Zero Week picks: Meeteetse’s long trek is worth the attention

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Don’t tell Meeteetse this doesn’t count.

After more than 1,100 miles of asphalt a drive to Cheyenne Billings, then a flight to Texas, the Longhorns will open their 2013 season on Friday in the most unlikely of places: Robert Lee, Texas.

Despite its name, the town of Robert Lee is more than one man. The community in central Texas, the county seat of Coke County, is home to about 1,000 people — and a pretty good six-man football team.

In fact, the Robert Lee High School Steers went 10-2 last year and reached the second round of Texas’ Class 1A Six-Man Division 2 playoffs. And in the world of six-man football, that’s really saying something.

Meeteetse’s Longhorns, meanwhile, went 6-4 last season, the first winning season for the program since posting a 5-4 mark in 2007. Meeteetse finished one game short of the Wyoming six-man state championship game. And in the world of six-man football, unfortunately, that’s not saying much.

Nebraska is the birthplace of six-man football, but Texas is definitely the home. The Lone Star State has far more six-man football programs than the state of Wyoming has football programs, total. Texas has 137 six-man football programs, 70 in Division 1 and 67 in Division 2; Wyoming has 14 six-man programs this year — its most ever — and only 63 varsity programs this fall in all divisions, both 11-man and six-man combined.

Meeteetse is one of the smallest. In fact, in enrollment numbers recently released to schools by the WHSAA, Meeteetse had the second-smallest enrollment of all varsity programs in the state at 40 students, total.

Robert Lee, perhaps not coincidentally, has an enrollment listed by the University Interscholastic League — Texas’ version of the WHSAA — of 42 students, total.

The game has already generated tons of interest, both in Wyoming and in Texas. Robert Lee supporters helped Meeteetse raise money for the trip and will put the Longhorn players up in homes across the area. Not only that, the game will be the first played in the Steers’ newly renovated stadium.

Yet, because the game falls under Wyoming’s Zero Week for six-man (and 1A and 2A and 3A) schools, the game won’t “officially” count in the WHSAA standings. (The game will count here, as will all other “games.” See below.) That means that most press outlets in Wyoming won’t count it, either.

That’s not what Meeteetse wants to hear. To them, this one counts.

The nearly 1,200 miles, one way? The feeling of an August Texas night in pads? The chance to play one of Texas’ top six-man programs, on their home turf, and to be an equal?

No, this counts. This counts for a lot. For Meeteetse, this game will define their season — at least until November.

And this game counts for Wyoming. The Equality State may be the only state in the country undefeated against Texas in high school football thanks to Natrona’s 18-6 defeat of Pampa, Texas, back in 1939 in the states’ only previous gridiron meeting. Wyoming folks would love to keep it that way.

And you bet it counts for Robert Lee. The Steers don’t want to break in their new stadium with a loss, especially to some upstart team from some upstart state that didn’t even have six-man football until barely four years ago.

Enjoy this game while you can. You may never see one like this again.

Like it or not, the illuminated bulbs on that scoreboard at the end of the game will mean something.

We’d do well to acknowledge that.

Edit: Added 11:45 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 29: Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso knows what’s up:

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My picks are posted below in the usual style, with projected winners in bold:

Friday
Class 4A
Cheyenne South at Evanston
Gillette at Kelly Walsh
Natrona at Cheyenne Central
Rock Springs at Cheyenne East
Sheridan at Laramie
Class 3A
Worland at Riverton
Interclass
Riverside at Greybull
Interstate
Altamont, Utah, at Lyman
Custer, S.D., at Newcastle
Meeteetse at Robert Lee, Texas
Uintah, Utah, at Green River
Saturday
Interclass
Jackson at Mountain View
Riverside JV at Ten Sleep
Interstate
Laurel, Mont., at Cody
Miles City, Mont., at Powell

Other Zero Week contests

Scrimmages and jamborees
Friday
Big Piney at Pinedale
Pine Bluffs/Tongue River at Thermopolis
Rocky Mountain at Powell JV
Saturday
Big Horn at Lovell
Burns vs. Upton-Sundance, at Lusk
Dubois/Farson/Saratoga triangular, at Lander
Guernsey-Sunrise at Kaycee
Lander vs. Shoshoni, at Riverton
Lingle vs. Wind River, at Casper (Kelly Walsh)
Natrona frosh-sophs at Midwest
Rawlins/Southeast at Glenrock
Torrington at Wheatland
Wright at Lusk
Wyoming Indian at Hanna
Off: Buffalo, Burlington, Cokeville, Douglas, Hulett, Kemmerer, Moorcroft, Normative Services, St. Stephens, Snake River, Star Valley.

