Football coach of the year: The sports staff had a few long debates this year about who should be our Super 25 coach of the year. Eventually, we chose Burns coach Bill Fullmer, who helped mold a talented group of players into a team that went undefeated on its way to a state championship this season. Burns' feat is impressive enough on its own, but consider the state of the program when this year's seniors entered as freshmen: in the middle of a 16-game losing streak. In their first game as freshmen, the Broncs broke the losing streak with style, thumping Midwest 60-0. We should have known right then that Fullmer and Burns was on the road to something great.

However, we considered several other coaches at length, including Gillette's Vic Wilkerson (two titles in three years), Green River's Darren Howard (getting the job done without a ton of depth), Sheridan's Don Julian (turning around Sheridan in only two years), Douglas' Jay Rhoades (finally cracking through and winning a title -- against Buffalo, no less -- after coming up just short the past couple years), Glenrock's Ray Kumpula (sustained success for several years, and beat both Buffalo and Douglas on the way to an undefeated season and a state title), Big Horn's Bert Dow (first-year coach completely revamped the offense, and the Rams responded by going 10-1 and finishing second in 2A), Burlington's Mike Aagard (got the Huskies past Cokeville -- no small feat -- and into the 1A title game), and Southeast's Mark Bullington (three championships in a row speak for themselves).

That said, I also think another coach deserves a public shout-out: Meeteetse's Zeb Hagen. Hagen is in his third season with the Longhorns, and while he wasn't there for every step of the Longhorns' foray into six-man football, more than anyone else he may be responsible for the big changes coming to Wyoming next fall.

Without Meeteetse's success in Montana's six-man division -- including back-to-back playoff berths in 2006 and 2007, including a trip to the semifinals in '06, Hagen's first year -- I don't know if the Wyoming High School Activities Association ever seriously considers adding the sport here in the Equality State.

Meeteetse's success in Big Sky Country definitely boosted the momentum for six-man's return in Wyoming. The commitment Hagen, AD Rick Paxton and the Meeteetse community showed to six-man -- and the success they've had there since making the jump north in 2003 -- not only helped bring the game back to Wyoming, it helped bring the sport to five new schools and keep it alive at several others.

That's not just leaving a mark. That's establishing a legacy.

(Ten Sleep, too, deserves a bit of the credit for getting the six-man ball rolling in Wyoming. Hopefully a return to Wyoming next year will make things a bit easier for the Pioneers, who haven't been able to field a varsity team in either of the past two years.)

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Preseason is a funny time. Ambition runs wild, as everyone is undefeated and non one is out of the state championship race.

Now, we can look back on the season and realize what we thought might happen was really only a best gues. What played out on the field was way more exciting than what I predicted, anyway.

Here's our preseason football rankings, with a quick glance at how close they actually were to what happened:

Class 5A
1. Green River: Close! The Wolves were only a few feet away from a championship and finished second in 5A.
2. Natrona County: Too high. NC lost three times in the regular season and got booted out of the playoffs in the first round.
3. Cheyenne East: About right! East did win the South Conference and won a playoff game, but got rudely shoved out in the semis by Gillette.
4. Gillette: A little too low. Gillette finished second in the North Conference, but ran off three straight wins in the playoffs to secure the title.
5. Evanston: Too high. The Red Devils were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Also to playoffs: Cheyenne Central. Right on! Central lost in the first round.
Also to playoffs: Kelly Walsh. Whoops.
Also to playoffs: Sheridan. Too low. The Broncs had a great year, winning the North Conference title, but lost to Green River in the semis.
Out: Laramie. Yep.
Out: Rock Springs. Too low. Rock Springs did make the playoffs, but lost in the first round.
Out: Riverton. Yep.

Class 4A
1. Buffalo: Close! The Bison finished as state runners-up.
2. Douglas: Close! The Bearcats finished as state champs.
3. Cody: Right on! The Broncs won the West Conference title but lost to Buffalo in the semis.
4. Powell: Right on! The Panthers finished tied for second in the West and reached the semis before losing to Douglas.
5. Jackson: Whoops. The defending champs didn't make the playoffs.
Also to playoffs: Wheatland. Whoops. Wheatland missed out on the postseason.
Also to playoffs: Worland. Right on! Worland made the playoffs and got bounced in the first round.
Also to playoffs: Star Valley. Whoops. Star Valley missed out on the playoffs.
Out: Rawlins. Whoops. The Outlaws did make the playoffs, but didn't stay long, losing to Douglas.
Out: Lander. Whoops. The Tigers had a pretty successful season with a new coach, finishing tied for second in the West and with a playoff spot.
Out: Torrington. Whoops. The Trailblazers took some baby steps this fall and made it to the playoffs, losing in the first round to Cody.

Class 3A
1. Kemmerer: Close! The Rangers finished as state runners-up.
2. Glenrock: Close! The Herders finished as state champs.
3. Lovell: A bit too high. The Bulldogs had a pretty good middle of the season, but the beginning and end were rough as Lovell lost in the first round.
4. Mountain View: A bit too high. The Buffalos made the playoffs but lost to Kemmerer in the first round.
5. Newcastle: Whoops. The Dogies missed the playoffs.
Also to playoffs: Wright. Right on! Wright made the playoffs and lost in the first round to Moorcroft.
Also to playoffs: Big Piney. Whoops. The Punchers missed the playoffs for the first time in eons.
Also to playoffs: Pinedale. A bit low. Pinedale finished second in the West and made the semis of the playoffs before losing to Glenrock.
Out: Moorcroft. Whoops. The Wolves had a fantastic season and lost in the semis to Kemmerer. Looking back at this one stings.
Out: Lyman. Yep.
Out: Thermopolis. Whoops. The Bobcats won the games they needed to win to make the playoffs.

Class 2A
1. Big Horn: Close! The Rams finished as state runners-up.
2. Burns: Close! The Broncs finished as state champs.
3. Lusk: Right on! The Tigers finished second in the East and lost to Big Horn in the semis.
4. Riverside: A bit too high. The Rebels finished third in the West and lost to Lusk in the first round.
5. Pine Bluffs: Whoops.
Also to playoffs: Rocky Mountain. Right on! RM started strong but faded late, but still had enough juice to make the playoffs.
Also to playoffs: Wind River. Too low. The Cougars finished second in the West and reached the playoff semis before falling to Burns.
Also to playoffs: Saratoga. Whoops.
Out: Sundance. Yep.
Out: Lingle. Whoops. The Doggers had a solid season and reached the playoffs easily.
Out: Greybull. Whoops. The Buffaloes ran off a few solid victories and made the playoffs.
Out: Tongue River. Yep.

Class 1A
1. Southeast: Right on! The Cyclones won the title.
2. Cokeville: A bit high, but maybe by only a point. The Panthers finished second in the West and lost to Southeast in the semis.
3. Burlington: A bit low. A solid season led the Huskies to the West Conference championship and a state title game appearance.
4. Guernsey: A tad high. Guernsey lost to Cokeville in the first round.
5. Hulett: A tad low. The Red Devils finished second in the East and reached the semis before bowing to Burlington.
Also to playoffs: Shoshoni. Right on! The Wranglers made the playoffs and lost in the first round.
Also to playoffs: Normative Services. Right on! The Wolves, too, bowed out in the quarterfinals.
Also to playoffs: Upton: Right on! Upton made the postseason, losing to Southeast in the quarters.
Out: Hanna. Yep.
Out: Dubois. Yep.
Out: Wyoming Indian. Yep, but the Chiefs were ineligible for the playoffs anyway.

So there it is, a quick, sobering look back at the preseason picks we made in late August/early September. I just ask to keep these in mind when we do our preseason basketball poll; No. 1 in December doesn't necessarily mean No. 1 in March (just like only one August No. 1 was the No. 1 in November for football).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Douglas Bearcats, state champions.

Soak it up -- because it sure feels good, doesn't it?

Putting "Douglas" and "champions" together hasn't happened often for the Bearcats on the gridiron. In fact, it's been 30 years since Douglas has been able to claim that title for football.

But if Saturday was any indication, the Bearcats won't be waiting 30 more years for another. This one felt too good to wait that long again.

The Bearcats won their first state football championship since 1978, pulling a Survivor on Buffalo by outwitting, outlasting and outplaying the Bison. The final score was 34-21, and the scoring flurry in which the Bearcats put up those points won't soon be forgotten.

The Bearcats have the title now -- and they can breathe a bit easier now that 30 years of "not quite" is now gone.

Speaking of breathing, Gillette was the only one of Saturday's winners left holding its breath in the final moments, as the Camels had to survive a missed field goal in the final minute to beat Green River 23-21. The Camels won the title for the second time in three years and the fourth time overall -- and they needed to rally from a 14-0 first-quarter deficit to do so. It's a great win for a great program, one that won its second title in three years and doesn't need to do anything more to prove it's back for good.

All the other winners didn't have it quite as nerve-wracking. Glenrock put up a strong defensive effort, limiting Kemmerer to 39 rushing yards while absolutely owning the field-position battle to put the Rangers in an unusual spot. These two programs have been the class of Class 3A for the past four years, meeting in the title game three times in that span. And this was the first time the Herders came out on top. For Glenrock's seniors, finally breaking through after coming up short twice before in the title game makes it that much sweeter.

Burns put up the most dominating performance of the day, knocking out Big Horn in a meeting of two unbeatens. Well, now there's only one, and Burns made Big Horn just another victim in a season full of domination. The Broncs' turnaround -- from 0-8 in 2004 to 11-0 now -- didn't happen overnight. Certainly, a great core of athletes helped build the Broncs' championship aspirations. But aspirations never made champions. Hard work -- both on the field and in the weight room -- turned Burns into what it is today.

Southeast, meanwhile, capped three seasons of stellar play with another state championship, this one a 12-0 victory over Burlington in the 1A championship. The Cyclones are now 30-3 over the past three seasons, all the while earning three state title trophies for its case. The case will need to grow a bit to fit another, but that's only a small problem -- and I'm sure the fine folks in Yoder don't mind re-sorting the trophies so they can all fit. And, of course, you can go ahead and start the questions now: Four?

There it is. Another football season in the books. Everyone will remember this season for something different. What's going to be your lasting memory of the 2008 season? Post your thoughts below.

(By the way, one lasting image I'll take is from today's Kemmerer-Glenrock game. As Kemmerer headed toward the sidelines after the postgame handshake, the Rangers lined up for "pride jacks" -- basically, jumping jacks combined with spelling. And right there in the middle of it was a Kemmerer player in street clothes, sporting an obvious limp and some kind of lower leg brace, doing pride jacks on one foot. That's the kind of stuff that makes me proud to be from Wyoming and proud to be associated with high school sports here.)

This week: 4-1 (80 percent). This year: 220-66 (77 percent -- my best one-season mark in four years of making picks!). Overall four-year record: 864-284 (75 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

You know how this works by now. I make the picks, everyone laughs, and then by the time kickoff rolls around, everyone's forgotten about all of this. At least that's the way it's supposed to work.... :)

So here's this week's picks, with a little bit more depth to them than usual:

Class 5A
Green River (9-2) at Gillette (9-2)
Any previous meetings? Gillette beat Green River 14-13 on Sept. 19 in Gillette.
Any common opponents? Seven. Natrona County (Gillette beat 15-13, Green River beat 14-12 and 23-17 in OT); Cheyenne Central (Gillette beat 26-13 and 30-0, Green River beat 38-14); Rock Springs (Gillette beat 28-0, Green River beat 57-31); Sheridan (Gillette lost 49-21, Green River beat 44-28); Kelly Walsh (Gillette beat 27-7, Green River beat 57-27); Riverton (Gillette beat 46-0, Green River beat 58-0); Cheyenne East (Gillette beat 50-0 and 37-6, Green River lost 26-14).
Recently? Since losing to Sheridan mid-season, Gillette has won six in a row, giving up only 26 points in that stretch and only six in the playoffs. Green River shook off its late-season upset loss to Cheyenne East, beating Rock Springs to cap the regular season, then Natrona and Sheridan in the playoffs to make the title game.
The pick? Offense wins games, and the Wolves have the best offense in the state -- something they've proven over and over. But defense wins championships, and the Camels have the best defense in the state -- something they've proven over and over. My choice goes to Gillette.
Why I could be wrong: Because offense wins games.

Class 4A
Buffalo (8-2) at Douglas (8-2)
Any previous meetings? Douglas beat Buffalo 21-14 in overtime on Oct. 17.
Any common opponents? Six. Lander (Buffalo beat 42-0, Douglas beat 19-12); Powell (Buffalo beat 14-7, Douglas beat 28-27 in 2OT); Glenrock (Buffalo lost 16-14, Douglas lost 27-14); Torrington (Buffalo won 40-0, Douglas won 38-7); Wheatland (Buffalo won 47-0, Douglas won 41-0); Rawlins (Buffalo won 49-7, Douglas won 48-0 and 55-0).
Recently? Since the Week 7 loss to Douglas, the Bison have won three in a row, swooping past Rawlins, Worland and Cody with relative ease. Douglas has won seven in a row, but have those two big OT wins to their credit in that streak.
The pick? Buffalo. I make this choice not based on talent (both teams have plenty) or coaching (both teams stack up plenty fine there) or previous results (obviously, Douglas beat Buffalo once already). I make it because I have to pick somebody. Look at it this way, Bearcats -- I also picked Buffalo to beat you in the regular season, and look how well that turned out! Either way, I think it'll be a great game, perhaps the best of the bunch this weekend.
Why I could be wrong: Because it's gonna be close, and close games fall easily to either team.

Class 3A
Kemmerer (10-0) at Glenrock (10-0)
Any previous meetings? Not since last year's title game, won by Kemmerer 22-0 in Kemmerer.
Any common opponents? Four. Mountain View (Glenrock beat 35-0, Kemmerer beat 33-0 and 36-12); Thermopolis (Glenrock beat 37-7 and 48-8, Kemmerer beat 46-0); Moorcroft (Glenrock beat 34-0, Kemmerer beat 41-6); Pinedale (Glenrock beat 56-0, Kemmerer beat 40-0).
Recently? Well, both are 10-0. Glenrock's had a bit easier time of it in the playoffs, though, winning 48-8 and 56-0; Kemmerer's two playoff victories were 36-12 and 41-6. Either way, it's dominating. 
The pick? Ummm... I'll defer this one to Mr. Lincoln on the penny. He's up... and he says Herders. I'll take Glenrock.
Why I could be wrong: Because finding weak spots in either team is like trying to find Atlantis -- it's pointless, because it's just not there. Kemmerer could just as easily make it three titles in four years as Glenrock could turn the recent tide.

Class 2A
Big Horn (10-0) at Burns (10-0)
Any previous meetings? Not since last year's playoffs -- a 15-7 victory for Big Horn in the 2A quarterfinals.
Any common opponents? Four. Sundance (Big Horn beat 61-0, Burns beat 47-6); Wind River (Big Horn beat 19-14, Burns beat 20-0); Rocky Mountain (Big Horn beat 40-12, Burns beat 48-7); Lusk (Big Horn beat 6-0, Burns beat 34-14).
Recently? Just like 3A, both teams are unbeaten. It's kind of odd that both teams have given up exactly 57 points this season. Both teams had shutout victories last week, although Burns' 20-0 victory over Wind River was a tad more impressive than Big Horn's 6-0 victory over Lusk.
The pick? Burns. I think the Broncs have a tad more consistency on offense and a bit more of an opportunistic defense -- and that's enough for me to pick them.
Why I could be wrong: Big Horn knows how to win. They're healthier than they were last week, they've got a tough offense to stop and their defense is the best in Class 2A, yardage-wise.

Class 1A
Southeast (8-2) at Burlington (9-1)
Any previous meetings? None. None as in never. It's the first time these two schools have played each other on the gridiron.
Any common opponents? Three. Hulett (Burlington beat 10-0 and 13-9, Southeast beat 26-6); Cokeville (Burlington beat 7-6, Southeast beat 7-2); Normative Services (Burlington beat 48-14, Southeast beat 27-12).
Recently? Southeast's only losses were to Burns and Lusk, and in their past three games the Cyclones have given up just nine points. Burlington has won nine in a row with four shutouts, and proved they can win close ones by nipping Hulett 13-9 last week in the semis.
The pick? Another toughie, but I'll take Southeast. They Cyclones have been here each of the past two years. They know how to win these games and they've got enough talent to bring another trophy back to Yoder.
Why I could be wrong: Burlington has a coach that knows how to win -- Mike Aagard was a player on Burlington's only two title teams in '92 and '94. And the Huskies have won nine in a row and are confident because of that.

There are the picks as I see them. Five great games, one great day. It's kind of like Christmas, only like 100 times better.

Just a reminder about comments. I'm still trying to pick up the pieces here and I still can't quite trust people to behave, so comments will be moderated by yours truly before they get posted. I'm pretty open about what I'll let in, but how long this whole moderation thing takes could vary wildly depending on where I'm at and what I'm doing. It could be eight seconds, it could be 12 hours... Thanks for understanding and sorry it has to be this way. I just would rather take this extra step and protect the innocent than continue the free-for-all of the pretty horrible stuff that went on here in the last 24 hours.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

As released today by the Wyoming High School Activities Association. See Wednesday's Star-Tribune for more.

By Week

Week 0: Gillette at Evanston; Natrona County at Cheyenne Central; Cheyenne East at Green River; Kelly Walsh at Sheridan; Rock Springs at Laramie.

Week 1: Laramie at Gillette; Cheyenne Central at Rock Springs; Sheridan at Cheyenne East; Evanston at Natrona County; Kelly Walsh at Green River; Hardin, Mont., at Cody; Teton, Idaho, at Jackson; Rawlins at Lander; Powell at Riverton; Star Valley at Snake River, Idaho; Buffalo at Worland; Douglas at Belle Fourche, S.D.; Chadron, Neb., at Torrington; Wheatland at Sidney, Neb.; Big Piney at Burlington; Greybull at Big Horn; Glenrock at Kemmerer; Wright at Lovell; Lyman at Thermopolis; Cokeville at Mountain View; Pinedale at Riverside; Wind River at Wyoming Indian; Burns at Lusk; Moorcroft at Sundance; Southeast at Newcastle; Hulett at Tongue River; Upton at Dubois; Rocky Mountain at Normative Services; Saratoga at Lingle; Pine Bluffs at Shoshoni; Farson at Hanna; Fort Washakie at Midwest; Ten Sleep at Guernsey; Snake River at Kaycee; Meeteetse at Rock River.

Week 2: Rock Springs at Gillette; Evanston at Cheyenne Central; Cheyenne East at Kelly Walsh; Green River at Sheridan; Natrona County at Laramie; Cody at Rawlins; Jackson at Douglas; Lander at Buffalo; Powell at Wheatland; Riverton at Star Valley; Worland at Torrington; Wyoming Indian at Big Piney; Mountain View at Greybull; Kemmerer at Lyman; Lovell at Pinedale; Big Horn at Burns; Tongue River at Glenrock; Newcastle at Moorcroft; Thermopolis at Wright; Burlington at Saratoga; Riverside at Cokeville; Dubois at Rocky Mountain; Shoshoni at Wind River; Lusk at Hulett; Lingle at Upton; Normative Services at Pine Bluffs; Sundance at Southeast; Guernsey at Farson; Kaycee at Fort Washakie; Hanna at Snake River; Midwest at Meeteetse; Rock River at Ten Sleep.

Week 3: Gillette at Cheyenne East; Laramie at Cheyenne Central; Green River at Evanston; Kelly Walsh at Natrona County; Sheridan at Rock Springs; Torrington at Cody; Rawlins at Jackson; Lander at Riverton; Buffalo at Powell; Star Valley at Marsh Valley, Idaho; Wheatland at Worland; Chadron, Neb., at Douglas; Big Piney at Mountain View; Greybull at Wyoming Indian; Pinedale at Kemmerer; Lyman at Lovell; Wright at Big Horn; Burns at Newcastle; Glenrock at Thermopolis; Moorcroft at Tongue River; Burlington at Shoshoni; Cokeville at Saratoga; Wind River at Dubois; Rocky Mountain at Riverside; Hulett at Lingle; Lusk at Southeast; Upton at Normative Services; Pine Bluffs at Sundance; Farson at Fort Washakie; Guernsey at Hanna; Midwest at Kaycee; Snake River at Rock River; Meeteetse at Ten Sleep.

Week 4: Sheridan at Gillette; Cheyenne Central at Cheyenne East; Evanston at Laramie; Natrona County at Green River; Rock Springs at Kelly Walsh; Cody at Lander; Jackson at Powell; Star Valley at Worland; Douglas at Buffalo; Riverton at Rawlins; Torrington at Wheatland; Big Piney at Lyman; Pinedale at Greybull; Kemmerer at Wyoming Indian; Lovell at Mountain View; Big Horn at Glenrock; Tongue River at Burns; Thermopolis at Moorcroft; Newcastle at Wright; Riverside at Burlington; Shoshoni at Cokeville; Saratoga at Dubois; Rocky Mountain at Wind River; Normative Services at Hulett; Lingle at Lusk; Southeast at Pine Bluffs; Sundance at Upton; Ten Sleep at Farson; Fort Washakie at Snake River; Rock River at Guernsey; Hanna at Midwest; Kaycee at Meeteetse.

