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Three Puncher boys capture All-Conference

Totaling 360 points for the season, Stoutenburg shot at 72 percent from the charity stripe, 48 percent from inside the perimeter and 34 percent from outside. Stoutenburg went 7 for 7 from the free-throw line against St. Stephens on Jan. 20. He sunk four of five attempted 3-pointers when the Punchers took on Kemmerer on Feb. 17 – the fifth-highest performance in the 2A West Conference. Stoutenburg scored 28 points against Kemmerer on Jan. 13 and netted 27 points during the Feb. 16 game against Pinedale.

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Three Lady Punchers earn All-Conference honors

“Our seniors played basketball all four years of high school,” Espenscheid said. “That is a testament to their commitment – it’s a lot to get through four years of any sport. The seniors are each stellar and hardly missed a practice over four years. They were super coachable and I’m proud of the way they handled the (2022-2023) season. Sharianne, Rayne, Hannah and Shelby all represented Big Piney with class.”

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Going the distance

“My strategy is always the same for each race,” he said. “I try to get out really fast and stay up front and then basically kick the last 200 meters, going as fast as my legs can carry me.”

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An emerging leader

“I love the game,” Munoz said. “It’s easy to work hard at something you love. When I saw myself succeeding, or even failing, at basketball, it made me hungrier to improve. In life, and athletics, you’re going to be put up against adversity all the time. How you react to that adversity is important. It takes a lot of discipline and a good work ethic.”

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BPHS cheerleading team snags second at State!

Big Piney competed against eight other teams and secured silver with 76.2 points.

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BPHS indoor track athletes go the distance at State

Senior Colby Jenks shattered the all-class state indoor track record in the 800-meter run in the finals for the event on Saturday, March 4. Jenks captured gold in the 800-meters, hitting the finish line in under 2 minutes at 1 minute, 53.92 seconds.

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Howard and Meador capture All-State wrestling honors

“I had (Longwell) broken down on bottom,” Meador said. “I saw the towel tapper run right behind the ref. The ref was right in front of me, and I heard him start to count down the last 5 seconds of the match. That’s when I started to get excited because I knew I was the state champion.”

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Puncher boys’ wrestling team captures third at State

“There were over 200 girls competing in two days at the first-ever girls’ state championships,” said Head Coach Cole Clifford. “The five from Big Piney did an amazing job. I was so proud of the girls for being the first to compete at State. They will have stories to share with their families for a lifetime.”

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Lady Punchers turn up heat at Regionals

“The odds were stacked against us against Wyoming Indian, but the girls did a great job,” said Coach Espenscheid. “That was just a classic game and maybe as fun a game as I’ve ever been part of. I believe that’s one of the best games Big Piney girls have ever played. Wyoming Indian has been the best 2A girls’ program over the past decades. Playing them in their home gym, in a packed gym – 95 percent of the fans were rooting for Wyoming Indian – was more exciting than any state game. Just for us to be in that game and play that well, it was just beautiful. We were so proud of the girls and the way they stepped up. We couldn’t have had a better ending to the season.”

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Puncher boys battle Greybull, Kemmerer at Regionals

“I’m really proud of the boys and their attitude and effort this year,” said Head Coach Nate Strong. “They are a fun group to work with and I can't wait to get back on the court again. Now, on to the ‘off’ season!”

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Puncher wrestlers dominate Carbon County

“The Punchers wrestled very well this week, winning the tournament,” said Head Coach Cole Clifford. “We had Dominic Sanchez, Bradley Rodda, David Farrington, Brandon Jones and Zack Murphy all earn championships. It was good to see four teams from eastern Wyoming and see where we stack up with them. There are some great wrestlers in the east, and I felt we competed very well. We also learned what we need to do to improve and get better going into Regionals.”

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Swimmers find success at ‘Last Chance’

Boespflug shattered a 25-year old Pinedale swim-team record in the 100-meter breaststroke in front of the home crowd on Thursday. Earning gold in the event, Boespflug posted a record-breaking time of 1 minute, 13.48 seconds.

