Odds. You know.

BOYS
Class 2A
Wind River: 2-1
Yes, you read that right. Going 27-0 in the regular season only earns you a 50-50 chance of winning the state tournament. Don't forget, the last two Class 2A boys teams to make it to the state championship game undefeated lost -- Wyoming Indian in 1994 and Lusk in 2001.

Sundance: 3-1
The Bulldogs have the talent and athleticism to beat any team in the bracket.

Wyoming Indian: 4-1
Their odds increase tremendously if they don't have to play Wind River on Saturday night -- the Chiefs are 0-4 against the Cougs this season.

Lusk: 5-1
Don't count out the Tigers, who are 22-3 and know how to win.

Tongue River: 8-1
The Eagles have maybe the best player in the bracket in Rob Johnson.

Thermopolis: 10-1
The Bobcats haven't been setting the world on fire lately, but they have the goods to pull off three consecutive victories.

Riverside, Guernsey: 30-1
They have the misfortune of tough first-round opponents. But if they win on Thursday, watch out, because that momentum alone might be enough to propel one of these teams into Saturday.

Class 1A
Burlington: 3-1
The Huskies have the talent, the athleticism, the cohesiveness and the tradition to do amazing things this weekend.

Saratoga: 4-1
The East Regional champs are for real. They have the size and speed to stick with any team in the bracket. It'd be no surprise to see them hoist the trophy on Saturday night.

Kaycee: 7-1
The Buckaroos are loaded with talent. Just not depth. If fouls and fatigue stay away, Kaycee might be there on Saturday night.

Encampment: 10-1
I'm still trying to figure out where the Tigers went wrong last weekend.

Southeast, Hanna: 15-1
When these two near-.500 teams meet, someone has to win. And whoever does might be the most confident team you'll see in the semis.

Snake River: 20-1
Better than you think.

Midwest: 30-1
Midwest's size could create problems -- both for their opponents, who can't match up, and for the Oilers themselves, who could struggle against athletic, running teams.

GIRLS
Class 2A
Mountain View: 2.5-1
That Tongue River-Big Horn rematch everyone wants to see? Don't tell the Buffalos about it.

Tongue River: 3-1
Talented and confident is a great way to come to state.

Big Horn: 4-1
As long as the Rams don't have to play Tongue River on Saturday night, they've got a great shot -- 0-3 vs. TR, 19-0 vs. everyone else.

Thermopolis: 7-1
Looking for a surprise winner in 2A? Look right here. If the Bobcats get rolling, bar the door.

Wyoming Indian: 10-1
No matter what, if the Lady Chiefs want to win the championship, they're going to have to win three tough games. WI has no room for error.

Wright: 20-1
The best of the rest.

Riverside, Burns: 30-1
Both teams had the misfortune of playing in weak conferences -- and that weakness showed at regionals.

Class 1A
Burlington, Southeast: 3-1
Yes, I'm cheating. But my jaw will be agape if it's not the Huskies and Cyclones meeting in Saturday's championship.

Arvada-Clearmont, St. Stephens, Cokeville: 7-1
All season long, five teams have separated themselves as the class of 1A. And two of those have separated from the other three. These are the other three -- talented enough to win the championship, but they'll need some help (a hot shooting night, foul trouble for someone else, the right pre-game meal, anything) to win it all.

Kaycee: 10-1
The Lady Bucs have been up and down all season. If they get up at the right time this weekend....

Hulett, Ten Sleep: 30-1
If any 4 seed is going to win on Thursday, it's Hulett in that noon "eye crusties" game against Burlington. I'm not saying it'll happen, but I'm saying it's the most likely. BTW, props to the Ten Sleep girls for making it to state with only five players on the roster.

There they are. Who do you think is going to win the championships this weekend? Comment below with your thoughts, and then get out to the Events Center on Saturday and enjoy it -- even if your picks are wrong.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Thursday, the opening day of the Class 2A-1A Wyoming State High School Basketball Championships, will be a 14-hour day. All 14 will be spent inside Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gymnasium.

And I know what's coming:

2 Unlimited. Click here to see what I mean.

I've got nothing against the fine folks on the Casper hills, but the music selection during state hoops -- both at the Swede and the Casper Events Center -- is entirely too predictable.

It's "The Worst of Jock Jams." Lather, rinse, repeat. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat. And if you're there for 14 hours, it's enough to make you want to drop the people's elbow on that CD player until you break it or it breaks you.

