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Sports Goulash
Odds and ends of Wyoming high school sports.
Basketball
Wednesday September 10, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 11:32PM EST on September 10, 2008
Before we get too deep into the possible new conference alignments facing the scrutiny of the Wyoming High School Activities Association this fall, we need to set the ground rules of what's up for vote. The WHSAA's first quarterly meeting, scheduled for Sept. 30-Oct. 1 in Casper, will have great sway in how the conferences and classifications are organized for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years. It's easiest to examine the proposals if we look at football as separate from everything else. And here's how everything else breaks down: One proposal before the WHSAA is the so-called "natural breaks" proposal, one that would allow the WHSAA to put as many as 14 teams into Class 4A. Using enrollment numbers provided to them earlier this fall, the WHSAA executive staff has already set those "natural breaks" so schools will know where they would go if this proposal passes. Here are how the conferences would break down IF this proposal passes (for basketball, track and volleyball, and to a certain extent for wrestling): 4A West: Cody, Evanston, Green River, Jackson, Riverton, Rock Springs, Star Valley. If the proposal DOES NOT pass, and the WHSAA goes back to using its current classification system (12-16-20-rest), here's how the conferences would break down: 4A West: Natrona County, Evanston, Green River, Riverton, Rock Springs, Star Valley. It's important to note several things at this point. First, conference alignments are still flexible, and there could still be changes in the make-up of the conferences even if the "natural breaks" proposal passes or fails. This is most likely to happen at the 1A level, specifically with Midwest rejoining the Northeast or Arapaho Charter rejoining the 1A Northwest or swapping spots with Fort Washakie in the Southwest. But it could also happen in Class 4A, especially if the "natural breaks" proposal does not pass. The current Class 4A ADs got together in Casper last week and hammered out the alignment shown above in the example where the "natural breaks" proposal doesn't pass. You'll note that the Casper schools are split -- Natrona in the West, Kelly Walsh in the East -- and that Riverton has moved into the West. As I understand it, the ADs suggested this alignment by a vote of 11-1. Schools' classifications will be determined by the vote on the "natural breaks" proposal, and classification can't change once it's set except for by special vote by the WHSAA board. But, as I said before, though, conference alignment is still fluid and will continue to be fluid right up until the final vote in November. And we haven't even touched soccer. In each case, no matter what, soccer will stay at 12 teams in Class 4A, with Natrona, Evanston, Green River, Riverton, Rock Springs and Star Valley in the West and Gillette, Kelly Walsh, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Laramie and Sheridan in the East. Now, take a breath.... Whew. On to football... and another proposal. This one is for the reorganization of the football classifications, the big crux of which is reducing Class 5A to 10 teams and adding a division of six-man football. Here is how the football conferences would shake out IF the proposal passes: Class 4A: Gillette, Kelly Walsh, Natrona County, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Evanston, Green River, Laramie, Rock Springs, Sheridan. You'll note that there are no conferences for 4A or 1A-six-man. In both cases, there will only be one conference, with a round-robin schedule set up for both divisions. Class 4A teams will play each other each once, including a full-on regular season game scheduled for Zero Week, for a nine-game regular season. Each game will be a "conference" game -- there will be no non-conference games -- and the top eight teams from that "conference" will be seeded 1-8 in the playoff bracket. For six-man, each team will play every other once -- nine teams, making for an eight-game regular season -- and the top four teams will advance to the playoffs. As for 2A and 1A-11, you'll note that the conferences themselves are much bigger now. Therefore, the conference season will take up the bulk of the schedule -- seven of the eight games for each team will be conference games. If the proposal DOES NOT pass, here is how the classes/conferences would be made up: 5A East: Gillette, Kelly Walsh, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Laramie, Sheridan. Once again, it's important to note in both cases, conference alignment can be fluid but, usually, classification is not. The only hiccup I see here is with Saratoga football, which usually co-ops with Encampment, which might cause them to move up a classification in the second case. And it's interesting to see here that if the six-man/10 in 4A proposal doesn't pass, Casper's two teams could again be split up, aided by Star Valley's jump into 5A and Riverton's fall to 4A. It's a lot to process. I'm still trying to do just that.... And now, you have some time to do so, too. The first of the four district meetings was today; those will continue through next week. Then, on Sept. 30, the WHSAA board will gather in Casper, make some votes and help clear up a lot of the "what-ifs" facing them this month. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Tuesday August 5, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 11:33PM EST on August 5, 2008
Of the WHSAA's 12 boys and 12 girls sanctioned sports, each one has had its dynasties. Sooner or later, all dynasties eventually fade. Some last longer than others, and they're all worthy of recognition. But in which sport is it hardest to build and maintain a multi-year dynasty? Is it a mainstream team sport like football, basketball or soccer, where seasons are often defined by how teams play in a three-game loser-out tournament? Or is it tougher in a sport like golf, where one bad day for a team meber -- or one outstanding day -- might mean the difference between first and fifth? Or is it in a sport like wrestling or tennis, where individual efforts are paramount and team success -- and therefore the construction of a dynasty -- simply a byproduct? For argument's sake, here are the the longest and second-longest state championship streaks in WHSAA-sponsored sports (excluding indoor track, which is brand new, and alpine skiing, where our archives only go back to 1993): Boys Girls What do you think? Looks like soccer might have the early edge... Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Friday August 1, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 11:53PM EST on August 1, 2008
