Sheridan, Cody, Mountain View, Pine Bluffs and Kaycee are your 2017 state champions. When we think about the 2017 season, we’ll probably start there.
We won’t finish there, though.
One of the beauties of having the state’s football history compiled in one place is that it allows me (and us) to track records that, prior to the beginning of research on this site in 2004 and the launch of the site in 2005, were really difficult to authenticate. No more. So here are some highlights — beyond the champions — of 2017:
Scoring records
Two teams set overall season scoring records in 2017.
Natrona, with 545 points, notched more points than any other in the state’s 11-man history. The Mustangs’ mark topped the previous record of 539, set by Gillette in 2015.
Meanwhile, Kaycee, which averaged 70.7 points per game, set the state’s all-time record for average points per game. The old record of 68.27 points per game was set by Meeteetse in 2015. Also, Kaycee’s 707 total points is good enough for third all-time.
Class 4A champion Sheridan finished the season with 527 points, good enough for fourth all-time in the 11-man ranks.
On the other side, some teams set records they’d rather not. Gillette allowed 570 points this season, the most ever given up in an 11-man season and the fourth-most regardless of game style (six-, eight-, nine- or 11-man). The old 11-man record, 521, was set by Cheyenne South in its inaugural season in 2011. Jackson allowed 436 points this season, the eighth-highest mark in the state’s 11-man history, while St. Stephens allowed 576 points, second-most all-time regardless of style.
Normative Services and St. Stephens finished second and third, respectively, in most average points allowed per game. NSI allowed 78 points per game this season, while St. Stephens allowed 72 ppg. Gillette’s 63.33 points allowed per game was the third-most ever in an 11-man season.
For single-game scoring, the 62-44 game between Green River and Jackson on Oct. 13 is tied for 10th all-time for combined points (106) in an 11-man game. Also, Kaycee’s 77 points against Meeteetse in the first round of the six-man quarterfinals on Oct. 27 is eighth-most for points by a single team in a playoff game.
See the scoring records here.
Streaks
The most notable streak in 2017 is Kaycee’s winning streak, which now rests at 30 games entering 2018. Many outlets reported that Kaycee’s streak was 31 consecutive games, counting a forfeit loss from Rock River in the tallies. However, historically, this site and most media outlets do not regard a canceled season — as Rock River’s was this year — as a series of eight forfeits (for example, see Tongue River 2011). Instead, the games are simply removed from the schedule, and that team’s opponents either schedule replacement games (as Meeteetse, Hanna, Lingle and others did with their Rock River week this season) or leave it as a bye. Kaycee left the week open, and therefore their final season tally for 2017 will be listed as 10-0 and the winning streak at 30.
Cokeville notched its 30th consecutive winning season and its 32nd consecutive non-losing season, increasing its state records in both categories.
Laramie, meanwhile, had its 17th consecutive losing season, second all-time to Newcastle’s 22 consecutive losing seasons from 1984-2005. Rawlins ended its streak of consecutive losing seasons this year at 16.
Gillette’s scoring streak ended at 136 games this year, leaving Snake River at 85 consecutive games as the team with the longest active scoring streak. The Rattlers’ streak is tied for 12th-longest all-time.
See the streaks records here.
Coaching
Natrona coach Steve Harshman moved into third place all-time among the state’s coaches in victories. With 190 victories in Wyoming, Harshman passed John Deti Jr. for third place. He trails former Laramie coach John Deti Sr. (205 victories) and current Cokeville coach Todd Dayton (who extended his state record to 315 victories).
Sheridan coach Don Julian moved into sixth-place all-time on the same list. Julian now has 165 victories in his Wyoming career.
Of active Wyoming coaches, Dayton, Harshman, Julian, Southeast’s Mark Bullington (138 victories) and Glenrock’s Ray Kumpula (127) have more than 100 victories. Douglas’ Jay Rhoades will enter 2018 with 95 victories at Douglas and will be the only active coach with a chance to enter the Wyoming 100-victory club in 2018.
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I nailed more than half my picks last week. But that means I whiffed on almost half. My season and career totals:
Last week: 3-2 (60 percent). This season: 259-46 (85 percent — my best season yet!). 13-year total: 3,089-772 (80 percent).
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A couple quick reminders as I close out the books on 2017:
First, wyoming-basketball.com is a site you should know exists. And you should check it out. It’s full of cool info on the state’s hoops history.
Second, if you like the work I’ve done, consider a page sponsorship. $20 secures a page for an entire year. It also means a lot to me, personally. My sponsors are awesome and allow me to operate the site without paying for it out of my own pocket.
Third, and finally, we’re not done. All-state and all-conference teams will be released this week, as will the Casper Star-Tribune’s Super 25 team. I may have some individual records to post. The 2018 schedules will be out soon. We’ll probably see some new coaches in the state by the time the 2018 season starts. We’ll have the National Football Foundation banquet and awards; we’ll have the Shrine Bowl; we’ll have other stuff. I’ll be here for all of it. Thanks again for reading and supporting the site.
–patrick