I had the pleasure of listening to "Get Ready for This," along with about 10 other equally horrid songs, about a half-dozen times during the first day of 2A-1A state hoops last year.

(As an aside, my wife and I have this tradition. Every time I hear "Get Ready for This" during a sporting event that I'm covering, I call her. As soon as she picks up the phone, I say, "Is this football?" You'd have to be a big Beavis and Butt-head fan to get the joke. If you want to understand, buy this.)

I know this ain't exactly a high-tech system, and these ain't exactly high-tech sound guys running the show. I'm not going to ask for much. But I will ask for one change:

Please play something that you haven't played before. Please. It's been the same thing every ------ year since 1999.

If I were to make my own state hoops mix CD, it would start something like this:

Track 1: Domination by Pantera. Proven fact: If you listen to this song three times in a row, your head will explode from your sudden rise in blood pressure.

Track 2: Crank That by Soulja Boy Tellem. Overplayed? Of course. So was "Get Ready for This." That didn't stop the Swede or CEC folks before. I'd rather listen to something new and overplayed than old and overplayed. That, and I'm a sucker for steel drums.

Track 3: Brain Stew by Green Day (warning, link contains a tad bit of profanity). Simplest song in the world to play. Also one of the best.

Add your track suggestions below, and let's ditch 2 Unlimited, Rednex, EMF, Gary Glitter and Queen. For good.

Join the resistance and let me know you care! If you're in the CEC or the Swede this week and at any time, you hear 2 Unlimited, stand up and shout, "Is this football?" (Hint, I'm covering the boys' games on Thursday and the boys' semifinals on Friday). At least then I'll know I'm not alone.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Updated 4 p.m. Sunday. Saratoga defeated Kaycee in the 1A boys East Regional championship on Saturday; incorrect information was supplied to the Star-Tribune.

Official Class 2A-1A state tournament pairings and game times

BOYS
Class 2A
Thursday
Wind River (1W, 27-0) vs. Guernsey (4E, 15-9), noon, CC
Lusk (2E, 22-3) vs. Thermopolis (3W, 15-12), 1:30 p.m., CC
Sundance (1E, 18-4) vs. Riverside (4W, 9-16), 7:30 p.m., CC
Wyoming Indian (2W, 19-8) vs. Tongue River (3E, 18-8), 9 p.m., CC
Friday
Lusk-Thermopolis loser vs. Wind River-Guernsey loser, noon, EC
Sundance-Riverside loser vs. Wyoming Indian-Tongue River loser, 1:30 p.m., EC
Lusk-Thermopolis winner vs. Wind River-Guernsey winner, 7:30 p.m., EC
Sundance-Riverside winner vs. Wyoming Indian-Tongue River winner, 9 p.m., EC
Saturday
Consolation final, noon, CC
Third place, 3 p.m., CC
Championship, after 1A Boys, EC

Class 1A
Thursday
Burlington (1W, 21-2) vs. Midwest (4E, 14-10), 9 a.m., CC
Kaycee (2E, 21-4) vs. Encampment (3W, 22-3), 10:30 a.m., CC
Saratoga (1E, 17-2) vs. Snake River (4W, 15-9), 4:30 p.m., CC
Hanna (2W, 12-11) vs. Southeast (3E, 11-13), 6 p.m., CC
Friday
Burlington-Midwest loser vs. Saratoga-Encampment loser, 9 a.m., EC
Kaycee-Snake River loser vs. Hanna-Southeast loser, 10:30 a.m., EC
Burlington-Midwest winner vs. Saratoga-Encampment winner, 4:30 p.m., EC
Kaycee-Snake River winner vs. Hanna-Southeast winner, 6 p.m., EC
Saturday
Consolation final, 9 a.m., EC
Third place, 10:30 a.m., EC
Championship, after 2A Girls, EC