Silly me. I thought Wyoming didn't have a state girls basketball tournament until 1976. I was only 50 years off. Try 1926. That was the first year of the "state" girls basketball tournament organized by old Lingle coach Clyde Braden. From the March 12, 1979, edition of the Star-Tribune: "Distaff state tournaments in Wyoming date back ton 1926. A total of 12 state tournaments were scheduled between '26 and 1937 and nine of them were held. State champions and runnersups in the first era of Wyoming girls' basketball follow: Before stumbling across this article, I had never heard of these tournaments. They've really piqued my interest, and I'm interested in tracking down some people for a story on these tournaments. My question for you: Do you know anybody who played, coached, officiated or watched one of these tournaments? If so, please give me a call at (307) 266-0615 or shoot me an e-mail at patrick.schmiedt@trib.com. Thanks. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Thursday July 10, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 6:57PM EST on July 10, 2008
Brief reminder of the rules: No researching to find the answer. Guessing is allowed and encouraged. Post your guess as a comment on this post and I'll comment whether or not you're right as quick as I can. This week's question: The rosters for the Wyoming Coaches Association's all-star weekend were released today (see below). My question: Who won last year's WCA all-star volleyball, girls basketball and boys basketball games? (You have to get all three right, and if any part of your answer is wrong, it's all wrong). Oh by the way, here are the rosters. Two spots still need to be filled, one on the South's girls basketball team and one on the South's volleyball team. Volleyball Girls basketball Boys basketball Golf Officials Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Tuesday June 17, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 11:01PM EST on June 17, 2008
Friday begins the 33rd annual Wyoming-Montana all-star basketball series. As usual, the Wyoming teams have home-court advantage for the first game -- Friday's games are in Sheridan -- while the Montanans have it for Saturday up in Billings. Don't know much about the Montanans. What do y'all know about the Treasure State's guys and gals? Anything? Wyoming's rosters shape up well -- or at least they did with similar personnel for the Wyoming-South Dakota series. The Wyo guys have some sharp-shooting guards, evident by the 38 3-pointers they made in two games against South Dakota, while the Wyo girls should get a little boost from having a full roster and the state's only senior D-I signee (Lovell's Kristen Scheffler) in the lineup. Here are the rosters: Wyoming boys Wyoming girls Posted by CNFR dude patrick.schmiedt@trib.com. Monday May 19, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 11:04PM EST on May 19, 2008
Now that we've finished the 2007-08 high school sports season, I'll pose you a question: What were your favorite moments from the past nine months?
Since August, I've been privileged enough to watch a good number of high school sporting events. Of the events I was able to watch in person, here are a few that stick out in my mind: -- 5A football quarterfinals, Evanston at Kelly Walsh: A back-and-forth game that wasn't decided until the final moments. Eventually, Evanston rallied from a two-score deficit in the final few minutes of the fourth quarter to win. -- 1A volleyball championship game, Hulett vs. Cokeville. Another back-and-forth affair where momentum shifted like the Wyoming wind. Hulett won in five. -- The entire 2A boys state basketball tournament. Both semifinal games went into overtime; the championship game was close throughout; even the quarterfinals had an OT game. Lots of tight, hard-fought, close, well-played basketball games. -- 1A boys basketball championship game, Encampment vs. Southeast. There is not much better than winning the state championship at the buzzer -- and there's not much more of a gut punch than losing the state championship at the buzzer. -- Saturday at state track. Feeling sorry for myself that I'll never again get to see Stephen Michel or Maggie Ochsner or a host of other seniors run track again in high school -- and feeling good that I'll have at least one more year to watch Amber Henry, Emily Moore and a ton of others. Those are the ones that stick out in my mind. How about yours? Comment below with your favorite high school sports moments from the past nine months. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Wednesday May 7, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 11:59PM EST on May 7, 2008
The rosters for the all-star basketball series got me thinking: What would be your all-time starting five? That is, what five players from the annals of Wyoming basketball history would you want on the floor for you? There are plenty of greats to choose from, and picking five out of the thousands upon thousands that have played hoops in Wyoming is tough enough. But here's my best efforts. I encourage you to try and do better, because I know I missed some greats. BOYS: I'm cheating a bit by starting three guards (depending on who you talk to, maybe five guards) and no center, but what the heck -- the Runnin' Smittys don't care -- my five versus your five any time. Guard: Lew Roney, Laramie. He was a three-time all-stater for the Plainsmen and an all-America pick his senior season. From what I understand, it's not that Roney was the greatest basketball player, it's just that he was so athletic that he was good at most anything he did -- and that included, to a huge extent, basketball. Guard: Jaycee Carroll, Evanston. Few