4A Football Championship Preview: #1 Sheridan vs. #3 East [VIDEO]
The Class 4A football state championship game will feature the same two teams for the third consecutive year. The three-time defending champion and top-ranked Sheridan Broncs take on the No. 3 Cheyenne East Thunderbirds on Saturday in Laramie. The Broncs have won the last two title games against the T-Birds. It was 34-23 in 2022 and 31-3 last year.
WYOPREPS CLASS 4A FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW 2024
The regular season was back in Week 3 of the 2024 season. Sheridan came out on top by a final score of 48-18. That was the game where the Broncs set a new state record with their 35th straight win. The record is now at 42 games and counting.
It will be the fourth time these two schools will meet with a championship on the line. Besides the last two years, they also met back in 2011. Sheridan won that game, 42-14, in Laramie.
Before the game, Sheridan’s Jeff Mowry and Chad Goff from Cheyenne East provided insight into the matchup with WyoPreps.
Team Info & Series History:
Sheridan (11-0) – Jeff Mowry: 7th year as head coach; 30 state championships in school history. Their first title came in 1921. In state championship games, Sheridan has a 20-7 record. It will be their 28th appearance in a title game. The Broncs are making their 12th appearance in the Class 4A championship game in Laramie. They’ve also won it all in 2009, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. They are 9-2 all-time in championship games at War Memorial Stadium. The Broncs are going for a 4-peat, and they are the last school to accomplish that feat, from 1990 to 1993.
Cheyenne East (9-2) – Chad Goff: 19th year as head coach; 5 state championships in school history; the most recent was in 2020 (29-15 over Thunder Basin). Three Thunderbirds state championships have come with Goff at the helm (2007, 2013, 2020). This is Cheyenne East’s 11th appearance in a title game. The Thunderbirds are 5-5 all-time in championship games. East is making its fourth trip to a title game in Laramie. The T-Birds are 1-3 in their previous contests and all three losses are to the Broncs.
Sheridan leads the all-time series 35-15. They first played each other in a varsity game in 1960. This will be the ninth postseason meeting between the two schools. Sheridan holds a 6-2 advantage over East. Sheridan has three victories in a title game from 2011, 2022, and 2023.
Team Stats per game:
Sheridan Cheyenne East
Rush Offense = No. 3 (202 yards per game) No. 1 (221)
Pass Offense = No. 4 (141) No. 7 (98)
Total Offense = No. 2 (343) No. 3 (318)
Scoring Offense = No. 1 (44.6 pts per game) No. 2 (32.7)
Rush Defense = No. 1 (87) No. 2 (114)
Pass Defense = No. 5 (126) No. 8 (136)
Total Defense = No. 1 (212) No. 4 (250)
Scoring Defense = No. 1 (5.9) No. 4 (16.6)
Key Players:
Sheridan = Garrett Way – 74.2 rushing yards per game, 7 TDs; Kelten Crow – 52.3 rushing yards per game, 14 TDs; Ty Gilbertson – 141 passing yards per game, 20 TDs, 5 INTs and 160.6 all-purpose yards per game, 5 rush TDs; Breck Reed – 22 rec. for 491 yards & 9 TDs, 22 yards per punt return, 2 TDs, and 57.4 yards per kickoff return, 3 TDs; Beck Haswell – 24 rec. for 334 yards, 3 TDs; Karson Chase – 22.5 yards per punt return, 2 TDs and 29.5 yards per kickoff return, 1 TD; Keegan Rager – 12.6 defensive points per game – ranks No. 6.
Cheyenne East = Keyshawn Brown – 109.1 rushing yards per game, 13 TDs, 164.1 all-purpose yards per game, 16 total TDs, 23.4 yards per punt return, 2 TDs, and 46.2 yards per kickoff return, 1 TD; Nolan Horton – 84.8 passing yards per game, 3 TDs, 4 INTs, 42.2 rushing yards per game, 11 TDs, and 127 all-purpose yards per game; Bobby Mathews – 12.2 defensive points per game – ranks No. 11.
The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start on Saturday in Laramie.
Series history information is Courtesy of Wyoming-football.com.
Cheyenne East-Campbell County Football Playoffs
Gallery Credit: Kellie Jo Allison
Sheridan-Natrona Football Playoffs
Gallery Credit: Shannon Dutcher
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