Champlists spring 2024 recap: A record-breaking season

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Here’s a quick spring sports recap from Champlists on the highlights from last week’s state culminating events:

Soccer: The boys teams from Jackson (4A) and Cody (3A) and the girls teams from Kelly Walsh (4A) and Lander (3A) won the state soccer tournaments this spring.

The Jackson boys won the 4A state title for the fourth time in six years. In all, Jackson has won eight state championships, all since 2012, and tied Cheyenne East for the most state titles in boys soccer history. They outscored their state tournament foes by a combined 11-0.

Cody won the 3A boys title for the fifth time overall and for the first time since 2017. The Broncs’ combined winning margin at state was 13-1, including a 3-0 victory against host Green River in the title game; the Wolves’ appearance in the championship game was the program’s first.

Kelly Walsh’s girls were the only repeat champion from 2023. KW won its fourth title in program history and its first repeat championship. The Trojans needed two goals in overtime to beat Jackson 3-2 in the 4A championship game.

Lander’s 3A girls title was its second in program history, going with the one it won in 2021. The Tigers were in thrillers throughout the tournament, beating Buffalo 3-1 in overtime in the quarterfinals, Douglas 3-2 in a 7-6 shootout victory in the semifinals, and a tight 2-1 victory against Cody in the championship.

Jackson’s Taya McClennen became just the 20th girl in state history to be a four-time all-state selection. Six boys — Douglas’ Luke Ewing, Jackson’s Braden Hills and Teddy Opler, Kelly Walsh’s Parker O’Neill, Powell’s Chance Franks and Sheridan’s Dane Steel — were three-time all-state picks, as were six girls — Cheyenne Central’s Ekena Little, Kelly Walsh’s Peyton Hill, Laramie’s McKenna Barham, Natrona’s Rian Barthel, and Riverton’s Cameran Paskett and Savannah Morton.

Track and field: Boys team champions were Sheridan (4A), Douglas (3A), Big Horn (2A) and Burlington (1A); both Big Horn and Burlington were repeat champions. Girls team champions were Sheridan (4A), Lander (3A), Kemmerer (2A) and Cokeville (1A). Sheridan’s 4A sweep of team titles was the first time such a feat had been accomplished at the big-school level since Campbell County did so in 2006.

Two athletes joined the ranks of four-time event champions. Cheyenne East’s Taliah Morris won the Class 4A girls long jump for the fourth consecutive year, while Mountain View’s Mylie Micheli claimed the Class 3A pole vault championship for the fourth year in a row.

In all, a whopping 10 overall state meet records were broken; another 14 state meet classification records were broken:

Boys

  • 100 (Class 2A and overall): Gavin Stafford, Big Horn, 10.31; broke overall record of 10.50 (Stephen Michel, Laramie, 2008) and 2A record of 10.83 (Jose Wright, Kemmerer, 1987)
  • 200 (Class 4A and overall): Chance Morris, Sheridan, 21.11; broke 4A and overall record of 21.39 (Stephen Michel, Laramie, 2008)
  • 4×400 relay (Class 4A and overall): Thunder Basin, 3:19.02; broke 4A and overall record of 3:20.07 (Natrona, 2014)
  • 1600 medley relay (Class 4A and overall): Cody, 3:28.35; broke overall record of 3:31.42 (Star Valley, 2018) and 4A record of 3:32.09 (Sheridan, 2023)
  • 200 (Class 2A): Gavin Stafford, Big Horn, 21.16; broke 2A record of 21.68 (Jose Wright, Kemmerer, 1987)
  • 4×100 relay (Class 2A): Big Horn, 43.07; broke 2A record of 43.88 (Big Horn, 2023)
  • 1600 medley relay (Class 1A): Saratoga, 3:45.61; broke 1A record of 3:45.89 (Farson, 2018)
  • Long jump (Class 2A): Gavin Stafford, Big Horn, 23-0.75; broke 2A record of 22-4.5 (Trent Bowers, Lovell, 1995)
  • Shot put (Class 1A): Quade Jordan, Encampment, 57-6.5; broke 1A record of 55-2.25 (Matt Davis, Kaycee, 1999)

