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Bill Sniffin: Wyoming Fans Love Josh Allen – Bills Play Broncos In Playoffs Sunday

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Bill Sniffin: Wyoming Fans Love Josh Allen – Bills Play Broncos In Playoffs Sunday


Here’s my favorite Josh Allen UW memory: 

It is late in the game and UW is still in it. It is snowing and the wind is blowing hard. The Cowboys have their backs against the wall but everybody knows as long as we have Josh, we still have a chance.

He runs around avoiding tacklers and then spots Tanner Gentry headed to the end zone in the opposite side of the field. No human could throw a ball all that way in these conditions, right?

Yet, Josh heaves the ball and yes, it travels over 50 yards and is caught for a touchdown! Unreal. What a play. That’s our guy, Josh Allen.

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Of course, I am watching this from the warmth of the press box at War Memorial Stadium as the chilly hard-nosed Wyoming crowd cheers until they lose their voices.

Yup. That is my memory and it is shared by thousands of other Wyoming fans.

Can you believe Josh Allen has been gone from UW for seven years? I never saw a player like that. He was super-human. He was our superman.

So, What Is A Bronco Fan To Do?

Wyoming fans have always been Denver Bronco fans. They are our regional pro team and you can find orange and blue sweatshirts all over the state.

But from 2018 and on, most of them have also been Buffalo Bills fans because that is the team that was smart enough to draft Josh Allen.

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Our stupid Broncos drafted a lineman ahead of Allen in the 2018 draft in what John Elway calls “the most stupid mistake of my career.” Just think, we could have been cheering Josh here in the Rocky Mountain region all these years instead of Buffalo. Oh well. 

This Sunday the Broncos play the Bills in the playoffs. It is a game of our dreams but who do we cheer for?

Buffalo Bill

As an aside, we probably should have been cheering for the Bills all these years because the team is named after Wyoming’s most famous citizen in its history.

 Buffalo Bill Cody always had a good sense of timing. He was revered as a national hero during a time of the penny press or dime novels around the turn of the 19th century to the 20th century, from 1895 to 1905. More than 5,000 books and pamphlets were published with him as the hero, resulting in the claim that he was the most famous person in the world at that time. Certainly, he was the most famous in the USA. And he was from Cody, Wyoming, the town he founded and named. 

So yes, we probably should have been cheering for the Bills all these years. But I digress.

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What Do You Think?

Despite all of our ardent Bronco fans who are ecstatic this year that we are in the playoffs for the first time since 2015, most are hoping the Bills win this game. What a surprise.

The consensus was that the Broncos were a surprise to make it to the NFL playoffs while the Bills have been chomping at the bit for a long time now. The folks I reached out to felt this is the year that the Bills can win it all, while the Broncos can just be thankful they got this far.

Ray Hunkins of Wheatland/Cheyenne is as big a Bronco fan as you can find but he says: “I am still rooting for Josh Allen and his team. But I am very pleased that Denver is back.”

Joe Glode of Saratoga says: “I love Allen and the Bills but the Broncos look better every game. Home field goes to Buffalo so that’s the way to bet.”

Methodist Minister Mark Calhoun is a die-hand Bronco fan. “Mixed emotions! At first, I was hoping that my favorite team . . . the Denver Broncos would not have to play my favorite Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen! Dreading it, in fact, but now I am excited for it. I was born in Denver, so the Broncos have been my team since I was carried out of the hospital and breathed my first breath of mile high air. This is a win – win situation for me. I am OK with whoever wins. It will be a great game. I am equally interested in some team… any team… putting a shellacking on the Kansas City Chiefs. Prediction: Bills 38 Broncos 34.” 

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Chuck Brown of Wheatland says: “I clearly recall that the Broncos had the first option to draft Josh Allen, but they passed, and the coffee shop talk at the time was that Josh wanted to go to Denver as well.  What a shame! Now, a lot of us tried and true Cowboy fans who are also Bronco fans (and now Bills fans too!) are conflicted, eh? The Broncos would have to be considered the underdogs, I would think. I would predict a win for the Bills.”

Sally Ann Shurmur of Glenrock says: “I was surprised at how many Wyoming folks are Bills fans. Seems Broncos loyalty is a thing of the past.” 