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Lady Punchers overwhelm St. Stephens

“The kids played well,” said Head Coach Brian Espenscheid. “It’s hard to beat a team three times, so that’s always good. Friday was Senior Night – a big shoutout to Shelby Guest, Sharianne Brower, Rayne Wheeler and Hannah Runyan. It takes a lot to get to Senior Night – it’s quite a commitment. You put on four years for basketball, the long seasons. It’s a testament to them that they stuck it out. They’ve been super good kids. They’ve been a success and they will be a success from here on.”

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Second-half fireworks lead to Puncher victory

A coordinated Puncher offense and defense controlled the court during a ferocious second half that saw Big Piney outscore St. Stephens, 48-34.

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Boys wrestlers take second, girls third at Bridgerland

“It is always a little nerve-wracking when wrestling in a tournament in front of the home crowd,” he added. “We don’t get that opportunity very often. This week, we had a great tournament. I felt that we were able to control our emotions and wrestle with a purpose this week. We did have some setbacks and lost some seeding that will make it difficult at Regionals, but then we also won a couple of matches that will help us in seeding.”

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Swimmers dive into postseason

Numerous athletes from Sublette County placed in the top 12 in the preliminaries on Friday, advancing to place in the finals on Saturday, where they went head-to-head against the top competition from across the region.

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More swimmers punch ticket to State at Pinedale Invitational

“We had a great time in Pinedale this weekend,” wrote Co-Head Coaches Kursty Day and Cheryl Grossman. “Scotty Ring, Wyatt Hyde, Logan Visser and Calleb Willson all dropped time in their individual events. The biggest time drop of the weekend came from Kaden Day. He shaved 16 seconds off his time in the 500-freestyle.”

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Puncher wrestlers prove tenacious at Ron Thon Tourney

“This was the most challenging week of the season for us,” said Head Coach Cole Clifford. “The Pinedale team outworked us and controlled almost every match. It was a good wake-up call for us. We went back to the basics and got refocused on what we need to do to wrestle our best.”

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Lady Punchers rally in nailbiter against Shoshoni

“The girls had a good weekend,” said Head Coach Brian Espenscheid. “We battled the elements and got over to Shoshoni. Our girls really performed great. We just had a little bit of a letdown in the third quarter, but overall, it probably was our best effort of the season. I think we got better again in that game. I think we’re on the right track and I’m super proud of the girls.”

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Grapplers defeat Lyman in first home duel

“After two very successful weeks of wrestling, we really needed to push ourselves at Lander and see where we are,” he added. “The Lander Invitational had several top-ranked teams in 3A and 2A. We found out that we can compete with those teams, but there are still things that we need to work on. This was a great start for two more weeks of wrestling and some strong competition.”

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Lady Punchers crush St. Stephens

“All in all we had a good weekend,” said Head Coach Brian Espenscheid. “Quite a few girls saw the ball go in the basket. We just keep getting better. The kids are happy and feel good about how things are going.”

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Boys’ swim team snags place at Big Piney Quad

“I have spent the last four years coaching these young men,” said Co-Head Coach Kursty Day. “They are strong athletes and great role models for our younger swimmers. They will be missed. On Friday we got to watch Owen break his own 400-free meter record. We also saw time drops from Dillon, Sage, Logan, Andy and John in their individual events.”

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Puncher boys’ basketball knock out St. Stephens

“We left feeling like we have some things we know we need to improve upon, but we also did several things really well,” he added. “Not only did we handle pressure well – we attacked and scored against their pressure. We played with confidence and looseness that only happens once you understand a system. Our team defense was good, but could be better. Our poise and taking ownership for self and team can improve. Nothing beats a kid that owns his mistakes and fixes it immediately. We played hard, had a good attitude and will continue to focus on these aspects. I’m proud of the team.”

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Punchers win conference cliffhanger

Big Piney’s first conference victory hung in the balance as junior Reuben Stoutenburg stepped up to the charity stripe for his second free throw. Stoutenburg sent the ball sailing in a perfect trajectory and sunk the shot.

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Boys’ swim team makes waves at Lyman and Kemmerer

“It was an interesting weekend where we swam two meets against the same teams,” said Co-Head Coaches Kursty Day and Cheryl Grossman in an email. “We saw some nice time drops again on Friday by senior Dillon Boespflug in the individual medley, junior Ryen Hacklin in the 100-freestyle and freshman Scotty Ring in the 100-backstroke. Senior Owen Nielson is chipping away at his 100-breaststroke, chasing the Adam Denton Award. Owen, Dillon and junior Andy DeClue are all one event away from earning the award.”

