With the archive of weekly football rankings complete, I wanted to turn my attention to something that I now have the opportunity to fully research and expand upon: the shared state championship.

Several championships were already listed as shared on my state champions listings. In the pre-playoff, polls-only era, this isn’t unprecedented. However, with both the complete AP and UPI rankings now fully available, it’s afforded me a chance to look back at season-ending polls to see if everything matches up.

In short, it doesn’t. And that’s what this post is designed to do — give some teams the props, and championships, they’ve earned but not had listed here.

This isn’t a new exploration of mine. When I first worked through shared champions in 2009 on this site, I made the decision to solely accept the UPI polls. With the extended research, though, I’ve come to the realization that both the AP and UPI polls were just about as equally valid, run just as often and about just as far and wide across the state as each other.

I defaulted to the UPI rankings because they were the favorite of my adopted hometown paper, and later my employer, the Casper Star-Tribune, which often didn’t even run the AP rankings for an entire season. But the AP rankings definitely had validity, and they need to be recognized as such. That means this site should accept the champions of both the AP and UPI polls, not just the UPI.

So that’s what I’m doing.

This means four teams — Torrington and Glenrock from 1972, Deaver-Frannie from 1971 and Cheyenne Central from 1966 — will retroactively have the championships they earned in those years added to the site. All four were AP champions in some form:

  • Torrington and Glenrock were AP champions in their respective classes (A and B) 1972, as opposed to UPI champions Star Valley and St. Mary’s.
  • Glenrock and Deaver-Frannie tied for the top of the Class B rankings in the final AP poll in 1971, whereas Glenrock won the UPI poll outright.
  • Cheyenne Central and Powell tied atop the final AP poll of the 1966 season, as Powell won the UPI outright.

Two other final polls where teams shared the top spot in the polls were NOT added for the following reasons:

  • The 1971 AA final polls’ top spots were shared between Laramie (AP) and Natrona (UPI). However, by 1971 Class AA had a championship game, which Laramie won. Likewise, the final polls were taken prior to the championship game, in which Laramie beat Rock Springs.
  • In 1961, Greybull (AP) and Laramie (UPI) finished atop the final polls of the season. These, too, came before the playoffs, in which Greybull as a Class A school was involved. Greybull’s loss to Buffalo in the Class A semifinals ended its title run and could not be accounted for in the polls, leaving Laramie as the sole Class AA title claimant and Star Valley, the team that beat Buffalo in the Class A championship game, as the titleist for that class.

Other shared championships that are already listed will remain, including Byron and Glenrock sharing the 1968 Class B championship, Sheridan and Laramie sharing the 1958 Class AA championship, and Sheridan and Natrona sharing the 1957 Class AA championship.

Shared titles before the start of statewide polls in the mid-1950s were “by acclaim” champions, as no formal polling system existed prior to the AP/UPI polls, and in earlier days the polls by the Wyoming Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

Researching the polls week to week has given me significantly more insight to the processes used in these times to choose a state champion. I think these updates accurately reflect the sentiment at the time.

And it makes me glad that we have playoffs these days.

–patrick

Since 1984 and the start of the “one-poll” era of Wyoming high school football, a No. 1-ranked team has met a No. 2 team from the same classification 223 times.

And, as expected, the No. 1 teams win more often — although not by as much as you might think.

Overall, No. 1-ranked teams have the advantage, holding a record of 139-84 (.623) in those matchups.

Of the 223 1-vs-2 games in the past 39 years, 117 have come in the regular season and another 106 have come in the playoffs.

In regular-season games, No. 1 teams have a 72-45 (.615) record against No. 2-ranked teams. In the playoffs, No. 1 teams are slightly better, at 67-39 (.632), than in the regular season.

Combined, the No. 1 teams are 65-45 (.591) at home and 48-28 (.632) on the road. In neutral site contests, No. 1 teams are 26-11 (.703).

++++

Here are all the No. 1-vs. No. 2 games in Wyoming high school football since 1984. This list does not include games of teams ranked 1 or 2 in different classifications. Road team listed first; bolded teams won the game; *-at Laramie.

2022
4A Week 5: #1 Cheyenne East 39 #2 Sheridan 42
*4A Championship: #2 Cheyenne East 23 #1 Sheridan 34

3A Week 6: #1 Cody 35 #2 Star Valley 25
*3A Championship: #2 Star Valley 14 #1 Cody 7

2A Week 3: #1 Lovell 12 #2 Lyman 6 OT
*2A Championship: #1 Lovell 7 #2 Big Horn 8

1A nine-man Week 1: #2 Pine Bluffs 34 #1 Shoshoni 26
*1A nine-man Championship: #2 Shoshoni 27 #1 Pine Bluffs 33

1A six-man Week 2: #1 Snake River 44 #2 Dubois 28

2021
4A Week 3: #2 Sheridan 27 #1 Rock Springs 24
*4A Championship: #1 Rock Springs 27 #1 Sheridan 45

3A Week 4: #1 Cody 38 #2 Powell 14
3A Week 8: #1 Cody 21 #2 Jackson 15
*3A Championship: #2 Jackson 24 #1 Cody 41

1A nine-man Week 5: #2 Pine Bluffs 34 #1 Shoshoni 25

*1A six-man Championship: #2 Encampment 24 #1 Snake River 65

2020
4A Week 2: #2 Cheyenne Central 20 #1 Sheridan 17
4A Week 3: #2 Thunder Basin 26 #1 Cheyenne Central 38

3A Week 8: #2 Cody 48 #1 Jackson 6
3A Championship: #2 Jackson 13 #1 Cody 34

2A Week 2: #2 Mountain View 12 #1 Lovell 9
2A Week 8: #2 Lyman 21 #1 Mountain View 15

1A six-man Week 3: #2 Encampment 32 #1 Farson 74
1A six-man Week 5: #1 Farson 47 #2 Kaycee 13
1A six-man Week 7: #2 Meeteetse 16 #1 Farson 35
1A six-man Championship: #2 Meeteetse 30 #1 Farson 42

2019
4A Week 3: #2 Sheridan 30 #1 Thunder Basin 37
*4A Championship: #2 Sheridan 35 #1 Thunder Basin 26

3A Week 7: #1 Star Valley 20 #2 Cody 7

*2A Championship: #2 Buffalo 14 #1 Mountain View 24

1A 11-man Week 4: #1 Big Horn 27 #2 Upton-Sundance 0

1A six-man Week 6: #2 Farson 0 #1 Snake River 53
*1A six-man Championship: #1 Snake River 71 #2 Hanna 38

2018
4A Week 2: #1 Sheridan 7 #2 Natrona 34

*3A Championship: #2 Torrington 14 #1 Star Valley 35

2A Week 4: #2 Buffalo 23 #1 Glenrock 16
*2A Championship: #2 Mountain View 18 #1 Buffalo 43

1A 11-man Week 5: #1 Big Horn 42 #2 Pine Bluffs 7
*1A 11-man Championship: #2 Cokeville 3 #1 Big Horn 56

1A six-man Week 5: #2 Meeteetse 0 #1 Farson 64

2017
4A Week 2: #2 Natrona 34 #1 Sheridan 37 OT
*4A Championship: #2 Natrona 14 #1 Sheridan 28

