county teams

By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
It’s not every year that a school from Carbon County puts themselves in contention to compete for a state championship. It’s even less often when two schools from the county make it to the state tournament.
This year, however, all four schools in division 1A from the county — which includes Saratoga as of this year — have played their way into the state tournament in Casper. The games tip off Thursday, with the Tigers playing Midwest at 10:30 a.m., Little Snake River Valley squaring off with Saratoga at 4:30 p.m. and Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow meeting Southeast at 6 p.m.
Howard Spenny, the athletic director at Encampment said, “I’ve been here for about 20 years and this is the first time I can remember” having all four teams in the state tournament at once. The balance of power within the county has been on cycles for teams, but this year was the year all the moons aligned.
Anne Wiley, athletic director for the Rattlers, said, “Isn’t it something? It’s so exciting for our county. ... And it says a lot about our conference. The 1A west conference is home to LSRV, Encampment and HEM, while the Panthers are from the 1A east conference. “Honestly look around the state, I bet we’re the only county with all its teams going,” she said.
“I can’t remember the last time this happened,” HEM athletic director Russ Wiggam said. “I think it shows we’re extremely competitive” with basketball in the county. Spenney said the competitive nature dwindles off the court. “We cheer each other on, that is when we’re not playing each other,” he said. “There are plenty of friendships outside of the schools. The parents are intact with other parents” from the other cities, “and we’re all kind of a family.”
Wiley seconded the idea of the county being a big fraternity of supporters. “They’re will be very few kids in school on Thursday,” she said. “If there’s any sort of relative on the team, the kid will be absent.” Encampment, however, is giving their entire student body the day off on Friday. “We took this day off back in the summer,” Spenny said. “We thought there might be a good opportunity that we would make it (to Casper).” Spenny does think that other Tiger students might miss school on Thursday as well. “It’s a prearranged absence, so the kids will get their work done ahead of time in order to go,” he said.
In Miner country, Wiggum said the school is offering a pep-bus to go to Casper, “which leaves right after school lets out on Thursday, but you have to be in class to ride it.” Thursday morning, the Miners are planning a send off of their team.
The same is true in Baggs, however, the Rattlers are holding the send off in conjunction with the school’s academic awards ceremony and the entire town is invited. “We get more and more people to come every year,” Wiley said. And she expects this year’s ceremony to be the biggest yet.
In Casper, the Thursday games are all being held at the Casper College gymnasium, but Friday’s and Saturday’s games are scheduled for the Casper Events Center. The championship game tips off on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.