GIRLS
Class 2A
Thursday
Tongue River (1E, 19-6) vs. Riverside (4W, 11-14), 9 a.m., EC
Thermopolis (2W, 16-11) vs. Wright (3E, 17-10), 10:30 a.m., EC
Mountain View (1W, 18-5) vs. Burns (4E, 13-10), 4:30 p.m., EC
Big Horn (2E, 19-3) vs. Wyoming Indian (3W, 21-7), 6 p.m., EC
Friday
Tongue River-Riverside loser vs. Thermopolis-Wright loser, 9 a.m., EC
Mountain View-Burns loser vs. Big Horn-Wyoming Indian loser, 10:30 a.m., EC
Tongue River-Riverside winner vs. Thermopolis-Wright winner, 4:30 p.m., EC
Mountain View-Burns winner vs. Big Horn-Wyoming Indian winner, 6 p.m., EC
Saturday
Consolation final, 9 a.m., CC
Third place, 10:30 a.m., CC
Championship, after 1A Girls, EC

Class 1A
Thursday
Burlington (1W, 23-1) vs. Hulett (4E, 13-11), noon, EC
Arvada-Clearmont (2E, 21-2) vs. Cokeville (3W, 19-3), 1:30 p.m., EC
St. Stephens (2W, 23-6) vs. Kaycee (3E, 12-11), 7:30 p.m., EC
Southeast (1E, 21-2) vs. Ten Sleep (4W, 13-9), 9 p.m., EC
Friday
Burlington-Hulett loser vs. Arvada-Clearmont-Cokeville loser, noon, EC
St. Stephens-Kaycee loser vs. Southeast-Ten Sleep loser, 1:30 p.m., EC
Burlington-Hulett winner vs. Arvada-Clearmont-Cokeville winner, 7:30 p.m., EC
St. Stephens-Kaycee winner vs. Southeast-Ten Sleep winner, 9 p.m., EC
Saturday
Consolation final, noon, EC
Third place, 1:30 p.m., CC
Championship, 3:30 p.m., EC

 

 

Projected Class 4A-3A regional tournament pairings
Official pairings will be released by the WHSAA Sunday or Monday

BOYS
Class 4A East Regional
At Cheyenne Central HS
Thursday
Game 1: (3) Cheyenne East vs. (6) Riverton, 5:15 p.m., loser out
Game 2: (4) Laramie vs. (5) Sheridan, 9 p.m., loser out
Friday
Game 3: (2) Cheyenne Central vs. Game 1 winner, 5:15 p.m.
Game 4: (1) Gillette vs. Game 2 winner, 9 p.m.
Saturday
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 11:45 a.m.
Game 6: Championship, Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 3:30 p.m.

Class 4A West Regional
At Evanston HS
Thursday
Game 1: (3) Rock Springs vs. (6) Star Valley, 5:15 p.m.
Game 2: (4) Evanston vs. (5) Kelly Walsh, 8:45 p.m.
Friday
Game 3: (2) Green River vs. Game 1 winner, 5:15 p.m.
Game 4: (1) Natrona County vs. Game 2 winner, 8:45 p.m.
Saturday
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 11:45 a.m.
Game 6: Championship, Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 3:15 p.m.

Class 3A East Regional
At Glenrock High School
Thursday
Game 1: (3) Newcastle vs. (6) Rawlins, 8:30 a.m.
Game 2: (2) Wheatland vs. (7) Douglas, 12:15 p.m.
Game 3: (4) Lander vs. (5) Torrington, 4 p.m.
Game 4: (1) Buffalo vs. (8) Glenrock, 7 p.m.
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 8:30 a.m., loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 12:15 p.m., loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 8:30 a.m., loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 10:15 a.m., loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7 p.m.

Class 3A West Regional
At Pinedale High School
Thursday
Game 1: (1) Lovell vs. (8) Lyman, 10:30 a.m.
Game 2: (4) Kemmerer vs. (5) Cody, 2 p.m.
Game 3: (3) Pinedale vs. (6) Worland, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: (2) Powell vs. (7) Jackson, 8:30 p.m.
(Pinedale boys will play the late game on Thursday regardless of seeding.)
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 10:30 a.m., loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 2 p.m., loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 11:30 a.m., loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 1 p.m., loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m.

GIRLS
Class 4A East Regional
At Cheyenne Central HS
Thursday
Game 1: (3) Cheyenne Central vs. (6) Laramie, 3:30 p.m., loser out
Game 2: (4) Cheyenne East vs. (5) Riverton, 7:15 p.m., loser out
Friday
Game 3: (2) Sheridan vs. Game 1 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 4: (1) Gillette vs. Game 2 winner, 7:15 p.m.
Saturday
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Championship, Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 1:45 p.m.