Girls

  • 100 (Class 4A and overall): Taliah Morris, Cheyenne East, 11.68; broke 4A and overall record of 11.91 (Arnetta Simpson, Cheyenne Central, 1998)
  • 200 (Class 4A and overall): Taliah Morris, Cheyenne East, 23.45; broke 4A and overall record of 23.79 (Jerayah Davis, Kelly Walsh, 2013)
  • 400 (Class 4A and overall): Addie Pendergast, Sheridan, 54.40; broke 4A and overall record of 54.62 (Pendergast, 2023)
  • 300 hurdles (Class 4A and overall): Addie Pendergast, Sheridan, 42.69; broke 4A and overall record of 43.21 (Lauren Taubert, Natrona, 2016)
  • 1600 medley relay (Class 4A and overall): Cody, 4:06.74; broke 4A and overall record of 4:12.26 (Cody, 2023)
  • Long jump (Class 4A and overall): Taliah Morris, Cheyenne East, 20-8.5; broke 4A record of 19-8.5 (Morris, 2023) and overall record of 19-9 (Ann Wingeleth, Lyman, 2015)
  • 100 (Class 3A): Brooklyn Asmus, Torrington, 11.91; broke 3A record of 12.12 (Kereston Thomas, Rawlins, 2011)
  • 200 (Class 3A): Brooklyn Asmus, Torrington, 24.24; broke 3A record of 25.03 (Kereston Thomas, Rawlins, 2011)
  • 300 hurdles (Class 1A): Addison Barnes, Cokeville, 44.88; broke 1A record of 44.92 (Barnes, 2023)
  • 4×100 relay (Class 3A): Torrington, 48.81; broke 3A record of 49.97 (Worland, 2023)
  • 4×400 relay (Class 3A): Lander, 4:03.66; broke 3A record of 4:04.20 (Lander, 2001)
  • 1600 medley relay (Class 3A): Wheatland, 4:10.56; broke 3A record of 4:14.04 (Rawlins, 2023)
  • 1600 medley relay (Class 1A): Cokeville, 4:29.43; broke 1A record of 4:33.15 (Burlington, 2023)
  • Long jump (Class 3A): Lily Nichols, Wheatland, 18-9.5; broke 3A record of 18-8.75 (Naya Shime, Riverton, 2018)
  • Shot put (Class 3A): Adelyn Anderson, Lander, 44-7.25; broke 3A record of 44-4.25 (Jesseca Cross, Powell, 1992)
  • Shot put (Class 1A): Harper Boche, Southeast, 41-8.75; tied 1A record (Shelby Ekwall, Southeast, 2022)

Another eight all-time marks were set during the 2024 season; (1) Taliah Morris’ 23.45 in the 200 and (2) 20-8.5 in the long jump; (3) the Cody girls’ 4:06.74 in the 1600 medley relay; (4) Gavin Stafford’s 10.31 in the 100; (5) Chance Morris’ 21.11 in the 200; (6) the Thunder Basin boys’ 3:19.02 in the 4×400 relay; (7) the Cody boys’ 3:28.35 in the 1600 medley relay; and (8) Kelly Walsh’s Landon Walker’s 49-1 in the triple jump. All records were set at the state championships except for Walker’s.

Softball: For the third consecutive year, Thunder Basin won the state softball championship. The ‘Bolts ran through Cheyenne East 10-0 in the state title game. Thunder Basin’s closest game of the tournament was a 9-7 victory against Natrona in the first round; after that, Thunder Basin won its remaining four games by 10 runs apiece.

Campbell County’s Avery Gray became the state’s first four-time all-state softball selection. Meanwhile, Campbell County’s Lanae Kimbley, Thunder Basin’s Natalie Clonch and Macie Selfors, Cheyenne East’s Aleah Brooks and Gracie Oswald, Cody’s Riley Simone and Violet Wollschlager and Green River’s Kodi Allred all notched their third all-state selection.

What stuck out to you in this spring sports season? Leave a comment below, and be sure to visit Champlists for full champion histories of all of Wyoming’s high school sports.

–patrick

Wyoming high schools that have won every track and field event at state

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Correction, updated 8:09 a.m. MDT May 17: As it turns out, Campbell County HAS won a girls discus title, with Shana Paynor winning in 2004. I had Shana’s title mislabeled as a victory for Rock Springs. So, as it turns out, Campbell County’s girls have also won every state track and field event, in addition to those listed below. The lists have been updated to reflect that, although the story has not been changed. Thanks to Matt Albin for catching that mistake and letting me know!

+++

Burns’ Brooke Hansen and Campbell County’s Halo Miller will compete in the same event at this weekend’s Wyoming State Track and Field Championships — the discus.

And although they’ll be competing in different classifications, with Hansen in Class 2A and Miller in Class 4A, they’ll both be in competition for state championships.

