Cheyenne South won't play varsity football in 2027 - Wyoming Tribune Eagle

Cheyenne South High School will bench its varsity football program for the entire 2027 season, dropping down to junior varsity and a combined freshman-sophomore squad in a drastic administrative reset driven by staggering roster shortages, mounting injuries, and a historic 65-game losing streak.

The decision was communicated to athletes Thursday morning before being distributed to the school population at large through the ParentSquare app. Athletics director Wendy Johnson emphasized that the move was made collaboratively alongside Laramie County School District 1.

A Program Built Without a Baseline

For a school that opened its doors in 2011 with only freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, the term “rebuilding” has never truly applied. The Bison hold an all-time varsity record of 10-135, with their last win occurring on October 11, 2019, in a 36-35 squeaker against Laramie. Their high-water mark remains a 3-7 campaign in 2016 that culminated in a Class 4A playoff appearance.

Now, the program sits mired in a 65-game losing skid—an all-class state record by a margin of 27 games. This season alone, the Bison were outscored by an average of 63.6 to 1.3 points, finishing dead last in Class 4A across every primary offensive and defensive metric. They were shut out in all but one contest, a 79-12 loss at Rock Springs on October 9.

“I talk to people about our program and they ask me about rebuilding it,” Johnson told WyoSports. “A rebuild implies that we were there at one point and, unfortunately, we haven’t been. Our program needs a chance to build, and that’s really hard to do when you keep playing our younger kids up on the varsity level in Class 4A.”

Safety Risks and Roster Realities

Roster erosion has crippled South’s ability to compete safely. The school was forced to forfeit a 2024 game at Campbell County due to a lack of healthy and academically eligible players. They closed out the recent campaign with just 25 players dressed in full uniform for a 72-0 loss against visiting Thunder Basin, finishing the year with only 11 upperclassmen on the roster.

Second-year head coach Steven Fernandez found himself relying heavily on underclassmen. He originally planned for three freshmen to see regular varsity snaps—including his starting center and quarterback—but ultimately had to play six freshmen on a regular basis.

“I looked around at the rosters of every team we played, and there weren’t many that listed freshmen,” Fernandez said. “Some of them didn’t even have freshmen on their roster. I hate to have to have the younger players play up on varsity when their bodies are still adjusting to high school football. It’s a big safety concern for me.”

Those concerns manifested clearly on the injury report. South recorded 17 player concussions this season, drastically outpacing the national high school average of roughly 5.6 concussions per 100 players.

Statewide Ripple Effects in Class 4A

The decision to shelve the varsity squad carries immediate consequences for the rest of the state. Class 4A is left with just nine active varsity football programs for the time being. The Wyoming High School Activities Association is currently navigating the first year of its two-year reclassification cycle, with reorganizations based on average daily membership figures not scheduled until after the 2027-28 school year.

Cheyenne South won't play varsity football in 2027 — Photo: newsbreak.com

Based on current ADM numbers, South stands as Wyoming’s seventh-largest school with an expected two-year average of 1,269 students. By comparison, state heavyweights Kelly Walsh and Natrona County sit near 2,000 students apiece, while Sheridan anchors the opposite end of Class 4A as its smallest football school with 1,048 students.

Campbell County High School vs Cheyenne South High School Mens Varsity Football

WHSAA Commissioner Trevor Wilson declined to comment on the move because the governing body had not yet received formal, official notice from Laramie County School District 1. However, discussions between the WHSAA and LCSD1 have run deep, with an official briefing slated for Class 4A athletics directors during a virtual meeting on November 3.

Meanwhile, Johnson is turning her attention outward to secure competitive games for the coming years, planning to reach out to smaller varsity programs across Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska to schedule matchups primarily against Class 4A sub-varsity teams.