This week's list, in no particular order:

1. Gillette boys tennis: The Camels won their third straight tennis title, playing off the strength of a sweep of all three doubles championships to claim another trophy.

2. Jackson girls tennis: While we're at it, the Jackson girls won the key matches they needed to win and secured their first state girls tennis championship in a decade.

3. Meeteetse football: Check out the Longhorns -- they got a huge conference victory last week and improved to 2-2 in conference play. Three more huge games await...

4. Gillette cross country: One more quick nod to the Camels and, specifically, Dominick Robinson. The senior set a new course record at the Centerra Invitational in Loveland, breaking the 16-minute mark to help the Camels finish fourth in a huge field.

5. Burlington football: The Huskies were creeping up on everyone in 1A -- and then they quit with the creeping and just marched right on in. Beating defending 2A champion Riverside 19-13 last week helped put the Huskies among 1A's short list of favorites with a big home game against Cokeville looming on Friday.

There's my five. Add to the list if you'd like by commenting below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

It's an absolutely crazy busy week here, so here's the abbreviated version of the SGT:

GOLF: State. 4A in Evanston, 3A in Douglas, 2A in Thermopolis. It's kind of a big deal.

VOLLEYBALL: Casper Invite. Like basically anyone who's anyone is in Casper. It's kind of a big deal.

TENNIS: Regionals. North in Riverton, South in Laramie. That whole seeding for state thing? It's kind of a big deal.

Those are three events I'm watching with a keen eye this weekend. Anything else stick out to you on the schedule? Comments welcome.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

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.
4A East: Gillette, Kelly Walsh, Natrona County, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Laramie, Sheridan.
3A West: Lander, Lovell, Powell, Worland, Kemmerer, Lyman, Mountain View, Pinedale.
3A East: Buffalo, Glenrock, Newcastle, Thermopolis, Douglas, Rawlins, Torrington, Wheatland.
2A Northwest: Greybull, Riverside, Rocky Mountain, Shoshoni.
2A Northeast: Big Horn, Moorcroft, Sundance, Tongue River, Wright.
2A Southwest: Big Piney, Saratoga, Wind River, Wyoming Indian.
2A Southeast: Burns, Lingle, Lusk, Pine Bluffs, Southeast.
1A Northwest: Burlington, Dubois, Fort Washakie, Meeteetse, St. Stephens, Ten Sleep.
1A Northeast: Arvada-Clearmont, Hulett, Kaycee, Normative Services, Upton.
1A Southwest: Arapaho Charter, Cokeville, Encampment, Farson, Hanna, Snake River.
1A Southeast: Chugwater, Glendo, Guernsey, Midwest, Rock River.

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.
4A East: Gillette, Kelly Walsh, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Laramie, Sheridan.
3A West: Cody, Lander, Powell, Worland, Jackson, Lyman, Mountain View, Pinedale.
3A East: Buffalo, Glenrock, Newcastle, Thermopolis, Douglas, Rawlins, Torrington, Wheatland.
2A Northwest: Greybull, Lovell, Riverside, Rocky Mountain, Shoshoni.
2A Northeast: Big Horn, Moorcroft, Sundance, Tongue River, Wright.
2A Southwest: Big Piney, Kemmerer, Saratoga, Wind River, Wyoming Indian.
2A Southeast: Burns, Lingle, Lusk, Pine Bluffs, Southeast.
1A Northwest: Burlington, Dubois, Fort Washakie, Meeteetse, St. Stephens, Ten Sleep.
1A Northeast: Arvada-Clearmont, Hulett, Kaycee, Normative Services, Upton.
1A Southwest: Arapaho Charter, Cokeville, Encampment, Farson, Hanna, Snake River.
1A Southeast: Chugwater, Glendo, Guernsey, Midwest, Rock River.

