Pre-Season:

We had a great Winter and Spring of lifting and nearly all of our players participate in one or more 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 a great Chadron Camp with 96 players divided into 6 teams.  We played more football in those 3 days than any team in America.  We had a one day lifting camp to get everyone on the same page and then kicked off a wonderful summer of growth.  Our guys got up in the morning and went to work every M, W, F.  The dedication and committment of your Mustangs is impressive.  Mustang Mini-Camp was good and our Senior retreat "Camp Victory", was outstanding.  

Fall Camp:

      

 

  You can read the 4A preview at http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_b863304b-cf64-5f80-8760-feb68a8bbf2a.html

Cheyenne South:

It was a warm and beautiful evening at Mustang Stadium.  The temperature at kickoff was 83°.  The Sophomore team started the season off with a bang as they rolled to a 51-0 victory over the visiting South Bison.  It was faculty appreciation night and my colleagues all sported T-shirts that said 220 passionate adults, 1850 hardworking students, 16 departments, ONE GREAT SCHOOL.  GO MUSTANGS!  We have an awesome faculty and leadership team at NCHS.  Coach Matson did a great job announcing the event.  I can't ever remember such a focused, healthy and excited team of teachers ready to start the school year.  It is a blessing to work with such a great group of teachers and staff.  The Mustangs were dressed in all black and looked fast and crisp for our season opener.  South was playing their first Varsity game ever and it happened to be at Cheney Alumni Field.  We started fast and looked fast.  Our guys looked crisp and ready to play, to me that was the most impressive part of the evening.  We looked sharp and we looked like a team that had respect for the game, our opponent and the whole process.  Wow, was it fun to watch our guys!  This team has a tremendous amount of upside.  We are young and we will improve quickly and we will improve greatly.  We just have to keep our minds right and keep improving everyday.  You can read the trib articles at http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_73c42010-15a0-5aac-8b26-561a888b4ccd.html and http://trib.com/sports/article_699bc91c-8c37-51e1-a15d-73512140064f.html  You can also see some pictures at http://trib.com/sports/collection_49290466-d06b-11e0-ad27-001cc4c03286.html#0 

Saturday brings a busy day for us as we send teams to Douglas for a JV game, Midwest for a 6 man game and we host two Freshmen games at 9:30 and 11:30 with Orange vs. KW and Black vs. Sheridan.  We also will host the annual Midget Football Camp at 8:00am with our players teaching every child every positon on offense and defense.  What an awesome day!

Sheridan:

The Broncs looked tough in their season opener as they hosted Cheyenne Central.  It is nice to see the resurgence of Sheridan under the leadership of my friend Don Julian.  The Broncs are simply reloading every year.  Sheridan wasn't hurt in the offseason as Jordan Roberts of Gillette(all state as a Soph. and Jr.) moved to Sheridan last January.  They will run a spread offense and be well coached and ready to play.  It will be a rematch of last years state title game.  The Broncs will bring their fans and it should be a classic.  Time is critical as this week is crucial that we improve greatly.  Most teams improve the most from week 1 to week 2.  We want to be the most improved team in America this week.  We still have 169 boys in pads, it is amazing.  Derek Gosman, 2001(1999 state champs) stopped in and shared a few words.  Derek was a two year starter at middle backer and defensive player of the year.  

Your Mustangs won the toss, deferred and Sheridan took the ball.  It was a warm 83° at kick off.  It was telling on the first two plays that our Defense was fast.  The Broncs had to punt and we got the ball at midfield.  We played most of the first half on Sheridan's side of the field but we could not "punch it" in.  On the second series we took a 3-0 lead.  Both teams were hurt by penalties which stalled drives and interrupted the flow of the game in the first half.  Sheridan had an opportunity to score at the end of the first half on a 1st and goal.  The Mustangs held Roberts on 1st down, 2nd and 1 the Mustang D held Roberts again.  3rd and one foot...the Mustang D held and the last 8 seconds ran off the clock to end the half.  Wow!  That was exciting.  We had a 20 minute half as we honored and recognized our Jr. High football players.  We appreciate the support, we had 100's of kids line the tunnel as we exited the field at half-time.  The energy was intense! The second half was a battle as the Mustangs gained the upper hand and started to take the game over late in the 3rd and through the 4th qtr.  The game lived up to all the hype and it was a great night to be a Mustang.  Duane Schlicht 1979  spoke to the team at the end of the game.  Duane held the most yards rushing in a single game record for over 20 years.  He now lives in Phoenix and is a teammate of Coach Pierce.  Very Cool!      You can read the CST articles at,  

