For the first time in Wyoming high school football history, all five state championship games were played at one site. The site was War Memorial Stadium at the University of Wyoming. Despite some less-than-ideal weather, fans traveled from far-off places like Cody, Sheridan and Thermopolis to support their teams.

The first game on Friday morning featured the two teams that finished ahead of Lusk in the 1A 11-man East Conference. Southeast was looking to win their fourth straight title while Lingle-Ft. Laramie had hopes of their first championship since 1990. A snowstorm hit Laramie early Friday morning and dumped about four inches on the field by the time kickoff arrived. Crews worked throughout the game shoveling yard lines and plowing the endzones.

Southeast led 14-0 at halftime, as the Doggers were having a hard time holding onto the football. But LFL came back in the third with a pair of touchdowns to tie it at 14. SE then put the game away on a long run by Tanner May and a defensive touchdown by Sky Kirchhefer. The lead was 27-14 with less than two minutes to go. LFL moved down the field to score once more before time ran out on them. The Cyclones have become only the third school in Wyoming to win four straight championships.

The afternoon game featured Glenrock and Thermopolis in the 2A championship. The Herders were looking to cap a perfect 11-0 season and second straight title (3A in 2008). Thermopolis entered the game with a 9-1 record, their only loss coming to Glenrock. The Bobcats led by a slim 14-8 halftime lead and their score in the third quarter made it 22-8. Glenrock fought back on the still snow-covered field with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter but missed on both two-point conversions. Thermopolis avenged their only loss of the season, 22-20 and won their first championship since 1992.

Saturday morning saw the unbeaten Douglas Bearcats win their second straight championship (4A in 2008) with a 44-14 beating of Cody. Bearcat senior Pierre Etchemendy proved why he is one of the finest Wyoming has seen in a long time with 152 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns.

The field was then realigned to 90 yards long and 40 yards wide for the 1A six-man championship. Guernsey-Sunrise was never really challenged all season, except in the semi-finals, and the championship game against Kaycee was a mismatch from the start. The Vikings scored on their first play from scrimmage, intercepted the ball on the Bucs first play and scored moments later to make it 14-0 just 96 seconds in. G-S rolled off 42 points in the first quarter and this one was over as quickly as it started. The final was 76-16, leaving no doubt about the inaugural six-man standard. Despite the outcome, Kaycee opened their first ever season of football in outstanding fashion.

The finale featured the big boys of Cheyenne Central against the Sheridan Broncs in the 4A title tilt. Sheridan was led by Austin Woodward, a near-unanimous choice for Wyoming’s most outstanding football player. The Broncs set the tone early with a 99-yard opening kickoff return, but Central came right back to score on their first possession for a 7-7 tie. Woodward then took the game into his own hands with a touchdown pass before halftime and a pair of rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. The lead grew to 33-15 before Woodward ran one more in to seal the game at 40-15. It was Sheridan’s 16th state championship, but first since 1995.

The weather wasn’t ideal for travel or sitting on aluminum bleachers for several hours at a time but for everyone involved, it was a great experience to witness Wyoming’s finest on a big stage. There are many hoping this will be the first of many years at the War, becoming a tradition like none other.



For the complete article see the 11-18-2009 issue.

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