For a full schedule including kick times, check out the 2013 schedule page.

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As usual, Zero Week picks come with a disclaimer about what’s a “game” and counted in the standings and what’s not. Remember, I count different than the WHSAA does. For the record, here are the criteria I use to judge whether or not to call an event a “game,” and therefore list it in the standings (and, eventually, as part of the team record on this site):

1. Was the game played with four 12-minute quarters with normal timing rules?

2. Were officials used? And were normal rules of play instituted for the game?

3. Was score kept?

In short, if you don’t want it to count, don’t keep score….

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Of note: Green River breaks in its new turf field this week. Below is an aerial shot of the new field taken by Matt Strauss of Guardian Flight and provided by Steve Core.

DCIM100GOPRO

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Thoughts on Zero Week? On Meeteetse’s long trip? On the opening of FOOTBALL SEASON? Comment below!

–patrick

Lingle, Cokeville opt to 11-man for 2014, 2015 seasons

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Lingle will opt up to the 11-man football classification for the next two years.

The Doggers were classified as a six-man program by the WHSAA in enrollment numbers released recently to the schools. However, the Doggers opted to stay in 11-man “after careful consideration,” Lingle AD Mike Lashley wrote via email.

The change, if it’s approved as expected by the WHSAA, will not affect the Lingle program this year. Lingle is currently classified as an 11-man program, and the opt-up choice will affect the team for the 2014 and 2015 football seasons.

Update, 10:29 a.m. Wednesday: Cokeville has also given its official opt-up notice to the WHSAA, associate commissioner Trevor Wilson said via email. Wilson said Lingle and Cokeville are the only schools so far to opt up or down.

–patrick

A brief history of co-head coach combinations in Wyoming football

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Former Worland coach Curt Mayer pulled a surprising move late last week by resigning as the Warriors’ coach less than 48 hours prior to the first practice.

Since that time, the school has announced it will use two head coaches this year, with Josh Garcia leading the offense and Bryan Bailey the defense. Neither man has been a head coach in the state before this year.

More than that, they’re together in a co-coaching arrangement that has only been tried nine other times (as documented so far) in Wyoming’s history.

Here is a brief look at how the other nine co-coaching arrangements came out

Pinedale: Perhaps the most successful co-coaching arrangement came with the the Wranglers, where Gale Tuggle and Randy Klatt co-led the team for eight seasons, from 1965-72. The Wranglers were mythical state Class B champions in 1970 under the two-coach system. Together over the eight seasons, the coaches went a combined 36-30-3, including an 8-1 season in 1972 in what ended up being the final head coaching stop in Wyoming for either coach.

Buffalo: Harvey Crowe and George Grace were co-coaches in Buffalo for four years, from 1951-54. Crowe had been the sole head coach in Buffalo for three seasons (1948-50) before Grace joined him; Grace took sole control of the Buffalo program in 1955 and was head coach until 1967. Perhaps not coincidentally, Crowe took over another Northeast Conference team — Sundance — as head coach in 1956, a position he held until after the 1958 season. Together in Buffalo, they went 16-15-4.

Wind River: The most recent case of co-coaches came in 2005, when Tyler Jordan and Andy Maendl co-coached the Cougars to a playoff berth and a 4-5 record. Jordan took over as the lone head coach in 2006 and led the team through 2007. Maendl has yet to return to a head coaching position in the state.

Basin: For the Bobcats’ first season of football, 1921, the team used two head coaches: F.L. McNown and coach Kischke (first name unknown). Neither one was ever a head coach in the state after the first season, even though the Bobcats went 5-4 their first season.