players have dominated the offensive end the way Carroll did in high school. He averaged close to 40 points per game as a senior, and did so while playing against a load of Class 4A teams trying to stop him. Guard: Myron Chavez, Wyoming Indian. The Chiefs' run-and-gun heyday of the mid-1980s went through Chavez. He was the guy that made that team go -- prolific scorer and pesky 94-foot defender. Forward: James Johnson, Cheyenne East. Give it time, and Johnson may be the best basketball product to come from the Equality State. He was probably good enough to play pro ball in Europe during his senior season (granted, the age difference helped, but so what) and has only continued to improve at Wake Forest. Forward: Stan Dodds, Green River. I defer to my pops on this one. He says Dodds was one of the best he ever saw -- and he spent plenty of time watching Wyoming basketball. Dodds is still Green River's all-time leading scorer, and from what I understand, he could hurt you from anywhere if you let him. GIRLS: Again, a three-guard lineup. We'll run you out of the gym. Guard: Mila Rogers, Sheridan. When Rogers (now Mila Stender) was inducted into the Wyoming Sports Hall of Fame last year, Tim Ray introduced her. That night, Ray was on a roll.... And how he described the way Rogers changed the girls' game in Wyoming was incredibly impressive. Guard: Tahnee Robinson, Lander. She could do everything well -- shoot, pass, defend, dribble, block shots, full-court press, rebound -- and she did so with a tenacity and maturity seldom seen at a high-school level. Guard: Molly Marso, Gillette. She may not be one of the best five ever, but don't ever doubt her winning ways -- four state championships and four all-state selections in four years. That's someone I'd want on my team. Forward: Kelsey Wicks, Gillette. Is "unstoppable" too strong a word? In Wicks' case, probably not. She was a great all-around athlete and a heck of a basketball player. Center: Kristen Newlin, Riverton. She is the only two-time Gatorade state player of the year. She started at Stanford and is the only Wyoming product ever drafted by the WNBA. Yeah, she's pretty good. Thoughts? Critiques? Comment below. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Thursday May 1, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 4:34PM EST on May 1, 2008
Wyoming's rosters for the Wyoming-Montana and Wyoming-South Dakota all-star basketball series: Girls Boys See Friday's Star-Tribune for more. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Tuesday April 8, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 10:17PM EST on April 8, 2008
Montana has finalized its rosters for the Montana-Wyoming all-star basketball series in June. The games will be June 20 at Sheridan College and June 21 at Billings (Mont.) West High School. Here are Montana's rosters, courtesy of the Associated Press: BOYS The shortest player on the Montana boys roster is 6-foot-1; the girls team has three Division I recruits in Tilleman, Guertin and Hurley. For more on Montana's chances, click here. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Tuesday April 1, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 5:06PM EST on April 1, 2008
I'm not sure what made me think about it, but somehow I forgot to do my annual look back at the basketball preseason picks we made. Sorry. Anyway, you know how this works: I take a look back at the rankings I made way back in November, before the first tip-off, you laugh at how wrong I was, everyone's happy. Boys Girls There it is, about a month late. Sorry. Anyway, take a quick look back at the hoops season, then focus your energy back on track and soccer again. Cool. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Friday March 28, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 6:48PM EST on March 28, 2008
For decades, Cheyenne Central made a claim to a prestigious national record: the most state championships ever won by a boys basketball team. Between 1926 and 1998, the Indians won 24 state basketball championships, and it was indeed a national record. Was. Until this month. On March 8, St. Anthony of Jersey City, N.J., won its 25th New Jersey state championship, beating Trenton Catholic 74-44 in the title game. For coach Bob Hurley -- father of former Duke great Bobby Hurley, who played for him at St. Anthony -- it was his 23rd state championship in his 36-year stint with the Friars. But there is one big difference between St. Anthony's championships and Central's: St. Anthony's championships came in the non-public league, meaning that the Friars only played against other private schools at the state tournament. (Never mind the fact that the New Jersey private-school state tournament that St. Anthony's won has more schools in it than Wyoming's Class 4A public-school division has total). So, if anything else, Central can still claim it has more state championships than any other public high school in the nation. And for now, those 24 championships are safe -- the closest team to the Indians' record is Hillhouse High School of New Haven, Conn., which has won 22 state titles, including the 2007 Class LL championship. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Saturday March 8, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 2:16AM EST on March 8, 2008
