Local gridders prepare for 2026 season

With nearly two weeks of practice under their belts, including two-a-days, local high school football teams are looking forward to hitting someone else besides themselves as they prepare for the 2026 season including zero-week games Saturday.

The Rocky Mountain Grizzlies will host the Wright Panthers Saturday at 1 p.m. for a zero-week practice game, while the Lovell Bulldogs travel to Buffalo Saturday morning for an 11 a.m. kickoff against the Bison.

“It’ll be like a (regular) game, but we are going to have quick whistles on QBs and on special teams,” Rocky head coach Jessee Wilson said.

The Grizzlies are coming off a 7-4 season, their seventh in the Class 1A 9-man West and their fourth under coach Wilson. The Grizz last season beat Saratoga and Greybull in the playoffs before falling to Pine Bluffs in the 1A 9-man state championship game in Laramie.

Wilson and his staff have 31 players on the roster as the season begins: seven seniors, 11 juniors, six sophomores and seven freshmen. He said practice is going well.

“So far practices have been looking good,” Wilson said. “We’re hammering home the basics of the offense and defense these first couple weeks, and we have a lot of guys who are competing for those varsity spots, especially on the O and D line. Whatever combination that we have, I think we will be the biggest up front we ever have been in my 10 years here.

“(Mason) Moss is looking much further ahead than he was last year with having a year with our offense under his belt, and Sam Loyning and Cooper Ward both look good as they work into that running back role previously occupied by Triffen (Jolley). The guys have come in with a great attitude, and as coaches we are seeing some glimpses of great things. Right now we just need to focus on consistency on offense and defense as we gear up for our season.”

Rocky will open the regular season Friday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. at Southeast High School in Yoder. The first home game was scheduled to be September 18 against Shoshoni, but Shoshoni has cancelled its varsity season due to low numbers. Wilson said the school is looking for a replacement game.

Lovell

The Bulldogs are coming off a 6-4 season that saw them beat Newcastle in the 2A quarterfinals but fall to Mountain View on the road in the semis.

Head coach Nicc Crosby and his staff are working with 40 players as the new season unfolds: eight seniors, eight juniors, 12 sophomores and 12 freshmen.

“We’ve got a group that’s really worked hard and come together over the summer and the first week of practice,” Crosby said. “We’ve got some big shoes to fill at some positions, but I like the mindset and work ethic of the group we have this year and think we have several players who are more than ready to step up and fill bigger roles this year.”

After the zero-week game, the Bulldogs will open the regular season against the Burns Broncs in Glenrock Thursday, Sept. 3, at 5 p.m. The home opener is September 11 against Mountain View at 6 p.m. at Robertson Stadium.