2A Week 1: #1 Glenrock 12 #2 Greybull 7
*2A Championship: #2 Mountain View 35 #1 Glenrock 28

1A six-man SF: #2 Burlington 38 #1 Kaycee 47

2016
4A Week 5: #2 Campbell County 24 #1 Sheridan 21

3A SF: #1 Star Valley 61 #2 Douglas 42

1A 11-man Week 8: #2 Tongue River 20 #1 Upton-Sundance 32

*1A six-man Championship: #2 Kaycee 41 #1 Farson 30

2015
4A Week 5: #1 Sheridan 14 #2 Campbell County 20
*4A Championship: #2 Sheridan 38 #1 Campbell County 31

3A Week 4: #2 Star Valley 13 #1 Cody 0

*1A six-man Championship: #1 Meeteetse 32 #2 Kaycee 51

2014
4A Week 3: #2 Natrona 47 #1 Campbell County 7

3A Week 1: #1 Powell 18 #2 Douglas 17
3A Week 7: #2 Douglas 15 #1 Riverton 3
*3A Championship: #1 Douglas 0 #2 Cody 19

*2A Championship: #1 Big Horn 19 #2 Mountain View 28

*1A 11-man Championship: #1 Cokeville 26 #2 Lusk 6

*1A six-man Championship: #1 Guernsey-Sunrise 80 #2 Dubois 30

2013
4A Week 5: #2 Sheridan 10 #1 Campbell County 39
4A Week 8: #1 Campbell County 41 #2 Cheyenne East 6
4A SF: #2 Natrona 14 #1 Campbell County 7

*3A Championship: #1 Powell 19 #2 Douglas 13 OT

*1A 11-man Championship: #1 Lusk 12 #2 Cokeville 13

1A six-man Week 4: #2 Meeteetse 56 #1 Dubois 46

2012
4A Week 1: #1 Natrona 38 #2 Sheridan 13
4A Week 8: #2 Campbell County 17 #1 Natrona 20
*4A Championship: #2 Campbell County 7 #1 Natrona 35

3A Week 5: #2 Star Valley 0 #1 Powell 13
*3A Championship: #2 Star Valley 10 #1 Powell 13

2A Week 3: #1 Lovell 6 #2 Lyman 20

1A six-man Week 2: #2 Dubois 43 #1 Snake River 36
*1A six-man Championship: #1 Dubois 54 #2 Snake River 30

2011
4A Week 1: #1 Sheridan 6 #2 Natrona 20

2A Week 3: #2 Lyman 7 #1 Lovell 21
*2A Championship: #2 Lyman 13 #1 Lovell 21

*1A 11-man Championship: #2 Cokeville 28 #1 Southeast 13

1A six-man Week 2: #1 Snake River 66 #2 Dubois 24
*1A six-man Championship: #1 Snake River 54 #2 Dubois 33

2010
4A Week 6: #2 Campbell County 32 #1 Natrona 47
*4A Championship: #2 Sheridan 14 #1 Natrona 34

3A Week 4: #2 Buffalo 7 #1 Douglas 22

2A Week 5: #1 Thermopolis 7 #2 Big Horn 42
*2A Championship: #2 Thermopolis 13 #1 Big Horn 9

*1A 11-man Championship: #2 Lusk 6 #1 Cokeville 26

1A six-man Week 6: #1 Snake River 50 #2 Hanna 34
*1A six-man Championship: #2 Hanna 12 #1 Snake River 67

2009
4A Week 7: #2 Cheyenne Central 20 #1 Sheridan 28
*4A Championship: #2 Cheyenne Central 15 #1 Sheridan 40

2A Week 1: #1 Glenrock 26 #2 Kemmerer 6

1A six-man Week 3: #1 Guernsey 72 #2 Hanna 12
1A six-man Week 7: #1 Guernsey 63 #2 Midwest 20

2008
5A Week 0: #1 Green River 14 #2 Natrona 12

3A Championship: #1 Kemmerer 0 #2 Glenrock 18

2A Championship: #2 Big Horn 12 #1 Burns 41

1A Championship: #2 Southeast 12 #1 Burlington 0

2007
5A Week 5: #2 Cheyenne East 35 #1 Evanston 26
5A Week 8: #2 Cheyenne Central 3 #1 Natrona 27

4A Championship: #2 Buffalo 6 #1 Jackson 10

3A Championship: #2 Glenrock 0 #1 Kemmerer 22

2A Championship: #2 Riverside 21 #1 Big Horn 20

2006
3A Week 3: #1 Mountain View 8 #2 Kemmerer 0

2A Championship: #2 Southeast 8 #1 Riverside 6

1A Championship: #2 Guernsey-Sunrise 14 #1 Cokeville 12

2005
5A Week 6: #1 Campbell County 17 #2 Natrona 23 OT

4A Week 1: #2 Lander 20 #1 Buffalo 45
4A Championship: #1 Buffalo 17 #2 Star Valley 14

3A Week 4: #2 Big Piney 13 #1 Kemmerer 37
3A Championship: #2 Glenrock 12 #1 Kemmerer 37

2A Week 2: #1 Big Horn 0 #2 Wright 7
2A Week 6: #2 Big Horn 22 #1 Sundance 20

2004
5A Championship: #1 Green River 20 #2 Natrona 0

4A Championship: #2 Lander 10 #1 Buffalo 31

2A Week 6: #1 Upton 8 #2 Big Horn 24
2A Championship: #2 Upton 22 #1 Big Horn 52

1A SF: #2 Guernsey-Sunrise 24 #1 Burlington 21 OT

2003
5A Week 1: #2 Natrona 48 #1 Rock Springs 6
5A Week 5: #2 Campbell County 21 #1 Natrona 35
5A Championship: #2 Campbell County 3 #1 Natrona 28

4A Week 3: #1 Worland 3 #2 Star Valley 0

1A Week 6: #1 Guernsey 0 #2 Southeast 21
1A Championship: #1 Southeast 13 #2 Cokeville 14

2002
5A Championship: #2 Campbell County 14 #1 Rock Springs 36

3A Week 4: #2 Mountain View 28 #1 Glenrock 19

2A Championship: #2 Big Horn 0 #1 Lusk 31

2001
4A Week 1: #1 Powell 31 #2 Douglas 14
4A Week 2: #2 Star Valley 20 #1 Powell 21

3A Week 8: #2 Big Piney 21 #1 Mountain View 14
3A SF: #2 Glenrock 33 #1 Big Piney 34 OT

2A Week 8: #2 Lusk 7 #1 Southeast 21

2000
4A Championship: #1 Campbell County 28 #2 Laramie 7

3A Championship: #1 Powell 14 #2 Rawlins 39

2A Week 5: #2 Big Piney 19 #1 Lyman 35

1A-D1 SF: #1 Lusk 49 #2 Shoshoni 0

1A-D2 Championship: #1 Southeast 41 #2 Big Horn 20

1999
4A Week 7: #2 Campbell County 0 #1 Natrona 35
4A Championship: #2 Campbell County 10 #1 Natrona 13