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Big Piney grapplers crush the competition

The Punchers seized first place by a wide margin, tallying 211 points. The host school came in a distant second at 169 points. Big Piney beat 11 other teams, most of them conference rivals the team will square off against in the postseason.

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Lady Punchers come up short against Kemmerer

Rallying in the third quarter, Big Piney began to battle back and nearly matched Kemmerer in scoring through a physical, point-for-point fourth quarter. Ultimately, despite the Lady Punchers’ determination, Kemmerer maintained the lead to score a 41-27 win.

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Swimmers kick off the new year

“It is very exciting to see the progress the boys are making,” the coaches wrote. “Reuben Allen took 7 seconds off his 100-breaststroke on Friday in Cody and Wyatt Hyde posted some nice times in Cody and Powell for his first time in a swim competition. The Gene Doza Invite is a large meet where we swam against other teams from our conference. The weekend gave our boys a great opportunity to compete against teams that we don’t get to see often in our schedule.”

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Punchers battle non-conference rivals at Rawlins Tourney

“We played good, solid 3A teams and at times we were very competitive with these larger schools,” said Head Coach Nate Strong. “I think we played really hard, but need to create better defensive habits and make shots when open. I do believe these types of games make us better and hope to see the results later on in the season due to the tough competition played early. It’s been a really fun group to coach and they really want to win.”

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Lady Punchers overwhelm Farson

“Generally, I was really pleased because I feel like we got better over the course of the weekend – it’s always good to see progress,” said Head Coach Brian Espenscheid. “In the Farson game, we were rattled around in the first half and then the second half our defense got really good. Cokeville was a real shining light because they’re a tough team. They put it on us the first time we played and we made it a good game the whole way. We stayed really competitive with them and we were able to maintain our focus and maintain our effort for all four quarters. The girls felt good about their performance against Cokeville. They all head their heads up.”

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Big Piney scores comeback win over Cokeville

Cokeville led by a single touchdown early in the final quarter against conference rival Big Piney on Friday, Oct. 15.

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Swimmers win home meet, compete in Jackson

The Sublette County combined girls’ swim team won the Big Piney Meet on Thursday, Oct. 14, beating Kemmerer and Evanston with 112 points.

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Sublette swim team makes I-80 weekend duet

Hitting the pool for a busy weekend, the Sublette County combined girls’ swim team competed in Rock Springs on Thursday, Oct. 7, followed by the Rawlins Invitational on Oct. 9.

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Big Piney volleyball stays perfect in conference

A decisive victory over Wind River High School on Saturday, Oct. 9, maintained the Lady Punchers’ position as the top seed in the 2A Southwest Quadrant with an undefeated conference record.

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Punchers score momentous win over Mountain View

Mountain View punted the ball deep into Big Piney territory early in the second half as the conference rivals squared off at Puncher Stadium on Oct. 8.

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Energized second half not enough for Punchers to overtake Lovell

The Punchers chewed up yards with multiple pass plays and quick feet during the Oct. 1 match against Lovell, yet were unable to overcome their conference rival on the scoreboard.

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Sublette swimmers host Pinedale Invitational

The Pinedale Aquatic Center echoed with the sound of competition on Saturday, Oct. 2. The Sublette County girls’ swim team hosted the day-long Pinedale Invitational featuring eight teams from across the region.

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Punchers win their bracket at Bobcat Invitational

Big Piney finished the weekend with two wins, two draws and two losses.

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Punchers find success in the air after Lyman's big first half

Touchdown passes by the Punchers in the fourth quarter saved the game against Lyman from turning into a rout.

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Sublette swimmers claim close second at home triangular

Sublette County’s young girls’ swim team proved its mettle at the Sublette County Triangular hosted by the Pinedale Aquatic Center on Thursday, Sept. 23.

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Punchers improve perfect conference record

Scoring a second win against St. Stephens on Sept. 23, the Puncher volleyball team rose to the top of the 2A Southwest Quadrant, boasting an undefeated record.