If they do win, they’ll accomplish something no one in their gender at their school has ever completed, a state discus championship. And they’ll win a state title in the final remaining event for their school to claim a track and field full event sweep.

Track team championships are a good way to measure a school’s overall athletic ability.

But if you want to try to find a school’s athletic diversity, another measure might work better — looking at schools who have had at least one winner of every track and field event.

In all, 13 boys teams and four girls teams have won each of the 17 track and field events since 1970, the start of the first girls state track meet. Those tallies do not include the recently added 18th event, the 1600 medley relay, which only became part of the state track meet in 2018.

Also, keep in mind that boys and girls have not had the same opportunities over those 54 years to win every event. At the state meet, girls did not add the 3200, the 200/300 hurdles or the triple jump until 1980, the 4×400 or 4×800 relays until 1983, or the pole vault until 1996.

Since 1970, the start of the girls state track meet, here are the schools that have won each currently offered event at the state track meet aside from the 1600 medley relay:

Boys
Campbell County
Cheyenne Central
Cheyenne East
Cody
Cokeville
Douglas
Glenrock
Kelly Walsh
Lander
Laramie
Natrona County
Southeast
Torrington

Girls
Campbell County
Cheyenne Central
Dubois
Sheridan
Worland

Some schools are just one event away from a sweep. Burns’ Hansen and Campbell County’s Miller are two of close to 30 athletes competing this weekend in Casper who have a chance to add their school to the list of programs with event sweeps. Here’s those schools, with the event they have never won, or in some cases for the boys haven’t won since 1970, along with the competitors in those events from those schools for 2024:

Boys
Big Horn: discus (Chase Garber, Will Taylor, Paul Lobdell)
Burlington: discus (Hunter Aagard, Mickey Maroni)
Evanston: 4×800 relay (team of Jamar McDowell, Paul Baxter, Aidan Conrad and Gideon Stahl)
Green River: 4×100 relay (4×110 relay last won by Green River in 1953) (none)
Guernsey: pole vault (Kaiser Edwards)
Lingle: high jump (none)
Rock Springs: high jump (high jump last won by Rock Springs in 1960) (Chandler Smith, Jonas Slater)
Saratoga: 4×100 relay (none)
Sheridan: 1600 (mile run last won by Sheridan in 1959) (Shaun Gonda, Landrum Wiley, Aadan Luna)
Upton: 1600 (mile run last won by Upton in 1960) (Ben Carpenter, Tyson Huckins)
Worland: 110 hurdles (120 hurdles last won by Worland in 1955) (Noah Mitchell, Dawson Utterback, Wyatt Dickinson)

Girls
Burns: discus (Brooke Hansen)
Guernsey: 4×800 relay (none)
Kelly Walsh: 1600 (Lexi Longhurst)
Mountain View: 100 (none)
Natrona: pole vault (none)
Powell: 3200 (Kinley Cooper, Shelby Zickefoose, Kenna Jacobsen, Karee Cooley)
Southeast: 800 (Kaycee Kosmicki, Lizzy Boche, Anna Hartman)
Ten Sleep: pole vault (none)

–patrick

Champlists winter sports recap for 2023-24

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In concert with updates to sister sites champlists.com and wyoming-basketball.com, here are some highlights from the 2023-24 winter high school sports season in Wyoming:

Alpine skiiing: Jackson swept the team titles for the 13th consecutive year, with the Jackson girls winning their 15th consecutive state championship, after the state meet was cut short due to dangerous conditions on the second day of the meet. Only the giant slalom was contested, with Jackson’s Dylan Witherite winning the girls title and Liam Logan winning the boys. The cancelation was the first time since 1986 and just the second time ever that the state meet could not be finished.

Nordic skiing: For the first time since 2009, neither Jackson team won a state title, with Kelly Walsh winning its first boys Nordic title since 1995 and the Lander girls winning their second straight Nordic championship. Natrona’s Ally Wheeler swept the girls individual titles for the second consecutive year, winning the 5K freestyle and 10K classic events, and in doing so became just the sixth girl in state history to notch at least four individual Nordic championships. Lander’s Bennett Hutchison won the boys freestyle race for the second straight year, while Kelly Walsh’s Fisk-Bergstrom Johansson won the 10K classic race.

Boys swimming: Lander continued its 3A run of dominance, winning its 28th consecutive state championship. Meanwhile, the Laramie boys won their seventh consecutive 4A championship. Double championship winners were Sheridan’s Ben Forsythe (4A 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke), Lander’s Benny Kulow (3A 100 and 200 freestyle), Cheyenne South’s Caleb Brewer (4A 200 IM and 100 butterfly), Lander’s Finn Richards (3A 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke), and Lander’s Reed McFadden (3A 200 IM and 100 butterfly).