Week 5: Gillette at Cheyenne Central; Cheyenne East at Natrona County; Kelly Walsh at Evanston; Green River at Rock Springs; Laramie at Sheridan; Cody at Jackson; Worland at Lander; Powell at Star Valley; Riverton at Buffalo; Wheatland at Douglas; Rawlins at Torrington; Kemmerer at Big Piney; Lovell at Greybull; Wyoming Indian at Lyman; Mountain View at Pinedale; Big Horn at Thermopolis; Burns at Moorcroft; Newcastle at Glenrock; Wright at Tongue River; Dubois at Burlington; Cokeville at Rocky Mountain; Riverside at Shoshoni; Wind River at Saratoga; Upton at Hulett; Lingle at Sundance; Lusk at Pine Bluffs; Southeast at Normative Services; Farson at Meeteetse; Fort Washakie at Guernsey; Kaycee at Hanna; Snake River at Ten Sleep; Midwest at Rock River.

Week 6: Natrona County at Gillette; Cheyenne Central at Green River; Rock Springs at Cheyenne East; Sheridan at Evanston; Laramie at Kelly Walsh; Star Valley at Cody; Lander at Jackson; Worland at Powell; Buffalo at Wheatland; Rawlins at Douglas; Torrington at Riverton; Pinedale at Big Piney; Greybull at Kemmerer; Wyoming Indian at Lovell; Lyman at Mountain View; Moorcroft at Big Horn; Thermopolis at Burns; Glenrock at Wright; Tongue River at Newcastle; Burlington at Wind River; Cokeville at Dubois; Saratoga at Riverside; Shoshoni at Rocky Mountain; Hulett at Southeast; Normative Services at Lingle; Lusk at Sundance; Pine Bluffs at Upton; Farson at Midwest; Ten Sleep at Fort Washakie; Guernsey at Snake River; Meeteetse at Hanna; Rock River at Kaycee.

Week 7: Gillette at Kelly Walsh; Cheyenne Central at Sheridan; Evanston at Cheyenne East; Green River at Laramie; Natrona County at Rock Springs; Cody at Powell; Jackson at Worland; Lander at Star Valley; Torrington at Buffalo; Douglas at Riverton; Wheatland at Rawlins; Big Piney at Greybull; Kemmerer at Lovell; Lyman at Pinedale; Mountain View at Wyoming Indian; Tongue River at Big Horn; Glenrock at Burns; Wright at Moorcroft; Newcastle at Thermopolis; Rocky Mountain at Burlington; Wind River at Cokeville; Dubois at Riverside; Shoshoni at Saratoga; Sundance at Hulett; Pine Bluffs at Lingle; Normative Services at Lusk; Southeast at Upton; Snake River at Farson; Fort Washakie at Meeteetse; Guernsey at Midwest; Hanna at Rock River; Ten Sleep at Kaycee.

Week 8: Gillette at Green River; Kelly Walsh at Cheyenne Central; Cheyenne East at Laramie; Rock Springs at Evanston; Sheridan at Natrona County; Worland at Cody; Jackson at Star Valley; Powell at Lander; Buffalo at Rawlins; Douglas at Torrington; Riverton at Wheatland; Lovell at Big Piney; Greybull at Lyman; Mountain View at Kemmerer; Wyoming Indian at Pinedale; Big Horn at Newcastle; Burns at Wright; Moorcroft at Glenrock; Thermopolis at Tongue River; Burlington at Cokeville; Dubois at Shoshoni; Riverside at Wind River; Saratoga at Rocky Mountain; Hulett at Pine Bluffs; Lingle at Southeast; Upton at Lusk; Sundance at Normative Services; Rock River at Farson; Hanna at Fort Washakie; Kaycee at Guernsey; Meeteetse at Snake River; Midwest at Ten Sleep.

By Team
Class 4A
Gillette: at Evanston; vs. Laramie; vs. Rock Springs; at Cheyenne East; vs. Sheridan; at Cheyenne Central; vs. Natrona County; at Kelly Walsh; at Green River.
Cheyenne Central: vs. Natrona County; at Rock Springs; vs. Evanston; vs. Laramie; at Cheyenne East; vs. Gillette; at Green River; at Sheridan; vs. Kelly Walsh.
Cheyenne East: at Green River; vs. Sheridan; at Kelly Walsh; vs. Gillette; vs. Cheyenne Central; at Natrona County; vs. Rock Springs; vs. Evanston; at Laramie.
Evanston: vs. Gillette; at Natrona County; at Cheyenne Central; vs. Green River; at Laramie; vs. Kelly Walsh; vs. Sheridan; at Cheyenne East; vs. Rock Springs.
Green River: vs. Cheyenne East; vs. Kelly Walsh; at Sheridan; at Evanston; vs. Natrona County; at Rock Springs; vs. Cheyenne Central; at Laramie; vs. Gillette.
Kelly Walsh: at Sheridan; at Green River; vs. Cheyenne East; at Natrona County; vs. Rock Springs; at Evanston; vs. Laramie; vs. Gillette; at Cheyenne Central.
Laramie: vs. Rock Springs; at Gillette; vs. Natrona County; at Cheyenne Central; vs. Evanston; at Sheridan; at Kelly Walsh; vs. Green River; vs. Cheyenne East.
Natrona County: at Cheyenne Central; vs. Evanston; at Laramie; vs. Kelly Walsh; at Green River; vs. Cheyenne East; at Gillette; at Rock Springs; vs. Sheridan.
Rock Springs: at Laramie; vs. Cheyenne Central; at Gillette; vs. Sheridan; at Kelly Walsh; vs. Green River; at Cheyenne East; vs. Natrona County; at Evanston.
Sheridan: vs. Kelly Walsh; at Cheyenne East; vs. Green River; at Rock Springs; at Gillette; vs. Laramie; at Evanston; vs. Cheyenne Central; at Natrona County.
(Class 4A schedules include Zero Week games.)

Class 3A
Cody: vs. Hardin, Mont.; at Rawlins; vs. Torrington; at Lander; at Jackson; vs. Star Valley; at Powell; vs. Worland.
Jackson: vs. Teton, Idaho; at Douglas; vs. Rawlins; at Powell; vs. Cody; vs. Lander; at Worland; at Star Valley.
Lander: vs. Rawlins; at Buffalo; at Riverton; vs. Cody; vs. Worland; at Jackson; at Star Valley; vs. Powell.
Powell: at Riverton; at Wheatland; vs. Buffalo; vs. Jackson; at Star Valley; vs. Worland; vs. Cody; at Lander.
Star Valley: at Snake River, Idaho; vs. Riverton; at Marsh Valley, Idaho; at Worland; vs. Powell; at Cody; vs. Lander; vs. Jackson.
Worland: vs. Buffalo; at Torrington; vs. Wheatland; vs. Star Valley; at Lander; at Powell; vs. Jackson; at Cody.
Buffalo: at Worland; vs. Lander; at Powell; vs. Douglas; vs. Riverton; at Wheatland; vs. Torrington; at Rawlins.
Douglas: at Belle Fourche, S.D.; vs. Jackson; vs. Chadron, Neb.; at Buffalo; vs. Wheatland; vs. Rawlins; at Riverton; at Torrington.
Rawlins: at Lander; vs. Cody; at Jackson; vs. Riverton; at Torrington; at Douglas; vs. Wheatland; vs. Buffalo.
Riverton: vs. Powell; at Star Valley; vs. Lander; at Rawlins; at Buffalo; vs. Torrington; vs. Douglas; at Wheatland.
Torrington: vs. Chadron, Neb.; vs. Worland; at Cody; at Wheatland; vs. Rawlins; at Riverton; at Buffalo; vs. Douglas.
Wheatland: at Sidney, Neb.; vs. Powell; at Worland; vs. Torrington; at Douglas; vs. Buffalo; at Rawlins; vs. Riverton.

Class 2A
Big Piney: at Burlington; vs. Wyoming Indian; at Mountain View; at Lyman; vs. Kemmerer; vs. Pinedale; at Greybull; vs. Lovell.
Greybull: at Big Horn; vs. Mountain View; at Wyoming Indian; vs. Pinedale; vs. Lovell; at Kemmerer; vs. Big Piney; at Lyman.
Kemmerer: vs. Glenrock; at Lyman; vs. Pinedale; at Wyoming Indian; at Big Piney; vs. Greybull; at Lovell; vs. Mountain View.
Lovell: vs. Wright; at Pinedale; vs. Lyman; at Mountain View; at Greybull; vs. Wyoming Indian; vs. Kemmerer; at Big Piney.
Lyman: at Thermopolis; vs. Kemmerer; at Lovell; vs. Big Piney; vs. Wyoming Indian; at Mountain View; at Pinedale; vs. Greybull.
Mountain View: vs. Cokeville; at Greybull; vs. Big Piney; vs. Lovell; at Pinedale; vs. Lyman; at Wyoming Indian; at Kemmerer.
Pinedale: at Riverside; vs. Lovell; at Kemmerer; at Greybull; vs. Mountain View; at Big Piney; vs. Lyman; vs. Wyoming Indian.
Wyoming Indian: vs. Wind River; at Big Piney; vs. Greybull; vs. Kemmerer; at Lyman; at Lovell; vs. Mountain View; at Pinedale.
Big Horn: vs. Greybull; at Burns; vs. Wright; at Glenrock; at Thermopolis; vs. Moorcroft; vs. Tongue River; at Newcastle.
Burns: at Lusk; vs. Big Horn; at Newcastle; vs. Tongue River; at Moorcroft; vs. Thermopolis; vs. Glenrock; at Wright.
Glenrock: at Kemmerer; vs. Tongue River; at Thermopolis; vs. Big Horn; vs. Newcastle; at Wright; at Burns; vs. Moorcroft.
Moorcroft: at Sundance; vs. Newcastle; at Tongue River; vs. Thermopolis; vs. Burns; at Big Horn; vs. Wright; at Glenrock.
Newcastle: vs. Southeast; at Moorcroft; vs. Burns; at Wright; at Glenrock; vs. Tongue River; at Thermopolis; vs. Big Horn.
Thermopolis: vs. Lyman; at Wright; vs. Glenrock; at Moorcroft; vs. Big Horn; at Burns; vs. Newcastle; at Tongue River.
Tongue River: vs. Hulett; at Glenrock; vs. Moorcroft; at Burns; vs. Wright; at Newcastle; at Big Horn; vs. Thermopolis.
Wright: at Lovell; vs. Thermopolis; at Big Horn; vs. Newcastle; at Tongue River; vs. Glenrock; at Moorcroft; vs. Burns.

Class 1A 11-man
Burlington: vs. Big Piney; at Saratoga; at Shoshoni; vs. Riverside; vs. Dubois; at Wind River; vs. Rocky Mountain; at Cokeville.
Cokeville: at Mountain View; vs. Riverside; at Saratoga; vs. Shoshoni; at Rocky Mountain; at Dubois; vs. Wind River; vs. Burlington.
Dubois: vs. Upton; at Rocky Mountain; vs. Wind River; vs. Saratoga; at Burlington; vs. Cokeville; at Riverside; at Shoshoni.
Riverside: vs. Pinedale; at Cokeville; vs. Rocky Mountain; at Burlington; at Shoshoni; vs. Saratoga; vs. Dubois; at Wind River.
Rocky Mountain: at Normative Services; vs. Dubois; at Riverside; at Wind River; vs. Cokeville; vs. Shoshoni; at Burlington; vs. Saratoga.
Saratoga: at Lingle; vs. Burlington; vs. Cokeville; at Dubois; vs. Wind River; at Riverside; vs. Shoshoni; at Rocky Mountain.
Shoshoni: vs. Pine Bluffs; at Wind River; vs. Burlington; at Cokeville; vs. Riverside; at Rocky Mountain; at Saratoga; vs. Dubois.
Wind River: at Wyoming Indian; vs. Shoshoni; at Dubois; vs. Rocky Mountain; at Saratoga; vs. Burlington; at Cokeville; vs. Riverside.
Hulett: at Tongue River; vs. Lusk; at Lingle; vs. Normative Services; vs. Upton; at Southeast; vs. Sundance; at Pine Bluffs.
Lingle: vs. Saratoga; at Upton; vs. Hulett; at Lusk; at Sundance; vs. Normative Services; vs. Pine Bluffs; at Southeast.
Lusk: vs. Burns; at Hulett; at Southeast; vs. Lingle; at Pine Bluffs; at Sundance; vs. Normative Services; vs. Upton.
Normative Services: vs. Rocky Mountain; at Pine Bluffs; vs. Upton; at Hulett; vs. Southeast; at Lingle; at Lusk; vs. Sundance.
Pine Bluffs: at Shoshoni; vs. Normative Services; at Sundance; vs. Southeast; vs. Lusk; at Upton; at Lingle; vs. Hulett.
Southeast: at Newcastle; vs. Sundance; vs. Lusk; at Pine Bluffs; at Normative Services; vs. Hulett; at Upton; vs. Lingle.
Sundance: vs. Moorcroft; at Southeast; vs. Pine Bluffs; at Upton; vs. Lingle; vs. Lusk; at Hulett; at Normative Services.
Upton: at Dubois; vs. Lingle; at Normative Services; vs. Sundance; at Hulett; vs. Pine Bluffs; vs. Southeast; at Lusk.

Class 1A six-man
Farson: at Hanna; vs. Guernsey; at Fort Washakie; vs. Ten Sleep; at Meeteetse; at Midwest; vs. Snake River; vs. Rock River.
Fort Washakie: at Midwest; vs. Kaycee; vs. Farson; at Snake River; at Guernsey; vs. Ten Sleep; at Meeteetse; vs. Hanna.
Guernsey: vs. Ten Sleep; at Farson; at Hanna; vs. Rock River; vs. Fort Washakie; at Snake River; at Midwest; vs. Kaycee.
Hanna: vs. Farson; at Snake River; vs. Guernsey; at Midwest; vs. Kaycee; vs. Meeteetse; at Rock River; at Fort Washakie.
Kaycee: vs. Snake River; at Fort Washakie; vs. Midwest; at Meeteetse; at Hanna; vs. Rock River; vs. Ten Sleep; at Guernsey.
Snake River: at Kaycee; vs. Hanna; at Rock River; vs. Fort Washakie; at Ten Sleep vs. Guernsey; at Farson; vs. Meeteetse.
Meeteetse: at Rock River; vs. Midwest; at Ten Sleep; vs. Kaycee; vs. Farson; at Hanna; vs. Fort Washakie; at Snake River.
Midwest: vs. Fort Washakie; at Meeteetse; at Kaycee; vs. Hanna; at Rock River; vs. Farson; vs. Guernsey; at Ten Sleep.
Rock River: vs. Meeteetse; at Ten Sleep; vs. Snake River; at Guernsey; vs. Midwest; at Kaycee; vs. Hanna; at Farson.
Ten Sleep: at Guernsey; vs. Rock River; vs. Meeteetse; at Farson; vs. Snake River; at Fort Washakie; at Kaycee; vs. Midwest.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The Green River Wolves have proven themselves each of the past two weeks.

Last week it was a come-from-behind overtime victory over Natrona. This week, it was a get-a-lead-and-protect it victory over Sheridan.

Because of that consistency -- and because the Wolves have proven they know how to win games, no matter what the style -- Green River is in the Class 5A championship game.

The Wolves' 44-28 victory over top-ranked Sheridan on Saturday was perhaps the most impressive of their season. Green River had a long bus ride, a confident foe and a wee bit of big-game pressure. None of it shook the Wolves out of their game plan.

Next up: Gillette. Remember that one from early in the season? That 14-13 Camels' win that was secured only by a blocked extra point?

Yep. That's going to be a fun one to watch.

The Wolves were the only ones this week to tip the Sports Goulash's picking apple cart. Every other game went as picked.

I got the chance to watch Glenrock on Saturday, and, um, yeah. They're pretty good. Pinedale tried and tried but just couldn't catch up to the Herders' strategies -- and Pinedale looked like a pretty fair ballclub. They were just playing the wrong team on Saturday. Those 50 first-half points the Herders put up weren't flukey, either. Glenrock's just that good. And now, we get that matchup that everyone's waited for since last November: Kemmerer at Glenrock, 1 p.m., Nov. 15, 2008.

Oddly enough, the Glenrock game was not the best game in Converse County on Saturday. No, that honor goes to the 28-27 Douglas-over-Powell double-overtime thrillfest. Douglas won after a weird set of circumstances -- the Bearcats scored a touchdown and kicked the extra point to send the game into a third overtime, but a penalty on Powell made Douglas' coaches rethink the situation. Rather than go into another OT, Douglas decided to go for two from the 1 1/2. Cody Bohlander skied into the end zone and that's how it ended. Now, Douglas has Buffalo -- and has the chance to prove its OT victory over the Bison in the regular season was more than a fluke.

Big Horn and Burns will meet in the 2A championship -- and one of them will finish the season as the undefeated state champions. Both teams didn't need much offense, because the defenses were playing at the top of their games. The B&B defenses held Wind River and Lusk, their semifinal opponents, to a grand total of zero points. That's right. No scoring. At all. Somebody will have to break that string next week....

In 1A, it's the two conference champions meeting up in the title game. Combined, the four Class 1A teams only scored 31 points on Saturday (oh, and Glenrock alone scored 32 in the first quarter vs. Pinedale). Even so, Southeast -- 7-2 winners over Cokeville -- and Burlington -- 13-9 winners over Hulett -- will meet up in the championship game. Here's a kind of cool fact: The Huskies and Cyclones have never played each other, and now they meet for the first time in a state championship game. By the way, does anyone else remember what happened the last time Southeast headed into the Bighorn Basin for a championship game? The folks up at Riverside sure do....

So that's it for now. Want to start picking your championship game winners now? Want to give some mad props of your own? Want to point out a particularly interesting play from this weekend's action? Go ahead. Leave a comment by clicking where it says "Comments."

This week: 9-1 (90 percent). This year: 216-65 (77 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

To all the state's football team managers: Please send me a copy of your game film/tape/DVD after this weekend. All of you. Please? Pretty please?

There are so many good games this weekend, I don't want to miss any of them.

The schedule is littered with amazing semifinal matchups. Part of the appeal is that only two of the games (Gillette-East and Hulett-Burlington) are rematches from the regular season. The other eight games are exactly what you like to see in the playoffs -- teams that have had great successes throughout the season and meeting with the right to play for all the bowling balls (marbles are too small).

Even though eight games are not rematches from the regular season, it's not like these teams are strangers to each other. Kemmerer and Moorcroft played each other in last year's playoffs. Buffalo and Cody last meet in 2006, while Powell and Douglas last played in the '06 4A title game. Sheridan and Green River last played in 2004. Lusk and Big Horn played have played some high-stakes games against each other, meeting in the state championship game in both 2002 and 2003; Southeast and Cokeville also last met in the 2003 championship.

Of course, there's the simple fact that these teams have probably spent so much time in the film room this week that they feel like they know the other team pretty well -- even without seeing them on the field yet.

But it is kind of cool that two new series are starting this weekend. Wind River and Burns have never played each other. Neither have Pinedale and Glenrock.

I'm a geek for this kind of stuff (see follow-through on shameless plug by clicking here), so seeing two teams that have never played each other meeting up in the playoffs is pretty cool. The CST's coverage plans have me headed to Glenrock on Saturday, so I'll be a witness to one of those cool series-starting games.

I'm greedy, though. One isn't enough. I want to see all 10.

DVDs, please? :)

Here are this week's picks, with projected winners in bold and projected non-winners ready to make me look like I don't know what the heck I'm talking about (who knows, maybe all these early morning wake-up calls this week are getting to me):

Friday
Class 5A
Gillette at Cheyenne East: You can pretty much guarantee that this game will be closer than the last time these two teams got together -- a 50-0 Gillette victory just a few weeks ago. But a 51-point turnaround probably isn't in the books.
Class 4A
Buffalo at Cody: This is a tough, tough pick. Cody has done everything they've needed to do to be in this position, winning every 4A game it has played this fall. The Broncs know how to win and they're at home. They have every reason to be confident and to be the favorites. And yet my gut says Bison. Go figure.
Class 2A
Wind River at Burns: This game will be a heck of a lot thougher than the game the playoff game the Broncs had last week against a West Conference foe. Wind River has proven at every step of the way this season that it belongs here. Whichever team wins, it won't be a surprise.