Manderson: William Diercks had an odd timeline with the Demons, leading the team as head coach from 1956-58, again in 1966 and then one last time in 1974. In that 1966 season, he was joined by Tom Rhodes in a one-year co-coach situation, but it didn’t go well; the team went 0-8 and neither coach retained the head coaching position the following season.

Big Horn: Brothers John Flanagan and Mike Flanagan co-coached the Rams for two seasons, 1961 (0-4-2) and 1962 (0-5). Those two years were the only years either one was a head coach in Wyoming.

North Big Horn: Steve Hutchinson was the lone head coach for NBH in 1979, but in 1980, he was joined by co-coach Michael Neville. Despite going 4-3, neither man was the head coach for the Grizzlies in 1981, and neither landed a head coaching spot in the state again.

St. Stephens: Jim Shelbe and Chris Kriofski co-coached the Eagles in 1965, their final year of their first stint of varsity play. The team went 2-4. It was both the first and last year for either man as a head coach in Wyoming.

University Prep: Don Harkins and Bill Engstrom joined forces to coach the Buckaroos in 1929, going 4-3 together. Although Harkins was never a head coach again, Engstrom had a long stint as Rawlins’ coach, jumping from Prep to lead the Outlaws for eight years from 1930 to 1937.

(I’m still missing some information on Wyoming high school football coaches. To help, check out The Coaches Project and post a comment below if you can help.)

Co-coaching arrangements in Wyoming have been surprisingly average at best. How do you think the unique situation in Worland will work this year? Feel free to post a comment below.

–patrick

Class 4A preview: I’ve got my orange (jersey) crush

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Four questions to answer

Will Gillette and Natrona play again in Laramie in mid-November? Although anything can happen in 4A, right now the Mustangs and Camels are the favorites to meet for the 4A title at The War. Of the 11 returning all-state players, six belong to either the Camels or Mustangs (three apiece). Given that talent disparity, the odds are on the Camels and Mustangs to play again for the 4A title.

Can anyone crack the vice grip the top four schools have on 4A? In short, probably not this season. Cheyenne East, Sheridan, Gillette and Natrona have made up the Class 4A semifinal field each of the past three seasons. And of the 11 aforementioned returning all-staters, 10 belong to these four schools — Kelly Walsh lineman Alex Pietrzak is the only returning all-stater not from one of these four schools.

Humor us… Which team has the best chance at breaking that vice grip? Probably Kelly Walsh. The Trojans have shown steady improvement in Jon Vance’s two years — from 2-7 in 2011 to 4-6 in 2012 — and if that improvement continues, KW could be a darkhorse contender for a semifinal appearance, or more.

Is this the year South breaks its streak? Hopefully. Winless in their first 18 varsity contests, the Bison were much more competitive in 2012 than they were in 2011 and nearly upset Evanston in the sixth game of the season last year. Although the Bison still face a talent and tradition disparity from the rest of the schools in 4A, they have several advantages in 2013 — another year together, a kinder schedule and, maybe most importantly, a desire to put the losing streak behind them.

Four players to watch

Taven Bryan, Natrona. The first Wyoming recruit in recent memory to secure an offer from an SEC school (Florida), Bryan, a lineman, could play either side of the ball in college. That versatility makes him a tremendous weapon for the Mustangs in his senior year. The only question is if the expectations are distractors or motivators for this multitalented athlete.

Austin Fort, Gillette. A University of Wyoming commit, Fort moved to Gillette last year and almost automatically became one of the best quarterbacks in the state. His big arm, his size and his mobility made him the perfect fit for the Camels’ diverse offensive attack. He led 4A in completions (160) and passing yards (2,137) last year, and if he can rein in his interception total from a year ago (he threw 14 picks), he could lead Gillette back to Laramie for the second year in a row.

Tevis Bartlett, Cheyenne East. The junior will be THE key to East’s offense in 2013. He was the only 11-man player in the state last year to run for more than 1,000 yards (1,093) and throw for more than 1,000 yards (1,393). Even though his yardage totals may not hold up as teams key on him more, he will likely have to shoulder a bigger burden in terms of leadership than he did a year ago.

