Category Archives: Newsbreak

Lusk’s football team will have a new head coach next season.

Ryan Nelson, who had led the Tigers since 2015, recently resigned as the team’s head coach.

Nelson, a native of Lusk, confirmed his resignation to wyoming-football.com via email on Thursday. Nelson said he will remain at Lusk as activities director and as a special education teacher.

“My responsibilities as AD have changed a bit and I’ll be working on further certification in that area,” Nelson wrote. “I also want to be able to follow my daughter in volleyball over her final two years of high school.”

Nelson’s Tiger teams went a combined 29-30 in his seven seasons, including a Class 1A nine-man runner-up finish in 2020. Lusk finished 6-3 last season, losing in the first round of the nine-man playoffs to Wind River.

The head coaching position was listed as open on the Niobrara County schools website. Niobrara County schools Superintendent George Mirich and high school Principal Robyn Heth did not respond to emails sent this week.

Cheyenne South, Jackson, Rawlins, Burns, Cokeville, Glenrock, Pinedale, Big Piney, Moorcroft and Wind River have hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. The other program in Wyoming seeking a new head coach this year is Farson. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Wind River has named former activities director Rod Frederick as the school’s next head football coach.

Frederick’s hiring was approved during the June 13 meeting of the Fremont County School District No. 6 board, board documents show, and Principal Justin Walker verified the hiring via email to wyoming-football.com on Wednesday.

Frederick teaches first grade at Wind River Elementary.

Cheyenne South, Jackson, Rawlins, Burns, Cokeville, Glenrock, Pinedale, Big Piney and Moorcroft have also hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. The other program in Wyoming seeking a new head coach this year is Farson. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Carl Federer, a 17-year veteran of the Glenrock football program, will take over as the Herders’ new head coach in 2022.

Federer confirmed his hiring via email Monday with wyoming-football.com.

His hiring was completed at the May 26 meeting of the Converse County School District No. 2 board. Federer was part of the coaching staff on Glenrock’s last state championship in 2008.

Glenrock, a Class 2A East program, finished 2-7 last season. Federer takes over for Paul Downing, who was the Herders’ coach for one season.

Cheyenne South, Jackson, Rawlins, Burns, Cokeville, Pinedale, Big Piney and Moorcroft have also hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. Other programs in Wyoming seeking new head coaches this year are Wind River and Farson. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Former Rawlins head coach Clayton McSpadden will take over the same position at Moorcroft this fall.

Moorcroft activities director Dusty Petz verified McSpadden’s hiring via email with wyoming-football.com on Saturday. Crook County School District No. 1 board documents show McSpadden was hired to teach PE at Moorcroft’s secondary school on May 16.

McSpadden resigned as Rawlins’ head coach earlier this year after four seasons leading the Outlaws.

He will replace Travis Santistevan, who resigned to teach and coach in Baker, Montana.

Moorcroft, a Class 1A nine-man program, went 0-8 last season.

Cheyenne South, Jackson, Rawlins, Burns, Cokeville, Pinedale and Big Piney have also hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. Other programs in Wyoming seeking new head coaches this year are Glenrock, Wind River and Farson. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Mykah Trujillo, Wind River’s head football coach the past seven seasons, has resigned to take a new job in Evanston and be closer to his family.

In an email Thursday to wyoming-football.com, Trujillo said he was moving to near Woodruff, Utah, to provide help for the ranch of his wife’s family. Both he and his wife will continue to work in the schools in Evanston.

Although the Cougars went a combined 20-40 the past seven seasons, they had a breakthrough season in 2021. The Cougars were 7-3 last season and were Class 1A nine-man semifinalists, losing to eventual state champion Shoshoni to end their season.

“It’s a tough year to leave,” Trujillo said. “We are coming off a great season and are returning most players and have replacements for the seniors that left.

” … Kids know the expectation, (and) equipment is completely upgraded. The weights facility was a huge push for me and has been upgraded,  is arguably the best in 1A and 2A and probably some 3A schools.”

Trujillo said he will most miss the players and helping them grow as people, and “it’s hard to walk away from.”

Trujillo said although he will not coach next year, he may eventually return to coaching in the Evanston or Rich County, Utah, area if the right opportunity comes along.

He also said Wind River has not yet hired a replacement.

Other programs in Wyoming seeking new head coaches this year are Cokeville, Glenrock, Moorcroft, Big Piney and Farson. Meanwhile, Cheyenne South, Jackson, Rawlins, Burns and Pinedale have hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

A coach with diverse experience at the high school and college level will be the new head football coach at Jackson.

David White, who most recently was the head coach at Blue Springs High School in Missouri, has been selected as the new head coach of the Class 3A Broncs, Jackson activities director Mike Hansen said in an email Thursday to wyoming-football.com.

White also coached at two major colleges, working with Bob Stoops’ Oklahoma teams from 2007-10, with much of that time as the program’s recruiting coordinator. He was also the running backs coach at Nevada from 2017-19.

He was the head coach at Rigeland High School in Mississippi in 2019 and was at Blue Springs the past two years.

“We are excited to bring on Coach White and look forward to seeing the Bronc Football program continue to grow and develop into one of the best programs in Wyoming,” Hansen wrote.

White was also the head football coach at Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas from 2003-06, winning three league championships and coaching future NFL players Demarco Murray and Xavier Grimble.

He was also the head coach at Socorro High in El Paso, Texas, for two years and at Lake Havasu, Arizona, for a year, and also spent several years working with the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, an all-star game for high schoolers from across the country.

