SHERIDAN, Wyo. — Every season brings a fresh start—but for Sheridan High School’s football guys, this one feels different.
"We have a small senior class but you wouldn't know that if you were in the weight room with us in the summer," offensive and defensive lineman Brady Hartman told MTN Sports before a recent practice.
"We're so small and connected that we just have that trust in one another that we're going to do our jobs," said quarterback and safety Dom Destefano.
The Broncs are chasing a sixth straight Wyoming state football championship, and they're doing it with a 59-game winning streak that ranks second in the nation among active high school football teams.
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Only Garden City, New York, owns a longer active streak, at 68 games.
The Broncs are 4-0 this season. Hartman credits his coaching staff for keeping the team grounded.
"Coaches make sure we do a great job staying humble about everything," he said.
Head coach Jeff Mowry said the team has made a conscious choice to talk openly about the streak rather than treat it like a superstition.
"You see pitchers that have a no-hitter going … in the dugout, nobody talks to that pitcher. We've kind of abandoned that," Mowry told MTN Sports. "But we also talk about that, it's okay, it's going to come to an end at some point and we're going to do the same thing. And coach Leibeck, a mentor of mine, said one time, 'The biggest thing you're going to miss when the streak is gone is that you didn't celebrate the last win enough.' And so, we try to celebrate each victory.”
The Broncs also celebrate a weekly tradition that has nothing to do with wins.
"'Be a Man Tuesday' we call it. And we stole it from another great program in Wyoming … in Cody, and I think they call it 'Man up Monday.' We've talked about love, how to shake somebody's hand. Last week we had a bunch of men from our community come in and teach our guys how to change a tire," Mowry said.
DeStefano said the program reflects what the coaches emphasize beyond football.
"It's been great, obviously, winning a ton of games. But our coaches also preach being great men whether it's on the field, or in the classroom or in the household," DeStefano said.
Sheridan’s next game is at Casper Natrona Friday at 6 p.m.
Meantime, the Broncs will tell you their streak may be measured in victories, but this team's legacy is being built one lesson—and one great man—at a time.