Billy Williams, Gillette. Williams makes this list for one simple reason: He’s a tackling machine. The linebacker is Class 4A’s top returning tackler; he led 4A in solo tackles (45) a year ago and also added four turnovers (two fumble recoveries, two interceptions) and four tackles for loss. He was one of only five players in 4A last year to rack up more than 16 defensive points per game, and the other four have graduated. …

Four key games

Gillette at Natrona, Sept. 20. Last year’s regular-season showdown featured two undefeated teams; the two teams met three weeks later to play for the state title. This year’s meeting is much earlier in the calendar (Week 3 instead of Week 8), but the game will likely have just as big an affect on the seeding for the playoffs.

All of Week 5. Rivalry Week is back, as the Oil Bowl (Kelly Walsh-Natrona), Energy Bowl (Sheridan-Gillette) and Capital Bowl (East-Central) are all slated for the week of Oct. 4. Just as key, though, are the other two 4A games that week (Laramie at South and Evanston at Rock Springs), both of which are games that could decide playoff qualification.

Kelly Walsh at Sheridan, Sept. 6. Is Kelly Walsh’s program truly growing into one of 4A’s best? We’ll find out in a hurry in 2013, as the Trojans face Gillette and Sheridan the first two weeks of the season. Arguably the bigger game is the road opener against the Broncs, the team that has knocked KW out of the playoffs three of the past four years.

Gillette at Cheyenne East, Oct. 25. Both the Camels and the Thunderbirds have reached the 4A semifinals each of the past three seasons. To secure hosting duties and high seeds in the playoffs, a victory in this Week 8 game could be crucial. After all, the road to Laramie is a lot easier if the only bus trip is the one TO Laramie.

Predicted order of finish

Natrona; Gillette; Cheyenne East; Sheridan; Kelly Walsh; Cheyenne Central; Rock Springs; Evanston; Cheyenne South; Laramie.

Way-too-early title-game score prediction

This is Natrona’s year. Again. But Gillette stands in the way. Again. Natrona 28, Gillette 14.

Trivia

Only two schools in Wyoming have had a player in the Shrine Bowl in each of its 40 years. They’re both current Class 4A schools. Which schools are they?

Classification’s 2013 theme song

Is the 4A title really Natrona’s to lose? Will 2013 be the fourth year in a row we see the “Big Four” in the semis? Who has the best chance of throwing a kink in that tradition? Comment below and let me know what big schools you’re watching this year.

–patrick

Worland changes coaches prior to first practice

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Worland will use co-head coaches this year after the school’s former head coach resigned less than 48 hours before the first practice.

The Northern Wyoming Daily News reported that Josh Garcia will be the head coach on offense this year and Bryan Bailey will be Worland’s head defensive coach.

The changes come after former Worland coach Curt Mayer resigned on Saturday. Worland went 2-7 in Mayer’s only year as coach.

Mayer did not respond to a Facebook message seeking comment this week; the Daily News reported Mayer’s resignation was for personal reasons.

For a full list of coaching changes in the state this year, click here.

–patrick

Overflow: Interesting tidbits that didn’t quite make the 2013 Wyoming Sports Preview Guide magazine

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The second Wyoming Sports Preview Guide magazine is being produced as we speak.

Since starting the project in mid-May, I talked with a coach from all but one team in the state, and in doing so I drew together some interesting tidbits, things I couldn’t highlight as much in the magazine as I would have liked:

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Upton-Sundance will continue its co-op for the 2014 and 2015 football season. The two schools have a four-year co-op agreement in place, after which the two schools will evaluate their prospects. The school also doesn’t have to go through the rigmarole of wondering if they’ll be playoff eligible this year; by virtue of falling under the enrollment ceiling last year, the Patriots are playoff eligible this year, too.

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Glenrock will be without running back Jordan Millay this season. Millay led the Herders in rushing last year and had more than 1,700 rushing yards his first two seasons, but has been forced to give up football due to chronic injuries, coach Ray Kumpula said.

