Sports
Examining Playoff Scenarios For Sheridan/Johnson County WY HS Football Teams 2025
One game remains in the 2025 Wyoming High School Football season.
Some teams are in the playoffs and have their spot locked up, others are in, but their spot could get better or worse, a few are still battling to get in the post-season, and the rest are done for the season after this weekend.
With one game left, 2 teams from North-Central Wyoming (Sheridan and Big Horn) are assured of going to the playoffs and have locked up #1 seeds, 1 is on the bubble (Buffalo), while the other 2 (Tongue River and Kaycee) have been eliminated.
For those teams that make it into the post-season, which team could be their first round opponent?
Tie-Breaker Rules:
- Head-to-head.
- In a 3-way tie, did one team beat the other 2 or lose to the other 2? If so, that team moves up or down. Revert back to head-to-head for the remaining 2 teams.
- In a 4-way tie (or more) check head-to-head record vs. other tied teams. Whichever team(s) have an advantage or disadvantage, that team(s) moves up or down accordingly. Revert back to 3-way tie, or head-to-head tie if needed.
- If tie hasn’t been resolved, check head-to-head record vs. highest team in the conference not involved in the tie (or next highest, next highest, etc…)
- Check point differential of when the tied teams each played each other (maximum 12 points…if team A beat team B by greater than 12 points, team A is credited with a +12, while team B is credited with a -12).
- 3-way coin flip. Odd flip of the coin loses. Revert back to start of tie-breaking procedure for the remaining teams.
Click here to see standings through week 7
Sheridan: The Broncs are locked in at the #1 seed for the playoffs, meaning Friday’s game at home vs. Laramie is worthless, as far as the post-season is concerned. It’s a different story for the Plainsmen, who are in the post-season, but are also trying to get a better spot.
Campbell County and Cheyenne East play each other at East, in a battle for the #2 and #3 seeds.
Natrona County and Cheyenne Central play each other at Central, in a battle for the #4 and #5 seeds. NC could fall into a potential 3-way tie with Thunder Basin and Laramie for the #5 spot, but have head-to-head tie-breaker vs. both.
Thunder Basin and Laramie are tied for #6 and #7, with TB having the head-to-head tie-breaker. Laramie would need to win at Sheridan AND have Thunder Basin lose at Cheyenne South, to jump ahead of the Bolts.
With Cheyenne South already eliminated, that leaves Kelly Walsh and Rock Springs to battle each other at RS for the final spot, and a trip to Sheridan in the first round of the playoffs. The loser is eliminated. KW could potentially move into a tie with Thunder Basin and/or Laramie in the standings, but lose head-to-head tie-breakers vs. both the Bolts and the Plainsmen.
Big Horn: The Rams are locked into the East #1 seed, meaning Friday’s game at home vs. Upton-Sundance is worthless, as far as the post-season is concerned.
The 2A playoffs are almost set.
In the first round, the Rams will host the loser of Friday’s game between Lovell at Cokeville.
On their side of the bracket is Burns at Thermopolis.
The other side of the bracket has the Lovell/Cokeville winner traveling to Newcastle, while Glenrock will visit Mountain View.
All other 2A teams not mentioned, including Tongue River, have been eliminated.
Buffalo: The Bison are on the bubble and need to take care of business at home vs. Lander, OR hope that Torrington loses at home vs. Douglas, or beat Douglas by 11 points or less, to make the playoffs.
If any of those situations don’t happen, there would be a 3-way tie for the final 2 playoffs spots in the 3A East (Riverton and Lander are already in, and Riverton already has the #1 seed).
In the point differential tie-breaker, Buffalo has a score differential of zero, meaning Torrington has to beat Douglas by 12 points or more, just to force the 3-way coin flip. This the only scenario, where the Bison would be eliminated from the playoffs.
If the TrailBlazers beat the Bearcats by 11 points or less, they lose the 3-way tie and are eliminated. Douglas would be #3 and Buffalo would be #4 and would travel to Star Valley (West #1 seed).
If Douglas wins and Buffalo loses, the Bearcats are #3 and the Bison #4 and will travel to SV. Torrington would be eliminated.
If Buffalo and Douglas both win, there will be a 3-way tie for the #2, #3 and #4 seeds.
Douglas has a point differential of zero, meaning Buffalo would have to beat Lander by 12 points or more, to force the 3-way coin flip scenario, for any chance of getting the #2 seed.
If Buffalo wins by 11 points or less and Douglas wins, the Bison lose the point-differential tie-breaker and would mean Lander is #2, Douglas #3 and Buffalo #4.
If Buffalo wins and Douglas loses vs. Torrington, the Bison jump up to the #2 seed due to head-to-head win vs. Lander, who would drop to #3. The TrailBlazers would then take the #4 seed over the Bearcats, who would be eliminated. If this happens, Buffalo would play at home in the first round vs. the Jackson/Cody loser.
In the west, Star Valley is the #1 seed and Green River is the #4 seed.
The Jackson-Cody winner will be #2 and the loser is #3.
Tongue River and Kaycee: Both have been eliminated from playoff contention. The season is over after this week.
jim jurosek
October 23, 2025 at 8:58 am
worthless is not the right word to use as far as sheridan and big horn football games. you don’t play football just because of the playoffs. you play to see how well you can play the game regardless of playoff implications. you play to see how much better you can become as a team.