Class 4A West Regional
At Evanston HS
Thursday
Game 1: (3) Evanston vs. (6) Star Valley, 3:30 p.m., loser out
Game 2: (4) Green River vs. (5) Kelly Walsh, 7 p.m., loser out
Friday
Game 3: (2) Rock Springs vs. Game 1 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 4: (1) Natrona County vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 10 a.m.
Game 6: Championship, Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 1:30 p.m.

Class 3A East Regional
At Glenrock High School
Thursday
Game 1: (3) Glenrock vs. (6) Lander, 10:15 a.m.
Game 2: (2) Douglas vs. (7) Wheatland, 2 p.m.
Game 3: (4) Newcastle vs. (5) Buffalo, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: (1) Torrington vs. (8) Rawlins, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 10:15 a.m., loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 2 p.m., loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 12:15 p.m., loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 2 p.m., loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m.

Class 3A West Regional
At Pinedale High School
Thursday
Game 1: (1) Jackson vs. (8) Kemmerer, 9 a.m.
Game 2: (4) Powell vs. (5) Cody, 12:30 p.m.
Game 3: (3) Worland vs. (6) Lyman, 4 p.m.
Game 4: (2) Lovell vs. (7) Pinedale, 7 p.m.
(Pinedale girls will play the late game on Thursday regardless of seeding.)
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9 a.m., loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 12:30 p.m., loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 8:30 a.m., loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 10 a.m., loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7 p.m. 

Just want to apologize ahead of time for some incorrect scores that will appear in some editions of Saturday's Star-Tribune.

The first comes in the boys 2A West regional. Greybull defeated Mountain View 46-36. The correct score will appear in most editions of the Star-Tribune; however, in our earliest edition, the score was transposed.

The second comes in the girls 2A East regional. Wright defeated Pine Bluffs 47-40. That score will be wrong in every edition of the Star-Tribune on Friday.

Both scores were transposed on the WHSAA regional basketball web site. As of 11:15 p.m. on Friday, neither incorrect score has been fixed. We used this site a the basis for our scores for the early editions of our paper.

Fortunately, the tournament directors at both sites faxed us quarter scores from those games, and those faxes alerted us of the mistakes -- however, not before some incorrect versions of the scores (and in the case of the 2A East girls, every version) got on paper and into the Star-Tribune delivery trucks.

The correct versions of the tournament brackets will appear online at http://www.trib.com/sports .

Thanks for your understanding.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Here they are, my (sort of) long-awaited state wrestling picks.

(By the way, you'll note that I'm only picking team champions. Choosing individual champions... I'll leave that to the REAL experts.)

Class 4A:
1. Gillette. Not as strong as past years, but still strong enough to win it all.
2. Star Valley. This championship race will come down to Saturday night, and if the Braves win enough when it counts the most, they could leapfrog the Camels.
3. Natrona County: The Mustangs will have their share of individual champions, but I don't know if the depth is there for the team title.

Class 3A:
1. Powell. Moving right along... foot loose and fancy free. They're ready for the big time, is it ready for Powell?
2. Douglas. Another solid year for a solid program.
3. Wheatland. This program is growing. Watch out.

Class 2A:
1. Cokeville. It's the Panthers' wide breadth of individual talent and big (projected) Saturday night run that earns them this spot.
2. Lusk. The Tigers will likely fare much better at state than they did at regionals. Just a hunch.
3. Moorcroft. Depth will carry the Wolves, but likely only so far.

Predictions. Discuss. Fortunately, the guys on the mat will settle it all this weekend, redering all of this moot a little more than two days from now....

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Terry Rolfe's swimming career has always been uncertain at best -- and never more than last year.

Rolfe, then a junior at Newcastle, was the defending state champion in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke. But on the first day of practice, Rolfe was one of only two Dogies to show up.

That didn't stop him. He practiced in Newcastle during the week, then on the weekends, he joined up with the Buffalo Bison and wherever they were headed.

He got the chance to defend his state championships and did just that, winning the 100 free and 100 back again while helping Buffalo -- normally a rival to Newcastle in the pool -- to a fourth-place finish at state.

This year, the Dogies resurrected their own program, and Rolfe has never been swimming better. Entering the Class 3A Wyoming State High School Swimming and Diving Championships, which start Thursday in Gillette, Rolfe has the top qualifying time in six of the eight swimming events (200 free, 200 IM, 50 free, 100 free, 100 back, 100 breaststroke). In the other two, Rolfe is close to the top -- he's qualified fourth in the 500 free and fifth in the 100 butterfly.