3A Week 4: #2 Powell 15 #1 Riverton 29
3A Week 8: #1 Riverton 17 #2 Douglas 14
3A Championship: #2 Douglas 6 #1 Riverton 14

2A Week 5: #2 Lyman 52 #1 Big Piney 7
2A Week 7: #1 Lyman 15 #2 Mountain View 15
2A Championship: #2 Lyman 16 #1 Mountain View 6

1998 (no poll after Week 7)
4A Championship: #2 Laramie 7 #1 Campbell County 14

3A Week 6: #2 Wheatland 14 #1 Riverton 17

2A SF: #2 Big Piney 15 #1 Thermopolis 13

1997
4A Week 7: #2 Campbell County 16 #1 Natrona 13 2OT

3A Week 6: #2 Worland 0 #1 Star Valley 31

2A SF: #2 Buffalo 0 #1 Mountain View 18

1A-D1 Championship: #2 Lusk 20 #1 Rocky Mountain 32

1996
3A Week 3: #1 Lander 17 #2 Riverton 3
3A Week 7: #1 Lander 10 #2 Star Valley 14

1A-D1 SF: #2 Moorcroft 34 #1 Rocky Mountain 20

1A-D2 SF: #2 Lingle 0 #1 Cokeville 16

1995 (no poll after Week 7)
4A Week 4: #1 Laramie 27 #2 Green River 14
4A Week 6: #2 Evanston 22 #1 Laramie 36

3A Week 8 (final poll in week 7): #1 Lander 27 #2 Cody 31
3A ½ playoff: #1 Lander 13 #2 Cody 10 (at Riverton)

2A Championship: #2 Buffalo 0 #1 Mountain View 27

1A-D1 Championship: #1 Rocky Mountain 32 #2 Lusk 20

1A-D2 SF: #2 Cokeville 28 #1 Burlington 13

1994
4A Week 3: #1 Green River 0 #2 Natrona 7
4A Championship: #2 Laramie 30 #1 Natrona 9

3A Week 7: #1 Lander 6 #2 Star Valley 15

2A Week 4: #1 Lovell 14 #2 Thermopolis 28
2A Championship: #2 Kemmerer 16 #1 Thermopolis 6

1A 11-man Week 3: #2 Burns 12 #1 Lusk 13
1A 11-man SF: #1 Lusk 6 #2 Cokeville 7

1A nine-man Championship: #2 Hulett 20 #1 Burlington 36

1993
4A Week 5: #1 Sheridan 44 #2 Laramie 21
4A Week 6: #1 Sheridan 15 #2 Campbell County 22

3A Championship: #2 Lander 12 #1 Star Valley 14

2A Week 6: #2 Lovell 0 #1 Buffalo 21

1A 11-man Championship: #1 Rocky Mountain 22 #2 Cokeville 40

1A nine-man Week 7: #1 Meeteetse 22 #2 Burlington 14
1A nine-man Championship: #2 Hulett 20 #1 Meeteetse 23

1992
4A Week 3: #2 Kelly Walsh 18 #1 Sheridan 47
4A Week 6: #2 Campbell County 15 #1 Sheridan 18
4A Championship: #2 Campbell County 9 #1 Sheridan 27

3A Championship: #1 Star Valley 34 #2 Torrington 13

1A 11-man Championship: #2t Wind River 7 #1 Rocky Mountain 10

1A nine-man Week 7: #2 Dubois 41 #1 Meeteetse 22

1991
4A Week 6: #1 Sheridan 35 #2 Campbell County 13

1A nine-man ½ playoffs: #1 Big Horn 22 #2 Hulett 0 (at Gillette)

1990
4A Week 1: #1 Cheyenne Central 35 #2 Natrona 7
4A Week 5: #1 Cheyenne Central 28 #2 Sheridan 20
4A Championship: #2 Sheridan 35 #1 Cheyenne Central 30

3A Week 5: #1 Star Valley 31 #2 Jackson 7
3A Championship: #1 Star Valley 6 #2 Torrington 20

2A Week 4: #2 Thermopolis 46 #1 Glenrock 20
2A Week 6: #2 Lovell 20 #1 Thermopolis 28
2A SF: #2 Buffalo 19 #1 Thermopolis 20

1A 11-man Championship: #1 Sundance 6 #2 Cokeville 20

1A nine-man Week 1: #1 Meeteetse 29 #2 Hanna 7
1A nine-man SF: #2 Lingle 14 #1 Meeteetse 8

1989
4A Week 5: #1 Cheyenne Central 13 #2 Natrona 0
4A Championship: #2 Rock Springs 0 #1 Cheyenne Central 32

2A SF: #2 Cokeville 35 #1 Greybull 11

1A nine-man Week 3: #1 Meeteetse 37 #2 Ten Sleep 20

1988
4A Week 6: #1 Rock Springs 14 #2 Green River 6
4A SF: #2 Cheyenne Central 30 #1 Rock Springs 0

3A Championship: #2 Worland 0 #1 Torrington 6

1987
4A Week 8: #2 Campbell County 15 #1 Laramie 21
4A Championship: #2 Rock Springs 14 #1 Laramie 13

3A Week 8: #2 Jackson 28 #1 Star Valley 7
3A SF: #1 Jackson 0 #2 Wheatland 14

2A Week 6: #2 Lovell 22 #1 Greybull 14 OT
2A SF: #2 Pinedale 7 #1 Lovell 20

1A SF: #2 Big Horn 14 #1 Meeteetse 20

1986
4A Championship: #1 Sheridan 44 #2 Rawlins 13

3A Week 8: #1 Torrington 35 #2 Glenrock 0

2A Week 3: #2 Greybull 20 #1 Shoshoni 7

1A Week 8: #2 Midwest 14 #1 Big Horn 21 OT

1985 (poll taken before championship games)
4A Week 4: #1 Natrona 17 #2 Sheridan 13

3A Week 9: #2 Evanston 15 #1 Star Valley 14
3A Championship: #1 Torrington 8 #2 Evanston 47

2A Championship: #1 Shoshoni 18 #2t Seton 7

1A Week 7: #2 Wright 6 #1 Big Horn 25
1A Week 8: #1 Big Horn 14 #2 Midwest 12
1A Championship: #2 Wright 6 #1 Big Horn 7

1984 (poll taken before 4A/3A championship games)
3A Championship: #1 Evanston 21 #2 Wheatland 35

1A Championship: #1 Midwest 8 #2 Cokeville 12

–patrick

Between now and the second weekend of November 2023, a lot is possible.

We do know that, at the end of it all, five teams will be crowned champions, and 60 others will be left to chase.

Just which teams will win those five championships, we won’t know until the clock in War Memorial Stadium hits 0:00 on five separate occasions.

That doesn’t mean we can’t speculate.

So, here’s some way-too-early speculation on what might happen almost exactly 10 months from now on which teams might be the title holders come the end of a season that’s still months away from starting.

