Week 8 picks

by ⋅ 1 Comment

Officially, the playoffs start next week.

But for eight Wyoming teams, the path to the playoffs starts — or ends — with Week 8.

Four games in the final weekend of regular-season play equate to pigtail games for those eight teams, where the winner moves on and the loser moves back in with the parents.

Two of those games — Powell at Lander and Riverton at Wheatland, both scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday — are in Class 3A. Powell and Lander are scrapping for the final playoff bid from the West Conference; Riverton and Wheatland for the last bid from the East.

In 2A, Wright hosts Burns at 7 p.m. Friday for the final playoff spot from the East Conference, while in 1A-11, Hulett makes the journey to Pine Bluffs to play a 4 p.m. Friday game that will decide the last spot out of the East.

Other games are just as critical this Friday, but for most teams, their playoff hopes have already been decided or don’t completely rest on how they play on Friday.

These four games, though, have simpler circumstances. The winner’s in, the loser’s out.

Two of the four games are essentially pigtail games for brackets that have more or less been set. The Powell-Lander winner is the No. 4 seed from the conference and plays at Douglas in the first round, while the winner of the Burns-Wright game is fourth from the East and travels to Kemmerer in the quarterfinals.

The Hulett-Pine Bluffs winner is almost assured of the No. 4 seed out of the East — to go any higher, Lusk has to lose to Upton, which isn’t likely but, given the nature of the sport of football, isn’t impossible. Even so, no one can blame the Red Devils and the Hornets for planning their trip to West top seed Cokeville next week (provided they win on Friday, of course).

The Riverton-Wheatland winner, meanwhile, doesn’t know quite as much. The winner is in the playoffs and will play on the road in the first round, but past that — seeding and location of the game — still depend on other outcomes on Friday.

So who wins these critical games that are more or less pigtails?

Well, both Powell and Lander have suffered their fair share of gut-wrenching losses this year. Both of them deserve a spot, but only one can move on. And even though Lander hasn’t had much success in its home conference games this year, I think the Tigers take the final step they need to take as Bill Bush Stadium karma finally shines on the green and white.

Riverton, meanwhile, has proven it can play with some of the better teams in the state, while Wheatland has just one victory — last week’s triumph over Rawlins. I’ll take the Wolverines on the road.

Both Burns and Wright have proven to be intriguing teams this fall, and with the stakes in this game, this could end up being the best game of the week. I will not be surprised to see either team win this game; I WILL be surprised if it’s by more than a touchdown either way. I’ll give my nod to Burns.

And, finally, Hulett has the chance to do something it has never done before — win below the 43rd parallel. The Red Devils have never won a road game south of that line, which roughly divides Wyoming in half… the closest Hulett has ever come is a 1994 victory over Wyoming Indian. Aside from that, Hulett’s “furthest south” road wins have come against Midwest. OK, geography nerd break aside, I think Hulett has the athleticism it’ll take to slow down the Hornets and create some big plays, which should be enough to keep the northern tier of teams from being shut out of the playoffs in the 1A East. I’ll take Hulett, but not by much.

As always, the playoff race comes to a hilt in the final week of the season — although, by now, it’s mostly for seeding. In all, 16 of the state’s 62 teams have been eliminated from the playoff race, leaving 46 teams alive for 40 playoff spots.

Here are the rest of my picks, as always, in fun, with projected winners in bold:

Thursday
Class 1A 11-man
Dubois at Shoshoni: It’s about time for the Rams to end this losing streak they’re on — and what better time to do that than in the season finale against the county rivals? 7 p.m.
Riverside at Wind River: The Cougars, even despite the loss last week, will still be a huge threat in the playoffs. Rebuilding momentum for that run is the key now. 7 p.m.
Sundance at Normative Services: Sundance was not that far away from being a playoff qualifier, so closing the season with a road victory might be the inspiration for more success next season. 5 p.m.
Interclass
Hanna at Green River frosh/sophs: Hanna had a week off last week, so this will be a good way for the Miners to get back in the swing of things before the six-man playoffs. 6 p.m.