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_32a12680-48a5-5dea-aa0c-a64749e2300d.html    http://trib.com/sports/high-school/football/article_f0f7173d-5f60-552d-ab50-5b7248c22908.html    http://trib.com/sports/collection_2383cf04-d5dc-11e0-98ab-001cc4c002e0.html#0 http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_0bc2f7ab-078f-599c-a448-e65b62481fac.html

 

Cheyenne Central:

The Indians won big over Cheyenne South.  It is our first road game and Central is always a tough place to play.  It will be another great challenge.  The Indians have 3 players who placed in the 400 meter finals last Spring at the state track meet.  They are well coached and alot like us wiht many new faces who are improving each week.  

It was a battle!  We took the early lead after a fumble recovery and nice drive to take  a7-0 lead.  We held on to the lead until less thatn 1 second before the end of the half when we gave up a swing pass and f50 yard run for a TD.  The PAT was missed and we held on t othe lead 7-6.  We extended the lead in the 2nd half to 13-6.  Central tied the game with 3 minutes left and the Mustangs responded with a nice drive to score with 2 minutes left.  The Indians made it exciting as they drove to the 30 and we made the stop with an interception on the 2 with 7 seconds left!  Once again we continue to learn and get better and really show our toughness.  I think before this season is in the history books we will develop into a real fine team.   It is all about getting better every day in practice, studying your next opponent and having fun on Friday night!  You can read the CST articles at 

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_4db2a8d1-3258-5550-815e-e1f3e2ac8111.html  http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_df352b03-6606-56d9-bfe2-f0ce2076cff8.html  http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_5a7347a7-f3ce-5880-b71b-689a60bdf938.html  http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/09/10/sports/20sports_09-10-11.txt

Rock Springs:  

We have the 2nd of 5 road games ahead of us.  We take the 230 mile trek to Sweetwater County.  The Tigers have a long time assistant coach as the new head coach.  They run a spread option attack on offense and 3-5 blitzing defense.  It will be another great challenge.  We need to put Central in the rearview mirror and really enjoy and cherish each day.  They are precious and fleeting.  We had a good trip, stopped in Rawlins to eat a sack lunch and tour the old prison.  We then went on to Rock Springs, the weather was cool and it looked like rain was possible.  We were dressed in all white and had a great warm-up.  We won the toss and deferred.  We put the clamp down defensively allowing 78 total yards and no points.  We scored on defense and punt return to add to the offensive scores to win 43-0.  We continue to get better and move in the right direction.  You can read the CST articles at

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_edba0212-67b0-5517-a84f-93aea116a429.html    http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_0efab925-18a6-5dfc-8908-63647ad54bc6.html http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_020df6a7-ceed-562e-a842-2626aef1e325.html

Oil Bowl:

It will be good to be back home.  The weather looks to be great.  6pm kickoff.  Great rivalry game...what else could be more fun.  Nice week of practice.  We are starting to move from Good to Great.  We are starting to figure out that greatness is about giving and not receiving.  You make a life by what you give and not by what you "aquire."  We kicked off a mentoring program(Mustang Buds) on Thursday at the Boys and Girls Club, worked to honor Glen Legler and his dedication to children at half-time, switched the Oil Bowl T-shirts from a sale to a "donation" to Make-a-Wish.  We raised enough money to grant a wish before kickoff.  We are starting to make a difference.  Expect adversity when  you become a force for goodness and greatness.  