Mandy Fabel of Lander says: “My thoughts are Wyoming values loyalty above all else. Josh Allen has been loyal to Wyoming through and through. The Broncos barely know Wyoming exists. Let’s go Bills!”

Pete Illoway of Cheyenne says: “Both my wife and my daughter are Bills and Broncos fans, however I believe they favor Josh Allen a lot. As for me, I like both teams and hope it is a great game. I will take the Broncos to win and see how far they go.”

Ernie Over of Riverton says: “Like many Wyoming fans, I think I had to pause just a moment or two before deciding I will root for the Bills. The Broncos are building their way back up, and they will have time to grab the spotlight in future years. But Josh Allen’s talent is too much for the Broncos to overcome. The mountain Josh had to overcome to get his team, as the number-two seed, I think says it all. Sorry Denver, I am going with Buffalo in the first round.” 

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Jim Hicks in Buffalo says: “This game is like the old joke of watching your mother-in-law go over cliff in your new SUV. It would have been easy to root for Josh and the Bills . . . but the Cinderella story of the Broncos this year tends to pull a lot of former Bronco fans back into the fold. Josh will prevail in a close game.” 

My Prediction

This is a terrible draw for the Bills in the first round. Lately, the Broncos have been playing like a Super Bowl team and defeated the Bills the last time they played last year, 24-22.

I am rooting for both teams and by the time you read this, we hopefully will know that Josh is the MVP for the league. I think it will be Buffalo 28, Denver 24.

The Bills way to a Super Bowl win could be through Denver, Kansas City, and Detroit. Denver might end up being their most dangerous opponent as they have already beaten the other two this season.

Bill Sniffin can be reached at: Bill@CowboyStateDaily.com

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Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026

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Wyoming Coaches Pick the Best of 1A & 2A Boys Basketball in 2026


The top boys’ basketball players in Wyoming for Classes 1A and 2A were chosen for the 2026 high school season. The Wyoming Coaches Association has unveiled the all-state awards for this year, as voted on by the head coaches in the two classifications, respectively. The Wyoming Coaches Association only recognizes one team for all-state, and only these players receive an award certificate from the WCA. WyoPreps only lists all-state players as defined by the WCA.

WCA 1A-2A BOYS BASKETBALL ALL-STATE SELECTIONS IN 2026

Each class selected 14 players for all-state, reflecting a broad recognition of talent across Wyoming. Notably, congratulations go to Hulett’s Kyle Smith, Brady Cook from Lingle-Fort Laramie, and Carsten Freeburg from Pine Bluffs, who earned all-state honors for the third straight year. In addition, eight more players achieved all-state status for the second time in their prep careers.

Class 1A

Paul McNiven – Burlington

Bitner Philpott – Burlington

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Ammon Hatch – Cokeville (All-State in 2025)

Hudson Himmerich – Cokeville

Kyle Smith – Hulett (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Anthony Arnusch – Lingle-Ft. Laramie

Brady Cook – Lingle-Ft. Laramie (All-State 2024 & 2025)

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Tymber Cozzens – Little Snake River (All-State in 2025)

Corbin Matthews – Lusk

Max Potas – Meeteetse (All-State in 2024)

Jace Westring – Saratoga

Hazen Williams – Saratoga

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TJ Moats – Southeast (All-State in 2024)

Nic Schiller – Upton

Read More Boys Basketball News from WyoPreps

WyoPreps 1A-2A State Basketball Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps 3A-4A Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026

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WyoPreps Coaches and Media Final Basketball Poll 2026

1A-2A Boys Basketball Regional Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 11 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-25-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 10 Scores 2026

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WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-18-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 9 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-11-26

WyoPreps Boys Basketball Week 8 Scores 2026

WyoPreps Coaches and Media Basketball Polls 2-4-26

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Class 2A

Caleb Adsit – Big Horn

Chase Garber – Big Horn

Carsten Freeburg – Pine Bluffs (All-State 2024 & 2025)

Mason Moss – Rocky Mountain

Oakley Hicks – Shoshoni

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Kade Mills – Sundance

Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Zak Hastie – Thermopolis

Ellis Webber – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Joseph Kimbrell – Wright

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Mitchell Strohschein – Wright (All-State in 2025)

Adriano Brown – Wyoming Indian

Heeyei’Niitou Monroe-Black – Wyoming Indian (All-State in 2025)

Cordell Spoonhunter – Wyoming Indian

The 2026 state champions were the Saratoga Panthers in Class 1A. They beat Lingle-Fort Laramie, 50-45, in the championship game. The 2A winners were the Thermopolis Bobcats, who repeated as champions, after a 45-38 victory over Wyoming Indian in the title game.