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne East at Laramie: Laramie knows it missed an opportunity last week against Green River. I don’t think the Plainsmen will let another one go. 7 p.m.
Gillette at Green River: This might be one of those games where the Wolves’ defensive troubles can’t be outweighed by their offensive firepower. 7 p.m.
Kelly Walsh at Cheyenne Central: KW will keep it closer than it did last week, but the Indians have the tacklers up front on defense and the athleticism on offense to pull this one out. 7 p.m.
Rock Springs at Evanston: The Tigers are finally playing up to their potential — and Evanston has no more playoff aspirations for which to play. 7 p.m.
Sheridan at Natrona County: The Broncs have won seven in a row for a reason. 7 p.m.
Class 3A
Buffalo at Rawlins: The Outlaws have had a rough go this season. The Bison will make sure Rawlins has no dream ending to the season. 6 p.m.
Douglas at Torrington: The Bearcats’ winning streak shows no signs of stopping… even against a Trailblazer team that wants to prove something before heading for the postseason. 7 p.m.
Jackson at Star Valley: Good fortune has been shining on the Braves in the second half of the season. After all, Star Valley deserves a little bit of that good stuff after the way they started the season. 7 p.m.
Worland at Cody: This has all the earmarks of a trap game for the high-flying Warriors… As if we needed another reminder, the 3A West reveals its parity once again. Should be a good one, close, and, given 3A West this year, it could be a shootout — maybe decided by some kind of kicking play in the fourth quarter. 7 p.m.
Class 2A
Big Horn at Newcastle: Big Horn is trying to build momentum for the playoffs. Newcastle is trying to avoid its eighth consecutive loss. Nod goes to the playoff-bound team. 7 p.m.
Greybull at Lyman: Greybull’s seed is assured — the Buffs will be the No. 2 seed out of the West — so this could be a trap game. Don’t count on it, though. 3 p.m.
Moorcroft at Glenrock: Three words: Herd. At. Home. Glenrock just keeps building momentum and victories on the way to the playoffs. 7 p.m.
Mountain View at Kemmerer: On the other side of the state, Kemmerer already has the West Conference championship in the bag, but the Rangers don’t want to do anything to slow that momentum. 3:30 p.m.
Thermopolis at Tongue River: On the verge of hosting their first playoff game in five years, the Bobcats don’t have it easy this week against the improved Eagles. 2 p.m.
Wyoming Indian at Pinedale: Hey, the Chiefs beat Mountain View for the first time in school history last week. How about two in a row? Wyoming Indian is 0-3 against Pinedale all-time… Look for that streak to end, too. 7 p.m.
Class 1A 11-man
Burlington at Cokeville: I’ve been thinking about this, and I don’t think it’s fair to call it the Panther Express anymore. It’s more the Panther Derailment Crew — they derail anyone in their path. This week, it’s Burlington that gets tossed in the ditch. 1 p.m.
Lingle at Southeast: The Cyclones might keep it close. But the way things have gone for the Doggers this fall, any final score within two touchdowns can be considered a success. 7:30 p.m.
Saratoga at Rocky Mountain: Not an easy a pick as you might think. Saratoga has been playing really, really well the last few weeks and has the ability to beat the Grizzlies… but, in Byron, I’ll take the brown and gold in a close one. 7 p.m.
Upton at Lusk: Think that double-OT loss to Pine Bluffs in Week 5 wasn’t a wake-up call for the Tigers? Last two weeks, Lusk 91, opponents 6. 7:30 p.m.
Class 1A 6-man
Meeteetse at Snake River: The stakes are high for this one — a home playoff game is a big deal. And for the Rattlers, who have never hosted a playoff game, it’s immense enough to inspire their best effort of the season. 3 p.m.

Saturday
Class 2A
Lovell at Big Piney: The winner goes to Thermopolis for the first round of the playoffs; the loser goes to Glenrock. Either way, it’s a tough draw. And this week is no cakewalk for either squad, either… Great Week 8 game, the type that prepares both teams for the intensity of the playoffs. For what it’s worth, I coin-flipped this one. 1 p.m.
Class 1A 6-man
Kaycee at Guernsey: The last thing the Vikings want to do is slow down all the momentum they’ve built up this season. 3 p.m.
Midwest at Ten Sleep: The Oilers and the Pioneers will be on the same side of the playoff bracket, so we may see this game as a rematch in two weeks — that is, if both teams can win in the first round. 1 p.m.