The temperature was 80° at kick off.  We were "Orange Out" tonight and the stands were jam packed.  Many said it was the biggest crowd ever at Mustang Stadium.  We had a great pep assembly, thanks to student council for oranizing our school.  We had a nice time after school with movies and pbj's.  We had a great warm-up, won the toss and deferred to play defense first.  We had a quick shut down and then  nice field position and a quick drive and score.  We scored on 4 of 5 first half possesions and gave up one big play to take a 28-6 lead at half-time.  Cody Vollmar returned the 2nd half kickoff 99 1/2 yards for a TD.  It was a great night to be a Mustang.  It was a great celebration and just a wonderful week and evening. You can read the CST links here:

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_ee697168-6ec6-5407-8e5f-02338903152b.html  http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_bed15847-d6bc-5b49-9703-b4cd29e29b01.html  http://trib.com/sports/collection_d9b60f58-e59a-11e0-a925-001cc4c002e0.html#0    http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_48a4377d-1bd4-5bec-a976-64adaa5afaa3.html  http://trib.com/sports/collection_991b0c76-e65f-11e0-af20-001cc4c002e0.html#0  http://trib.com/sports/high-school/football/article_9f58b6aa-e660-11e0-a353-001cc4c002e0.html  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17464932#utm_campaign=trib.com&utm_source=17464932&utm_medium=social  

Thanks for everything this week, now it is on to next week at East

Cheyenne East

The birds are for real.  4-1 record.  One early loss to Gillette.  A young offensive line that has improved and a nice QB and running back.  It will be a huge test for us.  It was a great trip, we left on time, stayed on schedule, everyone rested and the weather was perfect, 75°.

We lost the toss and had to take the ball.  We got pinned deep and sputtered a little bit on offense.  We had two consecutive punts and then and interception.  Defensely we gave up a few plays to start the game but we quickly adjusted and started to squeeze Easts offense.  We fell behind 3-0 but our guys just keep battling back.  We called timeout with 3 seconds to kick a field goal to tie the game at half.  You could see the tide of the game turn our way in the 2nd qtr.  We were starting to win the individual battles.  Your Mustangs are a tough bunch.  We need to continue to get better in practice, continue to stay humble and continue to give of ourselves and spread greatness.   Thanks for your support.  You can read about the game on the following links.  http://trib.com/sports/high-school/football/article_a34caf88-04d5-51f3-9050-87f59bb27a3d.html

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_8dccaf84-cfb7-59e8-aaca-ef4403830be2.html http://wyomingnews.com/articles/2011/10/01/sports/19sports_10-01-11.txt 

 http://trib.com/sports/high-school/article_844f9090-d6aa-5644-9006-4b07b0b371d1.html  

Evanston  

The Red Devils are one of the best teams in Wyoming.  They are another tough team with a great running back.  It will be our longest road game of the year and another big game.  

We had a great trip, it seemed to go fast.  The weather cooperated on the roads on the way down.  We arrived on time and got ourselves ready.  We started the game fast and took a 14-0 lead.  After a great kickoff cover Evanston struck with an 86 yard TD run on the first play of the 2nd qtr.  That would be the end of the scoring.  Evanston ran the ball 17 times in a row in the 4th qtr and we stopped them on 4th and goal to seal the victory.  We ran our first 3 plays of the qtr, the last 3 to run out the clock and come home.  Evanston is a good football team and it was another battle.  The wind chill was in the teens and the temp was just below freezing.  It was a hard fought game where we had to battle through adversity to earn the win.  Games like that make you better.  The  JV's rolled on Saturday 26-6 on Saturday and the Frosh Orange and Black squads had big wins over Gillette and Laramie.  You can listen to a recording of the broadcast at   

http://evanstonreddevilsports.com/#/10-7-11-nchs-14-ehs-7/4556152773

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/natrona-county-football-vollmar-is-mustangs-mr-everything/article_c96c1cb9-d83d-5ae2-85c7-387db2d720ea.html  

