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Bertagnole, defensive line ready for second-half push for Wyoming

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Bertagnole, defensive line ready for second-half push for Wyoming


LARAMIE — As a captain and one of the true leaders of the Wyoming defense, defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole will be the first to tell you his unit’s play has not been up to par through the first five games.

That admitted, Bertagnole will also warn you to prepare for a quick turnaround. The senior leader and Casper native was pleased with the defense’s performance against Air Force and sees only more success on the horizon.

Next on the docket for the Cowboys is a Mountain West home game against San Diego State on Saturday.

“I feel like we’ve definitely gotten better. We didn’t start out how we wanted to in the non-conference play,” Bertagnole said. “We really didn’t live up to our standard and our expectations. I feel like going into this game and building off Air Force, is something we’re looking forward to.”

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Wyoming defensive tackle Jordan Bertagnole trips up Air Force quarterback John Busha in the second half of the Cowboys’ 31-19 victory over the Falcons on Sept. 28 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.

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Andrew Towne



Against three Big 12 foes and a strong FCS squad in Idaho, Wyoming’s defense was found wanting. Through those four games, UW ranked among 115th in the nation in total defense, allowing 429 yards per game.

The Pokes rebounded in their return home against Air Force and its triple option. UW limited the Falcons to 320 total yards. That number may have been 70 yards better had Bertagnole not been flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which erased a punting situation and enabled the Falcons to continue their drive with a fresh set of downs.

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A large part of the Pokes’ defensive success against the Falcons was owed to the players in the interior of the defensive line, a group that includes Bertagnole, Ben Florentine, Dante Drake and Jaden Williams. Those four combined for 13 tackles, one tackle for loss and a half sack. Bertagnole himself finished with five tackles and the half sack. The interior players did an excellent job of maintaining their gaps and pursuing the football. Those two areas were lacking in the four losses in the non-conference slate and Bertagnole said it is a point of emphasis at practice.

“Ball key is an emphasis every single day at practice because obviously we don’t want to give (opponents) cheap stuff that’s just us being undisciplined,” he said. “So focusing on that, but then running to the ball is huge. If you have everybody running to the ball, guys are going to miss tackles during a play every now and then, and if you have guys running to the ball, then somebody doesn’t break a tackle and get an extra 20 yards. … Effort and energy is a big emphasis with the d-line.”

Looking at the Pro Football Focus grades through five games, the numbers tell a story of necessary improvement.

Bertagnole, coming off a second-team All-Conference award, has earned a 70.4 run grade, but just a 52.6 pass rush grade on a scale of 0 to 100. Florentine, the Pokes’ other starter inside, currently has a 63.7 grade against the run and 51.0 grade in pass rush while Drake has earned a 59.4 run grade and 54.5 pass rush grade. Jayden Williams has been graded out the best, but has just 83 total snaps. His numbers sit at 72.9 versus the run and 53.8 for pass rush.



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Cowboys fall to BYU

Wyoming linebacker Shae Suiaunoa chases down BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff during their game Sept. 14 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.


Andrew Towne

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As Bertagnole enters the final seven games of his collegiate career, his focus remains on improving every single week to help Wyoming chalk up W’s. He knows individually his pass rush has to improve. That goes for the entire defensive line across the board.

Bertagnole pointed out pass rush success will come as the defense wins on first and second down. Opposing quarterbacks are having so much success finding open targets within three seconds that the Pokes’ linemen don’t have enough time to get home.







Cowboys victorious over Air Force

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Wyoming strong safety Andrew Johnson chases down Air Force quarterback John Busha during their game Sept. 28 at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie.


Andrew Towne


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“Winning first and second down is probably the biggest part, because even if you are in a close game, if they’re in third and long, they’ve got to drop back and throw it, so that gives you an opportunity, too,” Bertagnole said.

With lessons learned from a difficult non-conference slate, Bertagnole and his defense line teammates are beginning to show progress.

“We’re taking steps forward. I’m super happy with seeing what we’re doing in practice right now,” he stated. “We all have a bunch of energy and we’re super happy with where we’re at right now in conference play. Obviously, the first four games didn’t go as planned. We’ve responded every week with improvement and so going into our second game of conference play 1-0 is our mantra.”

