At the end of each basketball season, only one team from every class walks away with a championship trophy. No matter how elusive the achievement might be, someone has to do it. But for a few months, or maybe even a lifetime, players and coaches get the privilege to wake up as a Wyoming State Champion.
In 2024, the 2A Boys Championship placard was given a proper escort back home– to Hot Springs County High School, home of the Bobcats. Yes, that’s Thermop(olis). If you watched any of the Bobcats games last season, you might remember saying to yourself, ‘Wow. What are they feeding those kids?’
The likes of Brody Potter – a high-flying big-man that moves and shoots like a guard. Yep, he moved on to play college ball. Maybe you remember the Dukes brothers, Delmonico and Armani, always in the right place at the right time. Yes, they also went on to play college ball – of the football variety. What about Cody Bomengen? The junior-guard who was a matchup nightmare for 99% of teams in Wyoming.
The point is, you only see squads assembled like this every so often. Winning a state championship is never easy, no matter who’s on your roster. Where the real challenge lies, is at the feet of the Head Coach. Their job is to continue developing talent so the program has a chance to run-it-back next year.
That brings us to today, one week before the opening games of the 2025-2026 season.
Returning seniors include Cody Bomengen – one of the best, if not the best, player in 2A. As a junior, Bomengen led the way in a lion’s share of the statistical categories including points per game (17), offensive rebounds (79) and defensive rebounds (136), blocks (28), three-point field goals (39) and two-point field goals (161). Good enough for All-State, and 2A Player of the Year.
Also returning is Ellis Webber, another All-State selection. He will be the starting point-guard again this season, as well as the squad’s emotional leader and defacto-captain. Webber can punish help-side defenders with his timely 3-point shooting ability. But according to folks around the program, it’s Webber’s leadership and basketball-IQ that adds another layer to the Bobcats.
Don’t forget about Zak Hastie – an extremely solid combo-guard who can defend one-through-five. Last season he led the Bobcats with 12 deflections per game (a very valuable, advanced-defensive metric). He poured in an impressive 82 total steals, and facilitated 78 assists in ‘24-25, earning an All-Conference nod.
Defending a Championship
Wyoming Five Star had the opportunity to sit down with Bobcats Head Coach, Shane Corpening ahead of the upcoming season. Corpening described his team, their strengths, and his focus for the next three months.
Like many other state championship coaches, a consistent theme is beginning to surface in these conversations: At some point, the players have to take ownership of their destiny.
“Again this year, I think we have the talent to get it done. Challenging our seniors to emerge as leaders – I think that’s super important if you want to win a state championship,” explained Corpening.
“We are pretty long, athletic, and we get after it on the defensive side of the ball. Offensively, we can space the floor and attack in a multitude of ways,” said Corpening.
Similar to last season, the Bobcats retain a certain level of length and athleticism that is a luxury at the 2A level. But filling the shoes of Potter, and the Dukes Brothers, is a tall task. The key is to develop underclassmen each year, so when turnover like this occurs, you’ve got guys waiting in the wings.
“I think Cody [Bomengen] is going to be big for us in that way. I say this all the time, but I still don’t know if he realizes how good of a player he actually is. He’s one of those types of kids,” said Corpening.
“He can really hurt [opponents] offensively – a great shooter, and he’s 6-foot-5, so if we get the right matchup we’ll put him on the block and let him go to work … Just an overall great player, and great kid. We are very fortunate to have him back.”
The Bobcats’ goal is to build upon last year’s epic finish. Of course, that’s easier said than done. In Thermop’s case, and many other programs in Wyoming, a state-championship victory can carry over into the following year. Almost establishing a new standard. The memories live on, but not just for dramatic effect.
Remembering 2024’s Title
“Our first game of the season we came out really well … At some point in the first half I looked up at the scoreboard, and we were winning 32-5. So, I knew we had talent. It felt like we had all the pieces required to win a championship,” said Corpening.
“But it was about February when I realized this could become a reality.”
On February 1st, the Lovell Bulldogs ventured to the famous, hot-spring surrounded, gymnasium in Thermopolis. The Bulldogs eventually won a 3A Championship about a month later, but not before a dust-up with the 2A Bobcats.
Bomengen led the way with 20 points on 79% effective-field goal (eFG%). Hastie grabbed nine boards, and Webber dished out six assists, en route to a 66-64 Bobcat victory. With a staple victory under their belt, it was all-systems-go for Thermopolis.
On the final practice of the Bobcats season, just days before the State Tournament, the team held an impromptu mini-ceremony, finally addressing the elephant in the room – the 2A crown was well within reach.
“I decided that if we had a good practice, and it felt right, we’d cut down our own nets… a little symbolism for what we hoped to achieve,” said Corpening. “At that point, we had never talked directly about a championship, but we decided it was time to have that conversation.”
“We were practicing the way you’d expect a state-championship team to practice – they were ready. It felt right. So I gave my assistant coach a little nod to go grab a ladder.”
“It was a really powerful moment for us all.”
Three days later, the rest was history. Thermopolis waltzed through the state tournament, knocking off pre-season favorites Wright and Wyoming Indian in round-one and round-two. The Pine Bluffs Hornets were all that remained, but 2024 was the year of the Bobcat.
Thermopolis etched their sixth championship in school history, beating Pine Bluffs 61-39. They finished with an overall record of 25-4, adding their first trophy to the case in 21 years.
Budding Rivalry with Wyoming Indian – Foreshadowing?
The first matchup of the trilogy with Wyoming Indian took place on the last day of January – about five weeks remaining in the season. The Bobcats walked away with that one, winning 62-42; a whopping 20-point margin that officially announced a new powerhouse team was in the 2A scene.
Throughout the 24-25 season, it was clear that the Bobcats were trending toward a title-shot. Before Regionals, the team had only lost three times all season; to 4A Rock Springs before Christmas break, to 3A Cody in January, and a random loss to Sundance.
Fast forward to the Regional Semi-Finals in Riverton.
“When you play them [on the 2A Regional court] in Riverton, I just feel like [Wyoming Indian is] a totally different team … I think that was the first time our boys played in that kind of environment,” said Corpening.
He’s talking about the 2A Regional Tournament, which is always held at Wolverine Gymnasium – about a 20 minute drive from the Chiefs home-court in Ethete. Although it’s not technically a ‘home-court’ advantage for the Chiefs, it’s the next-closest thing.
“I knew it was going to be a long night,” said Corpening. “It was our worst shooting performance of the season. All week I preached to sprint back in transition to match [Wyoming Indian’s] pace of play, but [the Chiefs] did the exact opposite. They slowed it down on us.”
Wyoming Indian claimed game-two of the Bobcats-Chiefs saga, leaving Thermopolis’ state-tournament bid hanging in the balance. However, the Bobcats survived a loser-out game, keeping their title-hopes alive.
Seven days later at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, where all the state-tournament games are held, the two teams were set on a collision course. This time, Thermopolis length, athleticism, and shooting were in full effect.
Most Wyoming hoops fans would’ve predicted this to be the Championship game – Thermopolis versus Wyoming Indian. In what felt like the final hurdle, this Thermopolis program breathed a huge sigh of relief. The Bobcats knocked off Wyoming Indian 60-47, moving them into Saturday evening’s title game versus Pine Bluffs.
Looking Ahead
Jumping back to 2025, or should I say 2026, the two programs will face-off once more. On January 8th, the Bobcats will journey to Ethete, Wyoming, for another matchup with the Chiefs. The game is set to be played at 7 p.m. If you’ve never been to a Chiefs home game, this would be the time.
Stay tuned for more coverage, via Wyoming Five Star.