Cody Takes on Star Valley in WyoPreps Football Game of the Week

With a conference title on the line, the top two teams in Class 3A square off in our fan-voted Wyopreps.com high school football ‘Game of the Week.’

Top-ranked Star Valley (7-0) travels to second-ranked Cody (6-0).

How successful are these two programs? They’ve combined for the last five Class 3A State Football Championships.

The Braves have won 16 consecutive games coming in. The Broncs last loss was at Star Valley in last year’s playoff semifinal round.

Both head coaches, Cody’s Matt McFadden and Star Valley’s McKay Young, chatted by phone this week with WyoPreps’ David Settle. They discussed their teams, some of the finer points of their squad, the respect these two programs have for each other, and what to expect in this matchup.

Friday’s game is the 34th meeting between the two teams. Star Valley leads the all-time series 23-10. That includes a 12-3 advantage in Cody. The Braves have won eight of the last 10 games played between the two.

More impressive is Star Valley’s 11 straight wins over the Broncs in Cody. That streak dates back to 1991, according to Wyoming-football.com.

Who to Watch for Star Valley: The Braves No. 1 defense. They haven’t allowed a point all season. Jackson came close last week, but a defensive stand kept the streak intact. The last points the top defensive unit gave up were in last year’s state championship game to Torrington. On the season Star Valley has allowed only 193 yards and 4.7 points per game.

Who to Watch for Cody: Tristan Blatt. He’s ranked in the top 10 receiving and kick returns and with limited opportunities. He’s also among the top 30 in defensive points for a unit that has plenty of good defenders. Blatt has three tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, five interceptions, and has a defensive touchdown.

Key Segments of the Game:

Star Valley – Field position has given the Braves a chance to trap opponents in their end of the field, and thus, gives the Star Valley offense a shorter field to drive and score. Chase Merrell is a huge part of that. He’s the No. 1 punter and kicker in Class 3A. Two of his 12 punts have landed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Even more impressive is Merrell’s kick-offs have opponents starting, on average, at their 8-yard line.

Cody – The Broncs have the No. 1 rush offense in Class 3A at 233 yards per game. They average 5.9 yards per carry with 19 touchdowns and only two turnovers. Only Chaz Cowie is among the top 10 rushers in 3A, but a total of six ball carriers have at least 140 yards rushing this season. Can that balance throw off the Braves defense enough?

The game starts at 5 p.m. from Spike Vannoy Field in Cody.