DUBOIS – The Dubois Rams football team has had a long stretch of success on and off the field, largely thanks to the coaching and teachings of Head Coach David Trembly. Trembly, whose son Wyatt will be playing in his senior season this year, has been at the helm of the Rams team since way back in 1998 before their transition to class 2A and their subsequent switch back into the 1A in the six-man division.
Now the time has come for Coach Trembly, who has recently taken over the athletic director title at Dubois High School, to finish what he started 25 years ago. Trembly has reached the State Championship game at War Memorial Stadium three times (2011, 2012, 2014) and won once back in 2012 after going 11-0. He knows that this is the goal every year, but this 2023 season might bring new motivation for both the team and the coaching staff.
“I’ve been coaching since 1986,” Coach Trembly said as he stood in his hay field. “And I’ve always said that when Wyatt walks, I’m walking.”
So now reality is beginning to set in for the Dubois Rams team who will not only be looking at a new coach on the sideline next season, but they’ll be looking at a team that won’t have the coach’s son on there either. But, Coach Trembly knows that his son has been a focal point over the past three years, so these final games could look very different than they have in the past.
The Rams team last season was led by Trembly in almost every major category, but the senior leadership from quarterback Ryan Wells and the senior experience of players like Kaden Chamley and Clayton Rux were huge additions that helped Dubois go 7-1 before they beat Meeteetse in the first round of the playoffs.
“We did graduate some good kids, there’s no doubt about it, but with the good ones we’ve got coming back I’m confident that we can get 11 games this season,” Coach Trembly said. “We have a really good freshman class coming too. There’s good talent there … We have some speed and some ability to move the ball out across the field too.”
Without Wells as the “man under,” as Coach Trembly likes to call the quarterback, the team will be led by junior Siler Hess who spent much of the spring putting himself in the Dubois’ record books in track and field events. Hess was also one of the handful of Fremont County quarterbacks who spent time learning from University of Wyoming Cowboys’ QB Andrew Peasley during the summer, something that will surely help Hess feel more comfortable in the smaller pocket.
“Siler is a smart kid, he’s a talented kid,” Coach Trembly said about his new QB. “If we get his confidence going then he’ll be fine … He does a really good job of throwing the ball on the run [and] when you have Wyatt and Jonah [Oard] he’ll just step right up into it, and he’s got some speed so he can do some damage.”
Not only will Hess, Trembly and Oard be a dominant trio in the backfield but the talent that is spread across the Rams’ six positions can be palpable whenever Coach Trembly or the offense needs them to be. Because of this, teams will not be able to know where the production will be coming from on a game-to-game basis, something that Coach Trembly predicts will help everyone get rest and get every player some touches before the postseason.
“I think we have the potential each week to have a different dark horse stand out … it’s just depending on what people are looking for and who they’re looking at,” Coach Trembly said. “We’re going to spread it out, it’s not going to be a one-man show … if we can get Jonah and Wyatt in the open field they can take care of things pretty well [and] at the same time, Siler, Kaleb Gleim … they’ve all played together since sixth grade and they know each other well.”
Behind the scenes, Coach Trembly is not a man who wants or believes he deserves any form of pity, and he’s shown that over the years with his cancer diagnosis never keeping him from doing his job on the sideline or in the classroom. Now, between chemotherapy treatments and his 2023 school year planning, Coach Trembly is looking at his final season on the sidelines and he’s told his young players exactly what this year can mean for everyone.
“I’ve been saying it … we’ve got a maximum of 11 games if we make it to Laramie this year,” Coach Trembly explained. “It’s time to focus. Just focus and execute, because this is our last chance as a great group of guys that have been playing together for years to do something special.”
Dubois starts off the season against Hulett and then at Little Snake River (LSR), a team that Coach Trembly loves to face earlier in the season, before hosting their first home game which will have to be at the old Rams field due to a re-sodding problem at the newer field.
“I’m thankful we’re playing LSR early,” Coach Trembly said. “The longer they play together and the further into the season, the better they get.”
This Rams’ season will surely be one to watch, even if you don’t reside in Dubois or are fans of the “Magical Mountain Town.” Not only will there be plenty of great play on the field, even if it is on the old field, but there will be plenty of emotion and drama on the sideline that will be something to keep an eye on as the Rams run up and down the field like they did last season.
BY: Shawn O’Brate