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Big Piney notches another conference win after 5-set thriller

Fighting through five sets to pull out a win against Wind River High School on Friday, Sept. 18, the Lady Punchers proved they are a team to be reckoned with this season.

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Sublette swimmers go up against top competition

Homecoming weekend opened with the Sublette County combined girls’ swim team challenging Lyman to a duel at the Big Piney High School pool on Thursday, Sept. 16.

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Punchers overwhelm rival Pinedale in Homecoming win

Showing no mercy, the Punchers trounced the rival Wranglers and secured the county trophy for a fifth year on Friday, Sept. 17. Eager Homecoming crowds packed the Puncher stadium and lined the field with red and white proudly on display.

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Hibbert, Wrangler golfers punch State ticket

Group of golfers headed to Lander for State Meet.

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Punchers score second conference win

Bump, set, spike, victory! The Puncher volleyball team scored its second conference win against Wyoming Indian High School on Saturday, Sept. 11, before an ecstatic home crowd.

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Piney picks up first win by stomping Evanston JV

The Punchers held the line through most of the second half and scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the victory, 26-6.

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Punchers start conference season with win

Starting the weekend off with a bang, the Big Piney volleyball team trounced St. Stephens in the first conference game on Friday, Sept. 3. The Punchers dominated the first set with an 18-point margin and never looked back, scoring a 3-0 victory.

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Swimmers compete at Green River

The Sublette County girls’ swim team entered its second week of competition at the Green River Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 4.

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Fourth quarter gets away from Big Piney in opener

Pulling off several impressive surprise plays, Big Piney trailed by only 14-6 when the halftime buzzer sounded during the season-opener on Friday, Aug. 27.

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Puncher volleyball runs gauntlet to start season

The Puncher volleyball team squared off against top teams in the 3A and 4A divisions at the first tournament of the season hosted by Riverton. The two-day event, Aug. 27-28, featured teams from all four classifications.

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Team ropers Ride of Reid

Team ropers converged on the Pinedale Rodeo Grounds over the weekend for the annual Lance Koppenhafer Championship, which also served as the Ride For Reid fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 28.

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Karson Bradley finishes top 10 at CNFR

Big Piney High School alumna Karson Bradley, riding for the University of Wyoming rodeo team, took sixth place in barrel racing at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper.

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Big Piney duo headed to rodeo National Championship

Jaspur Brower and Jade Espenscheid of Big Piney punched their tickets to the 2021 National High School Finals Rodeo after qualifying at the Wyoming High School Rodeo State Finals in Douglas on June 10-11.

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2021 EnduroCross races shred in Cora

Paul Sylvester of Hudson, Wyo., won the pro race. Max McGinnis of Big Piney placed second and Darin Taylor of Bedford, Wyo., came in third place.

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Piney trio ends spring on All-State track list

Spring sports returned this year and the Puncher track and field team took full advantage of the opportunity to compete.

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Punchers bring home hardware from State Track

Both the girls’ and boys’ team placed fourth with 56 and 59.5 points respectively.

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Soccer closes season out against Bridger Valley

The spring soccer season came to an end for the Wranglers and Lady Wranglers with a doubleheader against Lyman and Mountain View on Friday, May 14 and Saturday, May 15.

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Girls win track Regionals, boys take silver

Puncher track and field athletes took the opportunity to show what they are made of and dominated the competition at the 2A West Regional Track Meet.

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Punchers host mid-week track meet

Big Piney runners, jumpers and throwers defied strong, sustained wind gusts and threatening gray clouds to compete at the Puncher Invitational on May 4.

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Big Piney track spends weekend in Pinedale and Riverton

Punchers highlight weekend with fourth-place finish in Pinedale.

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Martinez, Gonzalez see tough weekend for PHS soccer

The Big Piney duo play for Pinedale soccer.

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Big Piney's Davis plays during 0-1-1 soccer weekend

Davis plays in doubleheader weekend.

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Big Piney track and field stays busy with doubleheader

The Puncher track and field team grappled with wind, storm clouds and even a few snowflakes during an action-packed weekend.

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Big Piney's Maggie Davis plays in Pinedale soccer's split

The girls’ won Saturday’s match against Powell, 2-0.

