As a child of the ’90s, I’ve had just one voice going through my head this week — that of Tom Anderson.
The neighbor of everyone’s favorite teenage dumbasses, Beavis and Butt-head, Tom’s vision is, well, not what it used to be. And he’s never quite sure if the two teenagers in front of him are the two teenagers who painted his cat’s butt, stole his riding mower or that he found invading his toolshed.
When Tom comes across the two, be it at Burger World, in his front yard or looking for Spanish tiles for his new pool cabana, he often utters the same line:
“You look kinda familiar.”
That’s Laramie this weekend, in one sentence, as the 2024 Wyoming high school football season comes to a close.
For the third consecutive year, Cheyenne East and Sheridan meet in the Class 4A championship. Star Valley and Cody are also facing off for the third consecutive year in the 3A title game. And, oh yeah, Burlington and Snake River are also meeting for a third straight season in the Class 1A six-man title game. Kinda familiar.
Then in the 2A title game, Cokeville and its 22 state championships meet Big Horn, which is going for its eighth title since 2003 and is in its eighth championship game since 2013. Kinda familiar.
About the only new faces are in 1A nine-man, and even that’s a half-truth. Pine Bluffs is back in Laramie for the fourth time since 2016 (by the way, the Hornets are 3-0 at the War). Then there’s Lingle, unbeaten this season and playing in the title game for the first time since 2009, the title games’ first year together in Laramie.
So if this weekend looks or seems or feels familiar, it is. Same teams, sure. But different names, different approaches, different tactics and different stakes. It might be the same show, but it’s a new season, even as familiar as they look.
Even Tom Anderson can see that.
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Here is a quick look at this weekend’s championship games, set for Friday and Saturday at War Memorial Stadium at the University of Wyoming:
Class 4A, 4 p.m. Saturday
Cheyenne East (3, 9-2) vs. Sheridan (1, 11-0)
Series record: Sheridan leads 35-15.
Last meeting: Sheridan beat Cheyenne East 48-18 on Sept. 20 in Sheridan.
Last playoff meeting: Sheridan beat Cheyenne East 31-3 on Nov. 11, 2023, in the Class 4A championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Cheyenne East five, most recently in 2020. … Sheridan 30, most recently in 2023.
Previous title game record: Cheyenne East, 5-5. … Sheridan, 20-7.
The path to the title game: Cheyenne East shut out Thunder Basin 27-0 in the quarterfinals and then b-a-r-e-l-y got past Campbell County 35-34 in the semifinals. … Sheridan beat up on Laramie 48-6 in the quarterfinals and topped Natrona 24-8 in the semifinals.
The case for the Thunderbirds: East showed its ability to be malleable to best fit its talent. After several years of emphasizing balance between run and pass, this year’s East team has 4A’s top rushing offense and a 1,000-yard back in Keyshawn Brown. The T-Birds’ only two losses this year were to 4A’s top two seeds (Sheridan and Campbell County), both on the road, and one of those got avenged last week in Gillette in the semifinals.
The case for the Broncs: I mean, 42. Forty-freakin’-two. It’s been that many victories in a row for the Broncs, including three state championships and two undefeated seasons. This season, Sheridan’s closest victory was last week’s 24-8 win against Natrona, and even then Natrona didn’t score until the final moments. The Broncs have 4A’s top rushing defense and an offense that’s diverse enough to keep opposing defenses guessing. Did I mention 42 straight victories?
The pick: I’m beginning to wonder if Sheridan will ever lose again. However, that’s just the kind of overconfidence the Broncs are great at rejecting. East will be ready, and prepared, but Sheridan’s players will be the kind of confident only a run like theirs can create. Sheridan 32, Cheyenne East 21.
Class 3A, 3 p.m. Friday
Cody (2W, 9-1) vs. Star Valley (1W, 11-0)
Series record: Star Valley leads 29-13.
Last meeting: Star Valley beat Cody 52-35 on Oct. 11 in Afton.
Last playoff meeting: Star Valley beat Cody 27-0 on Nov. 10, 2023, in the Class 3A championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Star Valley 14, most recently in 2023. … Cody seven, most recently in 2021.