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On the other side of injuries, Lander and Hanna may be the two programs most affected by having returners from injuries. The Tigers will return senior running back Jack Mazurie, who was a big part of the team’s offensive plans a year ago — he led the team in rushing yards as a sophomore in 2011 — but injured his knee in the first game of the season against Cody and never returned. Hanna, meanwhile, gets back senior tight end/linebacker Quade Palm, who injured his shoulder in the opener against Kaycee last year and had to miss both the football and basketball seasons. At 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, Palm could be a dominating force on a six-man field.

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The biggest Week 3 game may be a six-man game in Fremont County. That week, St. Stephens will host Wyoming Indian in a game that’s big for two reasons — it’s St. Stephens’ first varsity home game since 1965 and it’s the first game of a reservation football rivalry that was born originally on the basketball floor. “Our kids are really looking forward to playing it,” St. Stephens assistant coach Paul Smith said. “We’ve had that date circled on our calendar, well, since we got our calendar, and I know Wyoming Indian has (done) the same thing.”

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Rocky Mountain and Cody landed the two of the biggest in-state transfers since last season. Rocky added former Lovell lineman Jacob Price, who will give immediate girth to an otherwise undersized offensive line. “Jacob will be a big addition,” Rocky coach David Hayes said. “We haven’t had a guy like that in at least three years.”

Cody, meanwhile, added former Torrington lineman Jorden Schulte; he was Torrington’s starting center a year ago.

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Greybull may have the most decorated assistant coach in the state this year. The Buffs will benefit from the presence of Kasey Peters, a former NAIA all-America quarterback at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Mont., who now plays professionally with the Tri-Cities Fever of the Indoor Football League. Peters will coach at Greybull with Justin Bernhardt, who was an assistant coach at RMC before coming to Greybull. Peters has already visited Greybull and made a big impression with the players. “He’s a guy the kids look up to,” Bernhardt said.

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Lyman and Thermopolis will have an added twist in their rivalry this year: new Thermopolis coach Rob Anderson is the brother of Lyman coach Dale Anderson.

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At least two programs — Cheyenne South and Green River — are adding artificial turf to their stadiums this fall. And Southeast may be the next school to put in artificial turf. Coach Mark Bullington said preliminary funding has been set for the Cyclones to upgrade to turf, to be done next summer at the earliest. He said the school has had to redo its grass field numerous times the past decade, and the grass has never taken.

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The second edition of the Wyoming Sports Preview Guide should be out soon. The 2012 edition of the magazine is available online; a link to the 2013 edition will be posted as soon as it’s available.

–patrick

NSI hires Larson as coach

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Normative Services has hired Jim Larson as the Wolves’ head coach.

This will be Larson’s second stint as NSI’s head coach. He led the team in 2010 and 2011 before Jon Rojo took over as coach for the 2012 season.

NSI is moving to six-man football this season after going 1-6 last season in 11-man.

To see all the coaching changes across the state this year, click here.

–patrick

Updates: Multiple years of standings and Byron coaching

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Standings have been added for the following years: 1998, 1997, 1991, 1989, 1988, 1987, 1985, 1984, 1981, 1980 and 1968. The site now has standings for every year from 1967-2012; click here to see year-by-year standings and results.

In compiling standings, I found one error that I corrected: Powell’s 1998 record was 3-5, not 2-6. That update is reflected on all relevant pages.

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One other small update for the Coaches Project: I found Byron’s coach for 1956 was Lou Maiben.

–patrick

WHSAA releases ADM numbers for 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years

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The Wyoming High School Activities Association on Friday released the biggest piece to the upcoming reclassification puzzle: the enrollment numbers used to classify the schools.

The Average Daily Membership, or ADM, numbers for each school were released to the schools on Friday. The enrollment figures released will not affect classifications for any sport in the 2013-14 school year; the new figures will be used to classify schools for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 school years.

Schools can opt to move up or down classifications with the approval of the WHSAA.

The big takeaways from the ADM’s release and their effect on football for the 2014 and 2015 seasons:

* No changes will take place for either Class 4A or Class 3A.

