his family.

Cook finished 24-37 with the Vikings, including five playoff appearances in seven seasons. The Vikings made the transition from Class 1A six-man to Class 1A nine-man last year but finished 0-8, being outscored 529-32.

Statewide, Campbell County, Rock Springs, Evanston, Green River and Lander are also searching for a head coach for next season. Meanwhile, Riverton has hired a new head coach for the 2023 season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Repeat matchups in championship games

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A couple weekends ago, both the Class 1A girls and Class 2A boys championship games produced something interesting — the same two teams who reached those games in 2022 also made it in 2023.

In the case of the 1A girls, Upton avenged last year’s loss to Southeast and won its first girls basketball championship. In 2A boys, Pine Bluffs won its second straight, beating Big Horn for the second year in a row (both times by exactly 11 points, oddly enough).

Those games got me thinking about all the times we’ve seen the same two schools go against each other in back-to-back years in a state championship game, no matter the sport.

Across the WHSAA team game sports (basketball, soccer, volleyball, football and softball), the same two teams have played each other in consecutive years in the championship game 116 times. The defending champ has won 66 of those, or 57%.

  • In basketball, the defending champ has won 21 times in 41 matchups.
  • In soccer, the defending champ has won 13 times in 22 matchups.
  • In volleyball, the defending champ has won 14 times in 25 matchups.
  • And in football, the defending champ has won 18 times in 28 matchups.

Four times, two teams have played each other in their respective championship games four years in a row. It’s happened twice in volleyball: From 1996-99, Cokeville beat Burlington four straight times in the Class 1A volleyball championship, and from 2003-06, Star Valley and Wheatland played four times in the Class 3A volleyball championship, with Star Valley winning three and Wheatland one.

It also happened once in football and once in boys soccer. From 1953-56, Worland defeated Torrington four consecutive times in the Class A football championship; from 2008-11, Cody and Buffalo played four times in the Class 3A boys soccer championship, with Cody taking three of those four.

Another eight times have produced three-peat championship matchups: University Prep and St. Stephens in Class B boys basketball from 1959-61; Lovell and Wyoming Indian in 2A boys basketball from 1984-86; Natrona and Campbell County in 4A girls basketball from 1999-2001; Douglas and Lyman in 3A girls basketball from 2019-22 (no tournament in 2020); Laramie and Campbell County in 4A girls soccer from 2009-11; Natrona and East in 4A girls soccer from 1987-89; Natrona and Sheridan in 4A football from 1936-38 and again from 2016-18.

Here is a list of all the times we’ve seen repeat championship game pairings:

Basketball (21 repeats, 20 changes)
4A boys (2 repeats, 5 changes)
2003: Sheridan 62, Campbell County 61
2002: Campbell County 76, Sheridan 49

1993: Campbell County 72, East 69, OT
1992: Campbell County 57, East 56 OT

1973: Rock Springs 57, Central 54
1972: Rock Springs 89, Central 80

1960: Rock Springs 59, Sheridan 47
1959: Sheridan 52, Rock Springs 46

1956: Central 48, Natrona 46
1955: Natrona 67, Central 45

1946: Natrona 47, Central 32
1945: Central 45, Natrona 39

1928: Rock Springs 35, Central 30
1927: Central 21, Rock Springs 9

3A boys (1 repeat, 2 changes)
2004: Thermopolis 70, Kemmerer 61, OT
2003: Thermopolis 66, Kemmerer 60

2002: Douglas 43, Star Valley 41
2001: Star Valley 69, Douglas 63

1972: Buffalo 66, Green River 57
1971: Green River 74, Buffalo 67

2A boys (5 repeats, 2 changes)
2023: Pine Bluffs 49, Big Horn 38
2022: Pine Bluffs 52, Big Horn 41

2003: Lovell 63, Lusk 50
2002: Lovell 78, Lusk 71, OT

1986: Lovell 66, Wyoming Indian 54
1985: Wyoming Indian 74, Lovell 67
1984: Wyoming Indian 90, Lovell 64

1961: University Prep 48, St. Stephens 18
1960: St. Stephens 71, University Prep 55
1959: St. Stephens 56, University Prep 50

