Connect with us

Wyoming

Pokes Football: Best of Wyoming – No. 1

Published

on

Pokes Football: Best of Wyoming – No. 1


LARAMIE — It’s officially “series season.”

This summer, with the help of some longtime Wyoming football followers, we will count down the Top 25 homegrown products in program history.

As always, what these guys did in professional football doesn’t matter. This is all about production in Laramie. A couple of the guys on this final list may not have been born here, but they grew up in Wyoming and graduated from an in-state high school.

Once we put a bow on these selections, we’ll move on to other states like Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, etc. You get the picture:

Advertisement

 

Former Wyoming running back Jerry Hill is our selection for the best homegrown player in Cowboy football history./ UW courtesy photo

Former Wyoming running back Jerry Hill is our selection for the best homegrown player in Cowboy football history./ UW courtesy photo

No. 1 – Jerry Hill

Running back, 1958-60, Lingle, Wyoming

 

Advertisement

Résumé in Laramie

Jerry Hill was named the Wyoming Football Player of the 20th Century during fan balloting in 1992, according to his Hall of fame plaque. He received the call to the hall the following year, becoming one of the first players in Cowboy history to be enshrined, joining names like Jay NovacekMike DirksFennis DemboKenny Sailors and others in that inaugural class. That right there shows his importance to Cowboy football. Hill’s Cowboys went 25-6 during his three-year stint in Laramie and claimed a 14-6 Sun Bowl victory over Hardin-Simmons after going 8-3 in 1958. The ’59 UW team pitched four shutouts and held its opponents to seven points or less in eight games while going 9-1. They didn’t receive a postseason invite. The Lingle product never lost a game to rivals BYU or Colorado State. Hill claimed back-to-back All-Skyline Conference honors during his final two seasons on campus. He also led the team in rushing and scoring, tallying 86 points. Hill was also an honorable mention All-American in those two seasons. He finished his career with 1,374 rushing yards on 288 carries. Hill was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts in 1961. He was also taken by the Denver Broncos in the AFL Draft. They took him in Round 2. Hill eventually signed with the Colts and played eight seasons for the franchise, winning a Super Bowl in 1971. He is still eight on the team’s all-time rushing list with 2,668 yards.

 

About Lingle

Home to less than 500 residents, Lingle is a rural farming, ranching town in Goshen County. A stone’s throw from Torrington and Fort Laramie, the famous Oregon Trail runs right past this “small but proud” community.

Advertisement

 

Pokes Football: Best of Wyoming series

* No. 25

* No. 24

* No. 23

Advertisement

No. 22

No. 21

No. 20

No. 19

* No. 18

Advertisement

* No. 17

No. 16 

No. 15

* No. 14

* No. 13

Advertisement

* No. 12

* No. 11

* No. 10

* No. 9

* No. 8

Advertisement

* No. 7

* No. 6 

* No. 5

* No. 4 

* No. 3

Advertisement

* No. 2

 

(Cody Tucker and Jared Newland both work for Townsquare Media, which owns 7220sports.com. Kevin McKinney has been a color commentator of Cowboy football for five decades. Ryan Thorburn now works for the University of Wyoming in a sports information role after spending decades in the newspaper industry, most recently at the Casper Star-Tribune. Sally Ann Shurmur, the daughter of former UW football coach Fritz Shurmur, is also a veteran of the newspaper industry, working as a journalist, columnist at the CST for 43 years. She currently writes for Cowboy State Daily.)

University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

The rules are simple: What was the player’s impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn’t a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220’s Cody Tucker are Robert GagliardiJared NewlandRyan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

Advertisement

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS — only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don’t agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports – #Top50UWFB

Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com

– University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players





Source link

Advertisement

Wyoming

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

Published

on

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

Advertisement

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)

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

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

Advertisement

Kade Mills – Sundance

Cody Bomengen – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Zak Hastie – Thermopolis

Ellis Webber – Thermopolis (All-State in 2025)

Joseph Kimbrell – Wright

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

Lusk versus Rock River high school basketball 2026

Game action between the Tigers and Longhorns

Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Lisa Shaw





Source link

Continue Reading

Wyoming

New laws establish a statewide literacy program

Published

on

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.”

Advertisement

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.”

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Wyoming

Wyoming Announces 2026 Football Schedule – SweetwaterNOW

Published

on

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement – Story continues below…


University of Wyoming sports coverage
in Southwest Wyoming is supported by these great sponsors:


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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Trending