White played collegiately at UNLV and was a tight end for the Rebels, finishing his college playing career in 1995.

Jackson has finished as the Class 3A runner-up the past two seasons. White replaces David Joyce, who resigned after five years to become the head coach at nearby Teton, Idaho.

Cheyenne South, Rawlins, Burns and Pinedale have also hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. Other programs in Wyoming seeking new head coaches this year are Cokeville, Glenrock, Moorcroft, Big Piney and Farson. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

David Hastings, who was the head coach at Rock Springs from 2014-18, will be the new head football coach at Rawlins.

Rawlins activities director Kasey Garnhart shared the news of Hastings’ hiring via email on Thursday with wyoming-football.com.

Hastings will have his work cut out for him. The Class 3A Outlaws have had back-to-back winless seasons and enter 2022 on an 18-game losing streak.

Rock Springs went 21-29 with Hastings as head coach. He resigned after the 2018 season. The Tigers’ best season under Hastings came in 2016, when they finished 8-3 and reached the Class 4A semifinals.

Hastings also was the head coach at Lehi, Utah, and Sugar-Salem, Idaho, before coming to Rock Springs.

He will take over for Clayton McSpadden, who resigned in March after four seasons as head coach for the Outlaws.

Hastings did not reply to an email sent Thursday afternoon.

Cheyenne South, Burns and Pinedale have also hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. Other programs in Wyoming seeking new head coaches this year are Jackson, Cokeville, Glenrock, Moorcroft, Big Piney and Farson. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Jackson’s head football coach the past five years will now be the head coach for nearby Teton High School in Idaho.

David Joyce, who led the Broncs to back-to-back Class 3A title game appearances the past two seasons, has been hired for the same role at Teton, which is in Driggs, Idaho.

Joyce said via email Wednesday with wyoming-football.com that his family moved to the Idaho side of the border two years ago, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he and his wife purchased a home in Victor.

With his children in ninth, eighth and second grades, the commute to Jackson the past two years was tough on the family as a whole.

“This is gonna make family life a lot easier on our family,” Joyce said. “I have absolutely loved Jackson and coaching at Jackson, and will cherish the last five years, but it was not sustainable to live in Jackson with three kids or commute long term.”

Jackson activities director Mike Hansen said Joyce submitted his resignation about a week ago. Hansen also said the position is open for applications.

Hired with a history of turning around struggling programs, Joyce helped Jackson become a Class 3A force. After Jackson went 0-9 in Joyce’s first season in 2017, the Broncs went a combined 33-13 in the next four seasons. Jackson made the Class 3A semifinals in each of those seasons, a school record for consecutive semifinal qualifications, and was runner-up to Cody in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Jackson and Teton have played each other for each of the past 21 seasons; Jackson’s season opener on Aug. 26 will come against Teton.

Other programs in Wyoming seeking new head coaches this year are Rawlins, Burns, Cokeville, Glenrock, Moorcroft, Big Piney and Farson. Meanwhile, Cheyenne South and Pinedale have hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Big Piney head coach Ryan Visser will leave his post with the Punchers to become the next head coach at Mountain Crest High School in Hyrum, Utah.

Visser posted his farewell to Big Piney on Twitter on Thursday.

Thank you for the last three years Big Piney High, it’s been an honor to be able to work with the great young men of this community. I’ll cherish the memories and relationships made here forever. pic.twitter.com/WGKjUcPZ19

— Coach Visser (@RyViss) April 21, 2022

He was hired at Big Piney in 2019. Visser’s teams at Big Piney went 16-12 the past three seasons, qualifying for the postseason in Class 2A in 2019 and 2021. The Punchers are scheduled to join Class 1A nine-man in 2022.

Other programs in Wyoming seeking new head coaches this year are Rawlins, Burns, Cokeville, Glenrock, Moorcroft and Farson. Meanwhile, Cheyenne South and Pinedale have hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick

Farson head football coach Trip Applequist has resigned after 10 seasons leading the Pronghorns.

Applequist confirmed his resignation via email to wyoming-football.com on Monday.

“It was an agonizing and difficult decision to step down as football coach,” Applequist wrote. “It has been a cherished experience and I have been so fortunate. I have had the opportunity to work with the most amazing and dedicated young men who have inspired the community and me personally. I have also been given the opportunity to work with an amazing coaching staff who are really the source of all the success that our program has seen. The support of the parents, administration, and community has been incredible.”

Applequist led the Pronghorns to two state championships and four appearances in title games in his decade as head coach. Combined, Farson has gone 66-29 with Applequist at the helm, including state championships and 11-0 seasons in both 2018 and 2020. Farson finished as runners-up in both 2016 and 2017.

Farson finished 3-4 last season, just missing the Class 1A six-man playoffs. The position was listed as open on Sweetwater County School District No. 1’s job listings for head coaches.

Applequist said he was interested in pursuing other passions, including a planned trip in June to climb Alaska’s Denali.

“The athletes deserve a coach that has the time and desire to commit to what it takes to be successful,” he wrote. ” … I am sad to be leaving football coaching behind, but excited about the possibilities ahead. I love high school football, and look forward to watching and cheering from the stands.”

Other programs in Wyoming seeking new head coaches this year are Rawlins, Glenrock and Cokeville. Meanwhile, Cheyenne South and Pinedale have hired new head coaches for the upcoming season. If you know of other head coaching changes in the state, please email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com.

–patrick