2022 WyoPreps Preseason Football Rankings See Familiar Favorites

All five defending champions start the new 2022 football season at No. 1 in the WyoPreps Preseason Coaches and Media Football Poll.

Sheridan, Cody, Lyman, Shoshoni, and Little Snake River begin this year where they finished last November. None of the five are unanimous choices for the No. 1 spot.

In Class 1A-6 Man, the Rattlers earned 14 of the 16 first-place votes. Snake River returns four all-state players from last year’s title team. Dubois and Encampment begin the year tied for second. Both teams received one first-place vote. The Tigers fell to the Rattlers in the championship after defeating the Rams in the semifinals. Meeteetse checks in at No. 4 in the preseason rankings. The Longhorns return only one of their four all-state players from 2021. This is the only division with a tie in the top five. Burlington and Farson-Eden share the fifth position in the poll. Nine of the 11 teams in the class earned a vote.

The top four teams from last season are the top four in the Class 1A-9 Man preseason rankings. Defending champion Shoshoni got 13 of the 17 first-place votes. The Wranglers return seven all-state players from last year’s title squad. Pine Bluffs is in the second position and earned a pair of first-place votes. The Hornets return seven starters on each side of the ball. Rocky Mountain was last year’s runner-up, and the Grizzlies return five all-state players. They are third in the preseason rankings. Wind River was the other team that received a first-place vote. The Cougars were in the semifinals last year. They lost three games last year and all of them were to the two teams that were in the championship game. Wind River has five all-state players returning for 2022. The No. 5 spot belongs to the Lingle-Ft. Laramie Doggers. They bring back an all-state and three more all-conference players. Eleven of the 16 teams in the division received at least one vote.

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In Class 2A, the two-time defending champion Lyman Eagles are the favorite beginning the new season. With two key players returning in Ashton Housekeeper and McKoy Smith, the Eagles picked up all but two first-place votes. The others went to last year’s runner-up Lovell. After those two, there appears to be some uncertainty from the voters as 12 of the 15 teams got votes. Last year’s semifinalists, Torrington and Wheatland check in at third and fourth, respectively. They are separated by only nine points in the voting. The Cokeville Panthers round out the top five in 2A. They bring back two all-state players. Seven other teams got votes.

The two-time defending champion Cody Broncs were the closest team to being a unanimous No. 1. They received 18 of the 19 first-place votes in Class 3A. The Broncs have six all-state players returning in their quest for a three-peat. The Star Valley Braves were the only other team that got a vote for the top spot. They reached the semis last year and played Cody within a TD. Douglas checks in at No. 3. The Bearcats were in the last four in 2021 and return six key players. Buffalo and Powell round out the top five, in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Finally in Class 4A, the Sheridan Broncs’ reign continued last year with their fifth state championship in the last seven seasons. Sheridan starts 2022 at the top with 14 of the 19 first-place votes. Cheyenne East handed the Broncs their only loss last year. They return three all-state players and gained one from Sheridan. The Thunderbirds received four first-place votes. Next in line are the Natrona County Mustangs. They earned the other first-place vote. Thunder Basin is fourth in the preseason rankings. The Bolts are followed by last year’s runner-up, Rock Springs at No. 5.

Here is a look at the voting breakdown:

WyoPreps gives every head coach in each classification and media from around the state a chance to vote in the rankings.