Coaches Comments 2016

Pre-Season:

We had a great Winter and Spring of lifting and nearly all of our players participate in multiple sports. That is really the key. Learning in competitive situations and working hard. Our Spring Ball was awesome, fast, crisp and snappy with older guys mentoring younger guys. We had two great camps. We took 9-12 graders to Black Hills State University and then took our Vasity to the University of Wyoming team camp. We played more football in those 7 days than any team in America. Our guys got up in the morning and went to work every M, W, F in the weight room. The dedication and commitment of your Mustangs is impressive. We are developing strength, quickness and stamina. Our Senior retreat "Camp Victory", was fantastic.

Fall Camp:

Fall Camp opened on Monday August 8th at 12:01 am with our Seniors participating in "Midnight Madness." Seniors and Coaches took the final steps to be ready for the 150 underclassmen who reported at 7am. What a great way to start the season. You can read the trib article at http://trib.com/sports/high-school/football/natrona-burns-the-midnight-oil-in-traditional-midnight-practice/article_a5f46a89-82f2-5734-904c-1109b2b0190b.htmlThe weather has been awesome! With the late start of school we can actually practice in the morning in a combined format from 7am to Noon. We are having one of the best fall camps in recent memory. We have a smaller but focussed Senior class. They are doing a great job of leading our team. Enthusiasm is high as well as expectation. The beauty of high school football is that everyone grows up. The young guys who go through this transformation in such a short time are amazing. It is humbling to be a part of it and witness it.

Cheyenne Central:

This is the longest rivalry in the state of Wyoming. I believe this is the 84th consecutive year the Cheyenne Indians and the Casper Mustangs have faced each other. It's fun to read accounts of each team riding the train North or South. We called it the "Mustang Express" when we traveled to Cheyenne. Great history and tradition. This years Central team has several returning starters. Their new coach is in his 3rd year and doing a nice job with their team. We expect a tough and fast group to show up to Casper on Friday. Your Mustangs are practicing well. We switched format to "after school" times this week, we were a little sluggish on Monday but Tuesday was one of the best practices I have ever seen at Mustang Stadium. I know we didn't leave it all on the field but it is fun to watch us improve. Thursday the Sophs open the season at home at 4pm. Kickoff Friday is at 7. The freshmen squads are in action on Saturday with a game vs. KW at NCHS and another squad on the road to Sheridan. JV's travel to Central on Saturday. Click on the schedule tab to see updates and changes. Central Preview Natrona Article

Cheyenne East:

We had a good trip and played our first Varsity game at the new Okie Blanchard stadium. We started slow with and trailed 17-0 at half. Final score 30-0. We were inside the 10 3 times and went for it on 4th down each time. Although the scoreboard doesn't reflect it we really improved from week 1. We have lots more to do but we are moving in the right direction.

Laramie:

Another great Natrona rival comes to town. It is Junior High night as well as Dominic Herrera night. We raised thousands for Dom's family as he fights cancer in Denver. It was great to see him at the game. We took an early lead on 2 FG 6-0, Laramie came back and lead at half 7-6. We came back and scored a TD and the 2 pt conversion to take a 14-7 lead. Once again Laramie came back but this time we blocked the extra point and would later block a FG attempt by the Plainsmen to secure the victory. It was an exciting game and once again we improved tremendously from the 2nd week but we still have so much improvement left in us. It was a great crowd and we appreciate everyone's support.

Gillette:

The trip to Gillette is always interesting. They had light poles on the visitor side come down so they had portable lights to help. Gillette is 3-0 and ranked #1. We are 1-2 and coming off our first victory, We are confident in our preparation and the improvement we are making. We have such a great rivalry with Gillette so it is always fun.

Our sophs won the early game and in one of the most exciting games of all time the Mustangs secure the victory with 17secs left. Huge crowd, great atmosphere, it was a well played game on both sides and the lead exchanged several times.

Evanston (Homecoming):

The Red Devils come to town looking for their first win. They have struggled with injuries and have several good players. This is an important game for us to really learn how to handle success and grow and improve. We are grateful for all the support. A rainy day let up before kickoff, the crowd was enthusiastic as we had a fun homecoming week. The Devils scored on the first play and that was it as your Mustangs rolled to a 36-7 victory. There was alot of good effort and great plays. We are getting better and it is exciting that we have alot of improvement left in us. We have alot of challenges on our team and I am proud how everyone is pulling together to help each other. I am so impressed by the passion of our guys, they really want to do well, they are a driven bunch of young people when you have people who care about others and their team, all things are possible. Once again we are grateful for everyones support.

Oil Bowl:

This is such a fun week for Casper, what a great rivalry. KWHS has a talented group of players and are playing well. They are young in places as well and are improving. We lost a tough game 19-14. We will bounce back and keep improving.

South:

Cheyenne South is much improved and started the season off 4-0. They are sound and have talent and speed to fit nicely into their wing T offense. We played a great game and earned a hard fought victory. GO Mustangs.

Sheridan:

Senior night at NCHS was a beautiful night for football. The Broncs got started fast and we couldn't keep them out of the endzone as they played a near flawless game. Their speed and skill made us better though. We are continuing to develop and improve each week.

Rock Springs:

This is a veteran powerful team. We had a good plan and the kids worked hard but they scored 7 times to our 5 times, in addition they converted 5 2pt conversions. It was undeniable the fact that this game kind of forged our guys and brought them together. Our trip to Sweet water county wasn't all bad, we kept answering and competing. It was good for us and certainly made us better

Quarter-Final Championships: Kelly Walsh II

There are so many teams mixed in the middle of the rankings and with KW's win and out loss we came out 5th and they were 4th. So for the first time since 2007 we travel back to Harry Geldien stadium to meet the Trojans who defeated us one month earlier. Well we have certainly improved and jumped out to a 10-0 lead and rolled to a 37-21 victory to advance to the Semi-Finals. We looked good in all phases of the game. Congrats Mustangs!

Semi-Final Championships: GilletteII

Once again the Mustangs travel to Gillette. We hare facing a one loss team whose only blemish came to us 6 weeks earlier. We are improving every day in practice, more confident, stronger, more experienced. It was an epic battle...great ball game hats off to both teams. We fell behind 10-0, then 10-3 the lead 17-10 and the never lost the lead again and fought through for a 30-28 victory.

State Championship: Sheridan II

The Broncs only have one loss falling to the Camels over a month ago. They are a skilled and fast team. We have our work cut out for us but we know our best game is still in us and we will play our best game of the year this Saturday. "From Laramie Peak to Laramie Wyoming." Thank you to all the parents, fans, friends and students for your support. We are grateful. GO MUSTANGS!

Thank you for your support and More Later.

Thanks for checking in. Trust that we will do our best, hang together, protect each other, inspire each other and strengthen each other as we make this a season of growth. I can't tell you what a blessing it is to work for these kids at NCHS. "All Hail to Casper High" and remember that "Every Day is a Great Day to be a Mustang."

Regards,

"On a Scale of 1-10, Be an Eleven"

Coach Harshman

"Trust" Proverbs 3:5-6