Indoor track: Sheridan won the 4A boys title for the fifth time in six years, while Cheyenne East won the 4A girls title for the second time and the first since 2012. Cody swept the 3A team titles for the second consecutive year in just the second year of the 3A level being offered. Multiple individual champions included Cheyenne East’s Taliah Morris (4A girls 55, 200, long jump) and Maggie Madsen (4A girls 800, 1600, 3200); Star Valley’s Valerie Jirak (3A girls 55, 200, 400); Cody’s Ada Nelson (3A girls 800, 1600); Cheyenne Central’s Tegan Krause (4A boys 55, 200); Natrona’s Kaiden Lee (4A boys high jump, long jump, triple jump); Star Valley’s Habtamu Wetzel (3A boys 1600, 3200); and Lander’s Reed McFadden (3A boys 55 hurdles, 200, 400).

Wrestling: Three wrestlers completed four-time state championship runs, with Thunder Basin’s Antonio Avila, Rock Springs’ Broc Fletcher and Green River’s Kale Knezovich all pulling off the feat in 2024 — the first time three wrestlers had ever finished four-year title runs in a year. Thunder Basin won its first state title in wrestling by winning the 4A title, while Green River repeated as 3A champ and Moorcroft won its first 2A championship since 2020. Star Valley won the second girls wrestling title even though the Braves only had one individual champion.

Boys basketball: Some familiar teams won state titles in 2024. Cheyenne Central won its 27th state championship in taking the 4A title, extending its state record; Wyoming Indian won its 13th 2A championship; Upton won its third 1A title in four years. And then Powell finished 26-0 to win the 3A title and become the first Wyoming boys team to go undefeated since 2012. Buffalo’s Eli Patterson became just the sixth boys basketball player from the state to notch four all-state selections.

Girls basketball: Douglas’ 27-0 run in Class 3A led to the Bearcats’ state-record sixth consecutive state title (not counting 2020, when the state tournament was canceled). Sheridan (4A), Tongue River (2A) and Southeast (1A) also took home state crowns. Cheyenne East’s Bradie Schlabs and Cody’s Molly Hays became the 21st and 22nd girls basketball players from Wyoming to finish their careers with four all-state selections.

What were some of your highlights of the winter sports season? Leave a comment below. And please let me know if any of my 2023-24 winter sports season updates are wrong or look weird; I appreciate the help!

–patrick

Champlists fall roundup: First-time champions, four-time individuals highlight fall sports

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With the close of the fall sports season comes a big update of champions to champlists.com, the source for Wyoming’s state champions and a host of other information for a swath of sports. Some highlights from this fall:

Cross country: Star Valley, Evanston and Burlington won team titles, with Burlington’s championship the first as an independent team. Natrona, Powell and Wright won the girls championships. Star Valley’s Habtamu Wetzel won the 4A boys title for the second time, while Charlie Hulbert (Cody) and Howard McNiven (Burlington) won their first individual titles. The girls champions were all first-time winners — Jackson’s Madison Antonino, Worland’s Zena Tapia and Burlington’s Jessie Michaels.

Golf: Riverton’s Parker Paxton and Lovell’s Erika Cook won the Class 3A boys and girls individual titles, respectively, for the fourth consecutive year, becoming just the fifth and sixth golfers in state history to win four individual state titles in their career. The Upton boys won their first state golf championship by taking the 2A title. Cheyenne East (4A) and Riverton (3A) also won boys titles. Sheridan (4A), Wheatland (3A) and Thermopolis (2A) won the girls team titles. Cheyenne East’s Daniel Meyers (4A boys), Upton’s Logan Timberman (2A boys), Natrona’s Cheyenne Ward (4A girls) and Sundance’s Savanah Peterson (2A girls) also won individual titles, each winning their first.

Girls swimming: Kelly Walsh’s girls won the 4A title, the program’s first state championship, while Green River won the 3A girls championship. Green River’s Tanith Smith joined a small group of swimmers to have ever won six individual titles, winning the 50 freestyle for the third consecutive year and the 100 freestyle twice to go with the 100 backstroke title she won in 2021. Smith, a junior, would become just the sixth girls swimmer in state history to finish with eight individual championships if she can win two more next year. The 4A team chase ended close, with the top four teams separated by just 13 points, the closest finish among four teams in state history.