(As seen in Saturday's Star-Tribune) The first two weekends in March, hundreds of basketball players -- bringing in tow thousands of parents, siblings, community members and fans -- come to Casper. They've been doing so every year since 1983, when the Casper Events Center was brand new, as was the idea of hosting the Wyoming State High School Basketball Championships in the Oil City. The state tournaments had been Laramie's since 1946, but the April 1982 opening of the Casper Events Center prompted the Casper-based Wyoming High School Activities Association to give the larger and more centrally located town a shot at hosting a state basketball tournament. So, in 1983, the Class AA and A (now 4A and 3A) boys and girls tournaments took over the Casper Events Center and Casper College. The tournaments were a financial boon for the WHSAA, which took in $49,000 in revenue in ticket sales, the most ever for a state tournament at that time. It also brought in a then-record crowd of more than 5,000 for the boys championship game session. Also, for the first time since the early 1960s, the boys championship games were broadcast live on television. That success, coupled with scheduling conflicts with the University of Wyoming, further encouraged the WHSAA to move the state 4A, 3A and 2A tournaments to Casper for 1984. The community hasn't let go since, hosting at least one version of the state tournament every year since then. Since 1996, Casper has been the exclusive home of state basketball, hosting all eight tournaments (Class 1A to 4A boys and girls) at the Events Center and at Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gymnasium at Casper College. Last year's tournaments marked the 25th consecutive year state basketball had come to Casper, and before the 26th year comes to a close tonight, the Star-Tribune decided to take a look back at the 25 best state championship games played in Casper the past 25 years. Of course, everyone has his or her favorite game -- most likely involving the school that person supports. With nearly 200 championship games played in Casper since 1983, reducing the number to 25 was an arduous task. The games we picked were not meant to slight or to highlight any schools or any particular teams or players; instead, the games are meant to represent a cross section of Wyoming's best basketball games, played on the state's biggest stage and with the widest audiences. The top 25 games are meant to be the games any fan could enjoy, the type of games that force all fans onto the edges of their seats -- whether they want to be there or not. ---------------------------------- 1. So, facing a 20-point deficit with 5:30 remaining, it should have been no surprise what happened -- Newcastle rallied to force overtime. Then, in the extra time, the Dogies completed the comeback and won its first and, to date, only boys basketball championship. Oh, yeah -- the Dogies did it without any time-outs. "It was incredible, because we called our last (time-out) and hit a three right away, and I think we cut (the deficit) to about 12 or 13 with a little over 4 minutes to go," said former Newcastle head coach Mike Ibach, who's now the head coach at Sheridan. "The momentum, you could just feel it swing." Once Torrington lost the momentum, they could never get it back. "(We) hit a couple 3-pointers and then we looked at each other and said, 'We're not out of this yet,'" said former Newcastle assistant coach Paul Prosinski, who is now the head coach at Buffalo. "Once we got the momentum, it was really hard to stop us." Every Newcastle player aided the comeback: n Ben Morris hit a couple key 3-pointers to keep the Dogies in it. n Richard Massman came off the bench to score six straight points in the fourth quarter. n Troy Allen added a pair of key old-fashioned 3-point plays and scored 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to get Newcastle into overtime. n Matt Haertzen all but sealed the Dogies' first championship by giving his team a four-point lead with 1:32 remaining in overtime. "Luckily, we had enough time to get it done," Prosinski said. "It was exciting for the team, but it was really exciting for the town of Newcastle." Ibach said the entire season was unbelievable -- the Newcastle fans consistently filled the Dogie Dome and followed their team to the state tournament. "It was the first state title Newcastle won in the boys, and I think we had everybody in town there (for the championship)," Ibach said. "I think the last person that left town shut the lights off." After winning it all, Ibach said it was "incredible how the community stepped up and grasped it." The Dogies weren't new to overtimes. Newcastle actually had to win a pair of overtime games to win the championship. In the semifinals, the Dogies needed four extra minutes to beat defending state champion Star Valley, 57-56. Also, Newcastle had beaten Torrington twice during the season in extra time -- in overtime during the regional championship game, and in double-overtime during their regular-season game in Newcastle. Casper Star-Tribune sports writer Sally Ann Shurmur (now the paper's community news editor) summed up the championship game -- and every other game on this list of 25 and even those that didn't make the list -- in two paragraphs: "Twenty years from now, when Massman and Morris and Allen and Haertzen have kids of their own, the record books will show a 79-77 state championship win. "It might even say overtime. But it surely won't be able to put in words what the folks at the Casper Events Center saw Saturday night." 2. Freshman Pat Minchow had let the ball sail as the buzzer sounded, and the ball just couldn't decide what it wanted to do. It hit, it spun, it almost came out, and then -- luckily for Minchow and the Grizzlies, not so much for the Chiefs -- it spun through. Minchow's shot was an improbable end to a most improbable comeback. Rocky Mountain entered the fourth quarter down by nine points, and against Wyoming Indian that was usually insurmountable. But the Grizzlies fought back, took advantage of the Chiefs' mistakes and made the big shot when it was time. 3. Or could they? Despite falling behind early, the Doggers kept on finding ways to stay in the game. And Lindsay Worley's 3-pointer at the buzzer -- a shot tipped by Encampment's Kally Custis on its way to the hoop -- gave Lingle an improbable and memorable state championship. 4. Gillette led by 20 points early in the second quarter, but the Fillies refused to fold, eventually taking the lead in the fourth quarter before finally sealing the win in the second overtime. And when the commotion of the action had finally settled down, the individual efforts began to show through: Gillette's Kelsey Wicks had scored 41 points in the loss. Julie Geldien had scored 30 for NC and went 20-of-24 from the foul line all on her own. Jessica Neumiller aided the Fillies with 29 points, including five 3-pointers. 5. Chugwater's Doug Baker scored 51 points -- 21 in the fourth quarter -- and single-handedly willed the Buffaloes past Arvada-Clearmont in one of the best individual efforts in title-game history. Baker finished 19-of-37 from the field and was 7-of-15 from 3-point range. He also had 12 rebounds as the Buffaloes outscored the Panthers 31-14 in the fourth quarter, overcoming a 17-point third-quarter deficit in the process. 