Follow UW beat writer Anthony Dion on Twitter @anthonydion03



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Wyoming High School Track Week 3 Condensed, But Competition Heats Up Thursday

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Wyoming High School Track Week 3 Condensed, But Competition Heats Up Thursday


Wyoming’s 2026 high school track and field season faces a bit of an abbreviated week, with most schools not in competition over the upcoming holiday weekend. That means Thursday will be a busy day, weather-permitting. There are four track meets in the state, and all of them are on April 2. Worland hosts their annual D&D Invitational, and Natrona County has its Glen Legler Early Bird in Casper. Those are the two largest competitions.

WYOPREPS WEEK 3 OUTDOOR TRACK SCHEDULE 2026

Sheridan and Wheatland also host track meets with a smaller number of teams. A handful of schools will not compete in Wyoming, but instead head to Utah, Nebraska, or Colorado. Spring Break is still impacting programs around the state. Here is the Week 3 schedule. It is subject to change.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1:

Out-of-State events:

North Summit Mid-Week Meet in Coalville, UT – Evanston, Lyman.

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Evanston placed 2nd in the girls’ team standings with 65 points, and Lyman’s girls were tied for 4th with 47 points. In the boys’ team standings, Evanston came in 3rd with 57 points, and Lyman was 4th with 38 points.

Evanston’s Cassie Barker won the 200 meters and was 2nd in the 100 meters and long jump. Dylan Rees of Evanston won the boys’ 200 meters. Jayson Clark took 1st in the 300 hurdles. Jayden Rieker won the 400 meters. Lyman’s Whitley Bradshaw won the girls’ long jump. Lyman also had some runner-up finishes in relays.

North Summit Mid-Week Meet Results Link 2026

 

THURSDAY, APRIL 2:

D&D INVITATIONAL at Worland HS – Burlington, Campbell County, Cody, Dubois, Green River, Lovell, Powell, Rocky Mountain, Shoshoni, Ten Sleep, Thermopolis, Worland.

Girls Team Scores = Powell 178, Worland 145.25, Campbell County 73.50, Green River 61, Burlington 40.75, Lovell 40, Thermopolis 33, Cody 26, Dubois 17, Shoshoni 14.50, Ten Sleep 11.

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Boys Team Scores = Powell 165.75, Campbell County 116.75, Thermopolis 101.50, Lovell 76.50, Burlington 62.75, Worland 53, Green River 37.75, Cody 35, Ten Sleep 13.50, Shoshoni 4.50.

Worland’s Cherise Douzenis won the 200 & 400 meters. Teammate Kennedy Bassett won both girls’ hurdle races. Worland won 3 of the 4 relays. Powell’s Paige Sanders won the long jump & triple jump. Celeste Lindsay from Lovell swept the throwing events. For the boys, Lovell’s Matthew Newman won the 400 meters, 110 hurdles, and long jump. Braxton Nelson from Powell won the 100 meters, high jump, and triple jump. Anthony Cheatham of Thermopolis won both throwing events.

D&D Invitational 2026 Full Results

GLEN LEGLER EARLY BIRD at Natrona County HS – Campbell County, Cheyenne South, Douglas, Glenrock, Kelly Walsh, Laramie, Little Snake River, Midwest, Natrona County, Newcastle, Riverton, Rock Springs, Thunder Basin, Torrington, Wind River, Wright, Wyoming Indian.

No results posted yet…

SHERIDAN QUAD at Sheridan HS – Big Horn, Buffalo, Sheridan, Tongue River.

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Girls Team Scores = Sheridan 273, Buffalo 115.50, Big Horn 87, Tongue River 47.50.

Boys Team Scores = Sheridan 288, Buffalo 84, Big Horn 77, Tongue River 32.

Sheridan’s Leah Lynn won the 100 & 200 meters. Teammate Trinity Johnson won the high jump & long jump. Yonah Gradinaru from Sheridan swept the discus & shot put. For the boys, Rudy Green of Sheridan won the 100 & 200 meters. Teammate Ryder Charest was 1st in the 800 & 1600 meters. Matt Brown from SHS captured the long jump & triple jump. Big Horn’s Chase Garber won the 2 throws.