Class 4A
1. Cheyenne East
: With five first-team all-state players coming back — and with the rest of 4A only having four combined — the Thunderbirds are the early favorites to win it all in 2023. That tally also includes QB Cam Hayes and RB Drew Jackson, a good place to start.
2. Sheridan: Never, ever rule out the Broncs, who will need to replace a talented senior class but always seems to do so no matter who’s on the roster. DB Dane Steel, the conference defensive player of the year, and lineman Alex Haswell are the key pieces on which to rebuild.
3. Cheyenne Central: Central’s five returning first-team all-conference selections gives the Indians just as many as East, and a lot of that strength rests in an improving defense that could carry the team early.
4. Thunder Basin: Returning QB Alonso Aguilar gives the ‘Bolts some experience under center, a necessary piece for a team that has lots of holes to fill.
5. Rock Springs: The Tigers return some key offensive pieces in QB Michael Faigl, RB Brycen Cooms and WR Goodness Okere but might need to outscore opponents until the defense comes along.
Wild card: Natrona. The Mustangs were a senior-loaded bunch last season, but they always seem to be in the same position every season and usually come out OK on the other side. Some untested talent will need to grow quickly.

Class 3A
1. Star Valley
: The defending champs return three all-state picks, tops in the classification. The biggest offensive weapons are gone to graduation, but a solid group of up-and-coming players should make the Braves the favorites from day one.
2. Douglas: Douglas is loaded with solid returners, including QB Trey Rinn, linemen Tegen Seeds and Malachy Lehnen and maybe the best up-and-coming junior in the state in Carter Archuleta. The Bearcats will definitely be the East favorites.
3. Buffalo: The Bison had a solid campaign in 2022 and with four returning all-conference players (tied with Douglas for the most in 3A), they should be right in the championship discussion again this year. RB Will Hammond emerged as a solid offensive centerpiece.
4. Cody: How will the Broncs react to losing all 13 of their all-conference picks and all nine of their all-staters? If Cody’s returners learned anything in practice, it’ll be time to show it in the games.
5. Powell: A trio of returning all-conference selections, led by all-state WR Trey Stenerson and QB Jhett Schwahn, should put the Panthers in a good spot entering 2023.
Wild card: Evanston. The Red Devils get back a pair of all-staters in Cohen Morrow and Brady Roberts and could be a team on the rise but will need to adjust to a new head coach.

Class 2A
1. Lyman
: Three teams in 2A return four all-conference players; Lyman just happens to be one of them. The Eagles’ title hopes went awry in 2022, but honestly — a play here, a play there and maybe we’re talking four-peat.
2. Big Horn: The defending champs proved a lot in their title run, and with a pair of returning all-staters in Kiefer Dunham and Drew Heermann, the Rams should be in the chase for a repeat.
3. Tongue River: The Eagles had a breakthrough season in 2022, and they did so with a bunch of younger players leading the way. With four all-conference players returning — all of whom were key pieces of TR’s turnaround — watch out.
4. Mountain View: The Buffalos’ four returning all-conference players might be the most exciting group of talent returning to any team in 2A. Both Jayce Schultz and Carson Eardley were all-state, and they lead a group that’s eager to return to the top.
5. Cokeville: Three all-conference players (but no all-staters) return for Cokeville, and it goes without saying that the Panthers consistently put out winners.
Wild cards: Lovell and Newcastle. For opposite reasons, two teams show up here — Lovell, last year’s runner-up, gets back just a pair of all-conference players and loses a senior class that was clearly carrying the bulk of the weight. Newcastle, meanwhile, improved significantly last year and gets back a trio of all-conference selections, enough to compete in the East.

Class 1A nine-man
1. Pine Bluffs
: In a classification that was hit hard by graduation (only six returning all-state players statewide), the defending champs earn the recognition of early favorite by returning four all-conference choices, tied for the most of any team in 1A nine-man.
2. Big Piney: The Punchers get back four of their five all-conference choices and lead the state with a pair of returning all-state picks in seniors Karsyn Gurr and Ruben Stoutenberg.
3. Southeast: The Cyclones don’t return any all-state choices but do get back four of six all-conference picks, setting them up well to compete in the East.
4. Lingle: The Doggers will rely on two returning all-state choices in Louden Bremer and Kaiden Riggs, who both made the team as sophomores, to be leaders in 2023 for a team that was one big play away from hosting a playoff game.
5. Wind River: RB Cooper Frederick is the centerpiece of a Cougar game plan that will rely on him heavily, but in a depleted West Conference, that may be enough to carry the day.
Wild cards: Rocky Mountain and Shoshoni. Between them, they combined for 18 all-conference and 11 all-state choices. Every single one has graduated. Underclass talent will have to develop in a hurry for them to stay in a title conversation.

Class 1A six-man
1. Burlington
: Last year’s runners-up return four all-conference players, tied for the most in six-man with Kaycee, but with some key players graduated, rebuilding will need to happen fast.
2. Dubois: RB Wyatt Trembly set a single-season rushing record in six-man last year, and his presence alone will keep the Rams competitive — which is good, because four all-conference players will leave upon graduation.
3. Encampment: The Tiger trio of all-conference players (Quade Jordan, Ryon Miller, Kaben Pickett) will be tough to top as seniors, and that experience will help Encampment find some success, especially early.
4. Snake River: The Rattlers have had back-to-back undefeated seasons, but this might be the year they come back to earth. They’ll still be competitive with all-stater Isaiah Skalberg leading the way, but the senior class is thinner than usual.
5. Kaycee: Four all-conference returners will help Kaycee improve, and all-stater Vaun Pierson will help set the pace for a thin but improved Buckaroo squad.
Wild cards: Meeteetse and Midwest. Both the Longhorns and Oilers return all three of their all-conference choices, and Meeteetse’s Joseph Pina was the North’s co-defensive player of the year. Both teams should be improved in 2023.

What do you think, in January at least? Who’s poised for a breakout year? Leave a comment and share your ideas. And then let’s keep talking for another 10 months until all of this actually, finally, gets settled on the field.

–patrick

Quick trivia: Since 2009, what’s something that Natrona’s football team has done 193 times that Lusk’s has done zero times?

Answer: Attempt a field goal.

A compilation of statistics since 2009 shows Natrona is, by far, the state’s leading team when it comes to field goal tries — and that Lusk is the most field goal-averse.

From 2009-22, Natrona’s kickers attempted 193 field goals, making 120 of them. The number of attempts far outpaces second-place Sheridan (123) and third-place Star Valley (86), and the number of makes also far exceeds runner-up Sheridan (76).

On the other side, Lusk has gone the past 14 seasons, and maybe longer, without attempting a single field goal. So have St. Stephens and Wyoming Indian, although their streaks are a bit shorter.

Three other active programs — Upton-Sundance, Farson and Encampment — as well as now-defunct NSI have only attempted one field goal in that span.

Five programs haven’t missed a field goal in that time, with Hulett’s perfect 3-for-3 in the past 13 years leading the way. Wheatland, at 2-for-2, also hasn’t missed a field goal since at least 2009. NSI, Upton and Upton-Sundance are 1-for-1.

Meanwhile, aside from Encampment and Farson (both 0-for-1), Moorcroft is the team with the roughest percentage, making just 22% (2-for-9) of its attempts.

The state average over this span has been 57.1%, with kickers making 1,114 field goals in 2,003 attempts. The number of field goals attempted statewide in a season has ranged from as few as 120 (in both 2020 and 2018) to as many as 179 (2011). The 2022 season saw 131 field goal attempts.