The only drawback is that he can only swim in two individual events at state. But no matter where he swims this weekend, Rolfe is sure to impress.

And it makes it all the more worthwhile that he gets to do so while wearing a Dogies swim cap.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Here they are (in PDF form):

Class 4A
Class 3A
Class 2A

See anything that piques your curiosity?

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

I've been working the phone hard today, and here are Monday's pigtail games, plus pairings for the regionals that begin Thursday.

The one hiccup is the Hulett-Kaycee tie in the Class 1A Northeast, which won't be broken until a coin flip on Monday.

Here they are, the brackets:

BOYS
Class 2A East Regional
At Douglas High School
Monday
Big Horn at Moorcroft, 6 p.m.
Lingle at Pine Bluffs, 6 p.m.
Thursday
Game 1: (2N) Tongue River vs. (3S) Guernsey, noon
Game 2: (1S) Lusk vs. Moorcroft/Big Horn winner, 1:30 p.m.
Game 3: (1N) Sundance vs. Lingle/Pine Bluffs winner, 7 p.m.
Game 4: (2S) Burns vs. (3N) Wright, 8:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, noon, loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 1:30 p.m., loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 7 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, noon, loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 1:30 p.m., loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 8:30 p.m.

Class 2A West Regional
At Riverton
Monday
Shoshoni at Rocky Mountain, 6 p.m.
Thursday
Game 1: (1N) Thermopolis vs. (4S) Big Piney, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2: (2S) Wyoming Indian vs. (3N) Riverside, 7:15 p.m.
Game 3: (1S) Wind River vs. Shoshoni/Rocky Mountain winner, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: (2N) Greybull vs. (3S) Mountain View, 7:15 p.m.
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 11:45 a.m., loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 11:45 a.m., loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 4:10 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 9 a.m., loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 9 a.m., loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m.
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 6:10 p.m.

Class 1A East Regional
At Torrington
Monday
Chugwater at Rock River, 5 p.m.
Thursday
Game 1: (1S) Saratoga vs. (4N) Normative Services, 2 p.m., EWC
Game 2: (2N) Midwest vs. (3S) Glendo, 3:45 p.m., EWC
Game 3: (1N) Kaycee vs. Rock River/Chugwater winner, 5:30 p.m., EWC
Game 4: (2S) Southeast vs. (3N) Upton, 7:15 p.m., EWC
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 11:45 a.m., THS, loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 11:45 a.m., EWC, loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5:30 p.m., THS
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7:15 p.m., THS
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 11:50 a.m., EWC, loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 11:50 a.m., THS, loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 2:45 p.m., THS
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 6:15 p.m., THS

Class 1A West Regional
At Lander High School
Monday
(4S) Cokeville vs. (5N) Arapaho Charter, 2 p.m., FH
(4N) Meeteetse vs. (5S) Farson, 2 p.m., AUX
Thursday
Game 1: (2S) Snake River vs. (3N) St. Stephens, 2 p.m., FH
Game 2: (1N) Burlington vs. Cokeville/Dubois-Arapaho winner, 5:20 p.m., FH
Game 3: (1S) Encampment vs. Meeteetse/Farson winner, 2 p.m., AUX
Game 4: (2N) Ten Sleep vs. (3S) Hanna, 5:20 p.m., AUX
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 10 a.m., FH, loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 10 a.m., AUX, loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 2:30 p.m., FH
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 4:10 p.m., FH
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 9:30 a.m., FH, loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 9:30 a.m., AUX, loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 4:15 p.m., FH, if necessary
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 1 p.m., FH

GIRLS
Class 2A East Regional
At Douglas High School
Monday
Guernsey at Lingle, 4:30 p.m.
Moorcroft at Sundance, 6 p.m.
Thursday
Game 1: (2N) Big Horn vs. (3S) Lusk, 9 a.m.
Game 2: (1S) Burns vs. Moorcroft/Sundance winner, 10:30 a.m.
Game 3: (1N) Tongue River vs. Guernsey/Lingle winner, 4 p.m.
Game 4: (2S) Pine Bluffs vs. (3N) Wright, 5:30 p.m.
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 9 a.m., loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 10:30 a.m., loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 5:30 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 9 a.m., loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 10:30 a.m., loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 7 p.m.