1950: Byron 31, Cowley 27
1949: Byron 32, Cowley 24

1A boys (2 repeats, 1 change)
2007: St. Stephens 52, Burlington 46
2006: Burlington 49, St. Stephens 47

1960: LaGrange 54, Carpenter 48
1959: LaGrange 57, Carpenter 56

1956: Veteran 68, LaGrange 45
1955: Veteran 68, LaGrange 50

4A girls (5 repeats, 2 changes)
2022: East 51, Cody 41
2021: East 52, Cody 37

2018: Campbell County 65, East 41
2017: East 53, Campbell County 50

2001: Campbell County 63, Natrona 57
2000: Natrona 87, Campbell County 84, 2OT
1999: Natrona 76, Campbell County 61

1997: Campbell County 88, Green River 68
1996: Campbell County 76, Green River 53

1986: Sheridan 29, Rawlins 26
1985: Sheridan 33, Rawlins 28

1980: Rock Springs 48, Sheridan 46
1979: Rock Springs 59, Sheridan 51

3A girls (5 repeats, 3 changes)
2022: Douglas 45, Lyman 37
2021: Douglas 51, Lyman 11
(no tournament 2020)
2019: Douglas 56, Lyman 41

2017: Star Valley 44, Worland 43
2016: Worland 44, Star Valley 35

2010: Jackson 49, Powell 42, 2OT
2009: Jackson 43, Powell 29

2003: Thermopolis 48, Star Valley 42
2002: Thermopolis 46, Star Valley 43

1998: Mountain View 48, Douglas 46
1997: Douglas 68, Mountain View 51

1989: Star Valley 50, Powell 43
1988: Star Valley 46, Powell 45

1984: Douglas 61, Wheatland 51
1983: Wheatland 56, Douglas 51

2A girls (1 repeat, 1 change)
2008: Big Horn 47, Tongue River 32
2007: Tongue River 49, Big Horn 43, OT

2006: Tongue River 55, Lovell 51
2005: Tongue River 64, Lovell 39

1A girls (0 repeats, 4 changes)
2023: Upton 59, Southeast 54
2022: Southeast 58, Upton 53, OT

2014: Lingle 60, Cokeville 48
2013: Cokeville 59, Lingle 55

1983: Manderson 54, Snake River 51
1982: Snake River 62, Manderson 50

1979: Byron 60, Snake River 57
1978: Snake River 51, Byron 32

Soccer (13 repeats, 9 changes)
4A boys (4 repeats, 2 changes)
2021: Jackson 2, Thunder Basin 1, OT
(no tournament 2020)
2019: Jackson 1, Thunder Basin 0

2014: Laramie 2, Campbell County 0
2013: Laramie 2, Campbell County 1

2011: Sheridan 2, Laramie 1
2010: Laramie 2, Sheridan 0

2003: Kelly Walsh 1, East 0
2002: Kelly Walsh 1, East 0

1999: Central 1, Kelly Walsh 0
1998: Kelly Walsh 2, Central 0

1989: East 1, Natrona 0 (SO)
1988: East 1, Natrona 0

3A boys (2 repeats, 2 changes)
2021: Worland 1, Powell 0
(no tournament 2020)
2019: Worland 2, Powell 0

2011: Cody 2, Buffalo 1
2010: Buffalo 1, Cody 0
2009: Cody 5, Buffalo 1
2008: Cody 2, Buffalo 1

4A girls (5 repeats, 5 changes)
2022: Thunder Basin 2, Rock Springs 0
2021: Rock Springs 2, Thunder Basin 0

2019: Thunder Basin 2, Central 1 (SO)
2018: Central 2, Thunder Basin 0

2017: Campbell County 4, Laramie 1
2016: Laramie 4, Campbell County 2

2015: East 1, Sheridan 0
2014: East 6, Sheridan 1

2011: Campbell County 2, Laramie 1 (SO)
2010: Laramie 2, Campbell County 0
2009: Laramie 1, Campbell County 0

2002: East 2, Campbell County 1 (SO)
2001: East 2, Campbell County 0

1991: Natrona 2, Sheridan 0
1990: Natrona 4, Sheridan 1

1989: Natrona 2, East 0
1988: East 3, Natrona 0
1987: East 5, Natrona 2

3A girls (2 repeats, 0 changes)
2018: Cody 2, Worland 0
2017: Cody 2, Worland 1

2010: Jackson 1, Buffalo 0 (SO)
2009: Jackson 2, Buffalo 0

Volleyball (14 repeats, 11 changes)
4A girls (3 repeats, 3 changes)
2021: Laramie 3, Kelly Walsh 0
2020: Laramie 3, Kelly Walsh 1