The team that both attempted and made the most field goals in a season was Natrona’s 2015 team. That season, Natrona kickers made 20 of 28 field goals.

Kicking field goals, though, is by no means a measure of success. Many championship teams went their entire seasons without so much as attempting a field goal, including Big Horn and Snake River this season. Snake River also did so last season and Big Horn also did so in 2018.

Note: Since this data was compiled from the existing stat sheets, data may be incomplete. For example, six-man data is missing for 2009 and 2010, and some team statistics are missing if a team decided not to compile individual statistics, which has happened a handful of times over the past 13 years. Still, this is the best we can do with what we have, so enjoy.

Total field goals from 2009-2022:

TeamTOTAL FGMTOTAL FGAPct
Natrona12019362.2%
Sheridan7612361.8%
Campbell County518063.8%
Star Valley508658.1%
Cheyenne Central487762.3%
Cheyenne East488258.5%
Riverton477463.5%
Kelly Walsh467759.7%
Buffalo456569.2%
Powell437358.9%
Torrington386063.3%
Green River376457.8%
Lander376953.6%
Laramie366852.9%
Thunder Basin315952.5%
Big Horn274165.9%
Cody264854.2%
Newcastle234254.8%
Worland213756.8%
Evanston204050.0%
Douglas183650.0%
Pine Bluffs183946.2%
Cokeville172958.6%
Cheyenne South153641.7%
Mountain View142948.3%
Rock Springs143737.8%
Jackson132356.5%
Southeast132065.0%
Hanna111861.1%
Lingle111861.1%
Shoshoni113036.7%
Pinedale101566.7%
Rocky Mountain101758.8%
Greybull8988.9%
Lovell81747.1%
Glenrock71163.6%
Saratoga71643.8%
Midwest61442.9%
Dubois51435.7%
Rawlins51241.7%
Tongue River5771.4%
Burlington4850.0%
Meeteetse4850.0%
Wright4850.0%
Burns3742.9%
Hulett33100.0%
Kemmerer3475.0%
Riverside3742.9%
Snake River3475.0%
Wind River3837.5%
Big Piney2450.0%
Guernsey-Sunrise2366.7%
Kaycee2366.7%
Lyman2825.0%
Moorcroft2922.2%
Thermopolis2540.0%
Wheatland22100.0%
NSI11100.0%
Ten Sleep1250.0%
Upton11100.0%
Upton-Sundance11100.0%
Encampment010.0%
Farson010.0%
Lusk00#DIV/0!
Rock River00#DIV/0!
St. Stephens00#DIV/0!
Sundance00#DIV/0!
Wyoming Indian00#DIV/0!
TOTAL1144200357.1%

–patrick

A trophy of a cowboy throwing a football.
A trophy of a cowboy throwing a football.
Slim MacGuffin

Everyone, meet Slim MacGuffin.

He might just be the next great piece of Wyoming high school football lore.

Right now, Slim belongs in the trophy case at Sheridan High School.

In addition to winning the Class 4A championship this year, the Sheridan Broncs also held onto an important honor they didn’t even know they were playing for — the Wyoming football MacGuffin.

Some of you may have heard of the MacGuffin, which has built a following on Twitter by tracking college football’s most interesting theoretical traveling trophy.

The concept is simple: All you have to do to get the trophy is beat the team that has it.

In this case, we start with the first Wyoming high school football game ever played, and the winner gets a trophy — Slim, in this case. They get to hold onto that trophy until they lose; the team that beats them gets the trophy. That team then holds onto it until they lose. And so on, and so on, and so on.

In the college ranks, there have been more than 1,500 MacGuffin games; the trophy has traded hands 317 times since the first intercollegiate game in 1869, and 93 teams have had the trophy, including the University of Wyoming for a bit, including the entire 1994 offseason.

If we had a Wyoming high school football MacGuffin, though, Sheridan would be the rightful owners of that trophy, at least for now.

Starting with the first game between two Wyoming high schools in 1908 — played on Nov. 3 of that year between crosstown rivals Laramie and University Prep — there have been 907 Wyoming football MacGuffin games, as of the end of the 2022 season. In all, 24 different teams will have held the trophy, and 38 programs will have played in MacGuffin games.

Since 1908, the trophy would have logged some significant miles in every corner of the state. Every Class 4A team except Cheyenne South would have had it at least once. And, oddly enough, it would have been up for grabs in every 4A/5A championship game since 1987.

Here’s a breakdown of the teams who would have had the trophy in their possession, with tallies of how many times they defended the trophy and how many times they beat teams with the MacGuffin to steal it for themselves:

SchoolGames defendedTimes won
Sheridan17628
Natrona11529
Laramie9520
Cheyenne Central8016
Worland724
Campbell County5013
Rock Springs469
Cheyenne East3515
Kelly Walsh196
Thermopolis154
Lander114
Cody103
Powell101
Lovell83
Thunder Basin72
Douglas61
Evanston53
Cowley51
Rawlins42
Torrington21
Green River12
Riverton02
Kemmerer01

For the Wyoming high school version, I limited the potential transfer of the trophy to in-state, varsity teams; we can’t have some out-of-state team taking Wyoming’s MacGuffin with them, and we can’t be giving it to a town team, JV team or college team, either. So it’s only up for grabs in varsity vs. varsity, in-state games.

And here’s a look at how those games have gone, and who’s played in those games:

TeamMacG WinsMacG LossesMacG GamesLast MacGameLast held
Sheridan1727224420222022
Natrona1458022520222019
Laramie1158119620222000
Cheyenne Central918117120222020
Rock Springs557513020222021
Campbell County636412720222016
Cheyenne East507112120222021
Worland76138919771959
Kelly Walsh25487320222005
Cody13304320041977
Thermopolis19214019741947
Rawlins6333919881974
Evanston8253320162007
Lander15163119881974
Riverton2293120081972
Green River3242720102007
Powell11162719771958
Lovell11142519591947
Buffalo018181984never
Torrington3151819661952
Thunder Basin971620222021
Douglas761319841952
Cowley671319351934
Cheyenne South011112022never
Greybull011111959never
Basin0771934never
Newcastle0661932never
Kemmerer14519401932
Star Valley0441998never
Midwest0441952never
Lusk0331969never
St. Mary's0221952never
Superior0221936never
University Prep0221909never
Jackson0111974never
Ten Sleep0111933never
Manderson0111928never
Sundance0111935never

One of the challenges of a traveling trophy like this is that it needs to travel. Due to Class 4A’s round-robin schedule, the MacGuffin has been, and will continue to be unless the schedule changes, the exclusive domain of Wyoming’s big schools. The last interclass game where the MacGuffin was up for grabs was in 1998, when Evanston held onto the trophy by nudging Star Valley 13-7.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of all 907 Wyoming football MacGuffin games.

Even though Slim’s presence in any school’s trophy case is still just theoretical, it’s still fun to look at where Slim may have gone on his travels around the state and which schools, even if only for a week, got to have him in their possession.

–patrick

See part 1 of this series here.