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/prep-football-natrona-county-at-evanston/article_cd29bbc7-5692-5800-9bd8-17bd36bc9ef0.html   

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/natrona-football-mustangs-goal-line-stand-holds-off-evanston/article_36c3e88e-322f-5472-82ca-cbab618d152f.html

Homecoming and Senior Night-Laramie

 Laramie is much improved and has had some nice wins.  They have a dual threat on offense and play hard.  It will be a special week.  We have played 4 of the last 5 games on the road and now with homecoming we have an opportunity to secure home field advantage in the playoffs and the potential to play just one road game in the next four!  It is exciting to think about.  However, for that possibility to happen we must turn our thoughts to the work at hand and sieze this moment.  This season is flying by.  We don't want to spend a minute looking ahead or back.  Live in the moment.  The future is a whole bunch of "NOWS" strung together.  Don't waste a minute because it is going fast and it won't come back.  Once it is over you can't go back and have a "do-over."  We must focus totally on improving our game and learning the Plainsmen.  90% of this is from the "neck up."  We must focus on our Attitute and Effort....that is all we can do and it is the greatest thing we can do.  Unleash the most powerful thing we have and give ourselves and those around us Great Attitude and Effort.  

It was a beautiful October evening with a full moon.  Your Mustangs got off to a fast start as we kicked off, held Laramie to a 3 and out and went on to score on our first five possessions.  We took a 35-0 lead into half-time.  I thought we played fast and sharp.  All of our kids played well.  It was a special night for our Seniors as we honored their parents.  Time goes so fast.  You can read about the game at        http://trib.com/sports/high-school/football/prep-football-laramie-at-natrona-county/article_fba3e5f0-df56-51a9-8c90-fa756c91d8f6.html          

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/natrona-football-seghetti-returns-to-gridiron/article_6ddd366c-4c24-5a3c-93be-3fa7dccba69c.html     

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/football/prep-football-natrona-county-remains-perfect-blasts-laramie/article_8aae4da3-a49a-5e10-a7c8-7f2349f64491.html  

Gillette:

The Camels are coming off a big win at Cheyenne South.  They have had a nice season and earned some impressive victories.  They are always tough at home as they play hard and are well coached.  We will go to work and prepare for Gillette all the while focusing on ourselves and making sure we are getting better every day.  

It was a great night, we rolled in the first half and built a nice lead.  The Camels roared back aided by our turnovers and both teams battled to the end.  It was awesome, crazy and wild.  What a night!  Pure fun and excitement.  You gotta love the way our kids play!   Read the CST articles below:

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/prep-football-natrona-county-at-gillette/article_ae3b077d-6ba4-51e6-85f2-e35c872268bb.html

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/prep-football-natrona-county-finishes-regular-season-perfect/article_f3384fce-c2dd-52bf-86a3-c82e354a645f.html     

http://trib.com/sports/gallery-natrona-county-beats-gillette/collection_aa8ae14c-fc72-11e0-a21d-001cc4c002e0.html#0

Regular Season Wrap-Up:

It is hard to believe the regular season is over.  It was the fastest in history.  It seems like yesterday when we started at 12:01 on Aug 8th with our Seniors.  We end the regular season with 164 players in good standing and dozens of victories across our 5 squads.  Our Freshmen and Sophomores have to be the most improved football players in America.  The work our assistant coaches and our Juniors and Seniors do in mentoring our younger players is unique and truly great.  More important however is the kind of great people our kids are.  They have done alot to help each other and help others outside our team these past few months.  What a "Season of Growth" for all of us.  We have taken steps down the road to learning the difference between competing and winning.  Sure competing is important in everything we do but more important is truely winning.  Winning the battle of self, winning physically, morally, mentally and spiritually.  Truly loving your teammates which is selfless.  Learning the power of giving, speaking greatness into others and living with a humble heart and an attitude of gratitude.  You watch our guys practice and play...it is inspiring, they believe in each other, they snap around with a crisp love of the game and a love of each other that is inspiring.  The idea is to be able to answer the key question..."If the game of life ended tonight, would I be a winner?"  Once again, a "Season of Growth." 

