2023 Wyoming High School Football 3A Title Game Preview [VIDEO]

A rematch of last year’s state championship game in Laramie is on tap in Class 3A. Defending champion Star Valley faces Cody on Friday.

The Braves earned a hard-fought 14-7 victory over the Broncs for the title in 2022.

One of these two schools will win the 3A football championship for a 10th straight season. This is the third meeting between the two teams for a title in Laramie. Each school has won once, head-to-head.

The two 3A West Conference rivals squared off in Cody in Week 6 of the 2023 regular season. The Braves rolled past the Broncs, 41-14.

WyoPreps had conversations with both head coaches before the game, Cody’s Matt McFadden, and Star Valley’s McKay Young.

Team Info & Series History:

Star Valley (10-1) – McKay Young: 8th year as head coach; 13 state championships in school history; the most recent was in 2022 (14-7 vs. Cody). Their first title came in 1961. Four of the titles have come under Young (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022). This is Star Valley’s 24th appearance in a state championship game. The Braves are 12-11 in title games all-time. This is SV’s eighth trip to Laramie. The Braves are 5-2 in those championship games.

Cody (10-1) – Matt McFadden: 11th year as head coach; 7 state championships in school history; the most recent was in 2021 (41-24 vs. Jackson). Their first title came in 1958. Four of the titles have come under McFadden (202014, 2017, 2020, 2021). Three of those were in Laramie (2014, 2017, 2021). This is Cody’s 14th appearance in a football state championship game. The Broncs are 7-6 in title games all-time. Cody is making its sixth trip to Laramie. The Broncs are 3-2 in those championship games.

Star Valley has the series lead of 27-13. They first played each other in a varsity game in 1957. In the postseason, this marks the eighth meeting between the two schools. The first one was a semifinal game in 1990. The Braves hold a 4-3 advantage in the playoffs. They also met for a state championship in 1991, and Cody was victorious, 25-7.

Team Stats per game:

                             Cody                                                                Star Valley                 

Rush Offense = No. 1 (258 yards per game)                             No. 3 (193)

Pass Offense = No. 5 (181)                                                         No. 3 (206)

Total Offense = No. 1 (440)                                                       No. 2 (399)

Scoring Offense = No. 1 (45.1)                                                  No. 3 (37.3)

Rush Defense = No. 3 (106)                                                       No. 1 (86)

Pass Defense = No. 10 (164)                                                      No. 4 (127)

Total Defense = No. 5 (270)                                                       No. 1 (213)

Scoring Defense = No. 2 (13.2)                                                 No. 1 (12.7)

Key Players:

Cody = Grady McCarten – 109 rushing yards per game, 16 TDs – has 18 total TDs = No. 3 in scoring; Maddax Ball – 176.2 passing yards per game, 27 TDs, 12 INTs; Chase Hatch – 45.8 receiving yards per game, 9 TDs – 16.7 defensive points per game – ranks No. 5.

Star Valley = Jesse Leavitt – 102.9 rushing yards per game, 16 TDs – No. 4 in scoring; Smith McClure 137.5 passing yards per game, 8 TDs, and 7 INTs; Bryson Nield – 44 rec. for 669 yards, 5 TDs; Grant Thomson – 12.2 defensive points per game – ranks No. 16.

The game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start on Friday in Laramie.

Series history information is Courtesy of Wyoming-football.com.