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Tuck's Take: Wyoming Won Today's Brown and Gold Spring Game

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Tuck's Take: Wyoming Won Today's Brown and Gold Spring Game


LARAMIE — Who won today’s annual Brown and Gold Spring Game inside War Memorial Stadium?

Wyoming did.

That’s not some cheeky dad joke, either.

This coaching staff just sweated out a grueling 10-day spring transfer portal window, mainly unscathed, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

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Agents, boosters and other shady characters have filled the inbox of some of the program’s most-recognizable names this offseason, attempting to lure them away in the name of the almighty dollar.

Let’s face it, this was a 3-9 squad with talent to burn. Admittedly, some of the offers were tempting, too.

It all seemed ripe for the picking, right?

Wrong.

“I know everybody sometimes goes into doom and gloom about, how can we keep people? We kept them, all right? That’s the biggest thing,” an impassioned Wyoming head coach Jay Sawvel said postgame. “… There’s guys on this team that, all the way up till Friday, are getting dinged on by all these third-party people.”

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The 54-year-old wasn’t ready to get off the soapbox quite yet.

Who could blame him?

“This is a really good day for University of Wyoming football, because you have a couple of high-line players that could have went to (teams) that were in the playoff, you know? I mean, you look at it and go, ‘How do you know all this stuff?’ It’s a bunch of b—— when people can reach out to people and go, ‘Hey, you can go here for this much money and this stuff’ — and they stayed.

“Look, we lost one guy during spring practice, and he wasn’t in my Top 25. So we’re good.”

That guy was Keany Parks, a starting cornerback who yesterday inked with the University of Houston.

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There have been others, too. Twenty-one of them this offseason, to be exact.

Sawvel said after the season finale at Washington State, he made a list of 10 players this program couldn’t afford to lose.

Tampering and back-channeling be damned, nine of those remain, he added, including arguably the most important piece being quarterback Kaden Anderson.

Make no mistake, that’s the most important position in all of sports. Around these parts, we know all too well what inconsistency at that position can cause.

Anderson, a 6-foot-4, 221-pound sophomore from Southlake, Texas, will likely be handed the keys to Jay Johnson’s offense in 2025. In just three starts last season, he threw for 578 yards and four touchdowns.

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More importantly, he connected on nearly 60% of his throws.

“It’s out there. People DM you and stuff and say all this stuff,” the laidback signal caller said with a grin. “You don’t really pay too much attention to it. You know, put trust in God’s plan. You know, He’s got a plan for you. Like I said in a couple interviews during the season, at the end of the day, it’s you and the guys in locker room. Don’t listen to outside noise.”

 

MORE UW FOOTBALL NEWS VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Behind the numbers: Wyoming spring football game

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* Gold Team prevails 21-7 in Wyoming spring game

Pokes host annual Brown and Gold Spring game Saturday

Wyoming loses starting cornerback to transfer portal

Wyoming’s Dante Drake has been a menace in the trenches

Cowboys plan to add another QB after Batiste departure

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Wyoming’s rookie corner is turning heads this spring

Double or nothing: Pokes’ makeshift front five falters late

Wyoming looking to add to roster with spring portal looming

Can Wyoming’s Gary Rutherford snag a starting gig?: ‘No doubt’

Wyoming cornerback to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

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Caleb Robinson: ‘He was missed last year, for sure’

Sawvel: It’s a ‘wide open’ battle for back-up QB spot

Cowboy football enters third week of spring camp

Hendricks on edge rushers: ‘Production pays the bills’

Gary Harrell named running backs coach at Wyoming

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John Michael Gyllenborg could’ve played anywhere in the country, according to his head coach. Shannon Moore, his position coach, called him the best tight end in the nation.

Plenty of others obviously believe that to be true.

The 6-foot-5 senior hauled in 30 balls for 425 yards and three scores in 2024. Injuries hampered him throughout, but we’ve all seen the flashes.

It’s not a stretch to think he will hear his name called by an NFL team around this time next season.

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How did he handle that outside noise?

“Well, leaving was never really an option for me,” Gyllenborg said, adding it wasn’t a tough decision to cap his college career in Laramie. “I think for most guys, including myself, the real temptations were after the season. I mean, there are just no regulations, so everything was being thrown at a lot of us, including me. That was a time to really reflect and think about what each of us wanted.”

What does he want?

“We’ve got a good core group of guys here that it just wasn’t a hard decision for us,” he continued. “We knew we were going to stay. We want to stay, turn this program around from what it was last year and win. That’s really what it was — win.”

Running back Sam Scott is back in the mix, too. He led the Cowboys with 435 rushing yards and three touchdowns last fall. He will be joined in the backfield by a whole host of youth, including Charlotte transfer Terron Kellman, who proved to be a load this spring.

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Jaylen Sargent and Chris Durr Jr., the Cowboys’ Top-2 outside targets last fall will again be relied upon to take the next step. The latter amassed 348 yards through the air. He made the circus catches. He was deadly on the third down.

Sargent, a 6-foot-2 senior, stayed patient throughout his first three years in the program. That ultimately paid off in October when he ran under a 70-yard touchdown pass against San Diego State. Two weeks later, he caught a career-high six balls for 186 yards and a score in a road victory at New Mexico.

It’s not just the skill guys who will suit up for the Cowpokes this fall, either.

Three of the most important pieces to the process, Sawvel said, are back in the saddle: Jack Walsh, Caden Barnett and Wes King. This trio will be lining up at center, right and left guard, respectively.

Rex Johnsen should man the right tackle spot. Nate Geiger, who suffered a torn ACL 11 plays into the 2024 season, could again find himself on the right edge.

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Sawvel joked that he told Walsh Friday, “Welp, 12 more hours of this portal stuff.”

His response: “F— it!”

“I always say, you can’t put a price on loyalty,” Walsh added. “I’m very happy and proud of all the guys that decide to stay here, guys going into their fifth year at one place. You know, it’s special here.

“I couldn’t see myself anywhere else.”

We all knew this defense was going to receive a major overhaul this winter.

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It has.

Starters Sabastian HarshWrook BrownJaden WilliamsTyrecus Davis and Parks all left in free agency. Both safeties — Isaac White and Wyett Ekeler — exhausted their eligibility. So did linebackers Shae Suiaunoa and Connor ShayJordan Bertagnole graduated. So did DeVonne Harris.

You might recall, last year’s defense ranked 103rd overall out of 133 FBS teams, allowing nearly 411 yards an outing.

Remember the debacle in Albuquerque?

There are plenty of unknowns on that side of the ball, but there has been a serious upgrade, across the board, if you ask Sawvel.

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That portal you loathe so much, believe it or not, works both ways.

Justin Taylor picked off a pass in Saturday’s spring game. So did Brooklyn Cheek. Those are transfer safeties, the first from Wisconsin. The second played at Cal. Gary Rutherford, a redshirt freshman linebacker from Peoria, Ill., also hauled in an interception in this one.

Don’t be surprised if he’s in the starting lineup Aug. 28 at Akron.

Edge rusher Tyce Westland deserves his flowers for loyalty, too. So does tackle Ben Florentine. Both have a number of starts under their collective belt and would be attractive to other programs. You can throw Dante Drake and Jayden Williams’ names in that conversation, too.

This is the squad that will look to bring this state, university and fanbase its first outright conference championship since 1988.

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It’s finally official.

“We have the makings of a good football team,” Sawvel said. “…  I think we’re a better football team than what we were a year ago at this time, but I think we have a lot of work to do.”

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.

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

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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





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Casper veteran David Giralt joins race for Wyoming U.S. House seat

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Casper veteran David Giralt joins race for Wyoming U.S. House seat


CASPER, Wyo. — David Giralt, a Casper-raised military veteran and conservative Republican, has announced his candidacy for Wyoming’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The congressional seat is being vacated by Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman, who launched a campaign in December for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by retiring Sen. Cynthia Lummis. […]



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Rivalries and Playoff Positioning Highlight Week 11 Wyoming Girls Basketball Slate

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Rivalries and Playoff Positioning Highlight Week 11 Wyoming Girls Basketball Slate


It’s Week 11 in the 2026 Wyoming prep girls’ basketball season. That means it’s the end of the regular season. 3A and 4A schools have their final game or games to determine seeding before the regional tournament, or if a team is locked into a position, one last chance to fine-tune before the postseason. Games are spread across four days.

WYOPREPS WEEK 11 GIRLS BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 2026

Every game on the slate is a conference matchup. Several rivalry contests are part of this week’s schedule, such as East against Central, Cody at Powell, Lyman hosting Mountain View, and Rock Springs at Green River, just to name a few. Here is the Week 11 schedule of varsity games WyoPreps has. All schedules are subject to change. If you see a game missing, please email david@wyopreps.com.

CLASS 4A

Final Score: Laramie 68 Cheyenne South 27 (conference game)

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CLASS 3A

Final Score: Lyman 40 Mountain View 26 (conference game)

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CLASS 4A

Final Score: Evanston 41 Riverton 39 (conference game)

Final Score: Natrona County 42 Kelly Walsh 38 (conference game) – Peach Basket Classic

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Final Score: #4 Thunder Basin 64 Campbell County 32 (conference game)

CLASS 3A

Final Score: #1 Cody 77 Worland 33 (conference game) – 5 different Fillies with a 3, and Hays led the way with 34 points.

Final Score: #2 Lander 49 Lyman 34 (conference game)

Final Score: #4 Wheatland 51 Douglas 40 (conference game)

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Final Score: #5 Powell 48 Lovell 42 (conference game)

Final Score: Burns 56 Torrington 43 (conference game)

Final Score: Glenrock 78 Newcastle 30 (conference game)

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WyoPreps Girls Basketball Week 1 Scores 2025-26

 

CLASS 4A

Rock Springs at #2 Green River, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

#4 Thunder Basin at #5 Sheridan, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

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#1 Cheyenne East at #3 Cheyenne Central, 6 p.m. (conference game)

Jackson at Star Valley, 6 p.m. (conference game)

CLASS 3A

#3 Pinedale at Mountain View, 4 p.m. (conference game)

#1 Cody at #5 Powell, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

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Buffalo at Glenrock, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

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CLASS 3A

Newcastle at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m. (conference game)

Glenrock at Rawlins, 3 p.m. (conference game)

Torrington at #4 Wheatland, 5:30 p.m. (conference game)

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Submit a Score to WyoPreps

 

Wyoming Boys 4A Swimming & Diving State Championships 2026

4A Boys State Swim Meet for 2026 in Cheyenne

Gallery Credit: David Settle, WyoPreps.com





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Political storm in Wyoming as far-right activist caught handing checks to lawmakers

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Political storm in Wyoming as far-right activist caught handing checks to lawmakers


Controversy has engulfed Wyoming’s state legislature after a conservative activist was photographed handing checks to Republican lawmakers on the state house floor, in an incident that has highlighted intra-conservative divisions and the role of money in the Cowboy state’s politics.

The political storm started on 9 February, when Karlee Provenza, a Democratic lawmaker, took a photo showing Rebecca Bextel, a conservative activist and committeewoman for the Teton county Republican party, handing a check to Darin McCann, a Republican representative, on the legislative floor. Marlene Brady, another Republican representative, stands in the photo’s background, a similar piece of paper pinched between her fingers.

“You have a person from the richest county in the country coming down to Cheyenne to hand out checks on the house floor,” Provenza said. “I have never seen something so egregious.”

Questions around the checks were soon swirling, and answers weren’t forthcoming. When asked what Bextel gave to her, Brady told a reporter for local outlet WyoFile: “I can’t remember.”

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Then Bextel herself addressed the incident. “I raised $400,000 in the last election cycle for conservative candidates, and I will be doubling that amount this year,” Bextel wrote on Facebook on 11 February. “There’s nothing wrong with delivering lawful campaign checks from Teton county donors when I am in Cheyenne.”

