The Cougars lead the long running rivalry 30-29 after a 54-22 win at Bailey Field last season, but that was last season. Shoshoni enters Friday’s tilt at Leroy Sinner Field with a 2-2 overall record. The Wranglers have wins over the Cheyenne East and Natrona County sophomores, and losses to Greybull and Pine Bluffs.
The Cougars are 1-3, with a win over Wyoming Indian, but lopsided losses to East 9-man powerhouse teams Lingle-Ft. Laramie and Saratoga. Wind River showed improved against Southeast Goshen in week three.
They played twice in 2022, and the same in 2021. They’ve played 59 times since the consolidation of Morton and Pavillion in 1969, and they’ll play again this Friday at 6:00 p.m. in Pavillion.
The Shoshoni Wranglers and the Wind River Cougars have one of the best rivalries in all of Wyoming prep football, and this time there is a lot more at stake than Fremont County bragging rights.
The series that officially began on September 26, 1969, with a 44-24 Cougar win.
The game has been played on six different fields, two in Shoshoni at the old field that is now the Crossroads RV Park and at the present location. The Cougars were created in 1969 when Morton Broncs and Pavillion Panthers consolidated.
Morton and Pavillion Morton both had fields, with the field at Morton a tight fit for 11-man football after being expanded from the 8-man variety in 1972.
After moving to the new high school at Pavillion in 1993, the Cougars have played on two fields, but have an outstanding stadium now named in honor of legendary track coach Leroy Sinner.
Shoshoni has a longer history with an overall record of 325-320-7 over the past 94 years. all history.
The Wranglers opened varsity football with a 26-0 loss to the Gebo Miners in 1930. Gebo is now a ghost town.
Shoshoni was considered one of the state’s larger towns until World War II, while Pavillion grew after the irrigation project was completed in the 1920s and Morton was never much more than a wide spot in the highway.
On a wet October afternoon in 1941, Shoshoni beat Pavillion 43-12 in a 6-man game in the first game for Missouri Valley bragging rights.
11 years later, Shoshoni routed Morton 53-0 in meeting in 1952.
Over the years the schools have played 6-man, 8-man (from 1967 to 1972), 11-man, and now the 9-man version of the game since 2020.
Shoshoni finished with an 8-2 lifetime record against Pavillion and a 12-7 mark with the Morton Broncs.
The teams have met three times in the playoffs with all three at Shoshoni and the Wranglers winning 28-18 in 2000 in the opening round, 27-0 in the semi-finals in 2021, and 40-6 in 2022.
That’s the history of the rivalry, what can we expect this Friday?
Wind River made it to Laramie last season, finishing second to Big Piney in the state championship game, but the Cougars lost a host of players to graduation.
Wind River struggled in their first two games, losing 63-14 at Lingle and 50-8 against Saratoga at home. They played Southeast Goshen to a 44-20 decision in week three and broke into the win column with a 46-8 decision at Ethete against Wyoming Indian last Thursday.
Shoshoni ran into a buzzsaw in their home and season opener against Pine Bluffs dropping a 45-6 decision to the Hornets.
The Wranglers won a pair of close games against the Cheyenne East Sophomores 18-14 and the Natrona County sophomores 42-36 with both games played on the road.
Last Friday afternoon, Greybull came from behind for a 26-21 win at Shoshoni.
The Wranglers can run or throw behind senior quarterback Braxton Mills and running back Carson Kisling. Mills has big targets in Oakley Hicks and Quinton Clark. The Wrangler line is young, has had problems in the second half so far this season. Shoshoni has a pair of stout defenders in Landon Kasper and Carlos Marrufo.
Wind River grinds the ball out on the ground. The Cougars don’t throw very often, instead the rush with quarterbacks Mato Amos and Remington Martinez, and pound the ball between the tackles with running backs Brayden Tatro, Bubba Rushing, Ben Synder and Jacob Hardcastle. The Cougar line, paced by Troy Tidzump and Isaiah Remacle is also inexperienced but plays well on straight ahead power plays.
Though it’s early, a win would guarantee Wind River a playoff spot. A Shoshoni win throws the West 9-man into a three-way tie for third place. Greybull and Big Piney, at 1-0 each are currently tied with Wind River for first place.