Week 8 open date: Farson.

What do you see coming next week in the playoffs? Or, if you’re the type that doesn’t like to look ahead as much, what Week 8 action strikes you as noteworthy? Post a comment below.

–patrick

Newsbreak: Buffalo, Laramie, Rawlins, Kemmerer, Lovell, Burlington, Rocky Mountain, Lusk, Normative Services, Wheatland, Lingle, Pine Bluffs, Glenrock, Burns, Green River, Saratoga, Shoshoni

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Buffalo’s Colter Young plays after amputation (Buffalo Bulletin). … Laramie has solid seniors (Laramie Boomerang). … Rawlins-Buffalo preview (Rawlins Daily Times). … Kemmerer-Lovell and Burlington-Rocky Mountain (Lovell Chronicle). … Lusk-Normative Services (Lusk Herald). … Wheatland-Rawlins (Platte County Record Times). … Lingle-Pine Bluffs and Glenrock-Burns (Pine Bluffs Post). … Green River-Laramie (GR Star). … Saratoga-Shoshoni (Saratoga Sun).

–patrick

Newsbreak: Cody, Powell, Cheyenne East, Evanston, Douglas, Riverton, playoffs

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Cody-Powell (Cody Enterprise). … Cody-Powell (Powell Tribune). … Cheyenne East-Evanston (Uinta County Herald). … Douglas-Riverton (Douglas Budget). … Playoff scenarios (Casper Star-Tribune).

–patrick

Five Minute Introduction: Hulett

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

School: Hulett
Nickname: Red Devils
Colors: red and black
Stadium: Red Devil Stadium
State championships: None
Times worth remembering: Hulett was a true statewide power for two separate spans. From 1957-61, the Red Devils went 29-6 and reached the playoffs twice; from 1992-96, the Red Devils played in the state championship game four times in five years.
Times worth forgetting: Hulett’s stretch from 1972-78 was not only the worst in school history, it might be the worst in state history. In those seven seasons, Hulett went 1-56. Yes, you read that right — one win in 57 attempts. The Red Devils’ only victory in that span was a 3-0 triumph over Sundance on Oct. 11, 1974; Hulett only broke into double digits on the scoreboard eight times in those 57 games and was shut out 21 times. Then, after a brief respite with a 3-5 season in 1979, the 1980 squad went 0-7, the 1981 squad played mostly a JV schedule and the 1982 season was canceled due to a lack of players.
Best team: It’s a toss-up: The 1961 squad was Hulett’s only undefeated team and would have been in line for a state championship, except the 8-man playoff system had been abandoned the year before. The 1961 team won its six games by an average of 46-9. Conversely, the 1994 Hulett team went 8-1, winning one game by forfeit, but lost the 9-man title game to Burlington thanks to a spate of turnovers. In the seven games leading up to the championship, the Red Devils won by an average of 40-3. I’ll give the nod to the ’94 team led by hard-running fullback Alan Ista. (I might be partial to that team because I saw it play; I was the ball boy for Hulett’s 44-0 beat down of Midwest).
Biggest win: The 1992 Red Devils weren’t expected to do much, reaching the playoffs with a lackluster 4-4 record and a second-place finish in the three-team East. For the semifinals, Hulett had to hit the road to play Dubois, which was 6-2 and West Conference champions. But somehow, some way, the Red Devils beat the Rams 23-21 to advance to their first championship game in 32 years. Although Hulett lost the title game to Burlington the next week, the win helped set the stage for most of Hulett’s success throughout the mid-1990s.
Heartbreaker: The Red Devils of 1959 were coming off a playoff appearance and were just about hitting their prime. But Moorcroft rudely interrupted Hulett’s plans for sustained success — twice. Moorcroft beat Hulett 18-7 in the first game between the two teams that season; Hulett later avenged the defeat 13-0 in the second game of the round-robin conference schedule. The split regular season led to a playoff game for the championship, as was the style at the time; Moorcroft won that game 6-0 in Sundance. Moorcroft advanced to the championship game, losing to Big Piney 15-12, while Hulett had to wait a year before reaching its first state championship game.