Sheridan Quad 2026 Results

WHEATLAND INVITE at Wheatland HS – Cheyenne Central, Encampment, Glendo, Lusk, Rawlins, Rock River, Wheatland.

No results posted yet.

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Out-of-State events:

Bayard CD Track Meet in Bayard, NE – Burns, Lingle-Ft. Laramie, Pine Bluffs, Southeast.

Team Results = Burns was 1st in the girls’ standings with 108 points. Southeast took 2nd with 107 points. Lingle-Ft. Laramie finished 3rd with 73 points, and Pine Bluffs was 9th with 28 points. Burns placed 1st in the boys’ standings with 115 team points. LFL was 8th with 40 points, Pine Bluffs took 10th with 30 points, and Southeast was 12th with 18 points.

Addi Wilkins of LFL won the 100 meters and 300 hurdles. Brynn Bach from Burns won the 100 hurdles and pole vault. In the boys’ competition, Zane Howes of Burns took 1st in the 100 & 200 meters. The Broncs won the 4×100 & 4×400 meter relays.

Bayard CD Track Meet Results Link 2026

 

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Read More Track News at WyoPreps

WyoPreps Week 2 Outdoor Track Scoreboard 2026

WyoPreps Week 1 Outdoor Track Scoreboard 2026

Nominate a Track Athlete for WyoPreps Athlete of the Week

2025 Outdoor Track State Championships Girls Day 3 Recap

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2025 Outdoor Track State Championships Boys Day 3 Recap

2025 Outdoor Track State Championships Recap Day 2

2025 Outdoor Track State Championships Recap Day 1

2025 Gatorade Wyoming Girls Track Player of the Year

2025 Gatorade Wyoming Boys Track Player of the Year

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Nike Outdoor Nationals Recap 2025

2025 Girls All-State Outdoor Track Awards

2025 Boys All-State Outdoor Track Awards

 

SATURDAY, APRIL 4:

Out-of-State events:

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Altitude Invite in Fort Collins, CO – Cheyenne Central.

Frank Woodburn Invitational in Grand Junction, CO – Little Snake River.

Timpanogos Alpha Invitational in Orem, UT – Cokeville, Lyman, Mountain View.

 

Wheatland vs. Laramie Softball on March 27, 2026

The Bulldogs hosted the Plainsmen in a doubleheader at Lewis Park

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Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Randy Bell





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#WhatsHappening: Painting with Light – Wyoming's History through the Lens

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#WhatsHappening: Painting with Light – Wyoming's History through the Lens


(Lander, WY) – Randy Wise, curator of the Lander Pioneer Museum, will give a talk Friday evening on historic Wyoming photography as part of Wyoming Public Media’s traveling America 250 photo exhibit. The talk kicks off a month-long run of the exhibit at the Pioneer Museum. Wise will share historic images from across the state, […]



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Regulators seek public input for massive Montana-Wyoming oil pipeline proposal – WyoFile

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Regulators seek public input for massive Montana-Wyoming oil pipeline proposal – WyoFile


State and federal officials are seeking public comment on the proposed Bridger Pipeline Expansion project to carry Canadian crude from the border in Phillips County, Montana, to a terminal near Guernsey.

The massive 36-inch-diameter pipeline would span 647 miles and move about 550,000 barrels of crude oil daily. The proposed route includes about 210 miles across Crook, Weston, Niobrara, Goshen and Platte counties in eastern Wyoming, according to developer Bridger Pipeline Expansion. The company is a subsidiary of Casper-based Bridger Pipeline LLC, which owns a network of oil pipelines, including the Belle Fourche and Butte pipelines that connect North Dakota, Montana and eastern Wyoming oilfields to the Guernsey storage and interconnect hub.

Bridger Pipeline is owned by True Cos., which has had several significant pipeline spills, including a 45,000-gallon diesel spill in eastern Wyoming in 2022 and an incident that spewed more than 50,000 gallons of Bakken crude into the Yellowstone River in Montana in 2015.