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.
3A West: Cody, Jackson, Lander, Powell, Star Valley, Worland.
3A East: Buffalo, Douglas, Rawlins, Riverton, Torrington, Wheatland.
2A West: Big Piney, Greybull, Kemmerer, Lovell, Lyman, Mountain View, Pinedale, Wyoming Indian.
2A East: Burns, Big Horn, Glenrock, Moorcroft, Newcastle, Thermopolis, Tongue River, Wright.
1A 11-man West: Burlington, Cokeville, Dubois, Riverside, Rocky Mountain, Saratoga, Shoshoni, Wind River.
1A 11-man East: Hulett, Lingle, Lusk, Normative Services, Pine Bluffs, Southeast, Sundance, Upton.
1A six-man: Fort Washakie, Guernsey, Hanna, Kaycee, Snake River, Meeteetse, Midwest, Rock River, Ten Sleep.

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.
5A West: Natrona County, Evanston, Green River, Rock Springs, Star Valley.
4A West: Cody, Jackson, Lander, Powell, Riverton, Worland.
4A East: Buffalo, Douglas, Rawlins, Torrington, Wheatland.
3A West: Big Piney, Kemmerer, Lovell, Lyman, Mountain View, Pinedale.
3A East: Burns, Glenrock, Moorcroft, Newcastle, Thermopolis, Wright.
2A West: Greybull, Riverside, Rocky Mountain, Shoshoni, Wind River, Wyoming Indian.
2A East: Big Horn, Lingle, Lusk, Pine Bluffs, Sundance, Tongue River.
1A West: Burlington, Cokeville, Dubois, Hanna, Saratoga.
1A East: Guernsey, Hulett, Midwest, Normative Services, Southeast, Upton.

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

Here's the fall's first installment of the "Five on the Rise," a list of five teams that looked good last week and should be watched this week. In no particular order, they are:  

1. Jackson tennis: In duals with Cody and Powell on Saturday, the teams from Teton County went a combined 20-0. Four sweeps. In fact, the Broncs lost only one set... 40-1. That's impressive.

2. Sheridan golf: For Cameron Lindell. Lindell tied for the championship at the Buffalo Invitational on Saturday, but how he did it -- with a hole-in-one on the fourth hole -- made his day all the more impressive.

3. Kemmerer volleyball: In case you're keeping track, the Rangers haven't lost yet this season. They won the championship at the Douglas Invitational two weeks ago, then swept both Lyman and Pinedale last week.

4. Kelly Walsh volleyball: Two weeks into the season, the Trojans are still undefeated. KW beat Gillette in the championship of the Camel Volleyball Tournament last week on the Camels' home court, finishing 6-0 in the tournament and moving to 12-0 overall.

5. Lingle volleyball: Want excitement? Go to a Doggers volleyball match. Lingle won a pair of five-game conference matches last week, beating Guernsey 3-2 on Tuesday and Pine Bluffs 3-2 on Friday.

So there they are. If you think you've got some knowledge worth dropping on the world, comment below with some thoughts.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The world-famous (or at least Wyoming-famous) Sports Goulash Trio is back this fall with three events that are likely going to be the ones everyone will be talking about on Monday:

CROSS COUNTRY: Laramie Invitational, Friday. This is where three of last year's six state individual champions are slated to run, including both of last year's Class 4A champs. Talk about a great way to gauge summer improvement... not only for the defending individual champs, but for everyone else, to see how they stack up.

VOLLEYBALL: Cheyenne Invitational, Friday and Saturday. This weekend is so much fun -- most of the state's teams are partaking in tournaments this weekend, so it's a great way to play a lot of volleyball and see exactly what needs work. But more than that, this is Kelly Walsh vs. Natrona County, version 2008, Round 1. Even though it doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of the season, it'd still be fun to watch it (and don't forget the other four teams there.... improved East, perennially tough Central and one of the 3A favorites, Rawlins).

TENNIS: Kelly Walsh/Natrona County at Cheyenne Central/Cheyenne East, double dual, Saturday. Oil City vs. Capital City -- it's always a great way for all four teams to figure out where they stand early in the season.