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Big Piney junior Martinez features for Pinedale soccer

The Wranglers fell to Cody in a close match, 2-1, and lost to Powell on Saturday, 4-0.

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Puncher track team travels to consecutive meets

The Big Piney track team dove right into the second week of competition with back-to-back meets on April 9 and 10.

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Davis hits pitch with Pinedale in recent games

Lone Puncher Maggie Davis features for Lady Wranglers.

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Puncher duo helps Pinedale split recent slate

Gonzalez and Martinez feature for Pinedale soccer.

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Smaller Big Piney squad competes at Mountain View

Spring Break did not stop the Punchers from putting in another week of practice and competition.

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Punchers finish 4th in season-opening meet

Let the spring season begin.

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Successful Drift brings community pride

Nervous energy built and finally erupted with the starting call. The Drift 100 was on.

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Munoz and Hibbert earn student leader scholarships

Proud to Host the Best is a nonprofit organization in Casper.

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Eight Punchers make All-Conference list

The Wyoming Coaches Association released its annual All-Conference and All-State honors list last week following the conclusion of successful seasons for the Puncher boys’ and girls’ basketball teams.

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Espenscheid receives All-State honors

The Punchers girls’ basketball team entered the fourth quarter against Moorcroft trailing by 12 points.

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Three silver-medalist Punchers make All-State

The Punchers entered the court for their semifinal match against Sundance at the 2A State Basketball Championships.

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Howard named to All-State list in wrestling

Puncher wrestler Thomas Howard is already making waves in 2A wrestling as a sophomore.

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Puncher girls demonstrate grit at State

An excited crowd pressed against head girls’ basketball coach Brian Espenscheid and his team following a 63-59 double overtime upset against Moorcroft at the 2A State Girls’ Basketball Championship.

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Punchers finish historic 2nd at State

Big Piney squared off against Sundance in a historic semifinal match at the 2A State Basketball Championships in Casper on March 5.

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Big Piney Vipers heat up Sublette Ice Arena

The Big Piney Vipers hockey team had its annual bout against Pinedale on Saturday, Feb. 27.

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Puncher girls make it to State Tournament

The Puncher girls’ basketball team has every reason to be proud.

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Wrestlers compete at State

Big Piney took 14th place and had three wrestlers place in the top six.

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Puncher boys take second at Regionals

The Puncher boys’ basketball team is the second seed going into the 2021 2A State Basketball Championship.

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Girls' hoops head into regionals as two seed

Punchers fall to Wyoming Indian going into postseason.

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Big Piney boys finish regular season undefeated in conference

The Punchers run the table in the 2A Southwest Quadrant.

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Punchers sending 11 qualifiers to State

Big Piney finished fourth out of six schools as it hosted 2A Southwest Regional over the weekend.

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Sublette swim finishes ninth at State

Twelve qualified to swim in the championships.

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Puncher wrestlers close out regular season

Grapplers prepare to host new regional quads.

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Puncher girls trounce Wind River

Big Piney scores quadrant victory over Cougars.

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Swimmers make most of Last Chance Meet

Sublette taking 12 to State Meet.

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Puncher boys stay undefeated in conference

Big Piney overcomes Wind River in double overtime.

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Big Piney's Raza picked for Shrine Bowl

Raza played quarterback and defensive end.

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Punchers go 2-1 during busy week

Boys take on 4A, 3A and 2A competition.

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Punchers battle through busy week

Girls take court against quadrant rival, Bridger Valley duo.

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Puncher girls trounce Wind River

Espenscheid, Hansen finish in double figures.

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Sublette swim takes 2nd at Lyman Invite

Hacklin, Day add more State qualifying times.

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Puncher boys take down Wind River

Punchers' big second quarter powers latest win.

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Another winning weekend for Sublette County swim

Combined team scores two wins over weekend.

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Punchers make strong showing

Girls score their first home season in memory over weekend.

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Big Piney boys score weekend sweep

Win over rival Pinedale highlights perfect week for Punchers.

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Swim team wins at home, in Cody

Handful also punch tickets to State with qualifying times.

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Rollercoaster weekend for Puncher girls' basketball

Girls pull off victory against Kemmerer.

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