http://www.casperjournal.com/news/article_a142d9a9-e805-5680-99e9-89b1b97f315a.html

Laramie/ Quarter Finals:

The rematch is on as the Plainsmen return to Casper for a Quarterfinal Playoff match-up this Friday at 7:00pm.  The Plainsmen are getting healthier and as we all know, the past does not control the future.  We approach this second season, the "post-season" as a new opportunity with no guarantes but loaded with possibilities and loaded with hope.  As always we will work to learn our opponent but the emphasis will always be on the Mustangs.   Let's get after this "new" season with renewed vigor, confidence, faith and hope.  Smile and snap around with Great Attitude and Effort, we are blessed!      

The air was crisp and Friday night capped off a "different" week for the Mustangs.  Practice was different, the opponent was fresh in our memory and we had some adversity with injuries to overcome.  With all of the changes we were able to play hard and build a quick 30-0 half time lead.  We played efficient and crisp and earned a nice victory and the Qtr-Final Championship.  Now it is on to the Semi-Finals.

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/prep-football-harshman-reboots-natrona-county-s-special-teams/article_6b1884f8-1fdd-544d-8de1-10262d97f227.html

http://trib.com/sports/gallery-natrona-county-vs-laramie-first-round-playoffs/collection_5926aadc-01e2-11e1-86cb-001cc4c002e0.html#0

http://trib.com/high-school/nc-stomps-laramie/vmix_ac046fac-01ea-11e1-b76e-001cc4c03286.html

Cheyenne East/Semi-Finals:  

The T-Birds are talented and showed alot of heart coming back for an overtime victory over Evanston.  We are already at work getting ready. Kick Off is at 6:00pm.  It has been a great week.  We had a nice practice on Monday 61°.  Tuesday was a different story.  Slush and single digit windchills put us in the Gym for a "full pad" practice.  We got some nice work done.  Wednesday the Track Field was plowed and we had "crisp" practice.  Thursday we broke up our 3 part routine of eat, Boys and Girls Club and Practice into a different order with Practice, Club Visit, Practice then eat.  It went well.  This week has been a blur.  Our guys are ready.  We are a little banged up with some "odd" injuries that have sidelined key players but that has also given other teammates an opportunity.  We are blessed and very fortunate and also humbled by everyone's support and the opportunities we have.  

The Birds scored first on their second possession and we tied it up at 7.  They ended up winning the first half 21-10--we won the second half 9-3 but it wasn't enough.  Taylor King said it best that we just ran out of time.  Give East credit...they played their best game of the year and earned a hard fought victory.  We are disappointed that we didn't play our best when we needed to but we played hard and we battled to the end.  More importantly, this season we formed a strong team.  Our guys pulled together and bonded together and experienced the miracle of team.  We learned alot and really grew and gave of ourselves.  What a wonderful group of people to be associated with.  We are grateful for the experience.  We will heal up.  Defeat is not fatal.  With the leadership of our Seniors and the spirit and hard work of our guys we will continue to do great things and continue this amazing tradition.  GO MUSTANGS!

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/natrona-county-football-mustangs-aim-to-stop-east-woods-/article_2c41ae08-8940-5d67-8f06-0901765a7ba5.html

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/prep-football-cheyenne-east-upsets-natrona-county/article_8897e495-adb4-569d-ab92-01acf98ff722.html

http://trib.com/sports/gallery-nc-vs-cheyenne-east-semi-final/collection_060311da-076c-11e1-82cc-001cc4c03286.html#0

http://trib.com/sports/high-school/football/prep-football-cheyenne-east-natrona-county-postgame-interviews/vmix_8208b04c-0770-11e1-a0ca-001cc4c03286.html

More Later.

Thanks for checking in.   Trust that we will do our best, hang together and 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