6. The game was a back-and-forth affair all the way through. Both teams made big runs, and it wasn't until Kemmerer's Riley Burris missed an off-balance shot in the lane -- and only after the ball bounced up and around and off and finally away from the bucket -- that overtime came. The game was a rematch of the 2003 championship, a game Thermopolis also won. 7. In the last moments of the fourth quarter, she finally had her chance. The Buffalos scored the last seven points of the game -- including Guild's 10-foot jumper at the buzzer -- to finish the season undefeated. Guild also had a key steal to set up her game-winning shot, which helped the Buffalos complete a 25-0 season. 8. After trailing for most of the game, Torrington got two buckets from Ty Muma to take the lead in the last two minutes. Kelly Lively also made a key putback, and Muma added a steal at halfcourt in the last five seconds to secure the long-awaited state championship. Jackson, keyed by Rick McMullen's 19 points, was trying to win its third state championship in four years but fell short. 9. In those three minutes, the Tigers rallied from a nine-point deficit, sealing the run with what ended up being the game-winning 3-pointer from Ann Anderson with less than 3 seconds remaining. This came after the Cougars held Lusk to only eight points in the first half while forcing 17 Tiger turnovers. 10. After Powell's Heidi Winninger missed a foul shot with 7.5 seconds remaining, Star Valley rebounded and Brog caught a pass at about midcourt. She dribbled hard, got past a Powell defender and banked in the game-winning shot as time expired. The shot helped cap the Braves' rally from a seven-point halftime deficit. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Written and posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com. Thursday March 6, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 12:38AM EST on March 6, 2008
Looking for motivation, dear underdogs? Look right here. BOYS Gillette: 5-1 Rock Springs, Green River, Evanston: 10-1 Cheyenne Central: 12-1 Cheyenne East, Laramie: 35-1 Class 3A Pinedale: 5-1 Wheatland: 6-1 Newcastle: 10-1 Lander: 15-1 Lyman: 25-1 Jackson, Kemmerer: 30-1 GIRLS Sheridan, Cheyenne Central: 4-1 Natrona County: 6-1 Rock Springs: 10-1 Green River, Evanston, Cheyenne East: 28-1 Class 3A Torrington: 5-1 Douglas: 9-1 Lovell: 12-1 Powell: 16-1 Newcastle: 18-1 Worland: 20-1 Glenrock: 25-1 There they are. Before we move on, I have a couple other items to share. First comes from online editor Ron Gullberg: "The Online Department is stepping up its video features effort for the 3A/4A basketball tournament. One feature it wants to do is players' tattoos. In an effort to better prepare for the feature, the Online Department is asking anyone out there with prior knowledge of players' tattoos that are on display to e-mail Online Editor Ron Gullberg at ron.gullberg@trib.com. These are tattoos that are viewable while a player is in uniform. Let us know who to look for on Thursday." Then there's this: With both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton planning visits to Casper this week (read about that here and here), I say we put together a little prize. Get both presidential candidates to sign a basketball (actually, four basketballs) and give each state champion an autographed basketball during the trophy ceremony. This is something that president Franklin Roosevelt did in Casper during a 1936 campaign stop. Roosevelt's stop was in Casper on a Friday night, the same night as Natrona County High School's football game against Midwest. Roosevelt signed a football and asked that it be given to the winning team. NC won the game. (By the way, I've asked around about this, and no one at NC has any clue where the football might be.... I'd bet the Obama/Clinton basketballs would be a little bit better cared for this time around.) What do you say, Dems? I'll be more than happy to pay for the basketballs out of my own pocket and hand-deliver them to you Friday when you get to Casper.... :) We'll see. (Also, by the way... Clinton is speaking at Casper College at 6:30 p.m., so if you're planning on going to any of the four games up at the college on Friday night, I'd suggest getting up there early. Security and parking might take a lot longer than you think. Just a suggestion.) OK, brilliant idea time is over. Time for y'all to give me your predictions. Just make it a little bit more thoughtful than Clubber Lang's predictions, all right? Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Sunday March 2, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 4:30PM EST on March 2, 2008
Thursday's first-round games
BOYS Class 4A Gillette vs. Evanston, noon Green River vs. Cheyenne East, 1:30 p.m. Cheyenne Central vs. Rock Springs, 7:30 p.m. Natrona County vs. Laramie, 9 p.m.
Class 3A
GIRLS
Class 3A Class 4A games will be at Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gym on Thursday and at the Casper Events Center on Friday; Class 3A games will be at the Casper Events Center on Thursday and Swede Erickson T-Bird Gym on Friday.
Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Saturday March 1, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 10:36PM EST on March 1, 2008
I just got the word from Ron Laird, commissioner of the WHSAA....
The 3A-4A state basketball tournament will use the old schedule of class rather than gender. This year's 1A-2A tournament split the schedule up by gender (boys playing at one site one day and the other the next, same for the girls) and the 3A-4A tournament was supposed to be set up the same way. But with the seeding mix of the 4A teams that qualified today, there was no way to set up the schedule to give fans adequate time to travel from the Casper Events Center to Casper College, especially during the semifinal round. This year's tournament will be set up similar to past 3A-4A tournaments, with the 3A teams at the Events Center on Thursday and Casper College on Friday and the 4A teams at the college Thursday and the big house Friday.
Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Wednesday February 27, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 11:45PM EST on February 27, 2008
Odds. You know. BOYS Sundance: 3-1 Wyoming Indian: 4-1 Lusk: 5-1 Tongue River: 8-1 Thermopolis: 10-1 Riverside, Guernsey: 30-1 Class 1A Saratoga: 4-1 Kaycee: 7-1 Encampment: 10-1 Southeast, Hanna: 15-1 Snake River: 20-1 Midwest: 30-1 GIRLS Tongue River: 3-1 Big Horn: 4-1 Thermopolis: 7-1 Wyoming Indian: 10-1 Wright: 20-1 Riverside, Burns: 30-1 Class 1A Arvada-Clearmont, St. Stephens, Cokeville: 7-1 Kaycee: 10-1 Hulett, Ten Sleep: 30-1 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 Saturday February 23, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 11:07PM EST on February 23, 2008
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 1A GIRLS Class 1A
Projected Class 4A-3A regional tournament pairings BOYS Class 4A West Regional Class 3A East Regional Class 3A West Regional
Class 4A West Regional Class 3A East Regional Class 3A West Regional Friday February 22, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 1:18AM EST on February 22, 2008
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 Friday February 15, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 7:21PM EST on February 15, 2008
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 Wednesday February 13, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 1:12AM EST on February 13, 2008
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 Tuesday February 12, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 5:45PM EST on February 12, 2008
Here is the latest reaarangement of the Class 4A West basketball schedule: Tuesday, Feb. 12 (Today) Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Wednesday January 30, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 12:35AM EST on January 30, 2008
This week's five on the rise is here! Try to contain your excitement as we take a look back at five teams that did some pretty cool stuff last weekend: 1. Dubois wrestling: Granted, it's not like winning the Ron Thon, but the Rams beat almost a dozen other 2A teams on their way to winning the Greybull Invitational. Watch out for those smaller Rams -- Dubois won brackets at 103, 112, 125 and 130 pounds. 2. Saratoga boys basketball: The Panthers keep getting better. This time, it was victories over conference rival Hanna and 2A power Wyoming Indian that turned heads. 3. Cody boys basketball: I don't care what's happening elsewhere, because what Cody is doing is pretty impressive. Knocking off highly ranked teams on back-to-back weekends is a good sign for a team that looks like it's improved dramatically since December. 4. Cokeville girls basketball: Don't look now, but with a 13-game winning streak, it's the Panthers who have the longest such streak in the state for girls. Cokeville added to the streak last week with a 48-point win over Farson and a 41-point win over Big Piney. 5. Everyone: January's doldrums are almost done. That means state everything is coming up soon. This is when it starts to get exciting. Thank goodness; I was afraid January was never going to die. :) Add to the list by noting your favorite team's notable performance below. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Sunday January 27, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 12:54AM EST on January 27, 2008
Just like that, and we're down to one unbeaten basketball team. Four teams came into the weekend unbeaten, but three didn't survive. Natrona County lost to Billings West, Mont., 60-39 in Big Sky country, Lovell lost to suddenly resurgent Cody 47-33 on Friday (did the Broncs get Adam Waddell back or what?), and Ten Sleep lost to Burlington 58-37. Wind River's boys are the only remaining unbeaten team at 18-0. I guess Natrona's loss shouldn't have been a surprise -- the Wyoming boys have been pretty mediocre when they've faced out-of-state opponents this year, managing just a 39-55 record. The Equality State girls have done much better, going 52-47 in the interstate matchups. That's all for now. I'm tired and cranky, so I better go home. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Friday January 25, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 9:28PM EST on January 25, 2008
Forgot to ask earlier this year, but I was just curious to see what y'all thought of the new quarter score format for our basketball roundups. So.... what do you think? Like the quarter scores? Dislike? Any changes you'd make? -------------------------------------------- For those who are interested, the Natrona County-Billings West boys game on Saturday will be Webcast live at www.kurlradio.com. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 7:15PM EST on January 25, 2008
Sorry about the lack of updates recently, but I've been pondering a state tournament that could be more fun than a barrel of monkeys: Class 1A girls. It's already been an amazing year, and the best is yet to come. The classification is incredibly top-heavy, as Burlington (11-1), Southeast (11-2), St. Stephens (14-2), Arvada-Clearmont (10-1) and Cokeville (13-1) hold down the top five spots. Every single one has proven they deserve the No. 1 ranking, and believe me -- ordering them every week is one of the toughest tasks I have. Past those five, though, there are several other teams that have dropped hints that they, too, could compete for a state championship, including Midwest (10-2), Kaycee (7-5) and Hulett (7-5) from the Northeast and Ten Sleep (8-3) and Fort Washakie (6-3) from the Northwest. Some deserving teams won't get past regionals. This week might help provide some separation -- or maybe just create more parity. In the Northwest, Burlington plays Ten Sleep and St. Stephens (and the Burlington JV plays Fort Washakie in a game that counts in the conference standings), while in the Northeast, Kaycee plays Arvada-Clearmont and Midwest plays Hulett. Southeast and Cokeville are the undisputed leaders in their respective conferences and might not be challenged by any Class 1A teams until regionals. And the semifinals and finals of this year's state tournament could be among the best ever. The unbelievable parity of the top five teams all but guarantees that. Sure, other classifications have similar parity. The difference between 1A girls and the rest of the state is that here we are in late January, and no clear leader (or pair of leaders) has emerged. Instead, the top five of 1A remains a mishmash, one that won't be cleared up until March 1 in Casper. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Wednesday January 23, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 1:07AM EST on January 23, 2008