Last week, five teams — Sheridan, Cody, Lovell, Pine Bluffs and Snake River — entered the playoffs as the No. 1 ranked team in their classification.

By default, that means they’re the favorites to win the state championships.

And while the chances of the top-ranked team entering the playoffs actually winning the championship is barely above half, the chances that the eventual champion will come from one of the teams ranked either first or second is extremely high.

Since 1984, the start of the “one poll” era, teams ranked No. 1 entering the playoffs have won the state championship 52% of the time.

If it’s not No. 1 winning it all, it’s usually No. 2. Together, teams ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 entering the playoffs win a title 83% of the time. (Do the math, and the No. 2 ranked team wins the state title 31% of the time.)

The No. 3 team wins the title 10% of the time; teams ranked fourth, almost 4% of the time.

The remaining 3% of championships is evenly divided between teams ranked fifth and teams not ranked at all. A team entering the playoffs ranked fifth or unranked and winning a state championship hasn’t happened since 2011.

The six teams to win championships ranked either fifth (three titles) or not at all (three titles) entering the playoffs?

First, the three teams ranked No. 5 all entered the playoffs on a low but were at some time during their championship season ranked in the top two:

  • Powell, Class 3A 2011 (Highest rank during the season: No. 1)
  • Cheyenne Central, Class 5A 2005 (Highest rank during the season: No. 2)
  • Glenrock, Class 3A 2003 (Highest rank during the season: No. 1)

Meanwhile, of the three teams that won titles after entering the playoffs unranked, two were previously No. 1 during the season:

  • Big Piney, Class 3A 2006 (Highest rank during the season: No. 1)
  • Powell, Class 3A 1987 (Highest rank during the season: No. 5)
  • Jackson, Class 3A 1986 (Highest rank during the season: No. 1)

The seven teams to win titles that went into the playoffs as the No. 4 ranked team are dominated by 3A teams, including Cody in 2017, Worland in 2001, Star Valley in 1995 and Riverton in 1994. Other No. 4-ranked champs are Cheyenne East (4A, 2013), Glenrock (3A, 2002) and Cokeville (1A, 1986).

Either the No. 1 or No. 2 team entering the playoffs has won every title in each of the past four seasons. It’s the longest such streak since playoffs restarted in 1975.

And it just so happens that the five No. 1 teams all won last week.

See each week’s poll by clicking on each year’s set of rankings here.

–patrick

Evanston and Green River played the 100th game in their series on Friday, becoming just the seventh series in Wyoming to reach that milestone.

Other series with more than 100 games played are:

  • Cheyenne Central-Laramie: 138 games
  • Lander-Riverton: 126 games
  • Cody-Powell: 125 games
  • Natrona-Sheridan: 116 games
  • Central-Natrona: 109 games
  • Big Piney-Pinedale: 107 games

Of those rivalries, only Big Piney-Pinedale won’t be played or has not been played this season. Other series close to the 100 milestone are:

  • Torrington-Wheatland: 99 games
  • Worland-Thermopolis: 97 games
  • Douglas-Wheatland: 96 games
  • Green River-Rock Springs: 96 games
  • Evanston-Star Valley: 95 games
  • Douglas-Torrington: 94 games
  • Lovell-Greybull: 92 games
  • Laramie-Natrona: 92 games

In the Evanston-Green River series, Green River leads 59-35-6. Of all series with at least 100 games played, it’s the most lopsided.

–patrick

Here are the playoff scenarios for all classifications of Wyoming high school football entering Week 8 of the 2022 season:

Class 4A
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Cheyenne South at Laramie; Kelly Walsh at Cheyenne East; Rock Springs at Cheyenne Central; Thunder Basin at Natrona.
Sheridan: In. No. 1 seed.
Cheyenne East: In. No. 2 seed.
Natrona: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Rock Springs victory. No. 5 seed with loss and Central victory.
Cheyenne Central: In. No. 3 seed with victory and Thunder Basin victory. No. 4 seed with Natrona victory, win or lose. No. 5 seed with loss and Thunder Basin victory.
Thunder Basin: In. No. 3 seed with victory and Rock Springs victory. No. 4 seed with victory and Central victory. No. 5 seed with loss.
Campbell County: In. No. 6 seed.
Rock Springs: In. No. 7 seed.
Laramie: Neither in nor out. No. 8 seed with victory. Tie for No. 8 seed (score differential to break) with loss and East victory. Out with loss and Kelly Walsh victory.
Kelly Walsh: Neither in nor out. No. 8 seed with victory and South victory. Tie for No. 8 seed (score differential to break) with loss and South victory. Out with loss and Laramie victory.
Cheyenne South: Out.
Tiebreaker possibility 1: In a case where Natrona, Central and Thunder Basin tie for the 3-4-5 seeds, Central wins the tiebreaker and the No. 3 seed; even if Thunder Basin wins by 12 or more, the ‘Bolts can’t overtake the Indians (current differential is Central +8, Natrona +4, Thunder Basin -12). Thunder Basin would then be the No. 4 seed due to a head-to-head victory against Natrona.
Tiebreaker possibility 2: In a case where Central, Thunder Basin and Campbell County tie for the 4-5-6 seeds, Central wins the tiebreaker with head-to-head victories over both. Thunder Basin would be No. 5 with the head-to-head victory against Campbell County.
Tiebreaker possibility 3: In a case where Laramie, Kelly Walsh and South tie for the 8 seed, score differential would be the tiebreaker. Laramie wins a tiebreaker if it loses by four or fewer points; KW wins a tiebreaker if Laramie loses by five or more points. Currently, the differences are Laramie +7, Kelly Walsh +3 and South -10. If South wins by three points or fewer, Laramie would win the tiebreaker and advance. If South wins by four, Laramie and Kelly Walsh would tie in the score differential, Laramie then advancing on head-to-head over KW. If South wins by five or more points, Kelly Walsh would win the tiebreaker. Even if South wins by 12 or more, the Bison can’t win a score differential tiebreaker.

Class 3A East
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Buffalo at Rawlins; Lander at Douglas; Riverton at Worland.
Douglas: In. No. 1 seed with victory. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (score differential to break) with loss and Buffalo victory. No. 2 seed with loss and Rawlins victory.
Buffalo: In. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Lander victory. No. 2 seed with Douglas victory, win or lose. No. 3 seed with loss and Lander victory.
Lander: In. No. 1 seed with victory and Rawlins victory. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Buffalo victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Riverton, Worland: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Rawlins: Out.
In a scenario where Buffalo, Lander and Douglas tie for the 1-2-3 seeds, score differentials will be used. All three teams have a chance to be the No. 1 seed in this scenario depending on margin of victory in the Lander-Douglas game. Current differentials are Douglas +7, Buffalo +1, Lander -8. In this scenario, if Lander beats Douglas by six or fewer points, Douglas wins the tiebreaker. If Lander beats Douglas by seven or eight points, Buffalo wins the tiebreaker. If Lander wins by nine or more points, it wins the tiebreaker. The head-to-head winner of the two remaining teams takes the No. 2 seed, the remaining team the No. 3.