Previous title game record: Star Valley, 13-10. … Cody, 7-7.
The path to the title game: Cody swamped Torrington 63-6 in the quarterfinals and then held off a comeback attempt in Douglas to beat the Bearcats 49-42 in the semifinals. … Star Valley’s defense has come alive in the playoffs, with two shutouts — 52-0 over Lander in the quarterfinals and 40-0 over Riverton in the semifinals.
The case for the Broncs: Cody has been one of the most remarkable 3A programs over the past decade, with four state championships since 2014 and a 50-5 record since 2020. The offense is averaging 51 points per game — a total that would be third-best among 11-man teams in state history if they can keep the pace going — and leads 3A in yards per game. The only hitch over the past few years? All five of the Broncs’ losses in that span have come from Star Valley.
The case for the Braves: Six championships in the past nine years. Twenty consecutive victories. Class 3A’s top defense and its No. 2 offense. The offense is consistently scoring, breaking 40 points in all but one game and averaging more than 47 points per game; quarterback Smith McClure could be just one big game away from 3,000 yards this year. And the defense has found another level in the playoffs, not allowing a single point across all eight quarters of postseason play.
The pick: Despite all the Braves’ success and championships, the program has never in school history three-peated. And they’ve had just one unbeaten season (2019) in the playoff era, which began in 1975. This Star Valley team, though, has the goods to make those little tidbits history, not precedent. Cody will make it tough, absolutely, and the Braves will have to be on point. They’ve given no one any reason to think they won’t be, though. Star Valley 38, Cody 28.
Class 2A, noon Friday
Cokeville (3W, 7-3) vs. Big Horn (1E, 10-0)
Series record: Big Horn leads 4-3.
Last meeting/last playoff meeting: Big Horn beat Cokeville 55-7 on Nov. 16, 2019, in the Class 1A 11-man championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Cokeville 22, most recently in 2014. … Big Horn eight, most recently in 2022.
Previous title game record: Cokeville, 21-8. … Big Horn, 8-11.
The path to the title game: Cokeville won a pair of road games to make it to Laramie, eking out a 28-20 victory against Newcastle in the quarterfinals and thumping West top seed Mountain View 40-14 in the semifinals. … Big Horn beat two West teams in the first two rounds, beating Worland 34-13 in the quarterfinals and surging past Lovell 35-25 in the semifinals.
The case for the Panthers: Don’t underestimate the heart of a champion. Class 2A’s smallest school, by orders of magnitude, has also been at its best in the playoffs. The Panthers have had to win two road games to get here, traveling about 1,000 miles round-trip in their vanquishing of Newcastle in the first round and making a shorter, but probably scarier, trip to Mountain View and absolutely dominating the West’s top seed on its home field. Senior Kayson Walker leads the way on both offense and defense, and the rest of the squad has been just like Cokeville likes, consistent and prepared.
The case for the Rams: Class 2A’s last remaining undefeated team has a ton of experience in late-season action. This is Big Horn’s 16th championship game appearance since 2000 — yeah, 16 out of 25 is a pretty good track record. The Rams were absolutely dominant in East Conference games but have also been tested, with two close victories against West No. 2 seed Lovell helping to show the Rams how they might match up against the West’s best. And there’s this little thing about having Class 2A’s top offense AND top defense. Not a bad combo to have.
The pick: I’ve picked against Cokeville twice this postseason, and the Panthers have won both times. So the Panthers are probably hoping I’ll pick the Rams. Well, Cokeville, you’ve got your wish. I do legitimately think Big Horn will win this game, but a resurgent, improved, tough and, most importantly, confident Cokeville team will make this one an absolute epic. Big Horn 24, Cokeville 20.
Class 1A nine-man, 1 p.m. Saturday
Pine Bluffs (2E, 9-1) vs. Lingle (1E, 10-0)
Series record: Lingle leads 42-25-2.
Last meeting: Lingle beat Pine Bluffs 30-27 on Oct. 18 in Lingle.
Last playoff meeting: First meeting.
State championships: Pine Bluffs three, most recently in 2022. … Lingle one, in 1990.
Previous title game record: Pine Bluffs, 3-3. … Lingle, 1-2.
