Punching above their weight

This past weekend, I didn’t get the chance to watch Encampment host Farson-Eden, nor was I able to observe Saratoga host Cokeville. It wasn’t because I was out on the ice at Saratoga Lake, but because I was in Cheyenne. Over the weekend, Keith McLendon and myself attended the 120th Wyoming Press Association winter convention. Despite not being present for games of the teams I love to cover, high school sports was still a topic of discussion with other Wyoming newspapers.

It is evident to those living within the borders of the 1A Southwest Conference that this conference is one of the toughest in the state of Wyoming. This observation goes beyond the conference as was evidenced when a reporter from the Lovell Chronicle asked me how the Encampment Tigers and the Saratoga Panthers were looking this year. This question was followed by the very same statement that has been repeated by parents, coaches and fans of our Valley teams; “The Southwest Conference is tough.”

The Rocky Mountain Grizzlies are a 2A team while the Lovell Bulldogs are a 3A team, so to have a paper that covers these teams ask me how the teams I cover are doing? Well, I felt even more honored that I have the opportunity to take photos of these amazing teams and their players because it is truly an honor to watch these wonderful young players get out on the court and give it their all.

During a dinner on Friday, I had the opportunity to sit with members of the Cody Enterprise.

“Okay,” I asked over dinner, “who here covers girls basketball?”

I was curious as to who was keeping an eye on Paige Powell following her transformation from an Encampment Lady Tiger to a Cody Filly, not to mention jumping from 1A to 4A in conference play.

Like most Wyoming newspapers, the staff of the Enterprise share the duty of covering sports and so I engaged in a great conversation with them about Powell. While she may be wearing the colors of Cody now, and will eventually wear the brown and gold of the Wyoming Cowgirls, she will always be a Lady Tiger. Just ask Encampment Superfan Mary Martin; once a Tiger, always a Tiger.

It was great to learn this weekend that the Saratoga Sun was not the only paper keeping an eye on the 1A Southwest Conference. It was even better to tell some of these other papers that they needed to keep an eye on the 1A Southeast Conference as well.

While the Southwest has been dominating over the last several years, our local coaches have stated more than once that the Southeast is making a comeback. Nowhere has this been more evident than with Hanna, Elk Mountain and Medicine Bow (HEM). The HEM Miners and Lady Miners may not be in the same conference as Encampment and Saratoga, but the south Carbon County rivalry is still there and motivates all three teams to strive to be better.

If it isn’t clear to others that the 1A Southwest and Southeast Conference can consistently punch above their weight, that’s their loss. While our schools may be small, the spirit contained within our little section of Wyoming is huge and it shows on the court and on the field.

Whether you are a Tiger, a Panther or a Miner you should be proud. With the Sun shining on you, others are beginning to take note and they are quite impressed by what you are doing.