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Photo by RANDY HENRY/Star-Herald
Southeast returning starters (front row, from left) Sterling Swank, David Becker, and Jeff Burroughs, (back row, from left) Cody Johnson, Travis Jinks, Colton Stees, Chase Cushman, and Wyatt Somsen pose for a photo last week in Yoder, Wyo. The Cyclones, who have won eight state titles since 1999, are seeking to capture another championship this season.
Southeast football team looking to add to its collection of state championships By JEFF FIELDER Star-Herald Sports Editor
Y
ODER, Wyo. – Southeast football coach Mark Bullington doesn’t need to say much to get his players pumped up for games or even practices. Even during the middle of the summer, when the opening kickoff is still weeks away, Cyclone players are hard at work, whether it’s lifting weights, running, or sharpening their fundamentals to get ready for the season. At Southeast, it’s not about just getting ready for another season. It’s about keeping tradition alive. And in the region, no other
football program can match the success that Southeast has had since Bullington took over the head coaching duties in 1999. Since then, the Cyclones have won an amazing eight state championships, and they ended runner-up two other times. Southeast has won titles in both 1A and 2A. Perhaps almost as impressive as winning all those titles is that the Cyclones put together a stretch where they won 100 games in 13 years – the fastest any school in Wyoming has won 100 games. With all the success Southeast has had in the last 15 years, one might think the Cyclones spend a lot of time talking about their tradition and keeping it going year
after year. That’s not really the case, though, Bullington said. “We don’t talk a lot about it. It’s just kind of a feeling that goes around that, ‘Hey, it’s our turn to step up and try to deliver some championships,’” he said. “I think they just fall into that mode where it’s time to keep the tradition alive.” While Southeast has been blessed with having lots of talented student-athletes over the years, consistency within the coaching ranks, too, has played a big role in Southeast’s streak of dominance. Bullington has been at Southeast since 1982, and the coaching staff hasn’t changed much since he took over the head duties in 1999. His two high school assis-
tants, Shawn Burkart and Crockett Herring, both grew up attending Southeast and have been part of the coaching staff for several years. In fact, Burkart, the defensive coordinator, started coaching at Southeast in 1999. Even in junior high, Southeast benefits from consistency in the coaching ranks. Tim Eisenbarth, the head junior high coach, has been at Southeast since the early ‘80s. And Greg Burroughs, also a junior high coach, has been on the staff for a number of years, too. What does that mean for the Cyclones? Well, although Southeast makes a few changes every now and then, the players can count on operating out of the
same system year after year. No getting familiar with drastically different philosophies or strategies. No learning a completely different playbook. And no getting used to new expectations. Players who competed 10 years ago could jump into this year’s system and know what to do. During a recent interview, Bullington told a story about a day when Southeast was having practice, and a former Cyclone quarterback, who had graduated several years ago and had stopped by to observe the team’s practice, jumped into practice and called a couple plays. “He hopped in and told the kids what to do. They kind of See SOUTHEAST, page 2
Best Of Luck To All Area Teams!
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