Class 3A West
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Cody at Powell; Green River at Evanston; Star Valley at Jackson.
Cody: In. No. 1 seed.
Star Valley: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Cody victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Powell victory.
Powell: In. No. 2 seed with victory and Jackson victory. No. 3 seed with victory and Star Valley victory. No. 3 seed with loss, Star Valley victory and Green River victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Evanston victory. No. 4 seed with loss, Jackson victory and Green River victory.
Jackson: Neither in nor out. No. 2 seed with victory and Cody victory. No. 3 seed with victory and Powell victory. No. 3 seed with loss, Cody victory and Evanston victory. No. 4 seed with loss, Powell victory and Evanston victory. Out with loss, Cody victory and Green River victory. Out with loss, Powell victory and Green River victory.
Green River: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory, Star Valley victory and Powell victory. No. 4 seed with victory, Star Valley victory and Cody victory. Out with Jackson victory. Out with loss.
Evanston: Out.
Tiebreaker possibility 1: In a scenario where Star Valley, Jackson and Powell tie for the 2-3-4 seeds, Powell would take the No. 2 seed with the victory against the highest seeded non-tied team, Cody. Jackson takes the No. 3 seed with the head-to-head victory against Star Valley, which would be No. 4.
Tiebreaker possibility 2: In a scenario where Jackson, Powell and Green River tie for the 3-4-out seeds, score differentials would be used (Powell +9, Green River 0, Jackson -9). Powell wins the tiebreaker with a +9 differential and would be the No. 3 seed. Green River then takes the No. 4 seed with the head-to-head victory over Jackson.

Class 2A East
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Big Horn at Burns; Torrington at Newcastle.
Big Horn: In. No. 1 seed.
Tongue River: In. No. 2 seed.
Burns: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Newcastle victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Torrington victory.
Newcastle: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Torrington: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory and Big Horn victory. No. 4 seed with victory and Burns victory. Out with loss.
Glenrock, Upton-Sundance, Wheatland: Out.

Class 2A West
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Kemmerer at Mountain View; Lyman at Cokeville.
Lovell: In. No. 1 seed.
Cokeville, Lyman: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Kemmerer, Mountain View: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Pinedale, Thermopolis: Out.

Class 1A nine-man East
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Lusk at Wright; Saratoga at Lingle; Southeast at Pine Bluffs.
Pine Bluffs, Southeast: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss.
Lingle: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Wright victory. Tie for 3-4-out seeds (score differential to break) with loss and Lusk victory.
Lusk: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory and Lingle victory. Tie for 3-4-out seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Saratoga victory. Tie for No. 4 seed (score differential to break) with loss and Lingle victory. Out with loss and Saratoga victory.
Saratoga: Neither in nor out. No. 3 seed with victory and Wright victory. Tie for 3-4-out seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Lusk victory. Out with loss.
Wright: Neither in nor out. Tie for No. 4 seed (score differential to break) with victory and Lingle victory. Out with Saratoga victory. Out with loss.
Guernsey: Out.
Moorcroft: Ineligible for playoffs.
Tiebreaker possibility 1: In a scenario where Lingle, Saratoga and Lusk tie for the 3-4-out seeds, score differentials would be used. Currently, Lingle has the advantage, as current differentials are Lingle +12, Lusk 0, Saratoga -12. Saratoga would have to win by 12 or more to force a tie and a coin flip to decide the seeds. If Saratoga wins by 11 or less in this scenario, then Lingle wins the score differential tiebreaker and the No. 3 seed and Lusk takes the No. 4 seed with the head-to-head victory against Saratoga.
Tiebreaker possibility 2: In a scenario where Saratoga, Lusk and Wright tie for the No. 4 seed, score differentials would be used. Current differentials are Lusk +12, Wright -4 and Saratoga -8. If Wright wins by eight or more, it would win this tiebreaker. A loss by seven or fewer would give Lusk the tiebreaker victory. Saratoga is out in this scenario.

Class 1A nine-man West
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Riverside at Big Piney (Thursday); Rocky Mountain at Wind River (Thursday).
Shoshoni: In. No. 1 seed.
Wind River: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Riverside victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (score differential to break) with loss and Big Piney victory.
Rocky Mountain: In. No. 2 seed with victory and Riverside victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Big Piney victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Riverside victory. No. 4 seed with loss and Big Piney victory.
Big Piney: Neither in nor out. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Rocky Mountain victory. No. 3 seed with victory and Wind River victory. Out with loss.
Riverside: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Greybull, St. Stephens: Out.
Wyoming Indian: Ineligible for playoffs.
Tiebreaker possibility 1: In a scenario where Wind River, Big Piney and Rocky Mountain tie for the 2-3-4 seeds, score differentials would be used. Current differentials are Big Piney +2, Wind River +2 and Rocky Mountain -4. A Rocky Mountain victory by five or less would give Wind River the tiebreaker victory and the No. 2 seed, with Big Piney taking the No. 3 seed due to a head-to-head victory against Rocky Mountain. A Rocky Mountain victory by exactly six points would tie Wind River and Rocky Mountain atop the score differential, giving Rocky Mountain the No. 2 seed due to head-to-head against Wind River and the Cougars the No. 3 seed due to head-to-head against Big Piney. The same thing happens if Rocky wins the score differential by winning by seven or more: Rocky 2, Wind River 3, Big Piney 4.
Tiebreaker possibility 2: In a scenario where Big Piney, Rocky Mountain and Riverside tie for the 3-4-out seeds, score differentials would be used. Current differentials are Rocky Mountain +8, Big Piney +4 and Riverside -12. A Riverside victory by any margin would not be enough to overtake Rocky Mountain, so Rocky would win that tiebreaker and the No. 3 seed. Riverside would the be the No. 4 seed due to a head-to-head victory against Big Piney.

Class 1A six-man playoff pairings (decided in Week 7)
(4S) Farson at (1N) Burlington
(3N) Meeteetse at (2S) Dubois
(4N) Hulett at (1S) Snake River
(3S) Encampment at (2N) Kaycee

–patrick

Updated at 11:24 a.m. Oct. 15 to clarify Powell’s status. Updated at 9:52 p.m. Oct. 15 to reflect the final pairings for six-man.

Whenever Sheridan returns a kickoff for a touchdown, I think the same thing — man, no one does this better than the Broncs.

It happened again on Friday:

But that was never more than just a hunch.

Until now.

In looking at the past four years (2018-21) of kickoff and punt return touchdowns, the only four years where such data is immediately available, the Broncs are indeed Wyoming’s return kings. And it isn’t even close.

With 14 such touchdowns, nine via kickoff and five via punt return, no other team has been able to match Sheridan’s efficiency with special teams touchdowns.

Only two other teams are in double digits, and they both played six-man in that time. Burlington had 11 return touchdowns, nine via kickoff and two via punt, while Guernsey had 10, with nine by kick and one by punt.

Big Horn, Riverside and Douglas are tied for the fourth spot with eight returns apiece; Big Horn and Riverside each had six kickoffs and two punts that they returned for touchdowns, while Douglas flipped that with six punt return and two kick return touchdowns.

Dubois, Mountain View, Snake River and Star Valley have had seven apiece.