* Class 2A will lose Moorcroft and Tongue River. It won’t gain any schools, as 2A is shrinking from 16 to 14 schools next season.

* Class 1A 11-man will gain Moorcroft and Tongue River from 2A and Saratoga and Wyoming Indian from six-man.

* Cokeville will continue to stay in Class 1A 11-man despite falling below the six-man/11-man cutline. The Panthers have made it clear they want to stay in 11-man and will opt up to do so.

* The Upton-Sundance co-op agreement runs through the 2015 football season and the two schools have given no indication that they want to cut that agreement off after this year. The Patriot co-op squad will have to redo its enrollment figures next fall to determine if the team will be eligible for the playoffs; the enrollment of Upton’s school plus the number of boys in the Sundance school must be smaller than that of the smallest 2A school for the Patriots to be eligible for the postseason.

* Lingle is the school with the biggest choice in reclassification. The Doggers, as the 51st school, are classified as six-man but have traditionally played 11-man. They can opt up, giving the 1A 11-man classification 15 schools and 1A six-man 13; or they can opt to stay in six-man as classified and give 11-man and six-man an even 14-14 split.

WHSAA Commissioner Ron Laird said via email schools have until Aug. 30 to decide if they want to play in either 11-man or six-man.

The numbers:

1. Gillette: 2,439
2. Natrona: 2,183.5
3. Rock Springs, 1,561.5
4. Cheyenne East: 1,468
5. Kelly Walsh: 1,395
6. Cheyenne Central: 1,268.5
7. Cheyenne South: 1,222.5
8. Sheridan: 1,016.5
9. Laramie: 990.5
10. Evanston: 918
—–3A cutoff for football
11. Green River: 816.5
12. Riverton: 787.5
13. Star Valley: 717
14. Jackson: 673
15. Cody: 661
16. Douglas: 515.5
17. Rawlins: 506.5
18. Lander: 493
19. Powell: 483.5
20. Worland: 425.5
21. Torrington: 398.5
22. Buffalo: 328
—–2A cutoff for football
23. Pinedale: 303
24. Wheatland: 298
25. Newcastle: 236.5
26. Mountain View: 221.5
27. Glenrock: 221.5
28. Lovell: 214.5
29. Thermopolis: 209.5
30. Lyman: 203.5
31. Big Piney: 198
32. Kemmerer: 176.5
33. Greybull: 174.5
34. Burns: 166.25
35. Big Horn: 156.5
36. Wright: 156
—–1A 11-man cutoff for football
37. Moorcroft: 152.5
38. Wyoming Indian: 138.6
39. Wind River: 128
40. Rocky Mountain: 124
41. Tongue River: 122.5
42. Lusk: 115.5
43. Shoshoni: 114.5
44. Pine Bluffs: 109.25
45. Sundance: 103
46. Southeast: 101
47. Saratoga: 99.5
48. Riverside: 96.5
49. Burlington: 81.5
50. Upton: 80.5
—-1A six-man cutoff for football
51. Lingle: 79.5
52. Cokeville: 74
53. St. Stephens: 70
54. Fort Washakie: 69 (does not sponsor football)
55. Hanna: 67.5
56. Guernsey-Sunrise: 65
57. Normative Services: 65
58. Midwest: 62.5
59. Dubois: 51.5
60. Hulett: 51
61. Farson: 48.5
62. Kaycee: 47
63. Snake River: 46
64. Arapaho Charter: 40.5 (does not sponsor football)
65. Encampment: 40.5 (does not sponsor football)
66. Meeteetse: 40
67. Rock River: 33
68. Ten Sleep: 32.5
69. Arvada-Clearmont: 27.5 (does not sponsor football)
70. Glendo: 18.5 (does not sponsor football)
71. Chugwater: 12 (does not sponsor football)

–patrick

Class 3A preview: Back in black (and orange)

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Four questions to answer

Powell, right? Yep. Powell is quite clearly the 3A favorite this year. With six of their nine all-state players coming back, and riding the momentum of back-to-back state championships and a 15-game winning streak, the Panthers are the team to catch.