Saturday
Class 5A
Green River at Sheridan: The Broncs are at home, riding huge momentum from proving over and over that they know how to win in a ton of different ways. Sheridan's defense will again be put to the test -- and Green River will likely earn its fair share of points -- but I'll take the Broncs in a close one.
Class 4A
Powell at Douglas: Got to looking at Powell really close this week and realized just how close they've been to an unbeaten season. All four of their losses were within a touchdown. Despite that, Douglas is rolling and is getting better and better each week, and I don't see that big mo stopping now.
Class 3A
Pinedale at Glenrock: One more hoop for the Herders.
Moorcroft at Kemmerer: One more hoop for the Rangers.
Class 2A
Lusk at Big Horn: Lusk looked sharp last week. The problem is that so did Big Horn. Rams, but not by much.
Class 1A
Hulett at Burlington: Both teams are better than they were in September when Burlington beat Hulett 10-0. Whichever team has improved more will win. I'm banking on the Huskies.
Cokeville at Southeast: Don't want to pick this one. Nope, nope, nope. Both these teams look really, really, really, really good. This will probably be one of those games that's not decided by touchdowns -- it'll be decided by extra points (or, maybe, two-point conversions). So I just flipped a coin and it landed Cyclones up.

There are my choices. What sticks out to you as we get closer and closer ot the end of the season? Contribute your thoughts and add a comment below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Pinedale and Green River will never be confused -- be it geographically, aesthetically or gridironally.

But, wow, if they didn't pull off the exact same trick on Friday.

Both the 5A Wolves and the 3A Wranglers came back from big deficits to win on Friday, Green River rallying from a 14-0 first-quarter hole to beat Natrona County 23-17 in overtime, Pinedale coming back from a 23-0 first-half deficit to beat Lovell 28-23.

They both earn mad props -- not only for playing well, but for playing well with the game, and the season, on the line.

Green River fell behind quick to Natrona, allowing 14 points on the Mustangs' first two drives of the game. The Wolves never panicked, though, and most importantly never strayed from their running game.

Drew Martinez came up huge, consistently eluding the Natrona defense for big plays, including the game-winning 7-yard touchdown run in overtime. The rest of the Wolves were big on both sides of the ball, and did more than just make the semifinals: They proved they belong by earning their spot.

Second mad props to Pinedale, which was in a similar situation. Down 23-0 to Lovell, the Wranglers had to act fast. They did just that, rallying for 28 unanswered points -- all on touchdown passes from Nick Jaquez, including three in the second half to Aaron Milne. The defense did its part, too, and just like that the Wranglers have their first playoff victory since 1999.

Third mad props to Moorcroft, which beat Wright 12-0 in a game that could have gone either way. The Wolves made the big plays on both offense and defense, though, and limited the Panthers' offensive opportunities when they had the chance.

However, most of the first round games -- like usual -- were one-sided affairs. Outside Green River-Natrona and Pinedale-Lovell, only one other game ended up as a one-possession game: Powell's 12-7 victory over Lander. The average margin of victory in the first round was 26.6 points. The closest game in Class 1A was 34 points, oddly enough a margin reached in three games (Burlington's 48-14 victory over Normative Services, Hulett's 40-6 victory over Shoshoni and Southeast's 34-0 victory over Upton).

Most of these games were simply a case of too much versus not enough. There were no real defining upsets; no real surprises; no real jaw-droppers. Only one team -- Powell -- won on the road. This thing went almost exactly according to plan.

I guess, in the long run, that's not a bad thing. The teams that separated themselves in the regular season are continuing to do so in the postseason. And because of that, we've got some awesome matchups in the semifinals.

Combined, the four teams in the 2A semis have two losses. Green River gets to go to Sheridan; Glenrock and Kemmerer are still on a collision course; Cokeville and Southeast meet in the semis in 1A in what could be the game of the week....

In short, there's still a lot of fun to be had, even if there weren't many "upsets." I guarantee that the 20 teams remaining aren't minding how they got there. They're just glad they're there. Even if they can't really show it right now. After all, next week awaits.

This week: 17-3 (85 percent). This year: 207-64 (76 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Every year, about the last week in October, I start thinking about Wyoming's football playoffs.

I wonder why more than 2/3 of the state's teams make the playoffs -- and how, in that system, some teams at .500 or better can be left out of the postseason.

I wonder if reducing the number of teams that makes the playoffs is the answer.

I wonder if all those road teams in the first round really do have a chance to win a state championship.

Then I think about 2003.

That was the year Glenrock won three consecutive road games in the playoffs, knocking off Wright, Big Piney and Lovell three weekends in a row -- and three bus trips in a row -- to become the only Wyoming team to ever win a state football championship by winning three straight road games in the playoffs.

And then I think about this season, and wonder who might "pull off a Glenrock" and win three straight on the road.

This year, there is one team that sticks out with the best chance to do just this: Natrona County. What a sweet ride it could be for the Mustangs, too.

On Friday, NC plays at Green River, a team that beat them 14-12 in Zero Week. If the Mustangs win there, there's a possible semifinal game awaiting with top-seeded Sheridan, which beat the Mustangs 10-9 in NC's conference opener. And if the bracket comes together under coincidence's sweet plan, NC could play Gillette in the championship -- the same Gillette that beat NC 15-13 a few weeks ago in Camel-land.

Three games, three losses, five total points. The Mustangs' only three losses of the season.

It's a revenge tour in the making.

I think the Mustangs take that first step tonight against Green River. The Wolves have shown a propensity to struggle against teams that control the ball (think Cheyenne East). And few teams are better at grinding it out than the Mustangs.

And maybe, just maybe, NC will get that shot at Sheridan in the semis. And maybe, just maybe, NC will have that chance against Gillette in the championship.

But none of that cool stuff happens if the Mustangs don't win on Friday, and beating an athletic group of players from Green River is much easier said than done.

Even so, the thought of the Mustangs "pulling a Glenrock" is too intriguing to ignore. I'll take NC.

Here are my other quarterfinal playoff picks, with projected winners in bold and projected losers ready to make me think twice:

Thursday
Class 2A
Greybull vs. Big Horn, at Sheridan: The Rams have been the class of 2A all season and already have a 24-6 victory over Greybull to its credit.

Friday
Class 5A
Evanston at Sheridan: The worst thing that could happen to Sheridan here is a blowout victory. Another close victory like the one last week could keep the Broncs sharp for the semis -- an edge they'll need, no matter who they play.
Cheyenne Central at Gillette: The Camels have already beaten the Indians once this year. And that was in Cheyenne. This one's in Gillette.
Rock Springs at Cheyenne East: This is a real landmine-type game for the Thunderbirds. Remember, it was Rock Springs that knocked a South Conference champ (Cheyenne Central) out of the playoffs in the first round a year ago. And East's victory over Rock Springs was one of those tight defensive battles that could have gone either way. Even so, I'll still take East.

Class 4A
Rawlins at Douglas: The Bearcats have to be feeling good about their prospects. As long as they don't get caught looking ahead to Nov. 15, they cruise.
Powell at Lander: Yep, trust me -- I know all the reasons why I should pick Lander to win this. They're at home and they've already beaten Powell once this season. For some reason, though, the Panthers have earned my choice this time around. I wish I knew why... but my gut tells me to take Powell.
Worland at Buffalo: They already played this game once this season. Buffalo won it by a bunch. Look for more of the same.
Torrington at Cody: These two teams haven't played each other since 1996. And even though Cody won the West Conference, this game could stay close due to the Trailblazers' ability to control the ground game.

Class 3A
Thermopolis at Glenrock: The first time around, Glenrock had five turnovers against the Bobcats -- and still won by 30.
Lovell at Pinedale: Pinedale has defensive backs that are athletic enough to slow the Bulldogs' aerial game, and I think because of that, this game is a toss-up. But I can't ignore the offensive numbers Lovell has put up this year.
Wright vs. Moorcroft, at Sundance: In a little bit of an upset pick, I'll take the Panthers. The first game between these two could have gone either way (Moorcroft won in OT), and I think the law of averages swings Wright's way this time.
Mountain View at Kemmerer: Even against an improved Buffalos squad, the Rangers keep rolling.

Class 2A
Rocky Mountain at Burns: Can anyone hang with the Broncs? Maybe. But of all the teams that cross my mind first, the Grizzlies aren't on the list. Maybe in darn near Montana, but not in darn near Colorado.
Lingle vs. Wind River, at Riverton: For as good a season as the Doggers have had, the Cougars have been able to prove themselves in several other different ways.
Riverside at Lusk: At 4-4 versus 7-1, this shouldn't be a tough selection, right? But it is. This will likely rival last year's semifinal meeting between these two teams (won by Riverside 10-9) as far as intensity and drama.

Class 1A
Normative Services at Burlington: Don't count out the Wolves, who beat Burlington last year on the Huskies' home field in the quarterfinals. But I don't think anyone will question that Burlington has a better team this year -- one that should go deep into the playoffs.
Shoshoni at Hulett: This is one of those potential game-of-the-week-type games. Both teams are solid, but at home the Red Devils should eke out the victory.
Guernsey at Cokeville: It seems like every time Guernsey goes to Cokeville, the Vikings play out of their minds. But this year, the Panthers' defense has just been too good to let that Guernsey curse strike again.
Upton at Southeast: It'll be closer than last year's quarterfinal game between these two teams (74-21 SE) -- but not as close as the game these two had earlier this year (34-0 SE).

There are my picks. Do you agree? Did I hit the nail on the head or did I hit my thumb instead? Leave a comment below, then let's all enjoy it as the postseason unfolds for us and makes choices like mine look silly. :)

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The official football playoff pairings have been posted by the Wyoming High School Activities Association. Game times will be posted Monday.

Two games have moved location. The Wind River-Lingle game will be played in Riverton, while the Wright-Moorcroft game will be played in Sundance.

The official pairings are as follows:

Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1, 1N) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4, 2S) Green River
(6) Cheyenne Central at (3, 2N) Gillette
(7) Rock Springs at (2, 1S) Cheyenne East
Class 4A
(8) Rawlins at (1, 1E) Douglas
(5) Powell at (4, 2W) Lander
(6) Worland at (3, 2E) Buffalo
(7) Torrington at (2, 1W) Cody
Class 3A
(8) Thermopolis at (1, 1E) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4, 2W) Pinedale
(6) Wright at (3, 2E) Moorcroft
(7) Mountain View at (2, 1W) Kemmerer
Class 2A
(8) Rocky Mountain at (1, 1E) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4, 2W) Wind River
(6) Riverside at (3, 2E) Lusk
(7) Greybull at (2, 1W) Big Horn
Class 1A
(8) Normative Services at (1, 1W) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4, 2E) Hulett
(6) Guernsey at (3, 2W) Cokeville
(7) Upton at (2, 1E) Southeast

Pairings are also available by clicking here.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The regular season's over. So no messing around. Let's just get right to it:

First mad props to Riverside, which beat Greybull 35-21. Matt Craft ran every which way through the Buffs' defense and finished with -- are you ready? -- 294 rushing yards. Although both teams are on the road in the first round of the playoffs, this was a big win for the defending champion Rebels as they try to gain some momentum heading into the postseason.

Second mad props to Thermopolis, which knocked off Lovell. The more I think about it, the more I think that this was not a flukey win at all. Thermopolis has had a solid defense all season, and tonight that defense came up with four interceptions and generally hounded the Bulldogs' passing game into submission and left it looking sort of like this. Granted, this game didn't affect the playoff make-up that much -- Lovell's still the five seed, going to Pinedale; Thermop is still the eight seed, going to Glenrock -- but mentally, this has to be a huge lift for the Bobcats.

Third mad props to Star Valley, which knocked off Worland 14-0 and made me sad at the same time. Sad? Well, yeah. The Braves have finally started clicking. They'd be a scary team if they could have made the playoffs. But they didn't make the playoffs. And that kind of makes me sad -- because I think the Braves could be that one team no one really wanted to play in the first round.

Now, for something outside the Bighorn Basin....

Fourth mad props to Pine Bluffs, which whomped Saratoga 41-8. What took the Hornets so long? I really thought this was the year they'd break through and cause some damage in the East. And if not for a one-point loss to Lingle, they could be in the playoffs. Instead, they'll have to settle for winning the last two games of the season and find some solace in the fact that they did, eventually, find that other level they'd been waiting for all year.

Fifth mad props to Upton, which solidified a playoff spot by beating Normative Services in OT. Matt Lougee was the Bobcats' savior; he scored the game-tying touchdown with 2 minutes to go, intercepted a Wolf pass during NSI's OT possession, then scored the game-winning touchdown on Upton's subsequent drive. Only the appearance of a bear and a Webelo would have made this game any better.

Now, onto the thing everyone is waiting for anyway: the playoff shakedown.

I've posted the brackets below in a post of their own (please remember these are PROJECTED power ratings and brackets; real brackets won't be out from the WHSAA until today sometime). But there were a couple things that stuck out. First was how close the battle for the last Class 4A spot ended up. Rawlins, with a PPR (projected power rating) of 25.94, wound up with the eighth spot. Star Valley finished ninth at 25.88. And defending champ Jackson looks like it won't even get a chance to play in the postseason; the Broncs are 10th with a PPR of 25.75. (FWIW, Wheatland was 11th at 25.28). As its reward, Rawlins gets to go to play Douglas, a team that beat it 48-0 about a month ago, in the first round.

In 5A, thanks to what's probably the highest-scoring Trona Bowl in history (certainly, the highest-scoring Trona Bowl in the past 50 years, as Green River and Rock Springs combined for 88 points in the Wolves' 57-31 victory), the brackets shook out almost exactly as I thought they might. Natrona will go to Green River in the most intriguing of the first-round games. Remember, though, last year, no team was safe in the 5A first round, as three of the four home teams lost in the quarterfinals. And then Cheyenne East, the only home team to win in the first round, went on to win the title.

Class 2A shook out a bit differently due to Riverside's win and Rocky Mountain's loss to Pinedale. Riverside, Greybull and Rocky went 6-7-8 as the West Conference earned five of the eight seeds. Speaking of such, conference balance was pretty much thrown right out with the bathwater ... 3A also finished unbalanced as the East earned five of the eight seeds ... as did 5A, where the South got five of eight ... as did 1A, where the East took five of eight.

And, for once, the first-round playoff pairings do not feature a single game where the participants played against each other in Week 8. Finally.

So there you go. The playoffs start next week. Did Week 8 change your mind at all about who might be the favorites for the state titles? Comment below if you think of something relevant. :)

Projected playoff pairings are right below this post; I'll post official pairings as soon as I get them.

This week: 24-5 (83 percent). This year: 190-61 (76 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Projected playoff pairings
Through early Friday using current standings. For complete projected playoff pairings, check The Blitz, the Star-Tribune's one-stop checkpoint for everything high school football: http://www.trib.com/theblitz
Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1, 1N) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4, 2S) Green River
(6) Cheyenne Central at (3, 2N) Gillette
(7) Rock Springs at (2, 1S) Cheyenne East
Class 4A
(8) Rawlins at (1, 1E) Douglas
(5) Powell at (4, 2W) Lander
(6) Worland at (3, 2E) Buffalo
(7) Torrington at (2, 1W) Cody
Class 3A
(8) Thermopolis at (1, 1E) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4, 2W) Pinedale
(6) Wright at (3, 2E) Moorcroft
(7) Mountain View at (2, 1W) Kemmerer
Class 2A
(8) Rocky Mountain at (1, 1E) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4, 2W) Wind River
(6) Riverside at (3, 2E) Lusk
(7) Greybull at (2, 1W) Big Horn
Class 1A
(8) Normative Services at (1, 1W) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4, 2E) Hulett
(6) Guernsey at (3, 2W) Cokeville
(7) Upton at (2, 1E) Southeast

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Bighorn Basin rivals whose rivalry goes way back.

A game with huge playoff seeding implications.

A chance for one team to prove it's back for good; a chance for another team to prove its glory days aren't over yet.

So... are you thinking about Greybull at Riverside? Or Powell at Cody?

Because those statements accurately describe both games -- two huge Week 8 games on Friday.

The Powell-Cody matchup will decide which school wins the 4A West championship (and, subsequently, the No. 2 seed in the 4A playoffs). The fallout for the loser isn't quite as cut-and-dry, though.

If Powell wins, it's pretty simple: Cody is the runner-up and the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. If Cody wins, Powell falls into a tie with Lander -- and maybe Worland, if the Warriors beat Star Valley -- for second place in the conference standings. Then we all break out our tiebreaking procedures and go from there.

But we'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, it'll be interesting to see how the defenses stack up in this one. Powell has only given up 83 points this season and never more than 19 in a game -- and never more than 14 in a game it's won -- while Cody's given up only 77, including single digits to four of its past five opponents.

As for Greybull-Riverside, the 2A playoff implications are limitless. Right now, the defending state champion Rebels are seventh in the power ratings, hardly a secure spot for a team trying to defend its championship. Meanwhile, Greybull is not much safer in sixth place as the oft-stomped Buffaloes try to finish the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 2003 -- a huge mental step for a team on the verge of becoming a perennial powerhouse.

These two schools are only eight miles apart and their rivalry is deep. But there hasn't been a game this big in this rivalry for quite some time. The winner is guaranteed to move on in the playoff race, while the loser sits on pins and needles until the power rankings sort themselves out.

To put it succinctly, these are big games. And I'll take the upstarts -- Cody and Greybull -- to knock off the old favorites.

Here are the rest of this week's picks, with projected winners in bold type:

Thursday
Class 2A
Big Horn vs. Tongue River, at Sheridan: Even with the Rams at 7-0 and the Eagles at 0-7, nothing can be taken for granted in this game. That's been proven time and time again in this series.

Interclass
Wind River at Shoshoni: Even with both teams heading to the playoffs -- WR in 2A, Shoshoni in 1A -- the Cougars have the upper hand here.

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne Central at Laramie: The Indians have been a quirky team all year. And they could very well be a dangerous team in the playoffs.
Cheyenne East at Gillette: Don't call this game meaningless. Neither team wants to interrupt the momentum they have built up heading into the playoffs.
Evanston at Natrona County: With both teams already in the playoffs, don't expect too many fireworks. Think lots of off-tackle running plays, safe passes and a final score that might be closer than you think.
Kelly Walsh at Sheridan: The Broncs are back. And if they do things right, this could be the second of five straight games at home for them.
Rock Springs at Green River: The Tigers could create a whole bunch of problems in the 5A South if they can find a way to pull off the upset of the Wolves. And after the Wolves' tough loss last week, a Rock Springs upset seems entirely plausible. For now, though, the house will take GR.

Class 4A
Douglas at Wheatland: The Bulldogs could have probably wrapped up a playoff berth if they had won last week. But they lost. Now they have to try and pull off a monumental upset if they want to sniff the playoffs again.
Rawlins at Buffalo: Never bet against the Bison to lose twice in a row.
Worland at Star Valley: The Warriors' October curse has finally been lifted -- which means a deep playoff run is still a possibility.

Class 3A
Lovell at Thermopolis: The Bulldogs' loss last week was more of a ? than a ! Look for them to bounce back.
Mountain View at Lyman: The Buffalos have had control of this series lately, winning three in a row and 15 of the past 19 meetings. And with the Eagles' struggles, it's a pretty safe bet that trend will continue.
Wright at Glenrock: Last four weeks: Glenrock 148, opponents 13.

Class 2A
Lusk at Burns: This is a pretty rare occurrence in Wyoming: Two undefeated teams meeting up in the last week of the regular season. My educated guess goes to the Broncs....
Pine Bluffs at Saratoga: If the Panthers can find a way to generate some offense, their defense is stout enough to pull out a win in this one.
Sundance at Lingle: The Doggers have been one of the most pleasant surprises in 2A this fall. Now, they have to prove something else: that they're not just a nice surprise, they're a legit championship contender. The bulk of that proving comes next week, but it sure can start here....

Class 1A
Burlington at Dubois: The Huskies are conference champs for a reason.
Hanna at Wyoming Indian: The Chiefs can wrap up their second straight winning season -- a first in school history -- if they can win at home on Friday.
Normative Services at Upton: The Wolves could be a nightmare in the 1A playoffs if the improvement they showed last week continues to grow.
Southeast at Guernsey: With the conference championship on the line, the experienced Cyclones should play up to the challenge.

Interclass
Big Piney at Cokeville: The Panthers could be nice guys and try to let the Punchers keep some of their fading playoff hopes alive. But don't count on it.
Hulett at Moorcroft: With both teams likely hosting games in the first round of the playoffs, this game simply becomes a tune-up for the bing one at home next week.
Jackson at Kemmerer: There are a bevy of subplots here, but it boils down to this: Jackson is trying to make the playoffs. Kemmerer is trying to preserve its undefeated season and get revenge for their only loss last season.
Newcastle at Torrington: Two teams on the playoff bubble should create some exciting football. Honestly, I'd really like to get down and see this one. It should be a great ballgame and it should be played with the type of intensity you like to see in Week 8.
Riverton at Lander: The short version: Lander has a lot more riding on this game than Riverton does.
Rocky Mountain at Pinedale: After a hot start, the Grizzlies have fallen on hard times. And they could fall out of the playoffs if they lose this one. It's never fun to be in that situation.

Six-man
Meeteetse at Bridger, Mont.: Bridger comes in undefeated and on a roll. Meeteetse comes in desperate for a victory to make the postseason. Combined, that means these two teams could be setting up for a great game that goes down to the wire or a not-so-close game that fans can leave early. I hope it's the former.

There are my choices, but I've certainly been proven wrong before. What do you think will happen this weekend? What are your choices for this week's surprises? Post a comment below.