The U.S. Bureau of Management is the lead federal regulatory authority “to review potential impacts of the entire project to ensure environmental, cultural and community considerations are fully evaluated,” according to a BLM press release. The company has also applied to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for a “certificate of compliance” required under the state’s Major Facility Siting Act, which triggers a parallel environmental review under Montana’s Environmental Policy Act.

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The 30-day public scoping and comment period initiated this week will help both federal and Montana officials identify potential impacts and alternatives. The agencies will co-host one virtual and three in-person public meetings, to be announced at a later date (check here for updates), they said.

The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality “will serve as a participating agency” in the BLM’s review, according to the department.

You can learn more about the environmental review for the project here, and choose the “participate now” tab to submit a comment.

Keystone Light?

Some locals in eastern Wyoming refer to the project as “Keystone Light,” a Niobrara County rancher told WyoFile. The name, borrowed from a beer, is a nod to the notion that the Bridger Pipeline Expansion would help fill the industry’s aspiration for the Keystone XL oil pipeline project abandoned in 2021.

Amid major opposition and protests, President Joe Biden — on his first day in office — cited his plans to address climate change by revoking a Trump-era permit for Keystone XL, which was required for the border crossing. The Bridger Pipeline Expansion will also require a presidential permit for the international border crossing, according to the BLM.

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This photo provided by the Bureau of Land Management shows the proposed route of the Keystone XL oil pipeline where it crosses into the United States from Canada in Phillips County, Mont., March 11, 2020. (Al Nash/Bureau of Land Management via AP, File)

Similar to the Bridger Pipeline Expansion, Keystone XL would have transported Canadian oil-sands crude, but was larger — designed for up to 830,000 barrels per day. Its proposed route also differed, crossing in Montana and spanning portions of South Dakota and Nebraska.

One major advantage of the Bridger project, according to company officials, is that the Canada-Montana-Wyoming route follows many existing rights-of-way. About half of the route in Montana is parallel to existing pipelines, and a little more than half of the 210-mile route in Wyoming follows existing pipeline corridors, according to a project description provided by the BLM. 

Additionally, the developer owns much of that existing infrastructure: “The Project would parallel Bridger‐owned infrastructure for roughly 138 miles in Montana and 100 miles in Wyoming.”

The route includes about 6 miles of BLM-managed lands in northeast Wyoming, as well as about 5 miles of Thunder Basin National Grassland, managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The federal review includes the Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Construction could begin by July 2027 and would employ about 400 workers for each of four stages of development, according to a BLM planning document.

Health and environmental concerns

In 2023, Bridger Pipeline and its subsidiary Belle Fourche Pipeline Company paid $12.5 million to resolve penalties related to a series of pipeline spills and alleged violations of the Clean Water Act and federal pipeline safety laws.

The company’s track record, combined with allegedly lax oversight by state regulators, is cause for concern, said Jill Morrison, who serves on the board of the Sheridan-based landowner advocacy group Powder River Basin Resource Council.

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In this Jan. 19, 2015 photo, cleanup workers cut holes into the ice on the Yellowstone River near Crane, Mont., as part of efforts to recover oil from an upstream pipeline spill that released more than 50,000 gallons of crude. Federal prosecutors sued pipeline operator Bridger Pipeline for violations of pollution laws following spills in Montana and North Dakota. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

“They’ve had a lot of spills and breaks,” Morrison told WyoFile. “Are they going to up their game to be more on top of ensuring we don’t have spills and breaks like other pipelines?”

For its part, Bridger Pipeline says it has launched an artificial leak detection company, FlowState, that monitors its pipeline systems. FlowState was awarded a $2 million Energy Matching Funds state grant in 2024.

Parent company True Cos. created FlowState because it couldn’t find a leak-detection system on the market that satisfied its needs, “so we built one,” Bridger Pipeline spokesman Bill Salvin told WyoFile.

“We have had some instances where our pipelines have leaked — that’s simply a fact,” Salvin said, adding that some of the company’s leaks were related to outdated practices that have since been improved industrywide. “Every one of those incidents is terribly unfortunate. That’s how we view it: We don’t want any [spill] incidents.

“What’s most important to us,” Salvin continued, “is when those incidents happen, that we respond very quickly and with everything we have, and that we learn from them so they don’t happen again. And that’s why we’ve got FlowState today.”

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