Conversely, six programs — Cheyenne Central, Green River, Newcastle, Tongue River, Wyoming Indian and Ten Sleep — haven’t returned a kick or punt for a touchdown in the last four seasons. Ten Sleep, though, sat out three of those seasons, while Wyoming Indian missed one.

Check out the full spectrum of kick and punt return touchdowns over the past four years below. Note that the totals are taken from the official stat sheets, so there is a chance that something might be missing if original stats were off, and that these totals do not include the 2022 season:

TEAMPUNTKICKTOTAL
Sheridan5914
Burlington2911
Guernsey-Sunrise1910
Big Horn268
Riverside268
Douglas628
Dubois077
Mountain View347
Snake River347
Star Valley437
Meeteetse066
Hanna066
Buffalo156
Worland156
Upton-Sundance156
Kaycee156
Wheatland336
Cokeville516
NSI055
Big Piney145
Wright145
Thunder Basin235
Pine Bluffs235
Midwest325
Lingle044
Natrona134
Glenrock134
Encampment134
Rocky Mountain224
Wind River224
Cheyenne South033
Pinedale033
Thermopolis033
Hulett033
Laramie123
Rock Springs123
Jackson123
Lusk123
Burns213
Saratoga213
Kelly Walsh022
Evanston022
Torrington022
St. Stephens022
Lander112
Greybull112
Farson112
Lyman202
Cheyenne East011
Cody011
Powell011
Rawlins011
Riverton011
Kemmerer011
Lovell011
Shoshoni011
Moorcroft011
Southeast011
Campbell County101
Cheyenne Central000
Green River000
Newcastle000
Tongue River000
Wyoming Indian000
Ten Sleep000

Got any statistical hunches you think might be true that you’d like for me to explore? Let me know in the comments!

–patrick

If it feels like home-field advantage isn’t what it used to be, you’re right.

Or you’re completely wrong.

It depends on what your definition of “used to” is.

In looking at the 24,426 games on wyoming-football.com since 1894 where we know the winner, the loser and the location — and where the location was not a neutral site — we can see a consistent pattern in how often home teams win games. In total, home teams have 13,495 victories, 10,392 losses and 539 ties, a baseline winning percentage of .564. (If your math isn’t up to par, or if you’re just skimming, that means home teams have won 56.4 percent of Wyoming high school football games.)

Remember .564. It’s the measuring stick against which all other numbers in this post are measured.

+++

From season to season, home teams deviate subtly, but consistently, away from that baseline.

And those deviations are a factor of time — as long as that time is your great-grandpa’s time.

From 1920 to 1938, for 19 consecutive seasons, the home teams won Wyoming high school football games at above-average rates. Since 1939, though, winning percentages have been much more consistent.

Moreover, since 1939, there has been no consistent pattern. There have been stretches of home-field success and home-field struggle. In fact, since 1939, the winning percentage for Wyoming high school football teams is .557, which almost a full percent lower than our baseline.

For five straight years from 1942-46, home teams won at above-average rates, the longest such stretch in that era. However, in the 18 seasons from 1958-75, home teams won at an above-average rate just twice (1962 and 1968). That includes a seven-year stretch from 1969-75 where home teams won at below-average rates, the longest such streak.

That record was recently challenged; from 2013-18, the home team won at a below-average rate, too. In 2019 (.592) and 2020 (.577), the rate was above average, though; last year’s .563 was almost exactly on the average.

+++

The outliers stretch our expectations of what’s possible.

In 1977, home teams had a winning percentage of .483, the only time in Wyoming’s history that home teams finished below .500. Twice — in 1917 and again in 1984 — home teams went exactly .500, going 140-140 in 1984 and a much more modest 6-6-1 in 1917. The fourth-lowest winning percentage for home teams came recently, in 2015, when home teams had a winning percentage of .507.

Home teams did best in the early years. Since 1939, when numbers began evening out, home team’s best success came in 2002, when home teams had a winning percentage of .613. That was followed by 1989 (.612), 1983 (.612), 1991 (.611) and 2010 (.608).

Between 1921 — when high school football really took off in Wyoming — and 1939, the best home-field winning percentage came in 1923, when home teams went 62-27-4 (.688). In the 18 years between 1921 and 1938, home teams had a winning percentage of .622, almost 6 percent better than the average.

+++

So what happened? Why was home-field advantage so advantageous in the early years and less meaningful since 1939?

The short answer boils down, I think, to two factors: consistency and infrastructure.

In Wyoming’s early days of high school football, referees weren’t always the most neutral parties. The Wyoming High School Activities Association wasn’t even formed until 1931, 10 years after high school football got going. And even then, it took a while before the WHSAA coordinated officiating. Once officiating became more consistent, so did the game results.

As for infrastructure, take a look at this map of Wyoming in 1927. Count up the number of paved roads. Not many, are there? As the road system improved — as evidenced by this map from 1951, just 24 years later — teams could travel faster, spend less time on the road and arrive at games more refreshed and ready to play.

Since 1939, the most remarkable thing isn’t the change in home-field advantage. It’s the lack of it.

+++

Here’s a table listing the home-team records and winning percentages by year for Wyoming high school football:

YearWLTHome win %
202116512800.563
202017312700.577
201917712200.592
201815313800.526
201716813200.560
201616313400.549
201514614200.507
201415614100.525
201315214000.521
201216812700.569
201116813000.564
201017411200.608
200916212900.557
200816212300.568
200716711400.594
200616113600.542
200517012700.572
200416912300.579
200316312800.560
200217411000.613
200115312900.543
200013812200.531
199914411300.560
199814610900.573
199714511000.569
199614110800.566
199513811300.550
199414010800.565
199314710000.595
199213911200.554
19911549800.611
199014312700.530
198916410400.612
198814912500.544
198713613210.507
198614911300.569
198514513100.525
198414014000.500
198316710600.612
198214612400.541
198115411400.575
198014112200.536
197915111800.561
197816110700.601
197712913800.483
197615711710.573
197515013400.528
1974153132110.535
197315813480.540
1972158129100.549
1971151116130.563
1970145132100.523
1969148136140.520
196816712540.571
196716013220.548
196615312720.546
1965144114120.556
1964146114120.559
1963137125120.522
196215411250.577
1961145120130.545
1960138133130.509
1959142114120.552
1958136109100.553
195714711370.564
195613710090.575
195513811080.555
195413397120.574
1953137108110.557
195213199120.566
19511229770.555
195013010040.564
19491159380.551
19481108770.556
194710592100.531
194610263190.606
1945967080.575
19441046670.607
19439162100.589
19427852100.593
194113010290.558
194010910070.521
19391128970.555
193810165160.599
19379456140.616
193610051150.648
193510055190.629
19349360100.601
19337851140.594
19328250110.612
1931904680.653
19308847110.640
19296938120.630
19286143130.577
19277745100.621
1926684190.614
1925693690.645
1924643680.630
1923622740.688
1922533120.628
1921352510.582
192017630.712
19196500.545
1918No games
19176610.500
19166240.667
19159700.563
19146500.545
19136210.722
19129420.667
19117210.750
19108120.818
19097510.577
19084310.563
1894-190716750.661
TOTAL13495103925390.564

–patrick