Also, as soon as I can on Friday, I'll be posting the projected playoff pairings for all five divisions of Wyoming football. The first place you'll see them is at The Blitz, which you've surely heard of by now (or at least I hope you have). There is at least one out-of-state game scheduled for Saturday, but I don't anticipate it having much of an effect on the power ratings. So, barring any unforseen postponements, we should be able to have all the playoff pairings up for you by Friday night.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

After taking some time to dissect the Week 8 matchups and my projected WHSAA power ratings, I've come up with my annual handy-dandy guide to Week 8 football/playoffs/possible postseason matchups guide. Check it out.

Class 5A
In: Gillette, Natrona County, Sheridan, Cheyenne East, Green River, Cheyenne Central, Evanston, Rock Springs.
Out: Kelly Walsh, Laramie, Riverton.
(My projections show that if everything goes right for Kelly Walsh and/or Laramie, and everything goes wrong for Rock Springs, Cheyenne Central or Evanston, KW and/or Laramie still wouldn't be able to catch any of those three. Hence, the eight teams are set; only the order is in question.)

Class 4A
In: Buffalo, Douglas, Cody, Powell, Worland.
Win and in: Lander.
Win and need help: Jackson, Torrington, Rawlins, Wheatland, Star Valley.
Out: No one.
(Class 4A is the most confusing of the bunch. No team has truly been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, and Jackson, Torrington and Rawlins -- the seven, eight and nine spot-holders in the power rankings -- are only separated by 0.07 power points. Because of how tight the power ratings are, a win alone won't be enough for any of those three teams. They have to win, then hope the right games fall the right ways for them to make the playoffs.)

Class 3A
In: Glenrock, Lovell, Moorcroft, Wright, Kemmerer, Pinedale.
Win and in: Mountain View, Thermopolis.
Need a win and some help: Newcastle, Big Piney, Lyman.
Out: No one.
(Lyman is the longest of long shots but is still mathematically alive. But Mountain View and Thermopolis control their own destinies for the No. 7 and No. 8 spots, and as long as they win, their postseason berths are assured.)

Class 2A
In: Burns, Lingle, Lusk, Big Horn, Wind River.
Win and in: Greybull, Riverside, Rocky Mountain.
Need a win and some help: Sundance.
Out: Saratoga, Pine Bluffs, Tongue River.
(Even if Saratoga and Pine Bluffs finish their seasons with two victories, they can't catch up enough to make the playoffs. Sundance could be the spoiler here, as with the right mix they could jump as high as sixth.)

Class 1A
In: Hulett, Southeast, Burlington, Cokeville, Shoshoni, Guernsey.
Win and in: Normative Services, Upton, Hanna.
Need a win and some help: Dubois.
Out: No one.
(The obvious big Week 8 game here in terms of qualifying is NSI at Upton. The winner moves on, but the loser isn't automatically out of playoff contention, depending on what happens to Hanna and Dubois.)

There's how Week 8 sets up. Soak it in, and then when the crazy stuff happens on Friday night -- just like it always does -- come back here and I'll fill you in on exactly how it "should" break down for the playoffs.

Remember, these are possibilities based on PROJECTED power rankings. Those officially don't come out from the WHSAA office until next week. But usually our projections are pretty close.

Now, for argument's sake....

Here is how the projected playoff pairings shake out, through Week 7 using current standings (keeping in mind, of course, that power ratings ARE being used this season to determine half of the playoff qualifiers):

Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1, 1N) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4, 2S) Green River
(6) Rock Springs at (3, 2N) Gillette
(7) Cheyenne Central at (2, 1S) Cheyenne East
Class 4A
(8) Jackson at (1, 1E) Douglas
(5) Worland at (4, 2W) Powell
(6) Lander at (3, 2E) Buffalo
(7) Torrington at (2, 1W) Cody
Class 3A
(8) Thermopolis at (1, 1E) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4, 2W) Pinedale
(6) Wright at (3, 2E) Moorcroft
(7) Mountain View at (2, 1W) Kemmerer
Class 2A
(8) Rocky Mountain at (1, 1E) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4, 2W) Wind River
(6) Greybull at (3, 2E) Lusk
(7) Riverside at (2, 1W) Big Horn
Class 1A
(8) Upton at (1, 1W) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4, 2E) Hulett
(6) Guernsey at (3, 2W) Cokeville
(7) Normative Services at (2, 1E) Southeast

In 2009, though, power ratings are disappearing, and the top four teams from each conference will take the playoff seeds based on conference record. IF that system were in place now, here's what the projected playoffs would look like, based on current standings:

Class 5A 2009 version
(4S) Rock Springs at (1N) Sheridan
(3N) Natrona County at (2S) Green River
(3S) Cheyenne Central at (2N) Gillette
(4N) Kelly Walsh at (1S) Cheyenne East
Class 4A 2009 version
(4W) Worland at (1E) Douglas
(3E) Torrington at (2W) Powell
(3W) Lander at (2E) Buffalo
(4E) Wheatland at (1W) Cody
Class 3A 2009 version
(4W) Big Piney at (1E) Glenrock
(3E) Lovell at (2W) Pinedale
(3W) Mountain View at (2E) Moorcroft
(4E) Wright at (1W) Kemmerer
Class 2A 2009 version
(4W) Greybull at (1E) Burns
(3E) Lingle at (2W) Wind River
(3W) Riverside at (2E) Lusk
(4E) Pine Bluffs at (1W) Big Horn
Class 1A 2009 version
(4E) Upton/Normative Services at (1W) Burlington
(3W) Shoshoni at (2E) Hulett
(3E) Guernsey at (2W) Cokeville
(4W) Hanna at (1E) Southeast

Which system looks better to you?

(Also, it's worth noting that in 5A, 4A, 3A and 1A this year, the conferences are unbalanced. That won't be the case when the conferences are restructured next year.)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend -- and don't forget state cross country and regional volleyball are set for next weekend, as well. I may be making some of my patented fearless predictions if I remember to do so.... :)

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

I was right, you know.

The future is now.

I was just wrong about where.

Right now, the future is in Douglas, which dispatched old-guard Buffalo 21-14 in overtime thanks to a huge second-half comeback.

And the old guard is still proving to have some life in the 5A South, where Cheyenne East topped upstart Green River to win the conference championship.

So, first mad props to Douglas, which handed Buffalo its first conference loss since conferences were brought back in 2005. And they did it with offense -- 444 yards, most of it in big bunches -- and some key plays in crunch time. The defense wasn't too shabby, either, holding the Bison to 178 rushing yards and negative passing yards (actually, negative passing yard, as in minus-1). This is a big win for Douglas, not only for what it gives them this season -- home-field advantage throughout the playoffs -- but for the confidence it'll give them for every subsequent time they meet the Bison on the field.

Second mad props to Cheyenne East, which proved its demise was only a figment of my imagination by knocking off Green River. Don't know much about this one -- only the final, 26-14 -- so if you know what happened in Cheyenne on Friday, comment below with some thoughts.

Third mad props to Worland, which showed it has shaken off its usual October curse by beating Jackson. The victory was huge for the Warriors, who essentially sealed a playoff spot with the victory. But it looks like nail-biting time for the Broncs. In Class 4A, the seventh, eighth and ninth seeds are separated by only 0.07 power ratings points. According to our projections right now, Torrington is the seven seed with a PR of 26.15, Jackson is eighth at 26.14, and Rawlins is ninth at 26.08. All three teams can just make it easy on themselves and win next week; otherwise, there will be some serious scoreboard-watching at this time next week.

Fourth mad props to Lusk, which proved why it's unbeaten by taking care of Southeast. The game was close throughout, but the Tigers took care of business in the second half, scoring all 20 of their points in the final 24 minutes. Playing tough with the game on the line -- that's not a bad trend for the Tigers to keep going.

Fifth mad props to Mountain View, which beat up on Wheatland 21-12. Who are these Buffalos?! So much for that rough start. Mountain View is a new team. They've won two in a row and have a winnable game with the Bridger Valley Bowl next week. They could be one of the hottest teams in 3A by the time the playoffs start. Of course, they're almost guaranteed to face Kemmerer in the first round of the playoffs... and Kemmerer has been a buzzsaw.

Sixth mad props to Normative Services, which pasted Wyoming Indian 50-14. In the process, the Wolves slipped into serious playoff contention. With one victory, NSI is now seventh in the 1A power rankings thanks to a relatively high strength of schedule. The Wolves have already proven they can play with any team -- now, they've actually proven they can beat them, too. And a wolf with confidence can be pretty fierce.

Seventh mad props to Hill City, S.D., which beat Upton.

As for the rest of the week:

It was the week of overtime. Three games (Rock Springs-Laramie, Douglas-Buffalo and Moorcroft-Wright) went into overtime, and oddly enough, the team that went on offense first won all three games. So much for that whole thing about wanting to go on defense first....

And all three were critical games, too. In addition to the Douglas-Buffalo game (see above), the Laramie loss basically locked the Plainsmen out of the playoffs and made the Tigers' postseason seat much, much more secure. And Moorcroft's victory over Wright not only assured them of a home playoff game in the first round, it also assured Glenrock of the 3A East championship and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Burlington, Sheridan and Big Horn also copped conference championships on Friday, leaving just three titles -- 4A West, 2A East and 1A East -- undecided. You'll see more on this later next week; check back here for detailed playoff projections, seedings, who could go where, who's in, who's out, who needs to win and who needs some help....

With that, here are the projected playoff pairings, based on current Week 7 standings, through early Friday (these ones will look different from the ones you'll see in Saturday morning's paper due to some late scores coming in after our print deadline; also, I'm still missing a pair of out-of-state games from Friday, which could affect Class 4A and Class 2A, but probably not all that much):

Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1, 1N) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4, 2S) Green River
(6) Rock Springs at (3, 2N) Gillette
(7) Cheyenne Central at (2, 1S) Cheyenne East

Class 4A
(8) Jackson at (1, 1E) Douglas
(5) Worland at (4, 2W) Powell
(6) Lander at (3, 2E) Buffalo
(7) Torrington at (2, 1W) Cody

Class 3A
(8) Thermopolis at (1, 1E) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4, 2W) Pinedale
(6) Wright at (3, 2E) Moorcroft
(7) Mountain View at (2, 1W) Kemmerer

Class 2A
(8) Rocky Mountain at (1, 1E) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4, 2W) Wind River
(6) Greybull at (3, 2E) Lusk
(7) Riverside at (2, 1W) Big Horn

Class 1A
(8) Upton at (1, 1W) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4, 2E) Hulett
(6) Guernsey at (3, 2W) Cokeville
(7) Normative Services at (2, 1E) Southeast

So what stuck out to you in the Week 7 madness? Comment below with your thoughts.

This week: 21-7 (75 percent) (without Meeteetse-West Yellowstone, Mont.). This year: 166-56 (75 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

There are no "ifs" in Friday's game between Green River and Cheyenne East.

The winner is the conference champion. Period. End of discussion.

It's not always common that two teams play each other with such clear-cut consequences spelled out for them.

Sure, at some point in the season, every conference has a "conference championship game," but for the conference championship game to be so clearly defined -- and without any "if" games to follow -- is fairly unusual.

Both teams have proven they deserve to be at this point. They each have only one loss this season, and they're both unbeaten in 5A South Conference play.

East is the team of the mid-2000s, the three-time championship game qualifiers and now the defending state champion. And the Thunderbirds are playing at home.

Green River is the team with the expectations, the team of the future finally coming to fruition. They're the ones looking to replicate what East has already done.

Well, to put it succinctly, the future is now. I'll take the Wolves to win the game and take the conference championship back home -- and to never say "if" along the way.

Here are the rest of my picks, with bolded schools as projected winners:

Week 7
Thursday
Class 3A
Lyman at Big Piney: Somebody has to win. Right? Either way, the Punchers have shown more flashes of brilliance than the Eagles this fall.

Class 1A
Dubois at Cokeville: The Panthers are beatable; that got proven last week. But I guarantee you, no 1A teams are raising their hands to volunteer to play Cokeville in the playoffs.

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne Central at Sheridan: The Broncs are on a five-game winning streak, something they haven't done since 1996. And winning on Friday would make the streak six in a row -- something not done since the glorious streak of 30 in a row in 1990-93.
Gillette at Riverton: It'd be easy for Gillette to overlook the Wolverines. If they do, the Wolverines will make them pay. But don't count on the Camels overlooking anyone, either.
Laramie at Rock Springs: Rock Springs doesn't want to be the last team out of the 5A playoffs. At home, they'll make sure they're not.
Natrona County at Kelly Walsh: But I do anticipate KW putting up more of a fight than they did last year.

Class 4A
Buffalo at Douglas: The Bison haven't lost a conference game in three-plus years, but this could be the toughest test of them all. Even so, I think the Bison have too much firepower for the Bearcats.
Lander at Cody: Cody got about the best loss possible last week -- disappointing enough to be motivating, close enough to be encouraging.
Torrington at Rawlins: The way 4A has gone this year, two conference victories might not be enough for the Trailblazers to make the postseason -- which means winning out is imperative. BTW, Torrington plays Newcastle next week.
Worland at Jackson: The Broncs are firmly on the playoff bubble and need some victories now to maintain any hope of defending their championship.

Class 3A
Glenrock at Newcastle: A victory alone won't be enough for the Herders to take the conference crown, because....
Moorcroft at Wright: ... Wright has to lose, as well. In a fortunate twist for the Herders -- and for the Wolves, too, who can wrap up a home playoff game with a win -- I think the dominoes will fall this way.
Thermopolis at Kemmerer: The Rangers are on a roll right now, and I don't see anything stopping for the rest of October.

Class 2A
Big Horn at Rocky Mountain: All the Rams need for a conference championship is a victory right here. Count on Big Horn playing up to the challenge.
Sundance at Pine Bluffs: Pine Bluffs almost broke the 0-fer last week -- and that alone might be enough to motivate them to do it this week.
Tongue River at Greybull: The Eagles gave Riverside a scare last week, so this is by no means a walkover for the ever-improving Buffaloes.
Wind River at Riverside: You know how sometimes I say, 'If I could be at just one game during the week...'? Well, this week, that's this game. I think the Cougars win as pretty much everyone expects them to do, but I think the Rebels have enough pride and enough offensive weapons to make this one awfully hard on the boys from Pavillion.

Class 1A
Shoshoni at Burlington: Cokeville hangover? I don't think so. But don't look past the Wranglers, who have won four straight and look to be getting better every week.
Wyoming Indian at Normative Services: Deep down, I still think the Wolves have something good going. And in 1A, I think two victories is enough to get to the postseason. But they need to prove it....

Interclass
Burns at Guernsey: The Broncs are really looking good on both sides of the ball. They'll keep that trend going.
Lingle at Hanna: If the Doggers want to start thinking ahead, they can go ahead and start scouting Wind River right now for that first-round playoff game....
Lovell at Powell: This is another one of those intriguing games that could go either way, but I think the Panthers just have a little too much depth.
Pinedale at Saratoga: The Wranglers got a pretty rude wake-up call last week from Kemmerer. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
Southeast at Lusk: Another game of the week possibility right here. It's the 5-1 Cyclones against the 6-0 Tigers, and it's about as big as a non-conference game can get. The two teams look fairly even on paper... so I made this my "coin flip game of the week."
Star Valley at Evanston: A victory here would all but assure the Red Devils of a spot in the 5A playoffs -- and a loss could be just as damaging, given the right circumstances.
Wheatland at Mountain View: Situation critical in Wheatland -- the Bulldogs need, need, need this one to maintain hope of a playoff berth.

Interstate
Upton at Hill City, S.D.: While Upton isn't quite on the 1A playoff bubble, a win would certainly help the Bobcats breathe a lot easier.

Six-man
West Yellowstone, Mont., at Meeteetse: Making the playoffs won't come down to this game -- but pulling the upset sure would help the Longhorns as they head down the stretch.

There are my picks for the second-to-last week of the regular season. What do you think? Who's ready to pull an upset this week? Post a comment below and let me know who to watch for in Week 7.

By the way, here's how the conference championship races break down this week:

5A North: Sheridan wins the title with a Kelly Walsh loss.
5A South: Look above. The East-Green River winner is the champ.
4A East: The Buffalo-Douglas winner is the champ.
4A West: Crown can't be claimed this week.
3A East: Glenrock wins the title with a victory and a Wright loss.
3A West: Kemmerer's already won the thing.
2A East: Crown can't be claimed this week.
2A West: Big Horn wins the title with a victory.
1A East: Crown can't be claimed this week.
1A West: Burlington wins the title with a victory.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com  

Here are five teams that are starting to hit their peaks at the right time of the year, in no particular order:

1. Top-ranked volleyball teams: It was a good week to be one of the top-ranked teams in the Star-Tribune's volleyball poll. Combined, Natrona County (2-0), Wheatland (1-0), Big Horn (1-0) and Cokeville (3-0) went 7-0 in their seven matches. Together, they lost only one game all weekend.

2. Cheyenne girls swimming: Central and East finished 1-2 at the Rawlins Invitational on Saturday. Central had the most points -- 388 to East's 290 -- but East had more event winners -- seven to Central's four.

3. Burns football: The Broncs won two games in a span of four days, topping Sundance 47-6 on Friday and Saratoga 46-0 on Monday.

4. Kelly Walsh girls swimming: The Fish Bowl is always a big pride meter for the Casper swimming teams. This year, it was the Trojans that came out on top. And that's momentum KW can carry into regionals next week.

5. Snow: For the first time this fall, we all got reminded who's in charge for real. Snow moved a bunch of events around and caused a few to be canceled. Be careful out there.

Additions? Post yours below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Don't know what Kemmerer's helmet looks like?

Wonder no more.

Two Web sites have taken care of the Wyoming high school football helmets angle.

The first is the Wyoming High School Football Helmet Project, put together by J.T. Cattelan.

The second is MG Helmets, which devotes a portion of their site to Wyoming high schools.

If you have a few minutes, check them out. Of course, if you're like me, you'll need more than just a few minutes to really appreciate them.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

When I talked to Burlington coach Mike Aagard tonight after his team's 7-6 victory over Cokeville, he noted that he wasn't sure if Burlington had ever beaten Cokeville before now.

Well, I looked. And Coach Aagard, here's your answer:

Friday's victory was indeed Burlington's first victory over Cokeville. Ever.

It's not like the Panthers and Huskies are old rivals or anything, though. Friday's meeting was only the ninth time the two teams had played ever played each other -- including five meetings in the playoffs.

Why the big deal? Well, as far as 1A West football is concerned, Cokeville is the standard. The Panthers' reputation is well known, which makes them the target for all the 1A West teams year in and year out.

And beating Cokeville in a conference game? Well, that's worthy of mad props. Whether Burlington's victory was a permanent passing of the torch or a one-year aberration remains to be seen....

Second mad props go to Powell, 19-14 winners over Jackson in Jackson. I've said it before and I'll say it again, simply because the same overriding theme of the 4A West keeps repeating itself: This conference is full of parity. Look at the evidence from Friday alone: Powell tops Jackson; Star Valley nearly upsets Lander; Cody almost knocks off 5A No. 1 Sheridan. Whoever wins this league -- or maybe, even moreso, the team that finishes second and earns that hosting duty in the first round -- will have earned their spot, no doubt about it.

And... that's all my Humble Pie this week. Yeah, really. I only missed two games. Through nearly four years of picking, missing only two games is a regular-season record for me. Suddenly, I couldn't care less about the snow, the cold and the sadness I feel about the death of summer. Yay, new record!

Outside my misses, there were some pretty interesting things that popped up on Friday:

It was a tough week to be a loser. Out of all 28 11-man games this week, no loser scored more than 18 points (that was Cody in its 19-18 loss to Sheridan). Only eight of the 28 losers broke into double digits, and there were nine shutouts -- including five of the six losing teams from Class 3A. Was it just the snow and cold slowing everyone down to NFL Films speed? Or did every single defense in the state take the sudden resurgence of offensive firepower last week personally?

So far, only one conference championship has been claimed outright, and that's Kemmerer in the 3A West. The Rangers pasted Pinedale 40-0 today to earn the top spot there. Six of the remaining nine conference championships can be claimed next week; the 4A West, 2A East and 1A East races, though, are guaranteed to go into Week 8.

With that, I'll take my leave -- but not before posting the projected playoff pairings, posted as if the regular season ended right now:

Projected playoff pairings: Through Week 6 games using current standings.

Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4) Green River
(7) Rock Springs at (2) Cheyenne East
(6) Cheyenne Central at (3) Gillette

Class 4A
(8) Rawlins at (1) Buffalo
(5) Powell at (4) Lander
(7) Jackson at (2) Cody
(6) Worland at (3) Douglas

Class 3A
(8) Newcastle at (1) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4) Pinedale
(7) Thermopolis at (2) Kemmerer
(6) Wright at (2) Moorcroft

Class 2A
(8) Greybull at (1) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4) Wind River
(7) Rocky Mountain at (2) Big Horn
(6) Riverside at (3) Lusk

Class 1A
(8) Hanna at (1) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4) Hulett
(7) Upton at (2) Southeast
(6) Guernsey at (3) Cokeville

This week: 28-2 (93 percent). This year: 145-49 (75 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Hey, 3A West:

How did it get to this point?