The path to the title game: Pine Bluffs overwhelmed Greybull 75-22 in the first round and beat Saratoga 42-12 in the semifinals. … Lingle demolished both of last year’s title-game participants in the first two rounds, throttling Wind River 57-0 in the quarterfinals and Big Piney 52-6 in the semifinals.
The case for the Hornets: Pine Bluffs is the only team to give Lingle a true test this season, and it wasn’t even close. The Hornets played point-for-point, play-for-play with the Doggers right up to the end of that 30-27 loss in Week 7, a game that truly could have gone either way. Outside of that, Pine Bluffs has been dominant, winning by an average of 51-12. They enter the championship game with 1A nine-man’s top offense and top defense in terms of yards, and that’s usually a combination that leads to championships.
The case for the Doggers: From the outset, 2024 was supposed to be the Doggers’ season. Deeply talented, experienced and skilled, Lingle started the season as the favorites and have lived up to that expectation. Outscoring opponents by an average of 52-10, the only time that Lingle was truly tested was against Pine Bluffs in Week 7. Aside from that, the closest game that Lingle had was a 29-point victory against East’s sophomores. Over the last three games, Lingle has a 161-6 advantage. The Doggers are hot at the right time. Maybe most importantly, they have 1A nine-man’s top rushing offense and top rushing defense, huge keys to success in November.
The pick: This game right here is the one I’ve been thinking about all week. If this game anything like the one we saw transpire in Week 7, everyone in War Memorial Stadium will get their money’s worth. Both teams have had great seasons, and whoever wins, it won’t be a fluke. Lingle 21, Pine Bluffs 20.
Class 1A six-man, 10 a.m. Saturday
Burlington (1N, 8-1) vs. Snake River (1S, 9-0)
Series record: Snake River leads 7-2.
Last meeting: Snake River beat Burlington 70-18 on Sept. 7 in Baggs.
Last playoff meeting: Burlington beat Snake River 42-39 on Nov. 11, 2023, in the Class 1A six-man championship game in Laramie.
State championships: Burlington three, most recently in 2023. … Snake River five, most recently in 2022.
Previous title game record: Burlington, 3-3. … Snake River, 5-2.
The path to the title game: Burlington thumped Farson 92-16 in the quarterfinals and then survived in a triple-overtime shootout with Encampment, 74-68, in the semifinals. … Snake River has relied on its defense in the playoffs, beating Meeteetse 71-8 in a one-half quarterfinal and Dubois 67-0 in the semifinals.
The case for the Huskies: The defending state champions have lived up to the high expectations that followed them into this season. Burlington won every North Conference game by mercy-rule standards, with the closest game still a 46-point difference in the Huskies’ favor. They’ve got huge momentum that only a triple-overtime semifinal victory can provide. And even despite their Week 1 loss to Snake River (70-18, ugh), the Huskies know they can beat the Rattlers in Laramie — a claim that no other six-man team has been able to make the past few years.
The case for the Rattlers: Maybe last year’s title game was just an aberration. Maybe the Snake River team we should have seen that day just didn’t get off the bus. Maybe we should look at the last four years, in which the Rattlers have gone 39-1, and concentrate a heck of a lot more on the 39 and a heck of a lot less on the one. The Rattlers score more points than the Huskies and allow fewer. And they’ve got revenge on their side — which, when channeled instead of distracted by, can be a great motivator.
The pick: This is the third consecutive year the Huskies and Rattlers have met in the championship game, so it’s safe to say these two teams know each other and know what they’re going to try to do to win a championship game. Week 1’s blowout victory for the Rattlers is a decent indicator of which team is the favorite, but I’d be really surprised if the Huskies don’t play significantly better this time around. Still, I think Snake River has the advantage. But the Rattlers did last year, too. Snake River 48, Burlington 37.
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Here are the results of my picks from last week and this season:
Last week: 8-2 (80 percent). This season: 235-58 (80 percent).
Well. We made it. Final week, championship games, The War. What are your big takeaways from the 2024 season as we enter its final stages? Alternatively, who’s your favorite “Beavis and Butt-head” character? Leave a comment here, or hit me up on the Facebook page or on Twitter.
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–patrick