Teammates no longer, the Upton Bobcats and Sundance Bulldogs are playing as separate high school football teams this fall for the first time in 15 years.
The small northeastern Wyoming schools played as a co-op team known as the Upton-Sundance Patriots from 2012 to 2025, even winning a Class 1A state championship in 2015.
After the completion of their season last fall, the two schools decided to split and play their own 9-Man seasons.
Upton coach Andy Garland, who also coached the co-op team for its entire existence, said a variety of factors went into the decision to split the schools, but the most notable was declining roster numbers to maintain an 11-man team.
Garland said he believes football participation overall is down due to declining interest.
Three small Wyoming high schools — Kaycee, Meeteetse, and Shoshoni — are unable to field varsity teams this season due to lack of players, and Garland worries about the future of the sport throughout rural Wyoming, which has been losing population for at least a decade.
In many of these small towns, football games are a major event, drawing a significant percentage of the community to the stands on Friday nights.
Because player participation had been trending down in small towns, Garland said there was less benefit to Upton and Sundance playing together because they no longer had enough players combined to field a junior-varsity team — which they both saw as a key developmental tool.
During the 2025 season, the two schools had just 25 players between them.
In addition, the Patriots had less success than in years past, posting losing records the past two seasons after reaching at least the state semifinals every year from 2014 to 2020.
Upton Athletic Director Nick Johnson, who previously served as junior high football coach, described the end of the co-op as an example of how "all good things come to an end." Garland agreed, saying that by the time the decision was made, there was universal support for the move among school administrators, coaches, and members of both communities.
"It was a time for change for everybody," Johnson said.
The Upton Bobcats took the field for the first time on Thursday night, sporting new blue-and=white jerseys. (Victoria Schiller) 
For 15 years, Sundance and Upton high schools played together as the Patriots, seen here sporting red-and-blue colors representing both schools. (Upton Bobcat Boosters)
What Brought Them Together?
When the two teams came together in 2011, Wyoming didn't yet have a 9-Man football division. Schools played either 11-Man or 6-Man. Because of declining numbers at the time, and projections that participation would keep falling, both schools faced the prospect of dropping to 6-Man football if they continued playing alone.
They decided to team up to avoid that issue.
"It seemed like a good fit," Johnson said.
In many ways, it was. The Upton and Sundance coaches already had a strong relationship, and despite being only a 30-minute drive apart neither team considered the other a rival. Once they joined forces, each school hosted an even number of home games on its own field.
Upton and Sundance play separately in all other sports. When the two schools faced each other in boys basketball, Johnson said, the relationships players built together on the gridiron carried over to the hardwood as well.
"It was not competitive because they were all friends," Johnson said with a laugh.
But Garland said the creation of a Wyoming 9-Man division in 2020 changed the dynamic. The new division gave smaller schools like Sundance and Upton — those that preferred not to play 6-Man but didn't have the numbers for 11-Man — a solution.
Both schools have enough players to field a 9-Man team this fall they decided it made the most sense to go that route. The division is now in a strong position statewide, boasting 14 teams.
For 15 years, Sundance and Upton high schools played together as the Patriots, seen here sporting red-and-blue colors representing both schools. (Upton Bobcat Boosters) 
The Sundance Bulldogs play their season opener against Saratoga on Friday night. (Sundance Bulldogs Football)
Independence Brings Excitement
Garland said the Upton community has responded positively to the news, with a heightened level of excitement around football in the town of 898 residents on the edge of the Black Hills.
Football participation is also up, with 21 players signing up to play for the Bobcats.
"It's definitely galvanized support for football in Upton," Garland said. "There's definitely a level of excitement to having the Bobcats back."
Enthusiasm is also high in Sundance, said Secondary School Principal Brian Gunderson, who sees the change as a return to "hometown football" in the town of 1,032 residents, also near the Black Hills. Although he supports consolidating schools at times, Gunderson said applying that same logic to sports "feels wrong."
"We're no longer the Patriots, we're the Bulldogs, which feels pretty good."
Although neither school's staff was ecstatic about having to buy all new jerseys and gear, Johnson and Gunderson saw it as a necessary price to pay. Johnson was particularly excited about getting to paint a large "U" for Upton on its home field again instead of the Patriot logo.
"There's almost more energy now that it's Bobcat football," he said. "It's really kind of galvanized us."
Upton is off to a strong start. In its season opener Thursday night, the Bobcats rattled off an early 33-0 lead against Wyoming Indian before the game was called early in the second quarter due to an injury to a Chiefs player.
Sundance is also poised for a potentially strong season. The Bulldogs return 2025 All-State quarterback Kade Mills, who threw for more than 1,000 yards and notched 80 tackles last season. They also return top receiver Lyman Halverson and defensive standout Jack Krell, who combined for 90 tackles last season.
In a scrimmage last week, Sundance beat Moorcroft 32-18. Even though it was only a preseason match, Gunderson said the stands were packed — even with many students absent because they were playing other sports.
The Bulldogs lost their official season opener Friday against Saratoga, 32-12.
Patriot Bowl
Upton and Sundance will face off on Oct. 23 in Sundance in the final regular season game. Johnson is already calling the game the Patriot Bowl, a nod to the teams' former co-op name and what the matchup was called when their middle school teams played each other.
Beyond their history, the game could also have postseason ramifications. Gunderson expects the reunion to be "very exciting."
"I know the kids are already really fired up for it," Gunderson said. "It's definitely going to be a rivalry game."
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