Week 5 has come and gone, and three of your five teams are still winless?

Wha... wha... hmmm.... uhhh... oooohh... ummmm...

Speechless is about the only way to describe it -- and even if I had much to say, I couldn't, because it's hard to talk when your jaw is on the floor.

But I'll try:

For several years, the 3A West teams (Big Piney, Pinedale, Kemmerer, Mountain View and Lyman) have been hallmarks of consistency. Between them, they've won 12 state championships in the past 15 years, and every team except Pinedale has at least one state title in that span.

But this year, the 3A West has been getting the attention for the wrong reasons. 

Take a look at the WHSAA power ratings -- right now, there are two West Conference teams and six East Conference teams slated to make the playoffs.

Thankfully, this week, at least one of the three winless teams will garner a victory. It's guaranteed, as Mountain View travels up the road to play Big Piney.

Next week, Lyman's at Big Piney (and Mountain View hosts 4A Wheatland), while in Week 8, Lyman hosts Mountain View (and Big Piney travels to 1A stud Cokeville).

Here's the scary part: If Mountain View, Big Piney and Lyman go 1-1 against each other the next two weeks, they could ALL miss the playoffs. Only Kemmerer and Pinedale would move on, and all six 3A East teams would qualify for a playoff bracket that would have been completely unfathomable at the beginning of the season.

This week, I'll take Mountain View to win over Big Piney. And I'll take a pair of pliers to get my tongue untwisted and a tire jack to get my jaw up from off the ground.

Here are the rest of this week's picks. Projected winners are in bold, and projected non-winners can shove it right back in my face if they so choose today. ... :)

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne East at Rock Springs: Rock Springs' improvement is notable, and winning this game could be a huge breakthrough.... And it could happen. For now, the safe money's on the T-Birds. But we'll see.
Evanston at Cheyenne Central: No one has had a tougher first five games than the Indians, and the record shows it. Hopefully for Central, so will the improvement.
Green River at Laramie: With East next week and the Trona Bowl in Week 8, this could be a landmine game if the Wolves aren't careful. My bet is the Wolves will be plenty careful.
Kelly Walsh at Gillette: The Camels are darn near unbeatable at home.
Riverton at Natrona County: NC needs some victories to set themselves up for the postseason. And they don't need me to tell them that.

Class 4A
Powell at Jackson: This could be the best game in the state, not only this week but this season. Then again, it seems like every 4A West game this season has that potential. I'll take the Broncs at home in a tiny upset.
Star Valley at Lander: The Tiger train is officially back on track.
Torrington at Douglas: I can't decide if this will be a 49-35 shootout-type or a 6-0 defensive stalemate.... Either way, I think the Bearcats have the firepower to win it.
Wheatland at Buffalo: These Bison guys are pretty decent.

Class 3A
Glenrock at Moorcroft: Even with all the improvement Moorcroft has shown this fall, I still think it's Glenrock-Kemmerer on Nov. 15....
Kemmerer at Pinedale: Even with all the improvement Pinedale has shown this fall, I still think it's Glenrock-Kemmerer on Nov. 15....
Lyman at Wright: Can the Eagles snap their slump? Maybe... but bus lag and the Panthers are a tough combination to overcome.
Newcastle at Lovell: I knew the Bulldogs would be there. Now, they're quickly becoming the team that no one wants to see on their side of the 3A playoff bracket. 

Class 2A
Burns at Sundance: Odd side note: Sundance is the only common opponent that second-ranked Burns and top-ranked Big Horn have this season. So if nothing else, this should be a good gauge to see how Burns stacks up to Big Horn.
Greybull at Big Horn: Speaking of the Rams, they're pretty good -- although they know they have company at the top of 2A. No resting on their laurels here.
Lingle at Pine Bluffs: If the Hornets are going to get on some kind of season-saving roll, it has to start now. But I'm afraid it might be too late. Prove me wrong, PB... I won't mind. :)
Lusk at Saratoga: The Tigers have Southeast and Burns up after this week, so they can't afford to slip up here in what's sure to be an emotional game.
Riverside at Tongue River: Don't count out the Rebels. They're going to be one of those teams no one wants to play in the first round of the playoffs.
Wind River at Rocky Mountain: If there's such a thing as a "good loss," the Cougars had it last week. They've proven they can play with anyone in 2A, and they may not lose again.

Class 1A
Cokeville at Burlington: You can basically crown the winner of this game the conference champion. Both the Panthers and Huskies are undefeated in conference play; every other team has at least two conference losses.
Guernsey at Hulett: I said here back in, like, June that this would be the game the Red Devils would have to win to prove they belong. With what may end up being a first-round home playoff game on the line, I think Hulett will break through and prove they deserve it.
Hanna at Shoshoni: Shoshoni is quietly moving up the 1A ranks. Don't look now, but the Wranglers have won three in a row (including a sub-11 man game last week against Midwest).
Normative Services at Southeast: The Cyclones' defense has turned it on, giving up only 20 points combined in their past four games. That'll continue.
Wyoming Indian at Dubois: The Chiefs should be rested and ready for this one after the bye last week.

Interclass
Sheridan at Cody: Combined, these two teams are 8-0 this year against other Wyoming teams -- and 0-3 against Montana teams.
Thermopolis at Worland: Both teams are teetering on the edge of playoff oblivion, so count on high adrenaline for a game that will mean a ton for the power ratings. That, and Thermopolis hasn't beaten Worland since 1998.

Interstate
Rawlins at Moffat County, Colo.: Rawlins has lost 10 straight in this series dating back to 1990.

Six-man
Roberts, Mont., at Meeteetse: The road only gets harder for the Longhorns from here on out.

Off: Upton.

Monday bonus pick
Class 2A
Saratoga at Burns: The circumstances for why this game is where it is are sad and unfortunate. Hopefully, playing the game will ease some of the sadness.

Picks. Discuss. Right? Wrong? Other?

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

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

Welcome, offense. How we've missed you here in Wyoming this year. It's great to have you back.

It was so nice of you to finally show up. You helped 14 teams of 11-man football score more than 30 points this week. And three losers in Class 5A scored more than 20 points. It was rather refreshing to see, for once.

And with that, first mad props to Cheyenne East, which took care of Cheyenne Central 37-34 in the highest scoring Capital Bowl ever (tied with 1978, in which Central beat East 37-34 in triple OT). Don't know anything about this game other than the final score, so can anyone fill me in? This was a huge win for the T-Birds, who remained unbeaten in South Conference play with Rock Springs next week and a rather ominous-looking showdown with Green River coming in Week 7.

Second mad props to Lingle, which put up 50 points in its victory over Guernsey. Yep, 50. Alan Hill was a monster, running for 229 yards, three touchdowns and, with the way things were going for him on Friday, probably a date with Guernsey's homecoming queen, too. After proving they can play defense, the Doggers have proven they know how to play offense, too.

Third mad props belong to Burlington, which topped Riverside 19-13. Speaking of big games, how about the Huskies' Spencer Flores? He scored all three of Burlington's touchdowns, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter. That type of game is not really unexpected from Mr. Flores; he just put it together when his team needed it most.

Fourth mad props go out to Greybull, which topped Rocky Mountain 19-12 there in Greybull. The Buffs had a big night on the ground, running for 307 yards. Any time you can run for your area code, you're doing something right (especially in upper central Michigan; not so much in New Jersey).

Fifth mad props go to Meeteetse, which beat three schools on Friday in topping Grass Range-Winnett-Roy, Mont., for a conference victory. Another big game here; Quinn Stossel scored all four of the Longhorns' touchdowns, and they all came in the first half. This was a key victory for the Longhorns, who were in danger of falling out of the playoff race. With this win, they're right back in it -- and repping Wyoming well in Montana.

Sixth mad props to Wright, which bucked the big offense trend and went old school in its 6-0 victory over Newcastle. Duncan Jones scored the only TD of the game in the third quarter, and from there the Panthers did what they had to do to earn an important East Conference victory. The playoff race is becoming a bit clearer in a crowded East, and the Panthers are right in the thick of it.

Seventh mad props go to Gillette, which edged out Natrona County 15-13 and helped clear up the order at the top of the 5A North. The Camels made all the big plays and limited what Natrona wanted to do offensively, and did so without the state's leading rusher, Logan Pokallus, in the lineup. The Camels are back -- and if they can beat Kelly Walsh and Riverton the next two weeks, they'll be at home in the playoffs.

Eighth mad props go to Rock Springs, 30-16 winners over Jackson. This is another game I don't know much about, other than the final, but it IS Rock Springs' second win in a row. And heading into a stretch of three straight conference games to end the season, that can't be a bad trend to start.

Plenty of other cool stuff happened this week -- Cody stayed unbeaten in the 4A West, Glenrock again broke the 400-yard rushing barrier, Pinedale nipped Mountain View to set up an interesting 3A West and Big Horn beat Wind River in a battle of unbeatens.

And, unfortunately, we were once again reminded of how suddenly life can be taken from us. I can't imagine the heartache felt in the Saratoga/Encampment communities right now with the death of Mitchell Birch. Sports always become secondary when something like this happens, not only for the teams themselves but for everyone who hears the story. And as it should be. Please take a moment sometime this weekend to appreciate the moments that make life so much fun -- and be thankful you're still here to enjoy them. And please keep the families of Mitchell, Dubois' Delbert Madrid and Wright's Brittany Rentas in your thoughts all season long.

Feel free to add your thoughts below on any of the Week 5 goings-on.

This week: 20-8 (71 percent). This year: 117-47 (71 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Technically, the 2A West Conference champion won't be decided on Friday.

But let's get real. Of course it will.

The big 2A game of the week, Big Horn at Wind River, has conference championship game written all over it.

Big Horn and Wind River are both 4-0, and Wind River has the early edge in the conference standings only because the Cougars have played more conference games than the Rams (2-0 to 1-0).

You can trace Big Horn's success back several years. The program is rock solid and even changing coaches didn't affect the Rams' dynasty this fall.

You can trace Wind River's success back to Week 1, when a lenghth-of-the-field interception for a touchdown on the final play of the game against Pinedale gave the Cougars a victory and, more importantly, confidence.

Together, these two teams have outscored their opponents 283-33. They've both been tested -- Wind River in Week 1 against Pinedale, Big Horn two weeks ago against Moorcroft -- and they both passed those tests like champions.

This week, my pick goes Big Horn's way. But either way, don't kid yourself: This game will be for the conference championship when it's all said and done.

That said, here are the rest of this week's picks, with projected winners in bold and projected losers still finding a soft spot in my heart:

Thursday
Class 1A
Hulett at Normative Services: The Wolves are notoriously slow starters, but it's getting late in the season to do anything now....

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne East at Cheyenne Central: In a slight upset, I'll take the Indians. No real reason, just a hunch.
Kelly Walsh at Green River: KW has a schedule you wouldn't wish on anyone for the last four weeks of their season: at GR; at Gillette; home vs. Natrona; at Sheridan.
Laramie at Evanston: Quite honestly, I think whoever loses this game might be out of the loop come playoff time. And it could be either team. I'll take the Red Devils because of home field.
Natrona County at Gillette: Huge game, huge implications. I think it'll be close.... with some big-yardage play in the fourth quarter turning it the Mustangs' way.
Sheridan at Riverton: But don't underestimate a hyped-up team ready to take it to an old ally.

Class 4A
Buffalo at Torrington: I still think Torrington's got something good going -- but Buffalo is just way, way, way too tough.
Cody at Worland: The Broncs control their own destiny in the West; look for them to hold onto that ability for as long as possible.
Lander at Douglas: Check this out: I don't think Lander will win consecutive games in the regular season... and I think they'll finish 4-4 and make the playoffs easily.
Rawlins at Wheatland: Don't jump off the Bulldogs' bandwagon just yet.
Star Valley at Powell: Hey, who knows? If the West has proven anything this year, it's proven unpredictability. I still like Powell at home, though.

Class 3A
Lovell at Lyman: Rough season for the Eagles won't get any easier with the surging Bulldogs coming to town.
Pinedale at Mountain View: Yup... the Wranglers look legit.
Thermopolis at Glenrock: With Moorcroft looming next week, the Herders need to make sure their focus is on the team at hand.
Wright at Newcastle: Huge game for playoff seeding, power ratings and all that fun stuff. And right now, Newcastle needs this game more than Wright does.

Class 2A
Rocky Mountain at Greybull: Game of the week potential right here. There's a lot of parity in the middle of the 2A West, and this game could easily go either way.
Saratoga at Burns: Can't we just get to Week 8 and Lusk-Burns already?
Tongue River at Lusk: Can't we just get to Week 8 and Lusk-Burns already?

Class 1A
Cokeville at Hanna: The Panthers just keep looking stronger and stronger. Of course, their opponents have a combined 8-21 record, and their toughest games are yet to come.
Dubois vs. Upton, at Casper: Both teams have struggled offensively, so one big play from either side might be all it takes to bust this game open.

Interclass
Burlington at Riverside: Last week proved that Riverside is ready for anything.
Guernsey at Lingle: It's odd to think these two teams won't be playing each other next year. Last one goes to the Vikings.
Moorcroft at Sundance: It's a rivalry game, so weird stuff is expected, but I'm still going to lean the Wolves' way.
Pine Bluffs at Southeast: On paper, this looks like a mismatch, but this one could be closer than you think.
Rock Springs at Jackson: Jackson has a nice little nine-game home winning streak going. The last team to win AT Jackson? Rock Springs, of course.

Six-man
Grass Range-Winnett-Roy, Mont., at Meeteetse: If you've got to combine three schools to get a football team... maybe you're stretched a bit too thin. Or maybe you have the depth of three schools. Uh, oh.

Saturday
Class 3A
Big Piney at Kemmerer: So I hear this Kemmerer team is pretty good or something....

There are this week's thoughts. If you think I've goofed somewhere, make a comment below and contribute some original thoughts to the conversation.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Reclassification, six-man football and a new resurrection of an old debate are all on the agenda for the WHSAA's first quarterly board meeting of the new school year.

And decisions made over the next two days will have implications well into 2011, or further.

Reclassification is an every-other-year debate, but this year's discussion -- centering on the number of schools in Class 4A -- has been interesting to watch unfold. Of course, the discussion isn't done. Probably never will be. But for the sake of the next two years, watching this vote will be fun to watch.

Then there is the possible state sanctioning of six-man football. It was unfortunate to see six-man tied to a bigger overhaul of the classification system -- some small schools, justly so, have voiced the same concern -- and it's possible the rest of the state could get stuck in a system they don't want simply because they don't want to be the ones who voted down six-man sanctioning.

Then there's the old debate with a new twist. Also on the agenda for this week is another proposal to move the state football championship games to Laramie. Gee, that sounds familiar, doesn't it? Didn't the WHSAA already vote this down once? Yeah, like maybe last November???? (Click here for a refresher.) With basically the same make-up of board members, it seems a little odd that this is coming up again so quickly. This time around, though, Laramie is the only option -- the proposal is worded to basically eliminate the bid process and work out a deal directly with Laramie and UW instead of opening up the bid to any other interested cities.

This is going to be a critical week, no matter which way the decisions go. The only guarantee is that no matter which way the WHSAA votes, the discussion won't be ending any time soon.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Halfway through the regular season, I've learned some things about the make-up of Wyoming's high school football landscape in 2008.

Lander is back. So, too, is Sheridan.

Nothing is surprising in 4A -- so even when we got the early transposed score of Worland 40, Buffalo 6, we could believe it (the final was actually Buffalo 40, Worland 6).

Class 2A is loaded, Class 1A looks like it actually has challengers beyond Southeast and Cokeville and no matter how hard you try, nothing is predictable anywhere.

First mad props tonight go to the afforementioned Lander Tigers, who knocked off conference leader Powell 19-14. Don't know a lick about this game other than the final score. But, from the final score, we can discern a lot: The 4A West is up for grabs, parity rules with no one to challenge the throne and Lander is for real. Only Cody has gone through the conference unscathed (2-0), but the way this season has gone, it'll be tough for anyone to go through that conference unbeaten. There's just too much parity.

Second mad props go to Sheridan, which not only won the Energy Bowl over Gillette, it won in pretty one-sided fashion. The final score was 49-21, but that kind of hides the fact that Sheridan led only 15-13 at halftime. Given the way the Broncs dominated the second half, I'm thinking Coach Julian must have put his depth finder to use, found some capable legs and rotated fresh players a bunch. That, or the Broncs are incredibly conditioned.... Either way, it's scary for the rest of 5A.

Third mad props to Torrington, which used a big night from Mitch Schlager to drop Wheatland. Schlager just kept running on Friday, eventually finishing with 38 carries for 205 yards. Not a bad night for the back; not a bad night for his teammates, either, who obviously learned some lessons from the flatlanders the first three weeks and put them to good use when it mattered most. Buffalo looms next week for the Trailblazers....

Fourth mad props to Riverside, which needed a bit of good fortune and a ton of good defense to beat Rocky Mountain. Rocky missed a two-point conversion AND a 20-yard field goal in the second half to come up short. Ouch. If you're a Grizzly, that stings. If you're a Rebel, that's simply good defense stepping up at the right time.

Fifth mad props go out to Rock Springs, which beat Evanston 16-10 in OT. I can't explain the Red Devils -- I'm totally befuddled -- so I'm not even going to try. Instead, let's focus on the winners here. The Tigers, oddly enough, are right back in the mix of the 5A South despite starting 0-4. RS has Jackson next week, then re-enters conference play with East and Laramie before the Trona Bowl against Green River. If the Tigers get on a roll here, they could be one of the tougher teams to beat -- all it takes is a little confidence, more solid defense and a few good turns of fortune (i.e. winning games in overtime).

Speaking of overtime victories for previously winless teams, sixth mad props to Star Valley, which beat Marsh Valley, Idaho, 21-14 in overtime. I was beginning to wonder if the Braves were ever going to get moving. They have now, and it couldn't have come at a better time -- Powell and Lander are up next on the schedule.

And seventh mad props to Scottsbluff, Neb., which beat Laramie.

Other stuff that popped up this week:

Once again, 2A is stacked. Only three teams have losing records, and four teams are 4-0. Defense rules, too: Six of the 12 2A teams have given up 40 points or fewer this fall. That's a pretty amazing number midway through the season.

Speaking of defense, there were 12 shutouts this week. Cody and Pinedale pitched their second straight goose eggs; Burlington its third straight. Kemmerer and Pinedale both remained un-scored-upon in 3A West Conference play, and Cokeville maintained its spot atop the Wyoming defensive universe -- the Panthers have given up only eight points so far this season and have shut out three of their four opponents.

What was your biggest surprise of the weekend? Anything seem weird, unusual or just plain crazy in the world of Wyoming high school football? Anything you want to share with the rest of us? Post a comment and we'll talk.

This week: 22-7 (76 percent). This year: 97-39 (71 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

A traditional regional rivalry that's gone decidedly one way the past decade.

A team out to prove it belongs; another out to prove it still belongs.

A Week 4 game that has huge implications, not only for two teams but an entire conference.

This week, that set of circumstances applies to one big Class 5A game that has everyone's attention -- and one big Class 3A game that should have everyone's attention.

The 5A game is fairly obvious: top-ranked Gillette at third-ranked Sheridan in the Energy Bowl. These two teams haven't played against each other in a game this big since, oh 1998.

The 3A game isn't as quite. The "Sublette County Championship" (a phrase I've never heard uttered outside of the confines of my desk) between Big Piney and Pinedale has taken on a weird new dimension this year with the Punchers' unspectacular start and the Wranglers' explosive victory last week.

First, the Energy Bowl: It seems so long ago that this game was Sheridan's to lose every year. But in 1998, the two programs intersected so beautifully.... The Camels were on their way to the state championship, the first in school history. Sheridan was struggling to catch the last flames of its early 1990s dynasty.

Although Gillette won the Energy Bowl in 1997, the Broncs turned around and beat the Camels in the semifinals of the 4A playoffs later that season. Then came 1998: Gillette won the Energy Bowl again, this time 44-15, and later went on to beat Sheridan 44-0 in the 4A semifinals before topping Laramie in the state championship game.

Since then, the Camels have absolutely owned this series, beating Sheridan 21-10, 35-0, 34-12, 48-0, 24-7, 34-25, 39-0, 19-7 and 21-10 again in successive Energy Bowl games.

But this year, Sheridan has its best chance in more than a decade to reverse this trend. Last week, the Broncs got the breakthrough victory they've been looking for -- a 10-9 victory over Natrona at NC -- and have proven to be one of 5A's legit contenders for a state crown.

The Big Piney-Pinedale rivalry has been nearly as one-sided. The Punchers have beaten the Wranglers nine straight times dating back to Pinedale's 30-13 victory waaaaaaaayyy back in 1999. In fact, these two schools often played each other twice a season back in the day because they are both so far removed from the rest of the state.

Yeah, there's some history there.