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Lusk versus Rock River high school basketball 2026

Game action between the Tigers and Longhorns

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Lisa Shaw





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New laws establish a statewide literacy program

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New laws establish a statewide literacy program


A pair of bills signed into law last week aim to build out a more comprehensive system of literacy education across Wyoming’s public schools.

One mandates evidence-based practices and requires regular screenings for dyslexia, while the other enables the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to hire a dedicated literacy professional to oversee statewide compliance.

Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing of both bills on Friday was the latest accomplishment of an ongoing push for improved literacy standards. That push has been spearheaded by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.

“Wyoming is not going to let a single child fall through the cracks,” Degenfelder said during a public bill signing last week. “We are not going to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that our children can read at grade level.”

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The primary bill, Senate File 59, establishes a statewide K-12 program for teaching students to read that is built on “evidence based language and literacy instruction, assessment, intervention and professional development that supports educators, engages families and promotes literacy proficiency for all Wyoming students.”

The bill defines evidence-based strategies as those that conform to the science of reading, a term that will be defined and updated by Degenfelder’s office. Nationwide, it generally means putting academic research into practice in classrooms. SF 59 specifically prohibits the exclusive use of “three-cueing” — a strategy once widely employed to teach reading but which education experts now say is outdated and less effective than other strategies.

It also requires annual dyslexia screeners for students below the third grade, and testing for reading difficulties for all students.

The screeners are used to identify the severity of reading difficulties in order to direct “tiered” support that offers the most intensive interventions to the students most in need, while still providing “evidence based” language instruction to all students.

Each school district must formulate an individualized reading plan “for each student identified as having reading difficulties or at risk for poor reading outcomes.”

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Districts must now report to the state annually regarding their literacy-related work. Any district where 60% or more of the students are struggling will be required to implement “summer literacy camps or extended supports, including after school support and tutoring.”

The bill also requires literacy related professional development for teachers and specialists “appropriate to their role and level of responsibility” related to literacy education.

SF 59 was backed by dyslexia advocates and literacy specialists.

Senate File 14, the other literacy bill signed into law Friday, appropriates $120,000 annually for the next two years for a full-time position at WDE “to assist school districts in implementing a reading assessment and intervention program and language and literacy programs.”

Both bills go into effect July 1.

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Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule – SweetwaterNOW

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Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule – SweetwaterNOW


Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule





Samuel “Tote” Harris. Photo from gowyo.com

LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming and the Mountain West Conference announced the Cowboys’ 2026 football schedule Monday, a slate that opens with the Border War and concludes with back-to-back home games in Laramie.

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Wyoming opens the season Sept. 5 on the road against Colorado State in the 118th edition of the Border War. The Cowboys then host Northern Colorado on Sept. 12 in the home opener before traveling to Central Michigan on Sept. 19.

The Cowboys begin Mountain West play Sept. 26 at home against Hawaii in a matchup for the Paniolo Trophy. Wyoming then faces back-to-back road games at North Dakota State on Oct. 3 and San Jose State on Oct. 10.

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Wyoming returns to War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17 to host conference newcomer Northern Illinois before facing Air Force at home on Oct. 24. The Cowboys will have an open week on Oct. 31.

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The Cowboys open November with road games at UNLV on Nov. 7 and at UTEP on Nov. 14, marking Wyoming’s first meeting with the Miners as members of the Mountain West. Wyoming closes conference play by hosting New Mexico on Nov. 21 and wraps up the regular season with a nonconference game against UConn on Nov. 28 in Laramie.

Each Mountain West team will play four home and four road conference games during the 13-week season, which will conclude with the Mountain West Football Championship Game featuring the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages. The championship game date will be announced later.

With the conference schedule set, Mountain West television partners CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW will begin selecting broadcast games, which could include moving some contests to non-Saturday dates. Network assignments and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.

Season ticket renewals for the 2026 Wyoming football season are now available. Fans can renew their tickets online by visiting gowyo.com/tickets and logging into their account.

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