2017: Kelly Walsh 3, East 1
2016: East 3, Kelly Walsh 0

2008: Kelly Walsh 3, Natrona 1
2007: Natrona 3, Kelly Walsh 1

2004: East 3, Kelly Walsh 1
2003: East 3, Kelly Walsh 1

2002: Kelly Walsh 2, Riverton 0
2001: Kelly Walsh 2, Riverton 1

1976: Natrona 2, East 0
1975: East 2, Natrona 1

3A girls (2 repeats, 3 changes)
2022: Mountain View 3, Lyman 2
2021: Lyman 3, Mountain View 2

2006: Wheatland 3, Star Valley 0
2005: Star Valley 3, Wheatland 0
2004: Star Valley 3, Wheatland 1
2003: Star Valley 3, Wheatland 1

1981: Wheatland 2, Star Valley 0
1980: Star Valley 2, Wheatland 1

2A girls (2 repeats, 1 change)
2017: Sundance 3, Wright 0
2016: Wright 3, Sundance 0

2008: Big Horn 3, Mountain View 0
2007: Big Horn 3, Mountain View 0

1981: Pine Bluffs 2, Saratoga 0
1980: Pine Bluffs 2, Saratoga 1

1A girls (7 repeats, 4 changes)
2013: Cokeville 3, Lingle 2
2012: Cokeville 3, Lingle 0

2011: Cokeville 3, Kaycee 0
2010: Kaycee 3, Cokeville 2

2009: Burlington 3, Cokeville 2
2008: Cokeville 3, Burlington 1

2003: Snake River 3, Burlington 1
2002: Burlington 2, Snake River 1

2001: Cokeville 2, Snake River 1
2000: Cokeville 2, Snake River 1

1999: Cokeville 2, Burlington 1
1998: Cokeville 2, Burlington 0
1997: Cokeville 2, Burlington 1
1996: Cokeville 2, Burlington 1

1994: Burlington 2, Cokeville 0
1993: Cokeville 2, Burlington 0

1992: Cokeville 2, Pine Bluffs 1
1991: Cokeville 2, Pine Bluffs 0

1987: Cokeville 2, Ten Sleep 0
1986: Cokeville 2, Ten Sleep 0

Football (18 repeats, 10 changes)
4A (5 repeats, 4 changes)
2018: Natrona 28, Sheridan 14
2017: Sheridan 28, Natrona 14
2016: Sheridan 56, Natrona 28

2002: Rock Springs 36, Campbell County 14
2001: Rock Springs 22, Campbell County 19

1992: Sheridan 27, Campbell County 9
1991: Sheridan 27, Campbell County 8

1981: Kelly Walsh 35, Rock Springs 0
1980: Kelly Walsh 20, Rock Springs 7

1969: Laramie 22, Worland 14
1968: Laramie 48, Worland 0

1938: Sheridan 6, Natrona 0
1937: Natrona 19, Sheridan 0
1936: Sheridan 14, Natrona 0

1935: Rock Springs 19, Sheridan 0
1934: Sheridan 26, Rock Springs 6

3A (6 repeats, 0 changes)
2021: Cody 41, Jackson 24
2020: Cody 34, Jackson 13

2002: Worland 17, Star Valley 14, OT
2001: Worland 6, Star Valley 0

1998: Riverton 9, Star Valley 7
1997: Riverton 23, Star Valley 20

1956: Worland 46, Torrington 12
1955: Worland 16, Torrington 14, OT
1954: Worland 32, Torrington 7
1953: Worland 13, Torrington 7

2A (3 repeats, 4 changes)
2019: Mountain View 24, Buffalo 14
2018: Buffalo 43, Mountain View 18