But this year, Big Piney has started 0-3 and are near the bottom of the Class 3A power ratings -- an unusual place for a program with so much tradition. And Pinedale started 0-2 but appears to have turned things around with last week's 45-0 beat down of West Conference rival Lyman.

In a somewhat weak 3A West where three of the five teams still don't have a victory, success is critical at any stage of the season -- especially since the No. 2 seed from the conference behind Kemmerer seems totally up for grabs at this point.

I'm calling for one long winning streak to end and the other to continue.

I think Gillette wins the Energy Bowl. I think Pinedale wins the Sublette County Championship.

And I think both games will be great examples of what makes high school football in Wyoming so much fun.

Here are the rest of my picks for the week, with projected winners selected meekly with bold type:

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne Central at Green River: The Wolves need this win to keep pace with South Conference frontrunner East. And they know this.
Natrona County at Cheyenne East: Not that it'll happen, but if there's the possibility for a slip-up for the Mustangs, it might be here. With Sheridan last week and Gillette next week -- and something about a ball -- NC might be distracted enough to overlook East. Of course, the obvious question is "How in the heck do you overlook an undefeated defending state champion????" I do think it'll be close, no matter what, but my pick goes the Mustangs' way this week.
Riverton at Kelly Walsh: Whichever team loses this game has an incredibly tough road to reach the playoffs.
Rock Springs at Evanston: Evanston is already 0-2 in the South and really, really, really needs this game. Urgency reigns.

Class 4A
Douglas at Rawlins: Rawlins is a better team now than it was a year ago... but they still need that breakthrough victory. Could happen Friday, but probably....
Jackson at Cody: Can't I just pick the Broncs? Ah... a lame joke gets lamer every year. Hehe. Anyway, home field for Cody is a welcome relief after three straight on the road and should translate into a 'W.'
Lander at Powell: Once thing is for sure -- no one is going to waltz their way to the West Conference crown this year. Every game will be tough. Even this game should be of the single-digit margin of victory-type games.
Wheatland at Torrington: Despite the 0-3 start, don't overlook Torrington. They're getting it turned around slowly but surely.
Worland at Buffalo: Riddle time! How does a top-ranked team lose a game and still maintain its No. 1 ranking? Ask the Bison. They know -- and I think they'll rebound just fine after losing last week.

Class 3A
Glenrock at Mountain View: Odd stat: In the 21st century, Glenrock is 0-3 at Mountain View in regular-season games and 2-0 at Mountain View in postseason games.
Lyman at Kemmerer: The Rangers' West Conference shutout mission continues with test No. 2....
Newcastle at Moorcroft: This should be an excellent game. Quite honestly, if I had my choice, this is where I'd be on Friday afternoon (and then I'd drive up to Sheridan).
Wright at Thermopolis: After Glenrock, there's a lot of parity in the East Conference.... and these two teams are the only teams remaining that don't have a victory in league play. Big game, either way. 

Class 2A
Burns at Pine Bluffs: Rivalry games are funny things, so the Broncs need to be careful.
Lusk at Lingle: Last two games: Lusk 90, opponents 0. Talk about momentum...
Riverside at Rocky Mountain: OK, Griz. Time to see if you're for real.
Sundance at Big Horn: Statistical quirk of the day: In each of the last three games for the Rams, their winning margin has decreased (33 to 25 to 14). So you're telling me there's a chance!
Tongue River at Wind River: The Cougars are playing with a ton of confidence right now. Watch out.

Class 1A
Guernsey at Upton: Hemmed, hawed, couldn't make a decision, flipped a coin.
Hanna at Burlington: Don't make me say "I told you so" about the Huskies. They're solid. And they've pitched two straight shutouts.
Shoshoni at Dubois: The other four teams in the league have one conference victory apiece; neither one of these teams has broken through in league play yet. That makes this game that much more critical to keep pace.
Southeast at Hulett: Completely out-of-context stat: Every season in which Southeast has played a game at Hulett, the Cyclones have gone on to win the state championship. (Of course, Southeast has only played at Hulett once, in the semis of the 1A-D2 playoffs in 1999.)
Wyoming Indian at Cokeville: Speaking of state championships.... Cokeville just looks better and better every week. I'm not ready to call 1A like I've already called 3A, but another good showing from the Panthers might prompt one.

Interclass
Greybull at Lovell: I don't think the Bulldogs' big offensive outpouring last week was a fluke.

Interstate
Marsh Valley, Idaho, at Star Valley: I keep waiting for the Braves to break through, but I don't think that elusive victory is coming Friday.
Scottsbluff, Neb., at Laramie: Out-of-state games haven't been kind to Wyoming teams this year, but the Plainsmen should help bump up the average a little bit...

Six-man
Meeteetse at Custer-Melstone, Mont.: In three-plus years of picking, I've learned that if the game looks close, go with the home team. And then don't act surprised when the road team wins.

Open: Normative Services, Saratoga.

There are my choices. Who'll prove me right? Who'll make me look just plain silly? What are YOUR picks for Week 4? Post a comment below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

You know how we do. This week's 5:

1. Gillette golf: The Camels won the girls' team title and finished second in the boys' division at the Casper Invitational last week -- not a bad little roll to start the week before state.

2. Lyman volleyball: We see ya there, Eagles. Lyman finished third at its host tournament, but watch out -- the Eagles have been consistently pesky all season and could be a scary team come late October.

3. Cokeville volleyball: Speaking of volleyball tournaments, check out the Panthers. They won the Thermopolis Invitational, beating some much bigger schools (Cody in the championship and Powell in pool play) in the process. Then again, it's not all that surprising. Cokeville seems to do this every year.

4. Gillette girls swimming: OK, one more quick trip up to Campbell County, because I've got to give a quick shout-out to the Camels' swimmers. Really, think about this: It's not all that often you see a team more than double up the second-place team in a nine-team meet, but that's exactly what the Camels did at the Riverton Invitational. In fact, the rest of the field couldn't even double up the Camels -- the eight other teams scored 766 points combined; Gillette scored 443 all on their own. I don't care who you are, that's impressive right there.

5. Lovell football: I knew it was only a matter of time. The Bulldogs finally broke out big in a 30-point victory over Wright; Grant Geiser threw five TD passes to five different receivers. Yay, diversity!

That's it for now. Who else had a noteworthy weekend? Comment below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Repeat these words with me: "This is not a surprise."

Because that's what this week's Humble Pie is all about.

Sheridan, Gillette, Glenrock, et. al. Even though I picked against them, seeing them win on Friday night was not all that surprising, to be honest.

So let's check out Week 3 in a bit more depth....

First mad props to Sheridan, which knocked off Natrona County 10-9. In talking with Sheridan coach Don Julian this week, he said this was a big game for his program -- and this victory is just what Julian and the Broncs needed to let everyone know that their program is back. But, say it with me, "This is not a surprise." Sheridan is a much-improved team and Natrona definitely had respect for the Broncs and what they could do. Now, maybe everyone else will, too.

Second mad props go to Gillette, 14-13 winners over top-ranked Green River at home. Tyler Juby's blocked extra point in the fourth quarter was the difference in this one. This was arguably the biggest game of the season thus far, and, say it with me, "This is not a surprise." Make no mistake about it: Gillette is good. And this loss only helps further prove 5A's growing parity this season.

Third mad props to Glenrock, which knocked off 4A's top-ranked team, Buffalo. Once again, an extra-point attempt was the difference, as the Herders stopped the Bison on a 2-point conversion attempt in the final minute. But say it with me, "This is not a surprise." These two teams battled tooth-and-nail last season, so it really wasn't all that surprising to see that be the case again this season. And it wasn't too eye-popping to see Glenrock come out on top.

Fourth mad props to Shoshoni, which topped Normative Services 14-6. There was a little bit more of a surprise in this one only because of the final score -- I really thought this could be one of those high-scoring shootout-type games, which is why I picked NSI to win it. But it wasn't. At least according to the final score, it was more of a grind-it-out, defensive affair. And, say it with me, "This is not a surprise." Since the game ended up being a defensive struggle, it was not at all surprising to see the Wranglers pull this one out.

Fifth mad props to Sundance, which held on to its home-field advantage in its victory over Saratoga. Must've been the bus lag, which is the same affliction that tripped up Sundance last year in its loss to Saratoga on the Panthers' home field. Therefore, say it with me, "This is not a surprise." I think if you play this game tomorrow in Saratoga, the Panthers win it. But the game was in Sundance on Friday, and the Bulldogs won it -- and that's really all that counts.

Sixth mad props to Laramie, which came up Casper way and beat KW 24-16. It was only a matter of time before the Plainsmen's double-wing offense finally got rolling, and it just so happened that they did so against the Trojans. And once that offense gets rolling, it's hard to stop. So, say it with me, "This is not a surprise." The Plainsmen's breakthrough was simply a matter of when, not if. "When" just happened to be Week 3 in Casper. Now everyone else in 5A had better pay attention.

Seventh mad props to Gering, Neb., for beating Wheatland in OT.

Now, some other stuff:

As noted above, this was a big night for extra points. In addition to Glenrock and Gillette, NC also missed one and lost by a single point to Sheridan. And Worland stopped Lander on a 2-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter to win by one. And Wheatland failed to convert its extra-point attempt against Gering and ended up losing in overtime.

Also, a quick tip of the hat to the guys up in Dubois. The Rams lost a team member Wendesday when senior Delbert Madrid died in a car accident. The Rams decided to play their scheduled game against Wind River anyway and, although the Rams lost and the final score was too much to not enough, simply stepping on the field and getting out there and competing with that heavy heart is worthy of congratulations. (I'd love to be able to tell you more, but I couldn't get a hold of anyone in Dubois and Wind River didn't call in any information about this game. Sorry.)

One last thought: I got to see the Hanna-Hulett game today in Casper. The game itself was not much of a contest, but how it got to 63-0 is nearly unexplainable. I've never really seen a game like that and I'm still a bit confused emotionally.

The closest I ever came to something like that was a game I played in during my junior year of high school. We led 31-0 after one quarter and something like 43-0 at halftime. I remember at halftime, our coaches told us if we broke into the clear and had an obvious touchdown awaiting us, we weren't supposed to take it -- we were supposed to hit the ground, get out of bounds, whatever, just don't score.

I got to thinking about that again today watching this game. If you're a coach up 40-something to nothing at halftime, do you tell your players to avoid scoring more points? Do you chew out a kid who scores a touchdown anyway? Do you chew out your quarterback when he audibles at the line of scrimmage, and the play turns into an all-too-easy touchdown? If you've got a shutout going, do you continue to play to defend it (i.e. blitzes, first-team players, etc.)? I'm not trying to single anyone out here, or put anyone out or make anyone feel bad about what transpired on Friday; I'm genuinely curious to see what people think about how you define sportsmanship in a game that's a blowout, because I ran into a few different perspectives on Friday. Is sportsmanship keeping the score as low as possible once you know the outcome isn't in question, or is it continuing to play as hard as you can, even if it means that every once in a while you're piling on more points?

If you can, please try to keep your comments general and don't direct them toward any specific players or coaches; I'd really appreciate it.

And mad props to The Blitz. Check it out.

This week: 22-8 (73 percent). This year: 75-32 (70 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Disavowing all travel issues and all team, school or city allegiances, opting only for the chance to see the state's best high school football, what Week 3 game would you go to this weekend?

If Green River at Gillette isn't at the top of your list, then you haven't been paying attention.

Green River is the top-ranked team in Class 5A and has enough individual talent to be one of the classification's true championship threats.

Gillette is ranked third in 5A after topping Central and Rock Springs in impressive fashion the first two weeks of the season.

When coaches mention seeing teams again, this is the type of game they're talking about. Right now, it looks like there will be a very, very, very good chance of these two teams meeting again in the playoffs.

Obviously, there are plenty of side-plots in this game. Can Green River's defense handle Gillette's resurgent run game? Can Gillette's defense do the same to Green River's offensive rushing attack? Will bus lag affect the Wolves on a trip that's about 375 miles long -- one way?

For now, my pick is with the Wolves. But come November, when these two teams may meet again, who knows?

Here are the rest of this week's picks. Projected winners are the bold teams, but projected non-winners have the perfect chance to prove me wrong this weekend... and if they do, I'm not sad about it. :)

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne Central at Rock Springs: Based purely on what's happened the past two weeks, I have to take the Indians (both teams lost to Natrona and Gillette, but Central didn't lose as bad.... or something....)
Evanston at Cheyenne East: Rematch of last year's championship game could go either way, and I'm always partial to a home team coming off a win rather than a road team coming off a loss. But don't be surprised if the Red Devils win this one.
Laramie at Kelly Walsh: The Trojans' offense has started to come around and the defense is eager for redemption.
Sheridan at Natrona County: I wrote in my game preview that NC has beaten Sheridan 11 consecutive times, but that none of those 11 games could stack up to how tough this one could end up being. I truly believe that, and if Sheridan can get its passing game going, the Broncs could pull an upset.

Class 4A
Cody at Rawlins: Is Rawlins' 2-0 start really worth making the rest of 4A sweat? Time to find out.
Lander at Worland: This is an incredibly intriguing game, and I like what Lander's doing. But I still think Worland has enough in the tank to win this at home.
Star Valley at Jackson: Maybe the road will be kinder to the Braves than the new fancy home field has been. Either way, I do think there's enough rivalry fire in this one for the game to stay close.

Class 3A
Lovell at Wright: Don't ask me why. I've sat on the fence for this game all week long and finally just threw my hands up and picked a team.
Pinedale at Lyman: Some other 3A West team other than Kemmerer has to win eventually.... right? Kemmerer's 2-0, the other four combined are 0-9. Unless this game ends in a tie, that 0-fer streak is guaranteed to somehow end today.
Thermopolis at Newcastle: Odd quirk: Both teams lost by 28-0 scores last week.

Class 2A
Lingle at Burns: The Broncs just look too tough right now.
Pine Bluffs at Lusk: It's a brutal stretch coming up for the Hornets, and if they don't sense the urgency needed to win this one and gain a little momentum, the next two weeks (vs. Burns, then at Southeast) could be pretty long.
Rocky Mountain at Tongue River: Call it Grizzlies by eight. After all, RM won its first two games by eight-point spreads (14-8 and 20-12)....
Saratoga at Sundance: Don't let Saratoga's 1-2 record fool you. The offense is still explosive and the defense is still stout.

Class 1A
Burlington at Wyoming Indian: It's tempting to pick the Chiefs in this one, but I think the Huskies are a bit more battle-tested through two weeks of the season.
Hanna vs. Hulett, at Casper (NCHS): Neutral site, turf, both teams on the road, identical records... these types of games are always hard to read. Hulett in a coin flip.
Normative Services at Shoshoni: Wolves almost had their breakthrough game last week. Don't be too surprised if they end up having it this week.
Upton at Southeast: Bobcats would need a monumental effort for the upset. It's possible -- but not probable.

Interclass
Big Horn at Moorcroft: What? Picking against Moorcroft for a third straight week? Well, yeah. Big Horn has been the class of Class 2A so far this fall.
Buffalo at Glenrock: This game is always one of the most intriguing on the nonconference schedule. Last year, the Bison won 14-6 and both teams went on to fantastic seasons. Expect the same here -- low-scoring, close, fantastic seasons to follow.
Dubois at Wind River: Cougars have looked good in their 2-0 start. Might as well pencil in 3-0....
Greybull at Big Piney: This game, just like the Punchers' game against Rocky Mountain last week, should be a good test for both teams. Think close and hard-fought, with something like a 109-yard missed field goal return or some crazy big play like that breaking it open.
Kemmerer at Riverside: Two defending state champions going at it... but, as every coach in Wyoming will tell you, that was last year.
Mountain View at Cokeville: Cokeville has yet to allow a point on defense; Mountain View is averaging 1.0 ppg on offense.... While I do think the Buffs will get on track this week, I don't think it'll be enough to knock off the Panthers.
Riverton at Powell: Powell is much better than that 1-2 record will lead you to believe.

Interstate
Chadron, Neb., at Douglas: Chadron has owned this series recently, and they're off to another fast start this year.
Gering, Neb., at Wheatland: A lot depends on how well Wheatland's usually stout defense fares against Gering's balanced offense.
Torrington at Alliance, Neb.: Another game that's too close to call. Neither team has a victory yet, so this will end up being a key game one way or the other.

Saturday
Six-man
Meeteetse at Belfry, Mont.: The Longhorns have most of their "big" games at the end of their schedule -- but Belfry's a conference foe, and that makes this one just as "big" as the rest.

So am I right? Am I wrong? How did I get here? Am I channeling the Talking Heads too much? What picks make sense, and what picks make you think I've lost my mind? Comment below with some thoughts.

Same as it ever was, posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

This week's Five, in NPO:

1. Rawlins volleyball: In the biggest 3A tournament outside of state, the Outlaws won their own tournament, losing only one set along the way. And that was in pool play -- Rawlins swept everything on Saturday in the Gold bracket.

2. Jackson girls swimming: The Broncs did the double-dip this weekend, winning both the Pinedale Invitational and the Kemmerer Invitational. So how about it: Lander and Jackson are again alone at the top in 3A? Can anyone push either of these teams?

3. Sheridan girls cross country: Lela Carpenter won and Dana Morin finished third to pace the Broncs to a team championship at the talent-rich Wayne Chaney Memorial in Gillette on Friday.

4. Lingle football: The Doggers are playing Norman Dale-style football: "They can't win if they don't score." The Doggers pitched their second straight shutout and improved to 2-0 this season, even though they've only scored 14 points combined.

5. Cokeville football: Speaking of shutouts, the Panthers notched their second straight zero of the season, too, by beating the Evanston JV. Cokeville's total points scored through two games is a bit more impressive -- 77.

There they are. Add yours by making a comment below.

To paraphrase Alanis Morrissette, "Isn't it ironic?"

Actually, it's more coincidence than irony that Lander's losing streak ended on Friday. The Tigers' 18-game losing skid -- the longest active streak in the state -- came to an end Friday with a 6-0 victory over Jackson.

And, sorry Alanis -- it's almost pure coincidence, not irony, that this victory also ended the state's longest active winning streak, as Jackson's "W" streak ended at 12 games.

The Tigers didn't need much scoring, only a 24-yard scoring run from Bret Klopp in the first quarter. The defense played stout enough for that lead to stand the rest of the way, and just like that, the Tigers are in first place in the 4A West.

(In case you're windering, Cheyenne East and Kemmerer now share the honor for the state's longest active winning streak at five games apiece. Midwest now has the longest active losing streak at nine, but the Oilers almost pulled one out on Friday. Read Saturday's Star-Tribune for a cool story, or read it now on The Blitz.)

Second mad props this week go to Rocky Mountain, which knocked off Big Piney 20-12 on the road to improve to 2-0 and earn mad props for the second straight week. The Grizzlies got a key fourth-quarter touchdown and some stout defense to start 2-0 for the first time since 2002. Nice work.

Third mad props to Big Horn, which made a big statement by beating Riverside 31-6. This one got away from the Rebels early -- it was 24-0 at halftime. Was this the official changing of the guard for this 2A season? Well, the Rams were already ranked No. 1. But for now, they've proven they belong there.

Speaking of 2A, fourth mad props to Wind River, which posted its second straight victory by beating Greybull 29-0. The Buffs were hurt by seven turnovers (I ate three of them), but more than that, the Cougars were effective on the ground and through the air and all but stopped Greybull's offense completely. I think it's safe to say the Cougars will be giving everyone fits this year -- maybe even Big Horn. Might as well circle it now, Cougars vs. Rams, Week 5 in Pavillion.

Speaking of 2A, fifth mad props to Lingle, which posted its second straight shutout and beat Saratoga 8-0. To butcher a phrase, one-touchdown offense can win games, because shutout defense will eventually win championships. It's the first time Lingle's posted back-to-back shutouts since 1995.

Speaking of 2A, sixth mad props to Upton (yeah, 1A, I know, but they beat 2A Tongue River). The Bobcats squeaked by on the strength of an extra point and their ability to stop a two-point conversion try by the Eagles in the third quarter. Now that the Bobcats have a little depth, they could be trouble for every team that's left on their schedule. And after Friday, no one will be taking Upton lightly.

Seventh mad props to Moorcroft, which put another notch in its belt by shutting out Thermopolis. OK, admission time: I really thought Moorcroft could be good this fall, but I wanted to keep my expectations tempered until they proved something to me. Well, with this victory and last week's W over Lovell -- and doing so by spending more time on the road than Charles Kuralt -- the Wolves have done just that. They've proven they belong among 3A's top teams this fall. And until someone else proves otherwise, I'm standing by that thought.

Eighth mad props to Hanna, which knocked off Dubois 14-6 in a low-scoring, defensive battle. The Miners defended their home better than Brinks, gave up only six points and now can claim at least a share of first place in the 1A West.

Some other stuff that stuck out:

Is Cody that good, or is Star Valley just struggling that much? ... Watch out for Lusk -- 41 in the first half on Friday. ... How can you score 13 points in a six-man game and win? Ask Meeteetse: Tough defense. It got the job done against Fromberg, Mont., on Friday. ... All in all, there have been 10 shutouts this week. Eight of those losing teams were at home. So much for home cooking. (Update... Burns' Saturday shutout makes it 11, eight of those losing teams at home)...