There they are, this week's trio. Where are you headed this weekend? Leave a comment below and tell the universe.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

... Where are you going? Do you have some room for me?

Tomorrow is Thursday. A big Thursday. The start of fall sports big.

Golf tournaments in Riverton, Sheridan and Wheatland mark the start of competition. As usual, golf hogs the early sports spotlight, simply because it's the only sport allowed to have competitions the first week and a half.

Next week is when stuff gets truly busy -- cross country and tennis start next Thursday, then volleyball, swimming and football join the fun next Friday.

We'll be running our fall sports previews for all sports starting next Friday (Aug. 29), with class-by-class football previews starting the following day.

Coaches have begun to send me their fall sports preview information. Reading through those in and of itself is enough to spark my excitement. It's a fun time of year...

Is there any event in particular you've been keeping your eye on this summer? I have a few that have already piqued my interest: Gillette Invitational and Rawlins Invitational volleyball, anything tennis in Rawlins (but that's a whole other blog post), Riverside at Big Horn in Week 2 of football season, Casper Invite cross country to kick off the season.... How about you? Any "can't miss" events this fall?

Now for something completely different:

HEY COACHES! Be sure to send me your fall sports preview information if you haven't done so already. Call me at (307) 266-0615 or (800) 791-5002 or e-mail me at patrick.schmiedt@trib.com if you have questions.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

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
Football: Cokeville, 6 (1986-91), and Worland, 5 (1952-56)
Cross country: Gillette, 7 (1988-94) and 6 (1998-2003), and Wright, 5 (1998-02) and Encampment, 5 (1973-77)
Tennis: Cheyenne Central, 8 (1986-93), and Natrona County, 3 (1977-79) and Jackson, 3 (2000-02)
Golf: Cheyenne Central, 4 (2004-07) and Douglas, 4 (1981-84)
Basketball: Gillette, 6 (1992-97), and Cheyenne Central, 4 (1942-45) and La Grange, 4 (1958-61)
Wrestling: Star Valley, 7 (1992-98), and Cody, 6 (1947-52) and Gillette, 6 (2003-08)
Swimming: Lander, 12 (1997-08), and Green River, 4 (1974-77), Laramie, 4 (1976-79 and 1985-88) and Gillette, 4 (1993-96)
Nordic skiing (since 1982): Jackson, 5 (1989-93 and 2004-08), and Natrona County, 4 (1996-99)
Track (since 1974): Torrington, 6 (1974-79) and Gillette, 6 (2001-06)
Soccer: Cheyenne East, 4 (1986-89), and Kelly Walsh, 2 (2002-03) and Cheyenne Central, 2 (1990-91)

Girls
Volleyball: Cokeville, 9 (1985-93) and 7 (1995-01), and Pine Bluffs, 5 (1978-82)
Cross country: Gillette, 12 (1995-06), and Douglas, 5 (2001-05)
Swimming: Gillette, 6 (1994-99), Laramie, 6 (1972-77) and Douglas, 6 (1978-83)
Tennis: Cheyenne Central, 7 (1981-87), and Sheridan, 4 (1990-93)
Golf: Lusk, 6 (2001-06), and Gillette, 4 (2000-03) and Natrona County, 4 (1991-94)
Basketball: Gillette, 5 (1994-98), and Gillette, 4 (2001-04) and Star Valley, 4 (1986-89)
Nordic skiing (since 1982): Lander, 6 (1993-98), and Natrona County, 4 (1989-92)
Gymnastics: Gillette, 7 (1999-05), and Laramie, 6 (1979-84)
Track: Ten Sleep, 6 (1981-86), and Worland, 5 (1993-97)
Soccer: Cheyenne East, 3 (1986-89) and Natrona County, 3 (1989-91)

What do you think? Looks like soccer might have the early edge...

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com