2014: Mountain View 28, Big Horn 19
2013: Big Horn 47, Mountain View 22

2012: Lyman 22, Lovell 20
2011: Lovell 21, Lyman 13

2008: Glenrock 18, Kemmerer 0
2007: Kemmerer 22, Glenrock 0

2001: Big Piney 24, Mountain View 14
2000: Big Piney 44, Mountain View 28

1991: Thermopolis 6, Lovell 0
1990: Thermopolis 21, Lovell 20, OT

1957: Byron 20, Kemmerer 0
1956: Byron 19, Kemmerer 7

1A (all levels) (4 repeats, 2 changes)
2019: Big Horn 55, Cokeville 7
2018: Big Horn 56, Cokeville 3

2014: Cokeville 26, Lusk 6
2013: Cokeville 13, Lusk 12

2003: Big Horn 29, Lusk 8
2002: Lusk 31, Big Horn 0

1984: Cokeville 12, Midwest 8
1983: Cokeville 20, Midwest 6

2017: Kaycee 55, Farson 30
2016: Kaycee 41, Farson 30

2012: Dubois 54, Snake River 30
2011: Snake River 54, Dubois 33

–patrick

Burns girls basketball team joins extremely small club

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The Burns’ girls recent Class 2A championship, accomplished in a season in which the Broncs finished under .500 with a 14-15 overall record, raised a good question in the Wyoming high school sports trivia circles: How many basketball teams have ever won state with a losing record?

The answer, it appears to be, is two.

The Burns girls join the St. Stephens boys of 2004, who won the Class 1A championship despite an overall record of 11-17, as the only teams to win state with a losing record.

However, this comes with a caveat — the records of four girls championship teams and one boys championship team since 1931 are not yet available.

Those five champions with missing records are:

  • 1967 University Prep boys, Class A champions
  • 1977 Snake River girls, Class C champions
  • 1978 Pine Bluffs girls, Class B champions
  • 1978 Snake River girls, Class C champions
  • 1979 Byron girls, Class C champions

Records prior to 1931 are a bit spotty, as well, as tournaments prior to that year were not yet organized by the Wyoming High School Activities Association, which didn’t come into existence until then.

As always, if you can help me out, please do! Leave a comment on this post or email pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

Of note in this discussion is the Pine Bluffs girls of 1994, who finished 14-7 on their way to a title. A faulty state tournament preview story inadvertently put their record at 10-12 at a couple places on this site. That record was inaccurate. A big thanks to friend of the site “Stat Rat” Jim Craig for double-checking the Hornets’ final record that season.

–patrick

Lenhardt makes jump to Riverton from Rock Springs

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Mark Lenhardt, the coach at Rock Springs for the past four seasons, has become the new head football coach at Riverton.

Lenhardt announced the decision Thursday in a letter that was subsequently reported by SweewaterNow and the Rock Springs Rocket-Miner.

In the letter, Lenhardt thanked the administration, assistant coaches, parents and players.

“I love these players, parents and coaches which have made my life so fulfilling,” Lenhardt wrote, “and hopefully they can take something from our experience together to enhance their lives and future.”

Lenhardt, a Cheyenne native, wrote that the move will help him spend more time with his children, Brandon and Bradie, and open up a career opportunity for his wife, Kim.

“For a large part of Kim’s and my marriage she has had to move where my opportunities existed,” Lenhardt said, “and it is time for her career to become more important and watch her chase her career dreams as well.”

Rock Springs went 22-20 under Lenhardt and reached the Class 4A championship game in 2021. Prior to that, Lenhardt coached at then-Class 3A Torrington, going 46-31 over eight seasons and leading the Trailblazers to two 3A title games in his final two seasons.

Riverton, a Class 3A school for football, has had seven consecutive losing seasons and has missed the playoffs the last two years, winning only one game in both the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Riverton is the first Wyoming program to announce a new head coach for the 2023 season. Statewide, Campbell County, Evanston, Green River and Lander are also searching for a head coach for next season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Campbell County seeks new head coach

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The Campbell County Camels will have a new head football coach in 2023.

The Gillette News-Record reported last week that Andrew Rose, who had been the Camels’ head coach the past four seasons, resigned in November.

The Camels had two winless seasons before Rose, a Campbell County alumnus, took over prior to the 2019 season. The program had steady improvement, going 4-6 each of the past two seasons, but did not notch a playoff victory in that time. The Camels finished a combined 11-28 under Rose the past four years.

Statewide, Evanston, Green River, Lander and Riverton are also searching for a head coach for next season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick