Wyoming
Wyoming Man Who Saved Family From Burning House Awarded Nation's Highest Heroism Award
Most people would like to think they’d act as Ryan Pasborg did Feb. 1, 2022, when he rushed into a burning Green River home to save a mother and her child stuck inside, but it’s impossible to know until faced with that situation.
Pasborg’s life has changed a lot since that fateful day, receiving a Carnegie Medal — the nation’s highest civilian honor for heroism — and a new job and career as a result of his heroic actions that day.
On Saturday night, Pasborg was awarded his Carnegie Medal by Gov. Mark Gordon at the Governor’s Mansion in Cheyenne.
As Gordon presented Pasborg the award, the Rock Springs resident’s eyes welled up.
“I never thought it would happen,” Pasborg explained to Cowboy State Daily after the presentation. “I never believed it would go as far as this.”
Gordon said the “One Wyoming” slogan used by the University of Wyoming reminds him of Pasborg, whose sacrifice and heroism epitomizes the state’s hardy culture and dedication to the Code of the West.
“Here, we can count on heroes like Ryan,” Gordon said. “We get a toughness and a grit from our shared experiences, from our weather and from a oneness in looking out for each other.”
Gordon also presented Pasborg with a Wyoming State Challenge Coin, which is given to all Wyoming National Guardsmen and those who have done remarkable acts in the Cowboy State.
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Gov. Mark Gordon, right, meets Stephanie Wadsworth and her son, Weston, and the rest of their family at the Governor’s Mansion in Cheyenne on April 27, 2024. Stephanie and Weston were pulled out of a burning trailer the morning of Feb. 1, 2022, by local resident Ryan Pasborg. The family and Pasborg were in Cheyenne to receive his Carnegie Medal. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily) -
Ryan Pasborg, right, receives the Carnegie Medal from Gov. Mark Gordon on April 27, 2024, at the Governor’s Mansion in Cheyenne. The medal is the nation’s highest civilian honor for heroism. He saved a mother and her young son from a burning trailer on his way to work the morning of Feb. 1, 2022. (Matt Idler for Cowboy State Daily)
New Opportunities
Pasborg was unemployed in December when it was announced he was awarded the Carnegie Medal. He had recently been laid off from his job as an oil field worker while on medical leave for a benign tumor.
Pace-O-Matic, a software company that creates Cowboy Skill games, knew Pasborg from honoring him at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 2022.
When representatives from the company learned he was unemployed, they instantly knew that’s the type of person they want on their team and offered him a job.
“He fits right into what Pace-O-Matic does,” said Paul Goldean, president and CEO. “It’s about caring for your community, it’s about taking that extra step, doing those things that most people are never faced with doing.”
These words mean a little more considering that Goldean served five years as a special ops Army Ranger.
“For him to do what he did is of the utmost caliber of person from my experience,” he said.
The deep sense of selflessness and character Pasborg showed is also a necessary trait in the gaming industry, said Pace-O-Matic founder and Chairman Michael Pace.
“We’re in an industry full of crooks, and we’re not,” he said. “That’s why we’re fighting all the time to distinguish ourselves, and we thought who better to help do that?”
Karma Comes Around
Pasborg had been offered a new job on the oil field shortly before Pace-O-Matic made their offer, but his pastor gave him a message that he should never work in the oil fields again.
Pasborg said if it weren’t for that guidance, he might have turned down the Pace-O-Matic opportunity.
Pasborg had no past experience relevant to his new job, but that doesn’t matter to Goldean, who said his high sense of character makes him easy to teach, adding that he’s doing a great job.
The company flew Pasborg out to the company’s headquarters in Georgia for training, where Goldean said it felt like Pasborg was hiring Pace-O-Matic, not the other way around.
In his role, Pasborg represents the company and its machines throughout Wyoming. It’s a job, Goldean said, that requires working with little guidance, but heaps of local knowledge.
“We needed someone in Wyoming, and we found someone special in Wyoming,” Goldean said.
Pasborg said it’s a job that’s changed his life. He now plans to retire with the company.
“It’s a dream,” he said. “They’re amazing people.”
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Ryan Pasborg ran into this burning house to save a Green River woman and her son. (Courtesy Photo) -
Ryan Pasborg ran into this burning house to save a Green River woman and her son. (Courtesy Photo) -
Ryan Pasborg with his boys. (Courtesy Photo) -
Ryan Pasborg was honored by the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office after saving a woman and her child from a burning trailer. He’s now also been recognized with the Carnegie Medal, North America’s highest civilian honor for heroism. (Courtesy Photo)
Role Model
Pasborg said he expects his three children to act just as he did in 2022 if presented with a similar situation, when he crawled on his hands and knees to rescue Stephanie Wadsworth and her 4-year-old son Weston from the burning home, both of whom were unconscious.
Wadsworth and Weston also were at Saturday’s award presentation to see their personal hero be recognized.
“It’s amazing, we wouldn’t be here without him,” she said.
Whether it’s being polite to strangers or holding doors, what matters to Pasborg is taking the extra step to help out others.
“I raise my kids the same exact way,” he said. “I teach my kids how I was raised. That’s a family thing that will be passed down forever.”
When he showed his son Braxton the Carnegie Medal, Braxton remarked, “That’s awesome,” to which Pasborg gave him a big hug.