Tennis: Laramie (boys) and Cheyenne Central (girls) won team titles; Central’s girls won their 17th team championship, extending a state record. Cheyenne South’s Andrew Lock won the boys No. 1 singles title for the second consecutive year. Kelly Walsh’s Taylor Nokes won the girls No. 1 singles title. Both are seniors. Meanwhile, sophomore Hailey Mathis-Breitkopf of Cheyenne Central won the No. 2 singles title for the second consecutive year.

Volleyball: Laramie (4A), Mountain View (3A), Big Horn (2A) and Cokeville (1A) won state championships. Laramie and Mountain View both won titles for the third time in four years, while Big Horn won for the second time in three years. Cokeville, meanwhile, won its first title since 2020 but won its 26th state championship overall, more than double any other program in the state. Laramie’s Maddy Stucky and Big Horn’s Saydee Zimmer were named all-state for the fourth consecutive year, becoming just the 15th and 16th players in state history to be so recognized. Big Horn’s Emme Mullinax and Emma Prior and Powell’s Addy Thorington were named all-state for the third consecutive year, while two-time all-state selections included Buffalo’s Cassidy Bessler and Tess Rule, Burns’ Brooke Hansen, Campbell County’s Aubrey Dewine, Cody’s Molly Hays, Greybull’s Kelsie McColloch, Lingle’s Natalie Speckner, Lyman’s Hailey Eldredge, Mountain View’s Kate Walker, Rock River’s Mikayla Alexander, Sundance’s Jaylin Mills, Thunder Basin’s Piper Martin, Upton’s Sophie Louderback and Wright’s Jazmin McOmber.

As always, if you see anything that looks incorrect or weird on the site, let me know!

–patrick

Champlists spring blitz: Thunder Basin, Powell each win two titles; state track records fall

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The champions, all-state teams and state results from the spring sports season have been added to champlists.com. Here’s a quick rundown of some of this spring’s highlights:

Softball: Thunder Basin won its second consecutive state championship after beating Cheyenne East in the championship. Three players earned their third consecutive all-state selection: Campbell County’s Avery Gray, Cheyenne East’s Trista Stehwien and Thunder Basin’s Lauren O’Loughlin. Gray is a junior.

Soccer: The boys teams from Thunder Basin and Worland and the girls teams from Kelly Walsh and Cody won team titles. Thunder Basin’s title was its first, while Worland (15-0-1) won its fifth title in a row, not including the canceled 2020 season. KW’s title was its first since 2005, while Cody, which went 17-0, won its second in a row and fifth in the past six state tournaments. Eleven players earned their third all-state nod, with Cody’s Ally Boysen, Jessa Lynn and Reece Niemann, Jackson’s Taya McClennen, Lander’s Delaney Sullivan and Laramie’s Allison Beeston earning those honors for girls and Cody’s Matt Nelson, Douglas’ Jackson Hughes, Sheridan’s Colson Coon, Thunder Basin’s Caleb Howell and Worland’s Court Gonsalez for boys’ teams. McLennen is a junior.

Track and field: Cheyenne Central’s girls won their fifth consecutive state track meet, while Powell won its third straight and Saratoga its second straight. Big Piney won the remaining girls title. Eleven girls state meet records fell: 4A and overall 400 (Addie Pendergast, Sheridan, 54.62); 1A 1600 (Bryli Groll, Cokeville, 5:21.44); 1A 3200 (Groll, 11:50.81); 1A 300 hurdles (Addison Barnes, Cokeville, 44.92); 3A 4×100 relay (Worland, 49.97); 1A 4×100 relay (Riverside, 50.82); 4A and overall 1600 medley relay (Cody, 4:12.26); 3A 1600 medley relay (Rawlins, 4:14.04); 1A 1600 medley relay (Burlington, 4:33.15); 4A and overall 4×800 relay (Cody, 9:26.48); 4A and overall long jump (Taliah Morris, Cheyenne East, 19-8.5).

Natrona, Powell, Big Horn and Burlington all won boys track titles. Natrona’s boys won their 24th state championship, tying Cheyenne Central for the most in state history. Nine boys state meet records fell: 2A 400 (Cody Hape, Burns, 48.46); 2A 800 (Colby Jenks, Big Piney, 1:53.64); 2A 3200 (Owen Burnett, Kemmerer, 9:26.38); 3A 110 hurdles (Gage Gose, Lander, 14.24); 3A and overall 300 hurdles (Gose, 36.10); 2A 300 hurdles (Jenks, 38.22); 2A 4×100 relay (Big Horn, 43.88); 4A 1600 medley relay (Sheridan, 3:32.09); 2A 1600 medley relay (Kemmerer, 3:37.26).

Four all-time best marks fell this season, including three at the state track meet. Gose turned in a 36.10 in the 300 hurdles at state, the only boys’ mark to fall this year. Pendergast ran a 23.58 in the 200 at the Trojan Invite in April, the only individual girls’ mark broken in 2023. The other two all-time bests set this year were in relays, as Cody set the best marks in both the 1600 medley relay (4:12.26) and the 4×800 relay (9:26.48), both at state.

If you see anything on the site that looks incorrect, give me a shout and let me know. 🙂

–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

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

Wyoming’s wrestling champs: The biggest (117) and smallest (1) groups of champions by school

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With a full list of all 2,470 Wyoming state wrestling individual champions now available on champlists.com, we can break down those champions by a number of different ways — the most obvious by school.

As the list below shows, Green River is Wyoming’s individual champion capital, with 117 individual championships coming from the Wolves’ ranks. Other schools with at least 100 individual championships are Campbell County (105), Natrona, Powell and Star Valley (104 each), and Worland (100).

Down at the bottom of the list, though, are 10 programs listed with one champion apiece.

And that, too, is incredibly interesting.

Of those 10 champions, only one champion is from an active program — and that is Hanna’s James Montez. Montez was the Class 2A 145-pound champion in 2010, the Miners’ first and only state champion.

Six others come from defunct programs. In chronological order, they are Guernsey’s Myron Baker (1947), LaGrange’s Joe Alire (1972), University Prep’s John Trujillo (1972), Medicine Bow’s Robert Casey (1973), Jeffrey City’s Jamie Evans (1980) and Burlington’s Ron Pace (1989).

The remaining three are kind of outliers from co-op programs. Kaleb Brothwell (2022) is Lingle-Southeast’s only champion, as is Lincoln Siebert (2021) of Burns-Pine Bluffs. However, both co-ops are relatively new, and all four schools have their fair share of their own individual champions. Similarly, Riverside’s Steve Bower (1989) is Riverside’s only champ listed, but Basin pre-Riverside days, as well as Basin/Manderson wrestlers as part of the Greybull-Riverside co-op, have won plenty of individual titles.

+++

Here are the state wrestling champion tallies by school or wrestling co-op:

SchoolTotal
Green River117
Campbell County105
Natrona104
Powell104
Star Valley104
Worland100
Douglas84
Rock Springs84
Cheyenne Central78
Laramie74
Lusk72
Lovell69
Moorcroft66
Sheridan66
Cody64
Torrington64
Kemmerer63
Cokeville61
Upton56
Saratoga53
Kelly Walsh52
Cheyenne East48
Wheatland46
Buffalo44
Lander44
Mountain View44
Evanston43
Newcastle39
Lingle37
Wind River35
Rawlins33
Hulett32
Greybull-Riverside31
Lyman29
Greybull28
Wright28
Riverton27
Sundance25
Thermopolis25
Midwest24
Shoshoni22
Glenrock20
Rocky Mountain18
Jackson15
Dubois10
Thunder Basin10
Pinedale9
Big Piney8
Southeast8
Basin7
Kaycee-Midwest6
Pine Bluffs6
Burns5
Newcastle-Upton4
Cheyenne South3
Hulett-Sundance3
Encampment2
Seton/St. Mary's2
Burlington1
Burns-Pine Bluffs1
Guernsey1
Hanna1
Jeffrey City1
LaGrange1
Lingle-Southeast1
Medicine Bow1
Riverside1
University Prep1

–patrick

Champlist fall blitz: Golf records, swimming dynasties and volleyball parity

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Here’s a quick overview of the 2022 fall high school sports seasons in Wyoming, aside from football, as updated to champlists.com:

Golf: The girls golf teams from Kelly Walsh (473) and Sheridan (484) posted the two best team scores ever seen at the state meet. They both beat the old record of 489 set by Sheridan last year. Natrona, which finished third at 501 strokes, finished tied for the seventh-best round ever by a team at state.

Individually, three players — Riverton’s Parker Paxton on the boys side and Lovell’s Erika Cook and Upton’s Brooklyn Materi on the girls side — won their third consecutive individual championships. Paxton is one of six boys to ever accomplish at least three state titles, while Cook and Materi are two of just six on the girls’ side. Paxton and Cook will return next season in attempts to become just the third boy and third girl to finish with four individual golf championships.

Kelly Walsh’s Josh Lane won the 4A boys title and Thermopolis’ Hadley Johnson won the 2A boys. Sheridan’s Samantha Spielman won her second 4A girls individual title (also winning in 2020).

Jackson and Riverton each won their second consecutive boys title, while Thermopolis’ boys won their fifth consecutive boys title. Kelly Walsh won the 4A girls, while Wheatland (3A) and Upton (2A) each won their second striaght.

Tennis: The Kelly Walsh girls won their second consecutive title and eighth overall to move into a tie for second place for most state tennis championships with Sheridan. Central leads with 16 overall. Gabriella Blumberg was the only repeat singles champion, winning No. 1 singles after winning No. 2 singles last year.

The Jackson boys win their fifth tennis title, with Cheyenne South’s Andrew Lock winning the No. 1 singles individual title.

Cross country: Saratoga’s Grant Bartlett won his fourth consecutive Class 2A championship, and in doing so became the first boy in Wyoming history to win four cross country individual titles. Mountain View’s Owen Burnett won his second consecutive 3A title and Star Valley sophomore Habtamu Wetzel won the 4A championship. Star Valley, Mountain View and Rocky Mountain/Burlington won team titles for the boys.

Three first-time champions were among the girls ranks with Cheyenne Central’s Sydney Morrell (4A), Lander’s Ameya Eddy (3A) and Moorcroft’s Mallory Jones (2A) winning individual titles. Central and Saratoga won their second consecutive team titles, while Cody won its fourth straight.

Volleyball: Wyoming had four new champions, as none of 2021’s title teams repeated. Riverside won its first championship in school history in its first year in 1A, while Burns won the 2A title and its third in school history after moving from 3A. Mountain View and Lyman played each other for the second consecutive year in the 3A title match, with Mountain View coming out on top this year to win its fifth team title. And in 4A, Kelly Walsh became just the third program in the state to crack-double digit championships with its 10th by winning the 4A title. (Cokeville has 25 titles and Pine Bluffs 12.)

In all, 11 players were named all-state players for the third time: Big Horn’s Saydee Zimmer, Cheyenne East’s Elysiana Fonseca and Boden Liljedahl, Kaycee’s Sierra Kilts, Kelly Walsh’s Abi Milby and Peyton Carruth, Laramie’s Maddy Stucky, Natrona’s Megan Hagar, Riverside’s Caroline Schlattmann and Vaidyn VanderPloeg and Thunder Basin’s Joelie Spelts. Zimmer and Stucky are juniors; the others are seniors.

Girls swimming: Laramie and Lander continued their dynasties, as Laramie won its sixth consecutive title and Lander won its sixth in seven years.

Cody’s Tara Joyce became the 31st girls swimmer in state history to win at least six individual championships with victories in the 200 and 500 freestyle events.

Remember to check out champlists.com for a ton of historical information on Wyoming high school sports.

–patrick

Wyoming’s greatest underdogs, Part 5: Campbell County breaks up the Cheyenne soccer dynasties

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Note: This is the fifth in a series of stories about some of Wyoming’s biggest high school sports underdogs.

Former Campbell County soccer coach Lyle Nannemann remembers more than one player coming up to him with the same complaint during the 1994 state tournament: I’ve got nothing clean to wear.

On the verge of a championship that had reverberations across the state, some of the Camels had to make an emergency underwear run.

“Some of them didn’t pack enough clothes for that weekend because they figured they’d be coming home sooner than they did,” Nannemann said this summer, 28 years after the Camels’ unexpected championship that completely changed the expectations of soccer teams in Wyoming. “It was unexpected they were going to carry on into the championship. They figured they’d be going home early.”

With expectations low but momentum high, the Camels won the 1994 state soccer championship, and in doing so became the first school outside Cheyenne to finish a season on top.

The start of state-sanctioned high school soccer in Wyoming in 1987 made clear the difference between the haves and the have-nots.

Cheyenne had what was necessary to win championships. No other community did.

Cheyenne schools had won the first seven state soccer championships, with East winning in 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1992 and Central winning in 1990, 1991 and 1993. In both 1987 and 1992, the two Cheyenne schools faced each other in the championship game.

Rory Williams, who played for Campbell County, also said Cheyenne’s club team, the Steam, helped build that depth and that competitiveness.

“They just had a lot more players, and their depth was always really good,” Williams said. “They just had really high expectations.”

Added Chris McMackin, a senior on the 1994 Gillette team and now the Camels’ head coach, the Cheyenne schools’ proximity to Colorado gave them opportunities no other programs had.

“They just had a head start on the rest of the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, expectations weren’t as high in other programs across the state — as the lack of underwear shows.

Even so, Nannemann said the ability to fuse talent helped make the Camels champions.

“They were a great group of boys,” Nannemann said. “There was a lot of different personalities on the team and they just came together and gelled to win the championship.”

The lead-up to the 1994 state tournament gave no hint to the seismic shift about to take place in soccer in Wyoming. With an expanded eight-team field for just the second year, East and Central were both the prohibitive favorites. Central came into the state tournament with a record of 9-0-1. East, meanwhile, was 8-1-1, its only loss via its crosstown rival.

Lander (8-0-2) was the West Conference champion, but not a true threat as the Tigers hadn’t played Cheyenne schools and, well, weren’t from Cheyenne.

The rest of the field was unremarkable, with Riverton (6-3-1) and Natrona (5-2-3) just above .500, Kelly Walsh (4-4-2) and Campbell County (5-5) right at the midpoint and Buffalo (3-7) sneaking in as the last representative from the much tougher East Conference.

The expected happened in the first round. Cheyenne schools cruised; Central obliterated KW 9-0, while East shut out Riverton 3-0. Lander won, too, but needed overtime to beat an underwhelming Buffalo team. That just left Campbell County and Natrona playing for the right to go up against someone who would likely end their season the next day, as consolation rounds were not yet played at state.

The two teams battled to a 1-1 draw in regulation time, as Jeff Vega scored late in regulation on a penalty kick for the Camels to send it to overtime. Then McMackin scored the game-winner in the first half of overtime, and the Camels were on… seemingly to their doom against Central, a team that hadn’t lost in two years.

But, contrary to expectations and history, the Camels found a way to give the Indians their first loss in a rainy, snowy game in Laramie. Holding Central to just one goal (against a 5.6 goal-per-game average) in the 2-1 victory, McMackin scored again, this time less than two minutes into the game, and Williams added another within the first 10 minutes.

“They hadn’t experienced that in two-plus years,” McMackin said. “They were in shock.”

After the two goals, Williams said, “we just held on for dear life for probably the next 70-some minutes, in the snow and in the rain. … They had a lot of ammo and were able to get quite a few shots off, but our defense did a great job and our goalie, Mike Roe, did a great job (with 11 saves).”

And just like that, the Camels were onto the championship game against another Cheyenne school, East.

McMackin said Campbell County’s confidence was high against the Thunderbirds. Despite losing twice to East in the regular season, both games were competitive.

The Camels’ defense rose to the heights necessary for a state championship game. Freshman Justin Graham’s penalty kick in the first half was all the scoring Campbell County needed, and the Camels beat East 1-0 to win their first state soccer championship and the first for any Wyoming school outside of the confines of the Capital City.

McMackin said the crowd for the 1994 title game was one of the largest he had ever seen for a Wyoming high school game.

“So many teams were there rooting for us just because they wanted someone other than (a) Cheyenne (school) to win,” he said.

Along with the 2016 team from Laramie and the 2017 East team, the ’94 Camels are one of only three 4A boys teams to win state titles by winning three games at state each by a single-goal margin.

The Camels’ title ended the Cheyenne stranglehold, and they understood immediately that they were ushering in a new era of parity across the state in boys soccer.

Although East beat Central in the 1995 title game, six different schools won championships in the next six years, including Natrona, Buffalo, Kelly Walsh and Laramie. East and Central still sit atop the state soccer championship tallies, with East at eight and Central at seven, but Jackson has also won seven titles (including the three most recent in 4A) while Kelly Walsh and Laramie are right behind with six apiece.

McMackin said the change in Gillette’s community soccer programs is evidence of the strides the Camels have made and matches similar programs statewide. Where the teams in the 1980s and 1990s were formed by teams of players whose parents had never played soccer, “now you’re seeing second-, third-generation families who have played the game here.”

However, Campbell County still has only the 1994 title to claim as its own. McMackin, who had such a critical part of the 1994 team, is now the head coach of the Camels and is working to change that.

“It was like we lifted the curse for the rest of the state and then put it on ourselves,” he said.

Meanwhile, 28 years later, Nannemann — who stepped down as head coach in 1998 but still works with Gillette’s club soccer teams alongside some of his former players — said the Camels’ breakthrough “did make the confidence level come up where other teams felt they could do it also.”

And Williams, now the head boys basketball coach for defending Class 4A champion Thunder Basin, said the 1994 title was the one that helped other teams say, “If Campbell County can go in there and compete, why not us?”

–patrick

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