This week's homage to Bob, the five on the rise, in "no particular order": 1. Douglas wrestling: The Bearcats have been one of 3A's top teams all season, but this weekend's victory at the Bobcat Invitational in Thermopolis (by a scant 10 points over Powell) helped cement Douglas' claim to a frontrunners' spot at state. 2. Kemmerer boys basketball: The Rangers don't have any quit in them. They were down 10 points after one quarter against Jackson on Saturday, but came back to win by that amount (10). Comeback victories are good signs for teams that just need a little confidence to be a threat, and that's what the Rangers are now. 3. Rock Springs gymnastics: With Gillette taking the weekend off, it was the Tigers' turn to shine at the Kelly Walsh Invitational, placing first with 95.900 team points. On a good day like that, Rock Springs can challenge for first at state; the trick now is just following through. 4. Natrona County girls basketball: A 2-0 start to West Conference play, with a victory AT Evanston? Can't get much better for the Fillies. 5. Ten Sleep boys basketball: Still undefeated. 'Nuff said. There it is, this week's five. Add to it below, and pay your respects to Bob. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Wednesday January 16, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 9:16PM EST on January 16, 2008
We did this about a year ago, but now I'm narrowed down and focused. And a little bit wiser. Before state basketball, I'm going to take a look back at the 25 best state championship games ever played in the Events Center. By no means is the list final. I'm asking for your help. There are a few that stick out to me: 2006 Class 1A girls, Lingle beats Encampment by one on a 3-pointer at the buzzer 1997 Class 2A boys, Rocky Mountain beats Wyoming Indian on a last-second shot 2000 Class 4A girls, Natrona County tops Gillette in double-overtime 2004 Class 3A boys, Thermopolis beats Kemmerer in overtime 2002 Class 1A boys, Chugwater beats Arvada-Clearmont as Doug Baker goes off for 51 And... wait for it... 1990 Class 3A boys, Newcastle beats Torrington for the fourth time that season. :) But to get to 25, I'm going to need some help. What are some other Events Center championship games that stick out in your mind? And which championship game was the best of them all? Remember, state championship hoops came to Casper in 1983, but not every tournament since then was played under the red roof. I'm looking for Casper-specific championship games.... Please help me out. I'm planning to include some of the comments posted here with my story that will run in the paper. If you'd rather keep your comments private, you can e-mail them directly to me at patrick.schmiedt@trib.com. Go! Tuesday January 15, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 10:02PM EST on January 15, 2008
Here it is, the way to beat your January blahs, the Five on the Rise: 1. Powell girls basketball: Yeah, I know, I know. Powell lost on Friday to Riverton. Maybe the Panthers were just saving their energy for the bigger game -- the one on Saturday, in which the Panthers beat Lovell to move into a tie for second in the 3A West. 2. Torrington girls basketball: When you've won five conference games by mid-January, you're doing something right. By beating Lander last week, the Trailblazers won their sixth game in a row and improved to 5-0 in East Conference games. 3. Green River wrestling: Of the 40 teams that scored points at the Vernal (Utah) Tournament of Champions, it was the Wolves that had the best Wyoming finish, placing fourth. 4. Gillette gymnastics: The Camels have won both in-state meets since Auld Lang Syne, and have done so in pretty dominating fashion. With state just a few weeks away, now is not a bad time for a team to be hitting its stride. 5. Everyone involved with indoor track: The season finally got started last weekend. I can't tell you much about it (no one ever sent us results), but it must be nice to finally shake off the cobwebs and compete. Add your thoughts below. You know how by now. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Thursday January 10, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 8:34PM EST on January 10, 2008
Admittedly, I've been a lazy college basketball fan this year. So it shouldn't be too surprising that, somehow, an NCAA rule change new this season slipped past me. This season, players are lining up one spot closer to the shooter on foul shots. Basically, there is no longer a player under the block; the first two defensive players are lined up above the block (much like women's college basketball has been for the past few years). The argument is that players are so athletic these days that the defense no longer had the advantage on rebounding a missed foul shot. Really, though, it's just another excuse for basketball to become a less physical game. It's only a matter of time before this rule change trickles down to the high school ranks. And I'm against it. When I started playing basketball, we filled all eight spots in the lane and we could enter the lane as soon as the ball left the shooter's hand. Then those dirty little rats that believe basketball isn't a contact sport got involved.... First they took away playing the release, instead only allowing players in the lane when the ball hits the rim (which means if you know how to box out, too bad... you'll have to save that for, you know, REAL shots). Then they took away the right to stand in the top two spots in the lane (so much for boxing the shooter effectively, or for anyone on offense that's not the shooter grabbing a long rebound). And now they want to move everyone up the lane? No. I will not stand for it. No, no, no. Basketball is a physical game, and free throws have been the unwilling, unfortunate scapegoat in trying to reduce overly physical play. On the plus side, players can now enter the lane on the release of the shot. But it's only a matter of time before that, too, is taken away -- again. If reducing physical play the goal, why not shoot all foul shots with an open lane, just like a technical? If you miss, the other team gets the ball out of bounds. Don't laugh. At our current rate, I wouldn't be surprised to see that. Soon. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Tuesday January 8, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 5:45PM EST on January 8, 2008