That's all I got for now. What stood out to you in Week 2? Comment below.

This week: 23-8 (74 percent). This year: 53-24 (an abysmal 69 percent)

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The more I examine the Week 2 schedule, the more one game sticks out: Moorcroft at Thermopolis.

After this game, one of these teams will be 2-0. And the 3A East Conference just got a whole lot more competitive.

I don't think there's any question that Glenrock is the favorite in the 3A East, and if anyone in the conference beats the Herders it will be a genuine surprise.

But the race for second is interesting. All five remaining teams can make legitimate claims to that No. 2 spot now -- including both Thermopolis and Moorcroft, last year's bottom two teams in the conference standings.

Newcastle has the experience; Wright has the athletes and the trend of success; Lovell has the new approach and the stable of skill players.

But after Friday, it'll be Thermopolis at 1-0 or Moorcroft at 2-0 taking control of their own destiny.

This shouldn't be surprising, either. Thermop had plenty of returning players from last year's team and were poised to turn the corner long before last Saturday. Moorcroft, too, had an experienced group of backfield players and a bigger-than-average line, something that's key in this classification.

Quite honestly, I don't know who to pick here. Both teams have tremendous upsides and -- now -- confidence.

For now, my choice is Thermopolis. But both these teams have already proven they know how to get the job done -- and both have proven they'll be tough for anyone to beat this fall.

Now, one quick picking housekeeping item: I've received updated schedules this week from both Midwest and Ten Sleep. Both schools will be playing sub-varsity schedules and won't be eligible for the postseason. I'll continue to run their games as part of our weekly schedule, but I won't be making picks on those games. (It is kind of cool that these two teams will be playing each other in a home-and-home this season, starting with a game in Ten Sleep on Friday afternoon. Kickoff at 3:30 p.m. if you're in Washakie County with nothing else to do....)

Here are the rest of my picks for the second full week of the regular season, with anticipated winners in the boldface type:

Thursday
Interclass
Cokeville at Evanston JV: When these guys get the chance to play each other, it usually turns into a pretty decent game. Good test both ways.

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne East at Kelly Walsh: Neither offense was on top of its game last week, so don't look for a repeat of last year's 42-35 shootout.
Evanston at Green River: This is a big test for both teams; it almost seems unfair to play it so early. But the Wolves look too tough.
Gillette at Rock Springs: The Camels might be stronger than anyone outside Campbell County realizes.
Natrona County at Cheyenne Central: NC is finally getting healthy, especially on the o- and d-lines.
Sheridan at Laramie: The Plainsmen rebuilding project will take some time. Make no mistake, though, that it's coming. Soon.

Class 4A
Cody at Star Valley: Show me something, Braves. The last of three straight home games to start the season is a good time to do so.
Jackson at Lander: State's longest active winning streak vs. state's longest active losing streak.... and, oddly enough, I think it'll be somewhat close.
Powell at Buffalo: I like what Powell has going this season, and by November this could be a tight one. But for now, the Bison can't be picked against.

Class 3A
Glenrock at Lovell: The Bulldogs' offense might need a few games to come around. The Herders' offense is already in midseason form.
Kemmerer at Mountain View: When it's all said and done, I wouldn't be surprised if Kemmerer won the 3A West without allowing a point. This is Step 1...

Class 2A
Lingle at Saratoga: Panthers' hot offense (58 points vs. Hanna last week) faces Doggers' hot defense (shutout win over Morrill, Neb., last week).
Riverside at Big Horn: I'll call for the Rebels in a mild upset. Turnovers will determine this one, and I think Riverside will take better care of the ball. Prove me wrong, Rams...  
Sundance at Lusk: If either team wants to continue dreaming of the East Conference championship, then winning here is imperative.
Wind River at Greybull: The Buffs impressed me last week. Now it's time to see if they can keep up that hot streak.

Class 1A
Dubois at Hanna: Yeah, I flipped a coin to pick this one. Both teams are coming off rough losses, so it'll be the team that responded best to that adversity in practice this week that will come out on top.
Guernsey at Normative Services: The Wolves always take about a month to come together. If this were Week 8, I might take NSI. But it's not.
Hulett at Burlington: Hulett has had Burlington's number in recent years. But I think Burlington is better than people are giving them credit for right now.
Shoshoni at Wyoming Indian: Time to see if the Chiefs are for real.

Interclass
Douglas at Riverton: I never know what to do with this game. My gut tells me Bearcats, so I'll go with that.
Rawlins at Pinedale: Last time Rawlins started a season 2-0, it won the state championship. Don't crown the Outlaws yet, but....
Rocky Mountain at Big Piney: This is an incredibly intriguing game. Even though the Grizzlies are improved, I think the Punchers win this one at home. BTW, Big Piney hasn't started 0-2 since 1986.
Upton at Tongue River: TR could be one of the state's most improved teams this week.
Wheatland at Newcastle: If nothing else, both these teams are probably glad they're playing somebody else from Wyoming this week. Those OOS games weren't kind to either school last week.
Worland at Lyman: Even in a loss last week, Worland looked OK. Lyman didn't look too good in its loss.
Wright at Burns: This one has rolled around in my head all week, and I'm still not sure who to pick. The Broncs have the edge, though, if for no other reason than home field.

Interstate
Gering, Neb., at Torrington: Gering has beaten Torrington eight straight times... but the last few have been pretty close.
Pine Bluffs at Mitchell, Neb.: Cornhusker Staters have won four straight in this series.

Six-man
Fromberg, Mont., at Meeteetse: I can't find anything that said Fromberg played last week. Meanwhile, the Longhorns won by 48 last week.

Saturday                         
Interclass
Southeast at Laramie JV: Cyclones bounce back. Trust me.

There are my picks. How about yours? Any big upsets in the making? Post a comment below with your thoughts.

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

Based solely on what happened tonight, I'm willing to call it now: Nov. 15, 1 p.m., Class 3A championship, Kemmerer at Glenrock.

How can you not like the Herders after how they beat Douglas 27-14, topping their big-brother cross-county rivals for the second year in a row.... and earning mad props from me in the process?

As usual, Glenrock ran more than Harry after Turbo-Lax (ewww, gross!). The Herders ran for 354 yards -- believe it or not, below their average last year -- and had two running backs go over 100 yards.

And Douglas is no pushover -- I had them ranked second in my preseason Class 4A poll this year.

I don't think the loss is a reflection on Douglas as much as it is on Glenrock. Douglas is still good -- good enough to still be one of 4A's top contenders. But Glenrock's victory has convinced me that they're even stronger than I gave them credit for.

As for Kemmerer, they won exactly as I predicted -- by less than a touchdown over Rich County, Utah. I don't have many details on this game, but the final score (26-21) is indicative of another strong team in southern Lincoln County.

Second mad props to Moorcroft, which pulled a big surprise on me in its victory over Lovell. I really thought Lovell would be one of 3A's better teams. They may still be by the end of the season. But I definitely have underestimated Moorcroft.... Maybe I shouldn't have. They're an experienced group. I thought the Wolves might be one year away from their breakthrough. Now I'm rethinking that.

Third mad props to Greybull, which blasted Lyman by 35 at home. Looking back, several coaches listed Greybull as a team to watch this fall. Given the Buffaloes' recent track record (last playoff victory in 1996), I wanted to take a wait-and-see approach. Well, I think everyone in Greybull saw exactly what the Buffs are about tonight... especially Lyman.

Fourth mad props to Evanston, 24-14 winners over Kelly Walsh. The Red Devils aren't going to be anybody's whipping boys. We knew that well before tonight. But down 14-0 to KW early on, Evanston could have folded. Instead, the Red Devils scored three touchdowns in the second quarter and showed the type of resiliency that will be key throughout the season.

Fifth mad props to Rocky Mountain, which knocked off Burlington. The Grizzlies are a better team this year than last year. That was clear long before tonight. What the 14-6 victory told us, though, is that, indeed, Rocky has what it takes to stick around among 2A's top teams this fall.

Sixth mad props to Lingle, which knocked off Morrill, Neb., in a 6-0 shootout. The Doggers didn't need many points, not with the way their defense played. It doesn't matter who you're playing -- a shutout is impressive stuff. Lingle now heads into arguably the toughest part of its schedule over the next three weeks, but now with a little confidence, the Doggers could be trouble.

Added Saturday: Seventh mad props to Thermopolis, which beat Big Piney 7-0 in overtime. Like I said earlier this week, a Bobcats victory here is not surprising. Thermopolis is improved, and it showed big time on Saturday.

And mad props to Custer, Kimball, Miles City and Sidney for winning, too.

Now, for some stuff I picked right:

It was kind of a rough night to be in Fremont County. Riverton (48-0), Lander (42-0), Shoshoni (42-0) and Dubois (46-0) all lost big. Wind River was the county's saving grace, 20-14 winners over Pinedale. (Also, Wyoming Indian beat Midwest 48-8 in a 9-man game.)

And.... Wyoming's longest active winning streak has come to an end. Southeast's 18-game streak (don't look, Ethel!) ended with a 27-18 loss to Burns. Was it just coincidence, or was it fate that the Cyclones' 18-game streak ended in a game in which they scored 18 points? Nevertheless, Southeast's credibility atop the 1A rankings is not damaged at all by the loss -- they're still the odds-on favorite to three-peat -- and Burns proved that the No. 2 spot they have in the 2A poll is deserved as well.

(By the way, Jackson now has the state's longest active winning streak at 12 games. The Broncs thumped on Teton, Idaho, tonight, to make it an even dozen in a row.)

That's about it for now. What stuck out to you in Wyoming's first full week of football? Comment below with some thoughts.

This week: 24-11 (69 percent). This year: 30-16 (65 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

It's time to resurrect an old Sports Goulash favorite: football picks. Already, yours truly is behind the 8-ball in trying to catch up to last year's mark. I finished 215-76 last year, picking right 74 percent of the time. And 76 slices of Humble Pie made me a shareholder in Tums.

Last week, the official start of picking times for 2008, I went 6-5. Here's to better choices this week.

Week 1 Upset Special: Burns to win on the road over Southeast. If Southeast's 18-game winning streak is going to be challenged this fall, it'll come this week. (Remember the Cyclones' 8-6 victory in Week 1 last year?) On paper, Burns has one of its best teams in years. Southeast, too, has a ton of experience back, which makes this pick that much more difficult. Either way, both teams will have a much better idea of how they stack up after this one is done -- but I'll give the Week 1 edge to the Broncs. (By the way, if Southeast wins this game, is there any team on its schedule that can give them a serious challenge -- and beat them in a victory that wouldn't be considered an upset? Lusk? Pine Bluffs?)

Here are this week's other picks. Projected winners in bold. But just because I pick you to lose doesn't mean I don't like you:

Thursday
Interclass
Normative Services at Big Horn: Wolves have never beaten the Rams.
Saratoga at Hanna: I remember Hanna's upset last year. Doesn't change my pick, though.
Friday
Class 5A
Laramie at Cheyenne East: T-Birds have been consistently good the past three years.
Gillette at Cheyenne Central: A complete toss-up here. Maybe the Camels took something from last week's loss... other than the sting. Something positive. We'll see.
Green River at Riverton: Could Coach McCormick at Riverton ended up with a worse Week 1 game? Prolly not.  
Kelly Walsh at Evanston: Evanston got hit with injuries this week...
Rock Springs at Natrona County: Rock Springs is still feeling its way with a new offense.
Class 4A
Buffalo at Lander: Hey, speaking of rough first draws for new coaches in Fremont County....
Powell at Worland: This one could be a good one -- maybe the game of the week by the time it's all said and done.
Class 3A
Moorcroft at Lovell: Moorcroft really got the short end of the stick on its schedule. First two games are conference games, and they're both like 800-mile trips (at Thermopolis next week). OK, maybe not 800. They just feel that long.
Class 1A
Cokeville at Shoshoni: Weird scheduling quirk -- it's Cokeville's first visit to Shoshoni since 2004.
Hulett at Upton: If you believe the chatter, this game could end up being for a home playoff game by October. Folks in Guernsey and Sheridan beg to differ.
Midwest at Wyoming Indian: Don't know if this'll be a 9, an 8 or a 6. Whatever, I'll take the Chiefs.
Interclass
Burlington at Rocky Mountain: Grizzlies are improved this year. Trouble is, so are the Huskies.
Douglas at Glenrock: No. 2 in 4A vs. No. 2 in 3A. And yes, I remember last year. Just call it the revenge factor.
Lusk at Guernsey: I think Lusk has the potential to go deep into the 2A bracket. I also think this game is a potential land mine for the Tigers.
Lyman at Greybull: Long trip... no problem.
Mountain View at Rawlins: No reason why the Outlaws shouldn't be optimistic about the season. They could trip up some teams this fall -- starting with the Buffalos.
Pinedale at Wind River: A lot of 2A coaches are high on the Cougars this fall. Time to see if they've got it right.
Riverside at Dubois: They say defending the championship is tougher than winning it....
Tongue River at Wright: Eagles are still a little young; Panthers, not so much.
Interstate
Cody at Hardin, Mont.: Bulldogs beat Powell last week.... and that's all I'm basing this pick on.
Hill City, S.D., at Sundance: Last time Hill City beat Sundance was 1979. Of course, there was that 20-year gap when they didn't play each other....
Jackson at Teton, Idaho: What happened to Teton? From perennial state title contenders a few years ago to getting beat by 35 by North Fremont? Paging coach Richins... (Sorry, I don't get the chance to drop my eastern Idaho knowledge that often in Wyoming. I take the chance whenever I can.)
Kemmerer at Rich County, Utah: But it'll be close. Think a touchdown or less.
Kimball, Neb., at Pine Bluffs: OK, Hornets. I was the only one to vote for you in the preseason statewide poll. Time to prove me right.
Miles City, Mont., at Sheridan: Turf!!!! Broncs break it in with a victory.
Morrill, Neb., at Lingle: Lions have beaten the Doggers six consecutive times.
Newcastle at Custer, S.D.: Newcastle has that scary word: potential. Time to show it.
Sidney, Neb., at Wheatland: If you like defense, go to Platte County. Remember the 6-0 slugfest these two teams had last year? And how they had to go to OT to decide it?
Snake River, Idaho, at Star Valley: Uh oh, eastern Idaho time.... I'll just say that year in and year out, the Panthers are among the top teams in the Gem State.
Torrington at Chadron, Neb.: Same deal with Chadron. They're usually pretty solid.
Saturday
Class 3A
Big Piney at Thermopolis: Watch out for the Bobcats this year. Seriously. They could be a spoiler for several teams, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them win this one.
Six-man
Meeteetse at Lima, Mont.: With some juggling, the Longhorns are now in a seven-team South Conference up in Montana. Seven teams? Here in Wyoming, we call that a classification.

So there you go. Dissect away. Where did I go right? Where did I go wrong? Let me know, and then we'll all have fun watching the scores roll in on Friday.

And remember, the best place to watch the scores roll in is at The Blitz, the Star-Tribune's high school football headquarters. Check it out on Friday night for scores and recaps and throughout the week for chatter.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

This is indeed a sad day for Wyoming high school football.

Eight Wyoming teams were involved in out-of-state games this weekend. All eight lost.

Yep, a big fat 0-8.

(Edit: Actually, only seven lost. Sheridan beat Rapid City Central, S.D., 34-0. We received a transposed score from a call-in on Saturday night.)

The scores (oh, the scores!): West Grand, Colo., 13, Saratoga 9.... Hardin, Mont., 14, Powell 8.... Steamboat Springs, Colo., 21, Laramie 14.... Laurel, Mont., 27, Cody 0.... Rich County, Utah, 31, Mountain View 0... Billings Central, Mont., 49, Worland 7.... Sky View, Utah, 55, Gillette 21.

Yeah, I know, these games don't really count in the power ratings, and a lot of people are still upset that we here at the Star-Tribune count these games as part of teams' overall standings.

But come on. Oh-and-eight? (Edit: One-and-seven?) Really? Wow.

It's not so much that the Wyoming teams lost. It was how -- by 27 or more points in five of those eight games. (Edit: By 27 or more points in four of those seven games.)

Yeah, those two Utah games can't really be figured in, because Utah starts football practice in, like, February. Those other six (edit: five) games, though, Wyoming was on even footing.

Next week, 11 Wyoming football squads play out-of-state games. Please tell me at least one will win. Please. Right now, I'm not so sure.

(Oh, and mad props to Wind River and Riverton for winning when I picked against them.)

This week: 6-6. Season total: 6-6.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Football picks time... the abbreviated version. You'll see the full version next week. For now, I'm just picking. I'm picking only the games; scrimmages and jamborees will be going by the wayside as far as picking goes. "I think" winners in bold:

Friday
Interstate
Steamboat Springs, Colo., at Laramie
Saturday
Class 5A
Green River at Natrona County (As a side note, this could be one of the best games of the season. I flipped a coin to make this pick. Seems unfair that it's a Zero Week game.)
Kelly Walsh vs. Rock Springs, at Riverton
Interclass
Riverton at Star Valley
Wind River at Cokeville
Interstate
Billings Central, Mont., at Worland
Gillette vs. Skyview, Utah, at Green River
Laurel, Mont., at Cody
Powell at Hardin, Mont.
Rich County, Utah, at Mountain View
West Grand, Colo., at Saratoga
Sheridan vs. Rapid City (S.D.) Central, at Gillette

Here's the rest of the Zero Week schedule:

SCRIMMAGES
Cheyenne Central at Cheyenne East, TBD
Jackson at Evanston, 1 p.m.
Kelly Walsh sophs at Wright, 10 a.m.
Kemmerer at Lander, 11 a.m.
Sundance at Hulett, 10 a.m.
Torrington at Douglas, 11 a.m.
Wheatland at Rawlins, 1 p.m.
JAMBOREES
Burns, Lusk, Newcastle, Pine Bluffs at Newcastle Jamboree, 9 a.m.
Big Horn, Glenrock, Greybull, Laramie JV at Laramie Jamboree, 8:30 a.m.
Lingle, Southeast at Cheyenne Central JV/Cheyenne East JV, 9 a.m.
Lovell, Riverside, Rocky Mountain, Shoshoni, Thermopolis at Thermopolis Jamboree, 10 a.m.
OFF: Big Piney, Buffalo, Burlington, Dubois, Guernsey, Hanna, Lyman, Midwest, Moorcroft, Normative Services, Pinedale, Tongue River, Upton, Wyoming Indian.
Note: Games involving Laramie and Saratoga count in WHSAA power ratings; other games, scrimmages and jamborees do not.

Sorry for the abbreviated version. You'll get more out of me next week.

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

A little bit of juggling in Zero Week football....

Cokeville had a game scheduled with Rich County, Utah, for Zero Week, one of three games that was supposed to count in the WHSAA's power ratings. However, that game has been canceled by the schools "for various reasons," the WHSAA's Trevor Wilson said.

Instead, Cokeville will only have seven games that will count in the power ratings. The eighth week will be filled by a game with the Evanston JV and Zero Week for Cokeville will be a scrimmage game with Wind River.

Mountain View and Rich County will play each other in Zero Week, but that won't count in the power ratings.

Also....

The WHSAA granted Laramie special permission for Laramie to play its Zero Week game against Steamboat Springs, Colo., on a Friday night. Since the WHSAA requires players to participate in 10 practices before the first contest, all Zero Week contests have been played on Saturdays. Laramie will be exempt from that this year; however, Wilson said Laramie's players still must participate in 10 practices before the first contest (i.e. Laramie will have to practice on Saturday or Sunday the first week).

Laramie's game and Saratoga's Saturday game with West Grand, Colo., are the only two Zero Week games that will count toward the WHSAA's power rating.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

With fall practice starting on Monday, this will be the last in our fun little summer series of trivia questions. Remember that internet researching is discouraged, guessing is encouraged, you play by posting your guess as a comment to this post, and I reply as soon as I can to let you know if you're right or wrong.

This week's question is worded oddly. Stay with me...

Championship football Saturday was unique in 1993. Something happened that Saturday that had never happened before and hasn't happened since in the course of Wyoming's football history. What was it?

(See, confusing, right? Here's what I'm aiming for: Some or all of the winners of those championship games had something in common. What did they have in common?)

It's a weird way to end the summer, but give it a chance. Thanks for playing along all summer long; it's been fun.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

By September 30, we'll know a lot more about the future make-up of Wyoming's high school football landscape.

On that date, the Wyoming High School Activities Association's board of directors will vote whether to overhaul the classification system, including the addition of six-man football.

If the proposal passes, the conference make-up will shift -- only slightly for most of the state's larger schools, but quite dramatically for most of the smaller schools.

And here is the meat of the proposal, all spelled out:

The proposal still has the 22 largest schools making up the two largest classes -- the only change would come in the numbers. Right now, those 22 are split evenly -- 11 in Class 5A, 11 in Class 4A. The proposal calls for only the top 10 to form a new Class 4A and the next 12 to form a new Class 3A. (Right now, Riverton is the No. 11 school that would drop a classification.)

