First off, I really appreciate the kind words I received regarding last week’s column. It only cements that the people that were highlighted, Kim Choma, Todd Welker and Blair Hillstead, were exactly who we all thought they were. But getting feedback, especially positive feedback, is more rare than it used to be so thank you for that.

Starting with the Lady Braves’ volleyball team this week, they are just a fun group of kids to watch. I know volleyball is a sport that requires teams to bring their own energy but when I’ve had the chance to watch this squad, they really do seem to be having fun. They had a nice run at the 4A West, going 3-1 and earning the #3 seed and even taking a set off favorite Kelly Walsh. I have high hopes that they can knock off Thunder Basin this Thursday afternoon. I also enjoy the insights and passion from Brandy Taylor and Patience Jenkins on the mic. I am excitable on the mic as well and I’ve done my share of volleyball, but they know the game so well and it’s nice to have them covering the Lady Braves for us.

The Braves football team is just an absolute juggernaught. Some of the things that stood out to me was the sheer difference in numbers between Buffalo and Star Valley. Yes, there are enrollment differences between the schools, but the health of a program can often be gauged by looking at its depth. The Braves are just incredibly deep. Looking at the number of crimson jerseys jogging around the field before the game compared to the 20+ players from the Bison was eye-opening.

This week’s game with Lander has some intrigue as the Tigers are as good as they’ve been in many years and have an offense that put up 55 points on the Jackson Broncs. Nobody in Wyoming has been able to score much against Star Valley this season. That will be the key clash on Friday afternoon.

Looking at the Wyoming Cowboys this week, I had low expectations heading into their road game against San Diego State and thankfully that mind set helped me not throw any items during a 24-7 loss. Yes, the Aztecs defense is physical and tough and fast. But Wyoming didn’t do themselves any favors on top of that. I really want Kaden Anderson to succeed at quarterback, he has such a cool story, but he can’t keep throwing interceptions at this pace. Nine and counting so far including three this past Saturday. There could have been two more based on how many Aztec defenders were in the area on some really bad decisions. Some fans were already clamoring for Landon Sims who went down with what looked like a major injury as well. I don’t expect the staff to pull the plug on Anderson with three games left based on that depth chart, but his hold on the job moving forward is tenuous at best. The Cowboys need two wins in their last three games to earn bowl eligibility. Two of them are road games in locations where Wyoming has historically struggled against good teams. Sandwiched in there is a home date against Nevada with Josh Allen coming to have his jersey retired. If Coach Sawvel can’t get six wins, it’s going to be a very long offseason in a lot of ways. Wyoming almost never terminates a contract early so I don’t expect that, but two losing seasons to start the job is the way to get the people who make those decisions talking about it.

Finally a note on sports karma. Are you a believer in it? I suppose I am. And after my Washington Command-Skins run last season I thought to myself, are we going to have to pay for all of those good and great moments from last season’s NFC title game run. Based on this past Sunday night’s bodybag game against Seattle, those feelings have been cemented. The 2026 NFL Draft begins on April 23 in case you were wondering.