The Star Valley Braves completed their second straight undefeated season and won the program’s fourth straight state title on Friday night with a gutsy 26-21 final over the Cody Broncs. The game was part of the state championship weekend hosted by the University of Wyoming and War Memorial Stadium. 

The two programs have combined for the last 12 Wyoming 3A state titles and have met on Jonah Field for the past four seasons. With each match up, the margins seem to get smaller and smaller and the respective coaching staffs delve deeper into their imagination for ways to move the ball against opponents who cause them to lose sleep over the course of the season.

This was on full display in the first half as both teams pulled out trick plays and constantly shifting formations to gain an edge. So much so that both teams exhausted their set of timeouts well before the halftime buzzer. 

Star Valley scored on their opening drive, converting on a pair of fourth downs to do so, as senior quarterback, Phoenixx Hovey found junior Travis Thomson for a seven-yard score. The Braves tried a fake PAT but was thwarted with the score remaining at 6-0. 

Cody answered with a drive of their own, starting with their first play, a scoop backward from the center to Cache McFadden on a sweep with all of the linemen on the left hand side of the ball. It was a sign of things to come as both play callers executed complicated sequences to try and keep the defenses at bay.  The Broncs finished the drive with a short touchdown plunge from Kannon Grant. A Bronc PAT made the score 7-6 Cody. 

Star Valley’s next scoring drive was a wild one as they continued to overcome a bevy of penalty flags and difficult conversion opportunities. The Braves finally found pay dirt after several setbacks on a 21-yard strike from Hovey to Roman Erickson. The Broncs committed a penalty the play, giving Star Valley a short two-point conversion opportunity which they were able to capitalize on to make the score 14-7. 

Trailing with by a touchdown with no timeouts, the Broncs answered the call, making their way down the field to the Star Valley two-yard line with the clock ticking. Facing a running clock after a short run, McFadden spiked the ball to stop the clock. Erickson batted down a McFadden pass attempt, stopping the clock at fourth and goal from the two-yard line. McFadden made the drive pay off as he found Brent Bower for the short score with just three seconds remaining on the clock and a PAT tie the game 14-14 heading into halftime. 

The Braves forced a three-and-out on the Broncs to start the third quarter and took the ball down the field with a big passing play to Roman Erickson. Hovey finished the effort with a three-yard rushing touchdown. The PAT was no good, making the score 20-14. 

Where the offense had the upper hand in the first half, the Braves’ defense owned the third quarter which helped Star Valley build a cushion. The 3A’s top defensive unit forced three punts and in the fourth quarter, forced the game’s only turnover as Sam Gaskell stripped McFadden with the ball being recovered by Crewe Lancaster. 

On the ensuing possession, Hovey pitched the ball to Cooper Lancaster who pitched it back to Erickson who tossed it back to Hovey who then found Lancaster for a 21-yard gainer down to the two-yard line. Hovey scored again but the two-point conversion was unseccesful, making the score 26-14 for Star Valley. 

Now facing a two-score deficit the Broncs urgently tried to move the ball against the Star Valley defense and were eventually able to find the end zone on a pass from McFadden to Porter Rău. The PAT was good, drawing Cody to 26-21. 

After an unsuccessful onside kick, the Braves were able to eventually run out the clock to secure the win. 

Hovey finished the game completing 14 of 20 passes for 273 yards and two touchdown and also ran for a pair of scores. Roman Erickson hauled in four catches for 131 yards. Kyan Watson and Nathan Haderlie combined to rush 27 times for 105 yards on the ground. 

Cache McFadden completed 14 of 31 pass for 170 yards and a pair of touchdown and also ran 22 times for 129 yards but the lost fumble loomed large in the final tally. 

Logan Richard led the Broncs with six catches for 67 yards. 

Look for more details and the commemorative pull-out poster in the November 19, 2025 edition of the Star Valley Independent.

By The Numbers

12 – Number of consecutive 3A state championships won by either Cody or Star Valley

4 – Consecutive state titles for the Braves, the first such four-year run in school history dating back to the program’s start in 1928.

28 – The number of seniors on the Star Valley team

0 – The number of games lost by that senior class in their high school football career

7 – Number of state championships for Coach McKay Young

8 – Number of state championships for the Star Valley program in the last 11 seasons. 

33 – Consecutive victories for the Braves dating back to 2023, a program record.