State championships will have a familiar feel
The initial forecast for the Wyoming State High School Football Championships is calling for some good football.
Four of the five games feature regular-season rematches -- three of which decided conference or class championships -- and the coming weekend at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie should feature competitive championship games all around.
Here's an initial look at next weekend's state title games:
Class 4A
Sheridan (10-1) vs. Cheyenne Central (9-2)
A rematch of the Week 7 game in Sheridan where the Indians jumped out to an 20-7 third quarter lead, only to have Austin Woodward and Will Hendrickson rally the Broncs for a 28-20 win to clinch the 4A regular-season championship and top-seed for the playoffs. But Central's Michael Davis -- 4A's leading rusher at the time -- sat out that game, due to a suspension from being ejected the week before against Green River.
"We want to be able to come out and prove ourselves," Central senior lineman Hayden Jones said of the rematch. "... We don't want to get a big lead and lose it like we did last time. We need to keep pushing, keep the pressure on."
Class 3A
Douglas (10-0) vs. Cody (8-2)
This is the only title game that doesn't feature a rematch. In fact, this will be the first meeting between the two schools in their respective histories. Douglas has rolled through 3A this season behind senior running back Pierre Etchemendy and a suffocating defense and is looking to repeat. Meanwhile, Cody is playing for its first state championship since 1991, when the Broncs beat Star Valley 25-7 for the 3A crown.
Class 2A
Glenrock (10-0) vs. Thermopolis (9-1)
A rematch of a game that essentially decided the East Conference title and top-seed in the final 10 seconds of a Week 3 matchup. Glenrock senior running back Murphy Johnston scored the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds left from five yards out to give the Herders the dramatic win.
And the game was an offensive showcase. Johnston finished with 245 yards rushing and three touchdowns, while Bobcats quarterback Mitch Syverson threw for 192 yards and four TDs. Thermopolis led 2A in passing offense during the regular season, while the Rangers were tops in rushing.
"[The] top passing team versus the best running team," Glenrock senior running back Dustin Worthington said of the rematch. "We know what they've got ... We've just got to execute our stuff."
Class 1A/11-man
Southeast (9-1) vs. Lingle (9-1)
A rematch of the Week 8 game that gave the Cyclones the East Conference title and home-field advantage in the playoffs. But the Doggers were hardly fazed. All they did was go to Cokeville and knock of the top-seed out of the West to advance to their first title game since 1990, when they won the nine-man championship over Dubois.
It will be interesting to see what Lingle learned from the 27-11 loss to Southeast to end the regular season. The Cyclones certainly have the championship mettle; they'll be playing for their fourth straight title.
Class 1A/6-man
Guernsey (8-0) vs. Kaycee (6-3)
The Cinderella Bucs hope things go better the second time around against the Vikings. Guernsey -- which has been the class of six-man all year -- rolled Kaycee 67-0 in the Week 8 regular season meeting.
But both teams needed late game heroics in the semifinal round.
Posted in High-school, 2009champ on Sunday, November 8, 2009 12:00 am Updated: 10:15 pm. | Tags: Sports, High School Sports, Football
© Copyright 2009, trib.com, Casper, WY | Terms of Service and Privacy Policy