Since then, it has emerged that the checks came from Don Grasso, a wealthy Teton county donor, who told the Jackson Hole News and Guide that he wrote the checks for Bextel to deliver to 10 Freedom caucus-aligned politicians. Grasso said the checks were intended as campaign contributions, and were not tied to specific legislation. It is unclear how many checks were ultimately delivered, but two of four confirmed recipients include the speaker of the house, Chip Neiman, and John Bear, the former head of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus.

The Wyoming house has formed a legislative investigative committee, and the Laramie county sheriff’s office said they’d open a criminal investigation.

Bextel declined to answer questions from the Guardian. Brady, McCann and Bear did not respond to requests for comment.

Neiman said he considered the criticism a “wraparound smear campaign”. He said: “It never once crossed my mind that this was bribery.

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“These legislators, myself included, are now guilty until we can prove that we’re innocent. How is that right in this country? Isn’t that a little bit backwards?”

The scandal has highlighted long-standing divisions in Wyoming’s Republican party, which in recent years has seen a growing divide between old school, more moderate conservatives and a harder-right Freedom Caucus.

Several former Republican lawmakers forcefully condemned their colleagues for accepting the checks, and a local Republican party branch called for the lawmakers’ resignations.

Ogden Driskill, a Wyoming Republican senator, told the Guardian he does not consider Bextel’s actions to be illegal, but that “just because you can do it doesn’t mean you should”.

Bextel has spent years pushing against housing mitigation fees in Wyoming, and Driskill noted that she distributed the house floor checks just days before a bill she had publicly supported was set to be heard. Bextel was registered as a member of the press, not as a lobbyist when she delivered the checks.

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“Ethically and morally, it’s bankrupt to a massive degree,” Driskill said.

Neiman said that he and other legislators who received checks have supported similar bills in the past: “Bribery is paying somebody to do something they would not otherwise do.”

Nationally, the 2024 election cycle saw record-spending from the mega-wealthy, as well as dark money groups. Wyoming followed the trend, in a tense red-on-red primary season.

For those gearing up to campaign this year, Teton county, the richest in the US, and Bextel’s picturesque home turf, is an essential stop. Its extreme wealth gives it a foothold on the national level as well. Palantir chief executive Alex Karp and Donald Trump attended an annual Republican leadership fundraiser at Jackson Hole in 2024, and JD Vance attended the same one in 2025.

Bextel pulls dollars from Teton county into the Freedom Caucus side of Wyoming’s conservative split. She hosted no-press-allowed meet and greets earlier this year benefitting leading candidates for Wyoming’s governor and open US House seat.

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In an interview with the Open Range Record, a media network she co-founded, Bextel said controversy around the checks was solely because she was making “even playing field” in Wyoming against the state’s more moderate Republicans, who she calls “George Soros” candidates. She said that she will be sure to keep raising money – just away from the legislative floor.

“I guess I’m gonna ask all the gentlemen and gentleladies to step outside the Capitol while I hand them a check,” Bextel said. “Let me be clear: I’m doubling down.”

But it’s not just wealthy local donors putting their weight behind the factions. Last election cycle, out of state groups spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on anonymous and often inaccurate mailers.

“These actors, especially from the far right, they like to push the bounds of the norms,” said Rosa Reyna Pugh, an organizing and advocacy consultant at Western States Center, an Oregon-based non-profit focused on democracy in the western United States. “They like to see what policies they can kind of push, and see where they can play a piece,” Reyna Pugh said.

While Neiman and Driskill fight politically, they do agree on one thing: summer will bring an expensive and brutal campaign season.

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“You’re going to see more dark money than you’ve ever seen. We’ve done absolutely nothing to enforce it. Our secretary of state has not even made a slight attempt to deal with it,” Driskill said. “You’re going to see lots and lots of outside money and I think you’re seeing it on both sides.”

As national questions swirl around pay-to-play politics and profiteering in the Trump administration, Provenza wants better for the Cowboy State.

“We should not be aligning ourselves with how the federal government is conducting itself or how federal elections conduct themselves,” Provenza said. “We owe something far better and more honest to the people of Wyoming than that.”



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