• SVI streaming JV and varsity games at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday
One word has permeated this past spring and summer as far as the Star Valley High School football team is concerned. Alaska. When is the game? Where is it played? Are they any good? How far is it? What was once a phone call between two coaches turned into a request to the school board which then became a fundraising effort. Now that’s all done. The game is this Saturday as the Star Valley Braves will make their 2026 season debut over 3,000 miles away on the Kenai Peninsula against a team in the Soldotna Stars who have won 180 of their last 190 games.
“I like where we’re at,” said head coach McKay Young. “We have a lot of experienced guys so install has been pretty painless. We like our guys but this will be a physical game on Saturday. We’re looking forward to being tested.”
The returning headliners include three all-state players in Roman Erickson, Travis Thomson and Krew Morgan. Erickson and Thomson along with players like Gabe Delgado and others catching the ball will be tough to handle. The offensive line will have a lot of new starters on Saturday in Soldotna which will be a challenge, but they are players who have been playing and contributing and waiting their turn. The aforementioned trio combined with junior Crew Lancaster might be a terror on defense along with returning edge rushers like Bryce Erickson and Kai Frazier. Zach Delgado likely leads the running back effort who will be replacing nearly all of their production from last season.
“At D-end, Kai and Bryce will be there and at nose I get the feeling Tom Erickson at nose [tackle] but it could be by committee,” Young noted. He also feels like the offensive line can be productive.
“I think we’re getting settled in,” he added. “We need seven guys we can count on and I think we’re there. We’re still looking at [different] fit[s] but we’re in a pretty good spot.”
Another big challenge for the program will be getting there with needed equipment. Young has extensive experience as a guardian for numerous school trips to Europe over the past many summers but he knows this is different.
“We’re still getting dialed in on that front,” he continued. “We’ll still go through some logistics. For example, we’ve done that trip to Laramie that we’ve done it a bunch of times but this is uncharted territory. We think we know what we’re doing but we might come back and see some things we could do better.”
The team is leaving Wednesday to Salt Lake City to fly out two time zones away.
Taking a bunch of kids on an airplane and getting though security, we’ve done this a lot of times going the other direction across the Atlantic,” Young said. “But we’ve never had to play a football game. So we’ve got to make sure we’re dialed in.”
There are also some slight differences in rules for these games.
“You can have one in motion, but can be moving forward,” Young explained. “Their line is enormous and powerful and well coached. This will be a very physical test for us. They have some really good linemen and they are really good at running the football. Then next week [against the Raymond Comets] it’s all forward motion. Thunder this week and lightning next week.”
• FAQ
How much does this cost?
If your first reaction is one as a concerned tax payer, this game will not cost any more than a bus trip to say, Riverton. The trip to Salt Lake City is approximately 200 miles, the same as a trip to play the Wolverines. The local district is responsible for paying for the busses which is reimbursed through the state for mileage. Plane tickets, food and any other activity expenditures are on the individuals and program itself. The players are sleeping in the school at Soldotna High School for their lodging. Soldotna is also providing two meals for the team.
“In other years the Dyers Woad money would be for other needs and this year it helps for kids to go to the Kenai Peninsula to see some whales and see some things that they wouldn’t normally see which I think is in line with education,” Young added. Soldotna is also using their busses to come and pick us up.” The Stars are scheduled to make the return trip to play at Star Valley High School next season.
Is SVI streaming the game?
Yes. The game is scheduled for this Saturday and is two time zones behind the traditional Mountain Time Zone. Kickoff on your local device is at 4 p.m. MDT which will be 2 p.m. in Soldotna. SVI is also planning on streaming the JV game prior to the varsity game because of this special circumstance. This is not the beginning of a JV streaming slate. That game will start at 1 p.m. MDT. You can watch the game at our new sports streaming website svi.media or on the same traditional favorites such as svinews.com, the SVI News app or on the SVI Media YouTube channel.
What About the Stars? They Any Good?
Yes, and that’s an understatement. Over the past 19 seasons they’ve won 180 games and have won the last three Division II state championships. They specialize in a brand of power football which is instilled into their program from a young age so the plays are second nature by the time they are part of the high school program. With an estimated enrollment of 695 students in grades 9-12, the Stars would fit right into the Wyoming 3A classification with a slightly larger enrollment than that of the Cody Broncs.
Odds & Ends
Star Valley enters this game on a 33-game winning streak which is the longest in school history. The longest unbeaten streak is 35 in the 1960’s which included two ties. The Braves’ last loss came to Sugar-Salem in Afton in September of 2023 with a 31-14 final score.
Under Coach McKay Young, now entering his 11th season leading the program, the Braves are 98-18 in that time with seven Wyoming 3A state championships.
This is the 98th season of Star Valley football which was established in 1928 under coach C. Newell Peterson. In that time, Star Valley has won 543 games, this is fourth all-time among all Wyoming programs, trailing only Cheyenne Central, Natrona County and Sheridan.