Kaycee, Ten Sleep establish new record

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Kaycee’s 71-67 over Ten Sleep set a new unofficial state record — most combined points in a game.

The 138 total points the Buckaroos and Pioneers tallied on Saturday broke the old record of 132, set in Meeteetse’s 84-48 loss to Reedpoint, Mont., in 2003. It’s the most points scored by two Wyoming teams since Lingle and Huntley combined for 123 points in Lingle’s 89-34 victory in 1962.

Ten Sleep’s 67 points also sets a record for most points scored by a losing team.

As always, these records come with a qualifier — these records are built from the records that are on this site from 1951 to the present. Any game between 1951 and now that somehow escaped being found wouldn’t be listed among the records….hence the record being technically unofficial.

Anyway, it must have been a lot of fun (or a lot of stress) being in Kaycee on Saturday. Congratulations to both sides on what looks like, at least from the final score, a great game. Don’t forget, these two teams will meet in the first round of the playoffs in two weeks in Ten Sleep.

You can click here to see all the unofficial state scoring records. I’ll update the page at the end of the season.

–patrick

Newsbreak: Green River, Gillette, Kelly Walsh, Star Valley, Lander, Worland, Jackson, playoffs

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Green River’s Drew Martinez likes playing in Laramie, and roundup (Casper Star-Tribune). … Gillette-Kelly Walsh (Gillette News-Record). … Star Valley-Lander (Star Valley Independent). … Worland-Jackson (Northern Wyo Daily News, click today).

Also, Wyopreps has a good breakdown of this week’s playoff scenarios.

–patrick

Week 7 Humble Pie: Knots, midgets and John Denver (now updated)

by ⋅ 6 Comments

Pride never dies in the 2A West.

Just look at what Pinedale and Wyoming Indian did in Week 7.

After six losses apiece to open the season, both the Wranglers and the Chiefs picked up their first victories of the season — Pinedale 25-15 over Lyman on Thursday, and Wyoming Indian 26-14 over Mountain View on Friday.

The Wranglers’ win helped them shed the after-effects of a few losses this season — 12-7 to Big Piney, 9-5 to Mountain View and 13-12 to Riverside. But it also reminded the Wranglers just how close they were to being a playoff contender.

Pinedale looked like a team on the rise after last year’s trip to the semifinals. The close losses this year might have stunted that growth a bit, but Thursday’s win will help them regain some of that swagger and start the building process for 2010.

As for the Chiefs, their 26-14 victory over Mountain View was important, too, but not just for the season. Yes, the win was the Chiefs’ first of 2009, and, yes, it was a needed victory for a program still in the steps of establishing itself against 2A competition. But this one was bigger than 2009.

As I pointed out last week, the Chiefs had had no success against the Buffs in their previous three meetings, losing all three of them decisively — and all by shutout. Wyoming Indian proved that growth is not just a seasonal thing. It extends from season to season and from decade to decade. Now, the Chiefs can have confidence. They’ve beaten Mountain View. Even if it was just once, once can carry confidence for a long, long time.

Third mad props to Gillette, which shook off a few weeks of frustration by beating Kelly Walsh — and by beating them with ease. The Camels blasted the Trojans 45-15 in Casper, letting every other team in 4A know that they’re still a threat. It wasn’t so much that Gillette won — that, honestly, was not too surprising. The Camels are good. It was the way in which the Camels won that was the most surprising. A 30-point victory over the Trojans, in Gillette, is no easy accomplishment. Gillette made it look like paper football.

Fourth mad props to Rock Springs, which topped Natrona County 42-35 in double overtime to win for the third time in four games and lock away a playoff spot. It’s kind of hard to believe the Tigers lost four in a row to start the season. They’re past that now. And, just like every other team in 4A, they’re a threat come playoff time.

Fifth mad props to the Buffalo “We’re not dead yet” Bison, which beat up on Torrington 31-12 to basically assure themselves of a home playoff game. The Bison have been easy to overlook this fall, even with a 4-2 record. Well, not anymore. They’re at home for the first round of the playoffs. And if you don’t know it by now: Don’t count out Buffalo in the playoffs.