From there is where the changes truly take shape.

The new proposed Class 2A would have 16 teams -- much larger than any current classification. And the remaining 21 schools would be placed into two divisions of Class 1A -- one for 11-man and one for six-man.

The projected Class 2A would include all current Class 3A schools plus Greybull, Big Horn, Tongue River and Wyoming Indian. The remaining schools would make up Class 1A, with the schools themselves choosing whether to play six-man or 11-man for a period of no less than two years.

(So far, eight schools have "verbally committed" to the WHSAA for six-man: existing programs Guernsey, Midwest, Hanna, Meeteetse and Ten Sleep and new programs Fort Washakie, Rock River and Kaycee. Farson and Snake River could also have six-man programs in time for '09.)

First: Does all that make sense? Hopefully it does. Ask me questions if you've got 'em.

Second: Do you think this overhaul will help the state's football teams? Would these changes be positive changes? Do you think six-man football would be viable in Wyoming? Do you think it's a wise move to give smaller schools their own choice on which version of the game they'd like to play?

Let's hear it.

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

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Quick thought on home-field advantage for this year's football championship games... This year, the conference champs from these conferences will have the top seeds and the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs:

5A: North Conference
4A: East Conference
3A: East Conference
2A: East Conference
1A: West Conference

Seeds will go the usual way, just like they did last year, power ratings and all:

1--Conference champion, host conference
2--Conference champion, non-host conference
3--Conference runner-up, host conference
4--Conference runner-up, non-host conference
5-8--Next four best by power rankings

Highest remaining seed hosts the championship game.

Last year, three of the five state champions were the No. 1 seeds (Jackson, Kemmerer and Southeast). Cheyenne East was a 3-seed and Riverside was a 4-seed.

See ya Nov. 15 to see how this all works out.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Dipping back into the well for something I did last year: Way-too-early high school football rankings. Of course, between now and August (and November), a ton can happen. And, of course, between now and the first game, we'll be seeking the opinions of every single coach in the state on what teams to watch, and those weigh heavily into our official preseason rankings.

With that, here's what I think. Tell me what looks good and what looks questionable:

Class 5A
1. Natrona County: State's offensive MVP looked good last year running behind an experienced line. Now that line is gone -- and Tom Earl gets a chance to prove himself all over again.
2. Green River: No one has more experience in the backfield than the Wolves, led by D-I prospect Andrew Meredith.
3. Evanston: Lots of juniors filled key roles on last year's runner-up team.
4. Cheyenne East: Making three straight state championship games doesn't happen by accident. A program is in place, once and for good.
5. Gillette: Because it's Gillette.

Class 4A
1. Buffalo: The Bison haven't lost a conference game since conferences were reinstated in 2005.
2. Douglas: Cody Bohlander could be as explosive as any other player in the state, and he's surrounded by what appears to be a pretty good crew of players.
3. Jackson: The Broncs lost a lot of seniors of last year's undefeated state championship team. But still, the players coming back were part of an undefeated state championship team....
4. Star Valley: Always tough, you know the Braves will bring it year in and year out.
5. Worland: I like the Warriors a lot. I always do early in the season. But October has been Worland's telling month the past couple seasons.

Class 3A
1. Glenrock: The Herders had several young players on last year's runner-up squad, including Star-Tribune Super 25er Ryan Lee.
2. Kemmerer: Four all-staters come back for the Rangers. Can I just call it now? Glenrock-Kemmerer on Nov. 15 in Glenrock.
3. Lovell: A new coaching staff could provide the stability needed to put the past away.
4. Mountain View: Is the West losing its parity? There looks to be more separation in the West this year than in previous years... and MV looks like the one team that could step up and challenge Kemmerer.
5. Newcastle: I still think 2006 wasn't a fluke. I still think 2007 was.

Class 2A
1. Big Horn: Parity was abundant in 2A last year, but the Rams have some solid talent returning and have to be the early favorites.
2. Riverside: Back-to-back title game appearances, including the championship last year, isn't only based on talent.
3. Lusk: Two all-staters are back for the Tigers.
4. Saratoga: The Panthers were one big play away from playing for the state championship.
5. Burns: If the backfield stays injury-free, the Broncs could go places.

Class 1A
1. Southeast: How do you not pick Southeast? Winners of 18 straight games and back-to-back state champions -- and with a pair of all-staters returning.
2. Cokeville: No one can question Cokeville's football pedigree. However, the Class of 2008 was the first class since the Class of 1983 to not win a state championship at least once in its four years of high school.
3. Guernsey: The Vikings are starting to build a nice football tradition of their own, but numbers could be their undoing.
4. Burlington: The Huskies will probably host a first-round playoff game.... unless somebody out West really steps up this fall.
5. Hulett: Don't forget that the Red Devils have put together back-to-back winning seasons and return several players -- including their only all-stater -- from last year's squad.

The lights are flickering here so I better post this quickly (stupid lightning). Comment below with your thoughts.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The 2008 Shrine Bowl is in the books. The North won 16-10. Check the Star-Tribune on Sunday and Monday for more.

Anyway, the game itself was all it was hyped to be. The North's ground game was just a little too much for the South to overcome. Turnovers were also key -- the South had four, the North one.

Tongue River's Rob Johnson won offensive MVP honors, while Kelly Walsh's Zach Johnson was the defensive MVP.

Rob Johnson's numbers were solid for a low-scoring game -- 9-of-17 passing for 118 yards and a touchdown, and four carries for 21 yards and another score.

Zach Johnson, meanwhile, won the defensive honors thanks to two interceptions and a fumble recovery.

Rock Springs' Drew Rollin had my vote for offensive MVP, by the way. He finished with an even 100 yards on 15 carries and help set up the South's only touchdown with a big 23-yard run. He had more than half of his rushing yards in the first quarter.

I'm still wrapping my head around this one. I'll probably post some more thoughts as comments below as I think of them.

What did you think? Were you there? Who got your votes for MVPs? What plays stuck out in your mind?

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

In case you haven't heard, the Shrine Bowl is on Saturday here in Casper. My colleague Austin Ward and I are all over it this week -- we'll be bringing you stories from each camp each day all the way up to the big game.

The early dope has this one as South speed vs. North size. The North is by far the bigger team, with 15 players weighing at least 210 pounds. The South only has five at 210 or more, but will try to make up for that with its speed and quickness (even though the North team has its fare share of speed as well).

As we saw last year, though, this game is usually defined by one big playmaker. Last year, that playmaker was Douglas' Blake Richendifer, who was the offensive MVP and scored all three touchdowns in the South's 20-17 victory.

So... when you look at this year's rosters, who do you think are the biggest playmakers? Who on these lists has the chance to put up an MVP-type performance on Saturday?

(By the way, after watching the North practice, I think the big playmaker on offense could be Jackson's Alex Bush. They've got him playing at wideout and, as unassuming as he might look, he's quick and aggressive but has soft hands. After I go to the South practice today, I'll give you my thoughts on that squad, as well.)

Here are the rosters for Saturday's game. Post your comments below.

(By the way, in the hype of the game, let's not forget what these young men are playing for. Click here.)

Shrine Bowl Rosters
NORTH SQUAD
Number Name School Height Weight
1 Jake St. John Big Horn 6-1 170
2 Braden Benson Gillette 5-10 180
4 Stephen Pyer Worland 5-11 175
5 Kasey Garnhart Riverside 5-2 145
7 Scott Soderstrom Worland 6-0 190
10 Zach Johnson Kelly Walsh 6-0 160
11 Dane Robertson Lovell 6-3 195
12 Ray Moore Sundance 6-1 190
13 Alex Bush Jackson 6-1 190
14 Chase McNamee Shoshoni 6-3 185
15 Rob Johnson Tongue River 6-5 185
16 Trevor Feusner Cody 6-4 205
17 Curtis Lindgren Greybull 5-11 170
21 James Hepp Wright 6-1 170
22 Kyle Blumenshine Riverton 5-11 180
25 Anthony Fleak Gillette 6-0 190
26 Josh Dunkelberger Sheridan 6-0 195
27 Daniel Goe Jackson 6-1 170
29 Tyler Dahlgren Powell 6-2 220
33 Erik Heiss Kelly Walsh 6-2 210
37 Zachary Edwards Natrona 6-1 218
40 Matt Rich Natrona 6-0 185
43 Ryan Morton Sheridan 5-11 180
47 Mike Mounce Natrona 5-11 175
52 Michael Thompson Cody 6-2 190
56 Peter Fenster Buffalo 6-2 220
61 Dakota Ramey Buffalo 5-11 246
62 Thomas Nowakowski Big Horn 5-10 280
63 Casey Sullivan Gillette 5-11 275
66 Ross Schulte Natrona 6-1 230
70 Steven Antle Gillette 6-5 320
72 Joel Holbrook Kelly Walsh 6-1 215
75 Carson Rowley Natrona 6-5 223
79 Randall Haefele Wright 6-4 235
81 Matthew Sebade Lander 6-5 215
90 Toby Wood Riverside 6-3 250

SOUTH SQUAD
Number Name School Height Weight
1 Ron Halstead Rock Springs 5-9 175
2 Drew Rollin Rock Springs 6-1 205
3 Jared Walla Cheyenne East 6-2 180
4 Jordan Abrams Star Valley 5-10 155
5 David Moats Guernsey 6-0 160
6 Brock Hayden Cheyenne Central 6-3 170
7 Chris Jenkins Cheyenne Central 5-9 175
8 Kyle Crandall Evanston 6-0 175
10 Remington Roberts Kemmerer 6-2 180
15 Wesley Werbelow Pinedale 6-1 185
20 Jake Spero Evanston 5-9 170
21 Alex Stratton Cheyenne East 6-0 190
24 Skyler Hoopes Lusk 5-9 170
25 Trenton Blakeman Glenrock 5-9 175
27 Darren Neely Cheyenne East 6-0 188
29 Cody Saloga Evanston 5-9 195
30 Scott Boner Douglas 5-10 175
34 Stephen Easton Southeast 6-1 200
40 Evan Nishi Kemmerer 5-11 170
42 Jason Easley Kemmerer 5-10 190
44 Ben Hanson Lusk 6-0 170
50 Michael Poulos Laramie 6-2 200
51 Matt Cook Cheyenne Central 6-2 220
53 Brian Bull Douglas 6-1 195
54 Dustin Condos Lyman 6-1 185
55 Tyson Anderson Green River 5-10 195
56 Kelly Garvin Green River 6-1 225
62 Justin Willard Evanston 6-0 190
68 Jason Simmer Cheyenne East 6-2 205
70 Jim Downs Glenrock 6-8 290
73 Jay Leininger Burns 6-2 185
76 Greg Eiden Jr Big Piney 6-0 190
77 Aaron Weglin Southeast 6-0 285
81 Chase Tyson Wheatland 5-11 180
84 David Capozzoli Saratoga 5-10 170
89 Keenan Zimmerman Torrington 6-4 210

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Wyoming's junior-college athletic landscape is shifting.

Central Wyoming added volleyball two years ago and will add basketball this fall.

Start-up Gillette College has already added rodeo, the cross country program hired its first coach and the basketball program could be ready to go as soon as next year.

But even with eight junior colleges with athletic programs,  Wyoming still remains without a junior college football team.

Why?

Well, IMHO, two key factors keep Wyoming without juco football: cost and distance.

Starting a college football program at a D-III or juco level costs at least $300,000, and the annual operating budget for coaches, equipment, water on the field, etc., is close to a $250,000 per year. So that's more than a half-million dollars up front, before the first kickoff. Find me a Wyoming junior college that has that kind of cash sitting around that they can pony up (or better yet, find me a juco that has the ability to convince some oil or coal company to pony up that kind of cash).

But if the cost of starting a program doesn't scare schools away, the cost of maintaining a program will -- especially if anyone at the school can read a map. Wyoming is significantly removed from any other juco football teams (click here for the list). Not only will it be costly for Wyoming teams to travel to away games, it'll cost just as much for those other teams to come to Wyoming -- not exactly the best sales pitch you can give to your future opponents.

Does Wyoming need another college football option? Absolutely. Few of Wyoming's high school seniors have the ability to play at UW (in fact, UW signed only one Wyoming player from the Class of 2008), but a boatload have the ability to play at the juco level. And I'm talking Carnival Cruise boat, not Cuban refugee boat.

But, for now, cash and distance speak louder than need.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

PS -- I'm not sure what the hold-up is. After all, I took the "Casper College Thunderbirds" to the BCS national championship a few years ago playing NCAA Football 2005. If I can do that, surely someone else can do it in real life, right? :)

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

Six-player football is here.

Write it down.

April 22, 2008: The re-birth of six-player in Wyoming.

Right now, the baby is only one day old. And plenty of growing remains between the time the baby grows up to be a center that's also an eligible receiver.

But for now, we can revel in the fact that this six-player idea might actually become a reality.

The eight schools that have committed (Guernsey, Hanna, Midwest, Meeteetse, Ten Sleep, Fort Washakie, Kaycee and Rock River) are tiptoeing into what's more or less uncharted territory for Wyoming football.

The state hasn't sponsored six-player football since 1956 (and by that I mean REAL six-player, the kind that has conferences, playoff systems and a real state champion at the end of it all). And the state hasn't sponsored anything less than 11-player since 1994.

But on Tuesday, the Wyoming High School Activities Association gave its first-reading approval to state-sponsored six-player to start in the 2009 season. The WHSAA still has to pass it again in September, but the unanimous decision by the board to keep this proposal moving was encouraging.

It was also encouraging to see the WHSAA set up the system to succeed, rather than to fail. Rather than by mandating that certain schools play either 11- or six-player, the WHSAA wisely gave small schools the choice of what they wanted to play. Those 21 current programs (plus any new ones, like Fort Washakie, Kaycee and Rock River) can choose whether they want to play in a six-player league or in an 11-player league. Giving schools the choice like that is the right way to set up a new system -- those with the enthusiasm can start the "pilot program," those who still have a bit of trepidation can wait it out a couple years to see how it flies.

No matter what, six-player football is here, and I think it's here for good.

Although only seven or eight schools may sponsor the sport in its inaugural season, I think by 2013, six-player football could have as many as 13 or 14 schools participating -- a figure that includes several start-up programs.

This six-man thing is gonna get big.

And Tuesday was the unofficial berth of something great.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

For some reason, I've had a ton of requests for this. It was released back in February but somehow a lot of people missed it the first time around. So here it is again:

Head Coach: Shawn Rogers, Kemmerer
Assistant coaches: Darrell Bullington, Kemmerer; Brick Cegelski, Cheyenne Central; Jay Rhoades, Douglas; Matt VandeBossche, Lusk; Mark Bullington, Southeast.
Players
BIG PINEY: Greg Eiden. BURNS: Jay Leininger. CHEYENNE CENTRAL: Brock Hayden, Matt Cook. CHEYENNE EAST: Alex Stratton, Darren Neely, Jared Walla, Jason Simmer. COKEVILLE: Devon Pope. DOUGLAS: Brian Bull, Scott Boner. EVANSTON: Cody Saloga, Jake Spero, Justin Willard, Kyle Crandall. GLENROCK: Jim Downs, Trenton Blakeman. GREEN RIVER: Kelly Garvin. GUERNSEY: David Moats. KEMMERER: Evan Nishi, Jason Easley, Rem Roberts; LARAMIE: Cody Suder, Mike Poulos. LUSK: Ben Hanson, Skyler Hoopes. LYMAN: Dustin Condos. ROCK SPRINGS: Drew Rollin, Ron Halstead. SARATOGA: David Capozzoli. SOUTHEAST: Aaron Weglin, Stephen Easton. STAR VALLEY: Jordan Abrams, Zack Booth. TORRINGTON: Keenan Zimmerman. WHEATLAND: Chase Tyson.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

.... for Nebraska. And it's no surprise to see some Wyoming teams on there.

If you're really interested in, like, corn and stuff, all of Nebraska's football schedules for 2009 are available by clicking here. But if you don't have time to surf, just look below for the scheduled games involving Wyoming teams for 2009:

Sept. 3: Lingle at Morrill, Neb.
Sept. 4: Wheatland at Sidney, Neb.; Chadron, Neb., at Torrington; Pine Bluffs at Kimball, Neb.
Sept. 11: Torrington at Gering, Neb.; Mitchell, Neb., at Pine Bluffs.
Sept. 18: Wheatland at Gering, Neb.; Alliance, Neb., at Torrington; Douglas at Chadron, Neb.
Sept. 26: Laramie at Scottsbluff, Neb.

(It's worth noting that, at least in the WHSAA's eyes, these aren't official dates. The WHSAA won't release its 2009 football schedule until this November, and between now and then there could be some minor changes.)

You can get the 2008 Wyoming schedules here and the 2008 Nebraska schedules here.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com.

Wyoming's high school football playoff system allows 40 teams into its brackets each season.

There are only 57 teams playing 11-man football in Wyoming right now.

That means 70.2 percent of the state's football teams make the playoffs.

That's a lot. And Wyoming's football playoff system could mean more if fewer teams participated.

Consider this: Since 1990, 142 teams have played in state championship games after advancing in eight-team brackets. Of those:

-- 16 teams (11.3 percent) played their first playoff game on the road.
-- 2 teams (1.4 percent) won state championships after opening the playoffs on the road.
-- 1 team (0.70 percent) won a state championship by playing all three of its games on the road.

So is it really worth it to open up an eight-team bracket if only 1.4 percent of the first-round road teams will end up winning the state championship?

Wyoming has two answers:

1. Reduce the number of teams in the playoffs for each division to four. This was the mode in the old Class 3A for 10 years (1991-2000) -- those teams had an extra game at the end of the regular season, but only the top two teams from each conference qualified for the playoffs. It makes sense to do that. Not only would every team play an extra game (one tacked on to the end of the regular season to make up for the loss of a quarterfinals), but the playoff pool is free of those teams that, 98.6 percent of the time, aren't going to win the state championship.

("But it's not about the winning and the losing! It's about giving teams the opportunity to play in that playoff atmosphere!" Sounds familiar, right? Well, if that's the case, let's...)

2. Drop the charade and let every single team participate in the playoffs. With as few teams as Wyoming has playing football, all of them might as well make the playoffs. It makes no sense to leave only 17 teams out of it if 40 are moving on. Encourage teams to play their final regular-season game on a Thursday, then let those 17 extra teams in and play the first-round games at neutral sites on the Monday before the quarterfinals.

Right now, "making the playoffs" in Wyoming doesn't mean much. All but three teams have made the playoffs at least once in the past five years.

It's time for some kind of change. Either the playoffs need to be a reward, or they need to be a given. They can't be in between any more.

For reference, here are the 16 teams that played in the state championship game after opening up their playoff run on the road (eight-team brackets only, since 1990):

The two state champions
Big Piney, 2006 (quarterfinals on the road, semifinals at home)
Glenrock, 2003 (all three games on the road)
The 14 other state runners-up
Evanston, 1993 and 2007; Cheyenne East, 2006; Gillette, 2003; Lovell, 2003 (hosted title game) and 1990; Lusk, 2003; Normative Services, 2001; Mountain View, 2000; Sheridan, 1996 and 1997; Pine Bluffs, 1991 and 1994; Wind River, 1992.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com.

Released today. We'll post the South roster here as soon as we get it.

North
BIG HORN: Thomas Nowakowski. BUFFALO: Peter Fenster, Dakota Ramey. CODY: Mike Thompson, Reed Gifford. GILLETTE: Braden Benson, Anthony Fleak, Casey Sullivan, Steven Antle. GREYBULL: Curtis Lindgren. JACKSON: Daniel Goe, Alex Bush. KELLY WALSH: Erik Heiss, Joel Holbrook, Zach Johnson. LANDER: Matt Sebade. LOVELL: Dane Robertson. NATRONA COUNTY: Carson Rowley, Ross Schulte, Mike Mounce, Matt Rich, Zach Edwards. POWELL: Tyler Dahlgren. RIVERSIDE: Toby Wood, Kasey Garnhart. RIVERTON: Kyle Blumenshine. SHERIDAN: Josh Dunkelberger, Ryan Morton. SHOSHONI: Chase McNamee. SUNDANCE: Ray Moore, Cody Emrick. TONGUE RIVER: Rob Johnson. WORLAND: Stephen Pyer, Scott Soderstrom. WRIGHT: Randall Haefele, James Hepp.
Alternates: Mike McQuade, Natrona County; Eric Anderson, Gillette; R.J. Boylan, Gillette; Matt Hurst, Sheridan; Tyler Wetzel, Jackson; Austin Brosious, Powell; Trevor Feusner, Cody; Bill Royse, Moorcroft; Chanse Darling, Riverside; Jake St. John, Big Horn; Levi Bain, Wind River; Jeremy Brandl, Dubois.
Student manager: Kaytlin Parke, Natrona County.
Coaching staff: Michael McGuire, Riverside (head coach); Kent Dempsey, Riverside; Jim Horne, Kelly Walsh; Bill Wiley, Jackson; Larry Yeradi, Wright; Andy Garland, Upton.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com