Class 2A West Regional
At Riverton
Monday
Rocky Mountain at Greybull, 6 p.m.
Thursday
Game 1: (1N) Thermopolis vs. (4S) Big Piney, 2 p.m.
Game 2: (2S) Wyoming Indian vs. (3N) Riverside, 3:45 p.m.
Game 3: (1S) Mountain View vs. Greybull/Rocky Mountain winner, 2 p.m.
Game 4: (2N) Shoshoni vs. (3S) Wind River, 3:45 p.m.
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 10 a.m., loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 10 a.m., loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 6 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7:40 p.m.
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 10:40 a.m., loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 10:40 a.m., loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 2:40 p.m.
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 4:30 p.m.

Class 1A East Regional
At Torrington
Thursday
Game 1: (1S) Southeast vs. (4N) Midwest, 2 p.m., THS
Game 2: (2N) Hulett or Kaycee vs. (3S) Chugwater, 3:45 p.m., THS
Game 3: (1N) Arvada-Clearmont vs. (5N) Upton, 5:30 p.m., THS
Game 4: (2S) Saratoga vs. (3N) Hulett or Kaycee, 7:15 p.m., THS
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 10 a.m., THS, loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 10 a.m., EWC, loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 2 p.m., THS
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 3:45 p.m., THS
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 9:30 a.m., EWC, loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 9:30 a.m., THS, loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 1 p.m., THS
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 4:30 p.m., THS

Class 1A West Regional
At Lander High School
Monday
(4S) Farson vs. (5N) Dubois, 3:40 p.m., FH
(4N) Fort Washakie vs. (5S) Snake River, 3:40 p.m., AUX
Thursday
Game 1: (2S) Hanna vs. (3N) Ten Sleep, 3:40 p.m., FH
Game 2: (1N) Burlington vs. Farson/Dubois winner, 7 p.m., FH
Game 3: (1S) Cokeville vs. Fort Washakie/Snake River winner, 3:40 p.m., AUX
Game 4: (2N) St. Stephens vs. (3S) Encampment , 7 p.m., AUX
Friday
Game 5: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 11:40 a.m., FH, loser out
Game 6: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser, 11:40 a.m., AUX, loser out
Game 7: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 5:50 p.m., FH
Game 8: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 7:30 p.m., FH
Saturday
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 loser, 11:10 a.m., FH, loser out
Game 10: Game 5 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 11:10 a.m., AUX, loser out
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 6 p.m., FH, if necessary
Game 12: Championship, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 2:45 p.m., FH

 Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Got to looking at the Gillette boys and what they've done the past three games:

Beat Laramie 90-45

Beat Riverton 90-52

Beat Sheridan 90-62

You don't have to have aced the ACT's math section to find the pattern here. 90-90-90. Three straight games, the Camels have put up 90 points.

Freakishly coincidental or scary consistent? You decide.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Rather than give you another edition of Bob's favorite list, here is the answer to a question that I've been posed several times the last few weeks, some directly to my face and most with a chuckle behind my back:

Why don't you put your basketball standings in order?

Here's why, the long version:

We do all of our basketball standings on an Excel spreadsheet. It's the quickest, most efficient way to make sure we have accurate standings day in and day out. Part of the limit of the sheet, though, is that we can't sort teams by their records within the sheet; we have to do that all by hand.

Most Friday nights, we're extremely pinched for time. Our deadlines are tight because, well, we have to get the paper out, and we have to get it to your doorstep on time. Since we've been short-staffed since December, I have also taken over the duty of laying out the high school roundup page on Friday and Saturday nights, in addition to typing the roundup.

I'll make it blunt: I don't have the time to sort the standings by hand.

Of course, in previous years (like back when I was in high school), the Star-Tribune kept a simple text document, and wins and losses were added to the standings by hand. What happend, though, was that wins or losses were either given to the wrong team (boys instead of girls, loss given to the winner, etc.) or they weren't added to the standings at all. And with that method, there was no way to back-check your standings to see where you messed up.

In the past couple weeks, I've tried to take the added step of sorting standings for the online version you can see on Saturday and Sunday mornings at trib.com. I know as we get closer and closer to regionals, having the standings in the right order becomes more and more important.

Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'd rather have the right standings in the wrong order than the wrong standings in an order that may or may not be right.

Still, I hope the records themselves have been without fault (if you ever see a fault with a record, please let me know). And the Star-Tribune is still the only place in the state you can get up-to-date standings for every conference and every classification on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

I hope that explains it. Now you can get off my back about it. :)

As always, feel free to call me at (307) 266-0615 or (800) 791-5002, or e-mail me at patrick.schmiedt@trib.com if you ever have questions or concerns. Thanks for letting me do this.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Here is the latest reaarangement of the Class 4A West basketball schedule:

Tuesday, Feb. 12 (Today)
KW boys at Star Valley, 4
NC boys at Evanston, 4
 
Thursday, Feb. 14
Peach Basket (Events Center), Kelly Walsh vs. Natrona County
girls at 6:15; boys at 7:45
 
Monday, Feb. 18
KW boys at Evanston, 2
NC boys at Star Valley, time TBD
Evanston girls at KW, 6 (Casper College)
Star Valley girls at NC, 7:30 (Casper College)
 
Tuesday, Feb. 19
Star Valley girls at KW, 4
Evanston girls at NC, 4

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Our weekly weekend ritual, the list of canceled and postponed high school sports events:

POSTPONEMENTS
--  All eight of the varsity basketball games involving Casper schools have been postponed. Both the boys and girls basketball games that pitted Natrona County and Kelly Walsh against Evanston and Star Valley have been postponed indefinitely. No make-up date has been set for the games. 
--  Natrona County's indoor track team will not participate in the Laramie Invitational, and the NC wrestling team will not travel to Rock Springs and Green River for duals that were scheduled for Saturday. 
--  Lyman will not travel for its boys and girls basketball games at Powell and Cody this weekend. No make-up date has been set. 
--  Farson's boys and girls basketball games at Snake River have been postponed until Wednesday. The games are scheduled to start at 4 p.m. in Baggs.
-- Evanston's 71st annual freshman basketball tournament has been rescheduled for next weekend.

Update: 4:28 p.m.
-- Dubois' home basketball games with Big Piney today have been canceled.

Update: 6:17 p.m.
--  Saturday's basketball games between Hanna and Midwest have been canceled.
-- Saturday's Carbon County Invitational wrestling tournament in Hanna has been canceled.

If you know of more postponements or cancellations, e-mail me at patrick.schmiedt@trib.com or call (800) 791-5002.

As part of the WHSAA's meetings this week, I got some "tweener" enrollment numbers, projected enrollment for each of Wyoming's 70 high schols. If this was a reclassification year, these are the numbers the state would use to classify its schools.

I received the numbers in two forms -- one with the school names attached, one without. I present you now the "without names" version. How would you classify these schools based simply on the enrollment numbers, without sweating which school belongs to which number? (Numbers are rounded to closest whole number).

1. 2078
2. 2018
3. 1945
4. 1817
5. 1672
6. 1286
7. 1022
8. 941
9. 892
10. 752
11. 746
12. 740
13. 662
14. 653
15. 538
16. 500
17. 489
18. 470
19. 388
20. 376
21. 349
22. 300
23. 274
24. 251
25. 222
26. 212
27. 203
28. 199
29. 187
30. 187
31. 184
32. 175
33. 174
34. 166
35. 150
36. 147
37. 146
38. 133
39. 117
40. 115
41. 113
42. 107
43. 106
44. 106
45. 104
46. 96
47. 96
48. 90
49. 88
50. 87
51. 85
52. 79
53. 75
54. 75
55. 74
56. 70
57. 69
58. 69
59. 66
60. 63
61. 58
62. 52
63. 49
64. 38
65. 34
66. 31
67. 26
68. 26
69. 25
70. 25

I'll give you the names that go with these numbers a little later.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

I don't know about you, but after last week's Ron Thon Memorial Invitational, I'm even more confused. So many good wrestlers are getting hot at the right time. This week is fairly quiet -- lots of duals -- and then next week is regionals, then next week state. It's coming fast, and here are five that are looking sharp:

1. Lander's Bret Klopp: It seems like Bret has come out of nowhere... but that's not the truth. Bret's a Wisconsin transplant, and in his first year with the Tigers he's doing some great work. Not only did he win the 160-pound bracket at the Ron Thon, he also won the meet's outstanding upper-weights wrestler award.