Sixth mad props to Burlington, which kept its playoff dreams alive by beating Rocky Mountain 21-8 to create an interesting logjam for the third and fourth spots out of the 1A West. Riverside and Burlington are both 4-2, while Rocky falls to 3-3… and next week, Riverside and Burlington play road games against conference leaders Wind River and Cokeville, respectively, while Rocky hosts Saratoga. If they all end up at 4-3…. well, then I’ll have to drag out my WHSAA handbook and figure out tiebreakers on the fly.

Sunday add: Seventh mad props to Kaycee, which topped Ten Sleep in a 71-67 six-man shootout. I figured Kaycee had the potential to knock off Ten Sleep, especially at home. And it creates an interesting question — how many people saw the East as the dominant conference in six-man this year from top to bottom? With Kaycee beating Ten Sleep, the East is now 10-0 against the West this year. It’s now looking entirely possible for all four East teams to win in the first round of the playoffs. Wow. I’ll admit I didn’t see that happening, not with experienced six-man teams Meeteetse and Ten Sleep anchoring the West. As it is, the East has been the dominant side. No wonder East teams want six-man to go to one conference next year.

So what else drew my attention this week? Well…

Three overtime games this week. Two were in 4A — no surprise there — and one in 3A. What sticks out to me about all of 4A and the 3A West is how evenly matched most of those divisions are from top to bottom. The 4A playoffs are going to be a blast, and it’ll be interesting to see how the 3A West matches up with the 3A East in the first round….

The three games atop 4A, 1A-11 and 1A-6 went pretty much according to projection, as Sheridan came back to beat Central, Cokeville edged Wind River 7-0 and Guernsey shook off the rust to overwhelm Midwest. Sheridan won its seventh in a row and is looking like 4A’s favorite again, a Cokeville-Lingle championship game in 1A-11 is looking more and more possible, while Guernsey and Midwest could easily meet each other in a rematch in Laramie….

Does anyone else think Douglas would be better than .500 in 4A this year? …

It’s looking more and more like we’ll get another Kemmerer-Glenrock championship game. But, fortunately for everyone, it looks like there are a few teams in the bracket this year (Greybull, Thermopolis, maybe even Lovell and Big Horn) that could knock off the two top dogs. It won’t be a cakewalk through the playoffs like it was last year for the Rangers and Herders — something that is good for the division, the two favorites and everyone else chasing them. So you’re telling me there’s a chance! ….

So how about it? What did you see/hear/feel this week about football across the state? Jot a comment below.

This week: 24-7 (77 percent). This season: 184-47 (80 percent).

–patrick

Newsbreak: Rock Springs, Natrona, Gillette, Kelly Walsh, Cheyenne East, Evanston, Sheridan, Cheyenne Central, Green River, Laramie, Wheatland, Rawlins, Saratoga, Shoshoni

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Rock Springs-Natrona, Gillette-Kelly Walsh and roundup (Casper Star-Tribune). … Cheyenne East-Evanston and Sheridan-Cheyenne Central (Wyoming Tribune Eagle). … Green River-Laramie (Laramie Boomerang). … Wheatland-Rawlins and Saratoga-Shoshoni (Rawlins Daily Times). … Scottsbluff Star-Herald roundup (includes Lingle-Pine Bluffs, Southeast-Upton).

–patrick

Newsbreak: Natrona, Rock Springs, Kelly Walsh, Gillette, Laramie, Green River, Saratoga, Shoshoni, Riverside, Wind River, Burlington, Lusk, Sundance, Lingle, Normative Services, Southeast, Hulett, Riverton, Torrington, Jackson

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Natrona-Rock Springs preview, Kelly Walsh-Gillette preview and Star-Tribune Thursday roundup. … Laramie-Green River preview (Laramie Boomerang). … Saratoga-Shoshoni preview (Rawlins Daily Times). … Riverside-Saratoga and Wind River-Burlington (Basin Republican-Rustler). … Lusk-Sundance (Lusk Herald). … Lingle-Normative Services, Southeast-Hulett and Riverton-Torrington (Torrington Telegram). … Jackson JV has “little sister” (Jackson Hole News&Guide, click today).

–patrick