There are several adjustments to be aware of as high school sports begin a new calendar year across Wyoming.

Thanks to changing enrollment figures, various schools have moved up or down classifications in different sports, which impacts conference configuration, schedules, and more.

Let’s start in football, where the changes are in the lowest three classifications. First, Big Piney has dropped from Class 2A to Class 1A 9-Man. Guernsey-Sunrise rises from 1A 6-Man to 1A 9-Man football. This leaves the 2A West with only seven teams in its conference. It now balances the 1A 9-Man conferences with eight teams apiece.

Class 1A 6-Man changes to North and South Conferences for the 2022 season. The North is comprised of Burlington, Hulett, Kaycee, Meeteetse, Midwest, and Ten Sleep. The South has Dubois, Encampment, Farson-Eden, H.E.M., and Little Snake River. Ten Sleep did not field a team last year but is trying to in 2022. The Pioneers haven’t had a team in three of the previous four seasons.

Two schools, Moorcroft and Wyoming Indian, opted down to Class 1A 9-Man, and are ineligible for the playoffs.

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Volleyball looks different, particularly in Classes 3A and 2A, where several schools have shifted around for the upcoming season.

The only change in Class 4A is the swap of the two Casper high schools, which happens every two years. Kelly Walsh is back in the 4A Northwest with Cody, Riverton, and Rock Springs. Natrona County returns to the 4A Northeast with Campbell County, Sheridan, and Thunder Basin.

Class 3A welcomes Glenrock and Moorcroft to the division. That has created changes in all four conferences. The Herders and Wolves are now in the 3A Northeast with Buffalo and Newcastle. Thermopolis shifts to the 3A Northwest with Lovell, Powell, and Worland. Lander goes to the Southwest with Lyman, Mountain View, and Pinedale. Finally, Douglas goes to the Southeast with Rawlins, Torrington, and Wheatland.

In Class 2A, Burns and Kemmerer drop down to this division and Lingle-Ft. Laramie moves up. That changes the 2A Southeast to Burns, Lingle-Ft. Laramie, Lusk, and Pine Bluffs. Kemmerer is now in the 2A Southwest with Big Piney, St. Stephens, and Wyoming Indian. That moves Wind River into the 2A Northwest with Greybull, Rocky Mountain, and Shoshoni. The 2A Northeast is down to Big Horn, Sundance, Tongue River, and Wright.

Finally, in Class 1A, Riverside drops down. The Rebels join Burlington, Dubois, Meeteetse, and Ten Sleep in the 1A Northwest. The only other change is in the 1A Southeast (no Lingle), where it’s Guernsey-Sunrise, H.E.M., Rock River, and Southeast. Perhaps, Chugwater and Glendo, depending on numbers. The 1A Northeast and 1A Southwest did not change.

These changes are also in effect for basketball and outdoor track and field.

In cross country and golf, Star Valley is now in Class 4A, while Evanston falls to Class 3A.

Indoor track will feature two classifications. The top ten schools by enrollment are in Class 4A, while the remaining schools are in Class 3A.

Campbell County, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Cheyenne South, Kelly Walsh, Laramie, Natrona County, Rock Springs, Sheridan, and Thunder Basin will be in Class 4A.

Class 3A will consist of Big Horn, Buffalo, Burns/Pine Bluffs, Cody, Douglas, Evanston, Glenrock, Green River, Lovell, Mountain View, Pinedale, Rawlins, Riverton, Star Valley, Tongue River, Torrington, and Worland.

In soccer, there are no changes to the classifications, two changes that will impact standings. First, there will be no point awarded for an overtime loss. Instead, the winner of a match earns three points, one point for a tie, and zero points for a loss. The other new feature is that Class 3A will not have overtime periods. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, 3A soccer matches will go to a shootout to determine the winner. The victorious team gets three points for the win, while the losing team receives one point for tying in regulation. This eliminates ties in the regular season.

Finally, in wrestling, Star Valley is now in Class 4A, while Evanston is in Class 3A.

There will also be the addition of girls’ wrestling. Their season will run at the same time as the boys’ season. There is only one classification of girls’ wrestling. Girls will still be allowed to wrestle boys during the season, but a waiver is required. Only two girls per weight class, per team, will be allowed to qualify for the state tournament. Only girls versus girls matches count for seeding. There will be no regional qualifying tournament, and girls must compete in the girls’ state tournament.

Enjoy the 2022-23 high school sports year!

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