2. Gillette's Tyler Cox: What more can be said? This guy is good. The junior continues to rack up the individual accolades, and there's no reason to think he can't win his third straight state title in a couple weeks in Casper.

3. Kelly Walsh's lightweights: Perry McAfee and Jesse Hillhouse keep on getting better and better, but it may be even more important that they're proving they know how to win the close ones. Hillhouse won the 119-pound bracket, racking up a tech fall and decisions of 8-2, 3-2 and 4-3. At 125, McAfee won with a pin and two major decisions before going into overtime to win his championship match 8-6. Dominating, no, but you don't have to dominate as long as you win.

4. Devan Pope, Cokeville: Yes, Pope lost the championship at 189 pounds. But never mind that. With Pope leading the way, Cokeville again looks like the top contender for the Class 2A crown. The Panthers are going for their third straight state championship, and the take-all-comers attitude has paid off well (Pope beat three straight 4A foes to make the championship match). Just like last year, it'll likely be Cokeville fighting it out with Lusk for the top spot, but last week's finish has to have the Panthers feeling pretty good.

5. Mak Jones, Powell: Speaking of 189 pounds, it was Jones that beat Pope in the championship match of that bracket. Powell finished in fifth place with 126 points and had the best finish of any 3A team -- not a bad sign heading down the stretch. Douglas and Wheatland both had more than 100 points, though, so it won't be easy for Jones and the Panthers at state, but last week certainly can't hurt the confidence of either Jones or his teammates.

Add your own wrestling thoughts below... Who are your favorites in the team races? What individuals might pull some surprises off at state?

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Thinking what the top five would look like if we used football conferences for basketball (using last week's rankings):

Boys
Class 5A: 1. Natrona County; 2. Gillette; 3. Cheyenne Central; 4. Rock Springs; 5. Evanston.

Class 4A: 1. Buffalo; 2. Wheatland; 3. Cody; 4. Lander; 5. Powell.

Class 3A: 1. Lovell; 2. Kemmerer; 3. Pinedale; 4. Newcastle; 5. Wyoming Indian.

Class 2A: 1. Wind River; 2. Lusk; 3. Sundance; 4. Tongue River; 5. Greybull.

Class 1A: 1. Saratoga; 2. Burlington; 3. Encampment; 4. Kaycee; 5. St. Stephens.

Girls
Class 5A: 1. Gillette; 2. Sheridan; 3. Central; 4. Natrona County; 5. Rock Springs.

Class 4A: 1. Jackson; 2. Torrington; 3. Powell; 4. Worland; 5. Wheatland.

Class 3A: 1. Lovell; 2. Mountain View; 3. Newcastle; 4. Glenrock; 5. Wyoming Indian.

Class 2A: 1. Big Horn; 2. Tongue River; 3. Burns; 4. Sundance; 5. Riverside.

Class 1A: 1. Burlington; 2. Southeast; 3. St. Stephens; 4. Arvada-Clearmont; 5. Cokeville.

For just a second, ignore the order the teams are in and simply look at the teams. Why do I bring this up now? Well, Tuesday is the third meeting of the year for the Wyoming High School Activities Association's board of directors. And on the agenda are five different reclassification proposals. Of those, three (if I remember correctly) are five-classification proposals -- five classes for basketball, volleyball and track in addition to football.

I know a lot of people have advocated for the five-class arrangement for all sports. I know a lot of people are against it, too. But it doesn't hurt to take a step back and look at a practical application of a five-class system -- for example, how would basketball rankings have looked last week if we were in a five-class setup right now?

Read Tuesday's Star-Tribune for a more in-depth preview of the WHSAA meeting. I'll be there and give you the details of the fallout in Wednesday's CS-T.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Here is the latest cancellations and postponements as we have them:

Saratoga has canceled this weekend's basketball games with Snake River and Southeast. They won't be made up.

Rawlins' home basketball games against Torrington have been postponed; no make-up date has been set.

The Glenrock-Burns boys basketball game was canceled and won't be made up.

The boys basketball games in Sweetwater County between Rock Springs/Green River and Natrona County/Kelly Walsh have been postponed and no make-up has been set. The girls' games are still on for tonight and Saturday. 

Know of more? E-mail me at patrick.schmiedt@trib.com and let me know.