Pure Instinct
Pasborg said it was pure instinct and adrenaline that kicked in when he made his rescue on Feb. 1, 2022. He has no memory of any thoughts he had during the rescue.
Pasborg was already late for work that day, but when he saw the flames shoot up from the home and no fire trucks in the area, Pasborg said he knew had to stop and help the three little children – still in their pajamas – who he saw fleeing from the home.
When they told him their mom and little brother were still inside, Pasborg bolted through the kitchen door and into the burning structure.
He couldn’t see anything because of the thick smoke, so Pasborg said he had to crawl until he felt the child’s legs. He grabbed the boy and took him outside. Worried about the subzero temperatures, Pasborg put all of the children in his truck to stay warm.
He then went back into the burning home and found the mother on the floor badly burned and unconscious.
After rescuing her from the house, Pasborg performed CPR on Wadsworth and then drove her and her children to emergency responders.
When Pasborg’s son Braxton heard the news about what his father had done, he said he couldn’t believe it.
“I thought he was lying,” he said.
Weston said he couldn’t believe it either. And now, the young man says he’s certain he wants to be a firefighter when he grows up.
Pasborg said he plans to keep in touch with the Wadsworths for the rest of his life, and their families plan to go camping together this summer.
Pasborg is one of the first Wyomingites to be recognized by the Carnegie Hero Fund. In March, it was announced that Evanston native Kendell Cummings will be awarded a Carnegie Medal for his role in saving a wrestling teammate who was being attacked by a grizzly bear in 2022.
Contact Leo Wolfson at leo@cowboystatedaily.com
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
The 2026 Wyoming prep girls’ basketball season is nearly done. Two state champions were crowned in Classes 1A and 2A last Saturday. Southeast won the 1A title for the third consecutive season, and Sundance won the 2A title for the first time in eight years. Class 3A and 4A held their regional tournaments, which qualified teams for the state tournament later this week in Casper.
WYOPREPS WEEK 12 GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS 2026
These are the girls’ basketball team records for all games played through March 7, 2026. For all but 16 teams, this is the final record of the season. Those squads will play in the 3A-4A state tournament starting on Thursday in Casper.
1A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Burlington 24-5, 8-0
Riverside 14-10, 6-2
Dubois 11-10, 4-4
St. Stephens 3-16, 1-7
Meeteetse 1-20, 1-7
1A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cokeville 23-4, 10-0
Little Snake River 23-4, 8-2
Farson-Eden 16-12, 5-5
Saratoga 13-11, 5-5
Ft. Washakie 8-13, 2-8
Encampment 3-19, 0-10
1A Northeast: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Upton 16-7, 10-0
Kaycee 13-12, 7-3
Hulett 12-13, 7-3
Arvada-Clearmont 9-12, 4-6
Casper Christian 4-13, 2-8
Midwest 1-16, 0-10
1A Southeast: (Overall Record, followed by Reg. Season Points)
Southeast 24-5, 40 points
Lingle-Ft. Laramie 17-11, 31 points
Lusk 15-13, 26 points
H.E.M. 13-11, 24 points
Rock River 6-14, 12 points
Guernsey-Sunrise 2-18, 4 points
2A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Thermopolis 16-13, 5-1
Greybull 16-15, 4-2
Rocky Mountain 9-17, 2-4
Shoshoni 11-18, 1-5
2A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wyoming Indian 23-7, 6-0
Big Piney 8-16, 4-2
Kemmerer 2-21, 1-5
Wind River 2-23, 1-5
2A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Sundance 23-4, 5-0
Big Horn 21-6, 4-1
Tongue River 18-11, 3-2
Pine Bluffs 17-12, 2-3
Moorcroft 7-18, 1-4
Wright 3-23, 0-5
Read More Girls Basketball News from WyoPreps
WyoPreps 1A-2A Girls State Basketball Scoreboard 2026
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3A West: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cody 24-0, 10-0
Lander 21-4, 9-1
Pinedale 20-5, 7-3
Powell 16-9, 6-4
Lovell 16-10, 4-6
Worland 9-16, 2-8
Lyman 10-11, 2-8
Mountain View 4-19, 0-10
3A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wheatland 22-4, 10-0
Buffalo 13-11, 8-2
Douglas 14-11, 6-4
Burns 16-13, 5-5
Torrington 10-11, 5-5
Glenrock 12-13, 3-7
Newcastle 1-22, 1-9
Rawlins 2-21, 0-10
4A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Green River 23-2, 6-0
Natrona County 9-16, 4-2
Kelly Walsh 8-15, 2-4
Rock Springs 5-20, 0-6
4A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Star Valley 16-7, 5-1
Evanston 16-10, 5-1
Riverton 7-19, 1-5
Jackson 3-19, 1-5
4A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cheyenne East 21-3, 11-1
Cheyenne Central 16-9, 10-2
Sheridan 14-10, 7-5
Thunder Basin 14-10, 6-6
Laramie 12-11, 6-6
Campbell County 1-19, 1-10
Cheyenne South 1-21, 0-11
*The second Campbell County-Cheyenne South girls’ game was canceled.
Wyoming 3A Boys Swimming & Diving State Championships 2026
Photos from the 3A Boys State Swim Meet
Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Marcello Monterastelli Photography & Jared Newland, WHSAA
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