Line anything but imaginary in CSU-Wyoming Border War

By Austin Ward, Special to the Rocky

Published November 20, 2008 at 7:52 p.m.

Text size

More College Sports

More stories »

Weston Johnson can count on his family.

It's the people who don't regularly make the trip to War Memorial Stadium to see the Wyoming linebacker and Wray High School product he isn't sure about.

The number of visitors jumps dramatically when Colorado State comes to town with the Bronze Boot on the line, but they're certainly not all coming to see the Cowboys - or the Border- jumping Johnson.

"Well, all my family is coming, my immediate family, and then I have some aunts and uncles that are coming, and they'll all be in the Wyoming section," Johnson said. "Then I have a bunch of friends from high school that are coming, and I know one that might be wearing the Wyoming colors, but the others, I don't know what kind of gear they're going to be wearing.

"It's pride for me. I mean, all my friends from high school go to CSU, and basically everybody I know, other than my teammates and everybody up here, really lives in Colorado. So it's definitely a big game and a pride deal for me."

The athletic junior isn't alone considering Wyoming's continued headway in recruiting battles, smuggling 29 others along with Johnson up Highway 287 and away from the Rams.

CSU has landed a few recruits from north of the border as well, and though it has controlled the Bronze Boot for most of the decade, the interstate commerce again has spiced up a rivalry that seemed to take a back seat for the Rams for a while.

It never cooled for the Cowboys, but a four-game losing streak before coach Joe Glenn's arrival helped CSU turn its hatred more toward Boulder.

And though Glenn isn't likely to retain his job win or lose Saturday, his hiring six years ago and an upset win in his first Border War turned the tide - and another new coach is placing the same emphasis on the 100th edition of the game.

"I think it's as big of a rivalry as our school has, and I think both universities do a great job of not only making this important to the athletic department, but to the entire school and the communities," first-year Rams coach Steve Fairchild said.

"That Bronze Boot is important to a lot of people, and we're fortunate at Colorado State that we have the Wyoming, the CU and the Air Force games that are all in their own right pretty good rivalries. But there's none that's more important to us than the Border War."

The addition of a former assistant and quarterback who has played in the series - 406 yards and three touchdowns in a 1980 CSU win - doesn't hurt the perspective, nor does having more than a trophy to play for this year.

The Rams need one win to earn bowl eligibility and cap a solid turnaround under Fairchild, and whether they admit it or not, the Cowboys would like nothing more than to sabotage those plans.

"I'm not trying to screw them up - I'm looking for us to finish on a high note," Glenn said. "Certainly, that boot is symbolic of who won the game between two great universities that happen to be about 70 miles apart.

"That boot gets put not in the trophy case, but right when you walk into the athletic department. We shine it up clean and bright for everybody to see, and I hope CSU does the same when they have it, because it is a rival game. Rival games are always the most fun part."

There hasn't been much for Wyoming to enjoy this season.

The Cowboys have been plagued by a never-ending flood of turnovers that led to a disastrous five-game losing streak.

And though they fought back with two wins before losing last week to Nevada-Las Vegas, it wasn't enough to stay alive for a bowl berth or probably ensure another season for Glenn.

But there's some precedent for teams rallying around a beleaguered coach in a season-ending Border War, though neither Glenn nor Sonny Lubick last year ever wanted the attention on them.

There's plenty more motivation out there, anyway.

"No, no, no. I think we've got 27 (Colorado kids) is what I counted, and no, there will be plenty of spirit for all the reasons," Glenn said. "It's the Border War game - it's CSU and Wyoming - I think there's two kids on their team from Wyoming and that really makes me mad, and we've got 27 kids from the Front Range. So from that standpoint, our kids will play hard and so will theirs."

No matter how many fans they have in the stands.

If anything, more green and gold and a boot in hand might make the afternoon even sweeter for Johnson.

"I don't know about that," Johnson said. "I'll just kind of keep to myself about it and concentrate on what I need to do to win the game. I'll wait to talk until after the game."

Either way, one side will hear plenty about it.

The rivalry is back.

Blood is thicker

When it comes to the Border War rivalry, Dane Stratton puts family first. Stratton, a senior who attended Cheyenne East High School, will be Colorado State's starting strong tackle when the Rams and Wyoming meet for the 100th time Saturday.

Ben Stratton, Dane's older brother, was a safety at CSU and now works in Fort Collins. Dane's younger brother Alex is a walk-on redshirt freshman safety at CSU.

"I was offered a scholarship to Wyoming," Dane Stratton said. "But because my older brother was playing at Colorado State, I didn't want to split my family up on game day, and that was the biggest reason I chose Colorado State. So Colorado State just seemed like the best choice to keep our family together."

Stratton, who was born in Boulder and moved to Cheyenne when he was 7, wasn't a big Wyoming fan but still is teased in an affable way by his Cowboys friends.

"I've been told time and time again that I made the wrong choice and we're going to cheer for you every game but one," he said. "For the most part, everybody is really supportive of me."

They said it

* Greg Bolling, Wyoming junior receiver from Aurora: "It means the world to me, and it means the world to our team and the whole Wyoming staff. I think the people who are coming from across the border have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder when it comes to this week. You are probably one of the best athletes in your state, and when a team there shows no interest and doesn't try to get you to come to their school but the boys up north do, you have a little incentive to show why they should have picked you."

* Gabe Knapton, Wyoming freshman linebacker from Mead: "This is a big game. I know a lot of people that will be coming up watching, know quite a few players that play at CSU. . . . I'm really excited for it."

Subscribe to the Rocky Mountain News