So who can catch Powell? Given the right circumstances, a number of teams have the potential to topple the Panthers off their championship perch. Cody returns all four of its all-state selections; Star Valley returns a pair of all-staters and nearly knocked off Powell in last year’s title game; Green River, Douglas and Buffalo are perennial contenders and should compete again this fall. The path from Powell to Laramie is well-worn, but it’s not free of sinkholes just yet….

What affect will coaching turnover have in 3A? Quite a bit, actually. New coaches in Cody (Matt McFadden) and Riverton (Pat Patterson) will affect their conferences dramatically — McFadden and Cody in how it handles higher expectations and a load of talent, Patterson and Riverton in how it handles the target that comes with winning a conference title and the fallout of a shocking first-round playoff loss.

Will the East Conference actually win a playoff game this year? Maybe not. The power in 3A this year is quite clearly in the West. Of the 13 returning all-state selections, 12 are in the West Conference. Unless the East develops young talent quickly this season, a second consecutive first-round sweep for West Conference teams is a distinct possibility.

Four players to watch

Tony Lujan, Garrett Lynch and Brendan Phister, Powell. Really, I could make all four “players to watch” come from Powell, but out of fairness to the other schools, I’ll group these three together. And what a group it is — Lujan, Lynch and Phister are all already two-time first-team all-state choices, and it’s their leadership that could help lead Powell to a third consecutive state title.

Logan Barker, Douglas. The senior was the East Conference’s defensive player of the year last year, and he’s the only returning East Conference player who was an all-state selection last year. He was also Douglas’ leading rusher last season with 1,008 yards.

Carter Myers, Cody. Myers is the Broncs’ Mr. Everything. As a sophomore, he led Cody in assisted tackles but showed his diversity by notching a fumble recovery, an interception AND a blocked kick on defense, as well. Oh, and he was the team’s No. 2 rusher, No. 3 receiver, No. 2 scorer and top kicker.

Trace Haderlie, Star Valley. Haderlie is 3A’s top returning quarterback; the all-state choice threw for a 3A-best 1,605 yards last season and tossed 16 touchdowns. As the Braves continue to emphasize the passing game, Haderlie’s abilities will help key Star Valley’s success in 2013.

Four key games

Douglas at Buffalo, Sept. 27. Although Riverton is the defending East Conference champion, the Bearcats and Bison have long been the East’s top programs. And a victory in the conference opener is essential to getting a leg up in the race for the conference championship.

Powell at Star Valley, Oct. 4. The angle here is simple: Powell has won the 3A state championship two years in a row, beat Star Valley in last year’s title game and comes into the season with the state’s longest active winning streak. The catch? Powell hasn’t won in Afton since 1999. This game may be Powell’s biggest hurdle to a third consecutive trip to Laramie.

Cody at Powell, Oct. 18. Ten — count ’em, 10 — returning all-state players are slated to play in this game, four for Cody and six for Powell. That alone should make this game worth the price of admission, but the heated nature of one of the state’s oldest rivalries helps make the game a must-see.

Riverton at Lander, Oct. 24. In 2011, Lander was the East’s “it” team in the regular season, but after a 7-1 regular season, the Tigers lost in the quarterfinals. In 2012, Riverton was dubbed “it” after winning the conference championship, but the Wolverines, too, didn’t win a game in the playoffs. Success for the Fremont County schools the postseason in 2013 may depend on ending the regular season the right way here.

Predicted order of finish

East: Douglas, Buffalo, Riverton, Lander, Torrington, Rawlins. West: Powell, Star Valley, Cody, Green River, Jackson, Worland.

Way-too-early title-game score prediction

If you believe the hype, the only question is who Powell will beat in the title game. I’ll believe it. Powell 24, Star Valley 14.

Trivia

Now that Rawlins’ losing streak is over, which Wyoming team has the longest active losing streak, entering 2013?

Classification’s 2013 theme song

Powell, Powell, Powell… right? Who do you think has the best chance of knocking the Panthers off their title perch? Can anyone end the winning streak? Comment below and let me know!

Next Thursday: Class 4A.

–patrick

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