This week's "Five on the Rise," five teams destined to make it past Simon and onto the stage: 1. Wheatland boys basketball: A pair of important victories last week -- by 13 on the road over top-ranked Buffalo and by 12 at home against No. 3 Newcastle -- have the Bulldogs in control of the 3A East. 2. Evanston girls basketball: Last weekend wasn't supposed to be easy for the Red Devils. It wasn't, but two hard-fought victories, including one over top-ranked Sheridan, made the effort worth it. Evanston has now won seven in a row and has this weekend off before starting 4A West play. 3. Lingle wrestling: A 4-1 performance at the Burns Duals bodes well for the Doggers, who have been solid so far this season and could cause a ton of problems for teams at regionals and state if they continue to improve. 4. Jackson alpine skiing: The Bronc girls absolutely dominated the first meet of the season, winning the Britt Farr Memorial in Casper by 70 points (Jackson had 133; runner-up Natrona had 63). The boys made a statement of their own, holding off hard-charging (and two-time defending state champion) Natrona County on Saturday to notch a win in meet No. 1. 5. The 3A West girls basketball teams: Take a look at those standings. Of the eight teams, five of them are 3-1 or better. Whichever team ends up winning that conference will have had to fight awfully hard to do so. That's it for now. Add other solid weekends to the comments section... Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Tuesday January 1, 2008
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 9:04PM EST on January 1, 2008
From state tournament drought to state championship favorites -- a lot has changed for the Wind River Cougars. In 2007, the Cougars made the state tournament for the first time since 1984, beating longtime regional rival and perennial state tournament attendee Wyoming Indian to do so. Although the Cougars did not advance past the first round at state, it's obvious the Cougars learned something. So far this year, Wind River is 11-0 and ranked first in Class 2A. Among those vanquished are 4A Riverton and 3A Lander, who both lost to the Cougars last week at the Fremont County Shootout. There is no reason to think the Cougars can't finish the regular season undefeated. Wind River's toughest games figure to be its league games with Wyoming Indian -- and the Cougars beat the Chiefs by 21 at the Fremont County Shootout last week. The rest of the schedule shapes up well, and barring an upset, Wind River could be 27-0 entering the state tournament. (And that's where Lusk, Sundance, Tongue River and a host of other 2A schools will be waiting to knock Wind River off that perch). It's an impressive start. Now, all Wind River has to do is finish. Here's a quick look at the rest of the state through the first month of the regular season: Class 4A Boys Class 3A Boys Class 2A Boys Class 1A Boys Class 4A Girls Class 3A Girls Class 2A Girls Class 1A Girls Thoughts? Post them below in the comments section. And then come Friday, we can get back into the season and start playing again! Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Wednesday December 19, 2007
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 11:52PM EST on December 19, 2007
It's kind of a quiet week in high school sports land, isn't it? But it's not like that eerie quiet you get sometimes right before the sun comes up. Instead, it's quiet like Daft Punk -- it tends to fade into the background, but there are some parts you can't help but listen to. That said, there are quite a few cool things going on this weekend. First on my mind are a couple cool things here in Casper -- the Casper Invitational Nordic ski race, set for Thursday and Friday on Casper Mountain, and Thursday night's basketball game between the boys from Gillette and Natrona County, the top two ranked teams in Class 4A. I'm actually headed up to skiing on Thursday, but that basketball game should be a doozy, too. And it doesn't end there for NC -- the Mustangs play Montana's top-ranked big school, Billings West, on Friday in Big Sky Country. On the mats, the Pat Weede Memorial Invitational is scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Gillette. If you want to see good wrestling, go to Gillette this week -- this is the most elite tournament you'll find in Wyoming all year long. After this week, it's mostly quiet until January (Fremont County Shootout, Energy Classic and Laramie Invitational swimming aside). So get out there and enjoy this weekend while you still can, and then AFTER that have a happy holiday season. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com Tuesday December 18, 2007
Posted by: Patrick Schmiedt at 10:03PM EST on December 18, 2007
Here they are, five teams that have caught my attention over the past two weeks: 1. Meeteetse girls basketball: Finally, the losing streak is over for the Longhorn girls. It had reached 47 games and spanned parts of three seasons, but finally, Meeteetse was on the winning end, beating Chugwater 37-32 to break the streak. Since then, the Longhorns have won two more games and and are 3-3 overall. So, my trivia question for you now is this: Which girls team now has the longest active losing streak? 2. Meeteetse boys basketball: While we're at it, let's stay in Park County, where the Longhorn boys have quietly put together a 7-0 start. You could call this the potatoes portion of the Longhorns' schedule; the meat will come later. And starting off with back-to-back games against Wind River and St. Stephens after Christmas break will certainly test the Longhorns' early success. 3. Powell wrestling: With Star Valley gone, someone had to step up and fill the void in Class 3A. So far, it's been the Panthers, who have looked sharp this month and finished second to 4A power Natrona at the Worland Duals last weekend. Of course, Wheatland, Douglas, Torrington and the rest of the 3A bretheren are not-so-quietly waiting in the wings.... 4. Newcastle boys basketball: There is a lot to like about the Dogies. A lot. Athletic, experienced and on a bit of a roll, Newcastle went 3-0 last week, and in the process knocked off Class 2A's top-ranked team, Sundance. That's no small feat. Watch out, the Dogies are for real. 5. Lusk wrestling: The way the Tigers blitzed the Wright Duals was almost scary. No surprise, though. Lusk is consistenly one of the top teams in 2A, and this year is no exception. There it is, a simple cross-section of some teams that are looking good early in the season. Feel free to add to the list by posting a comment below. Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com |
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