3A State Championship Preview

By Bob Winney

We have watched all season as Powell, Douglas, and Afton/Star Valley traded blows at tournaments around the state. Neither one of the three wrestling powers has been able to get a real solid advantage. Well they don’t have one yet, either.

Afton/Star Valley, Douglas and Powell will be making a serious attempt to become the 2000 3A state champs. Any one of the three of them could pull it off (with Worland and Newcastle hoping for a few upsets to sneak in there). It will depend largely on how the boys do on the backside of the brackets (wrestle backs), we all agree on that. However, I see Powell and Douglas with 5 in the finals on Saturday night and most of the rest of their teams already wearing medals.

Too bad Trent went to 189. A rematch with Gabe would have been a good one.

In 1999 Douglas placed 11, 4 in the finals, had 2 champs and could only muster a 1-½ point victory over Star Valley. They should place 11 again this year but they will have 5 wrestlers in the finals and they’ll win four of them this time.

Star Valley will probably place 9 or 10 of their wrestlers. Three of them will be in the finals. Their finalist will be at: 112lbs. (Farris of Buffalo is the strong favorite here); 125lbs. (Douglas’ Tyson Shatto has been dominant all year and makes NO mistakes); and 275lbs., (Seeds of Newcastle has been waiting for this for a year now, he will not be denied). I don’t see them becoming champs at those weights.

Powell, too, will have 5 finalist, and 9 or 10 placers. I don’t see Powell winning any of these finals matches. I have looked at them and looked again. They will have Schwab @ 130, Carter @ 135, Zawacki @ 140, Fulton @ 152, and Zawacki @ 160. Any one of these kids could get it done. That certainly is a possibility. They’re up against very tough opponents in all the weights they will get to the finals at. They could win a couple, but they will earn them, no gimme’s here.

I’ve talked to some on the west side of the state that see the outcome different. Of course they would, they should, that is only natural. We only try to do these things without bias. And, that’s not easy.

The Star Valley folks think they will be able to pull off victories in at least two of the weights they are in the finals with. That’s why we have the matches. They just might but I think the odds are against them.

One Powell fan (that supplied me with his insight) sees it kind of like this: Douglas with 12 placers and 3 in the finals. Powell, 10 placers with 5 finalists. Star Valley will have 9 placers with 4 finalists, and Worland with 8 placers and 4 in the finals. According to him Powell will win and the difference will be in Powells first round pins, Douglas 2nd, Star Valley 3rd and Worland 4th. He, too, feels it will be extremely close. He wouldn’t let me in on who will be individual champions, however.

According to some in the West, Worland could break some hearts and upset some guys. And, they might even make a strong challenge for the title in the late stages of the tournament. Worland has the potential to place 8 or 9. With Pederson @ 103, Harry @ 171 and Roady @ 215, they certainly will have one champion, probably two and maybe three.

So, here’s how I see it ending next Saturday night. Douglas will win the 3A-state title this year. The margin will again be slight. But, this time it will be Powell with second by only a few points and Star Valley with third. Newcastle and Worland will battle it out for fourth.

I have probably already made plenty of fans mad; so I won’t even attempt to pick individual placers. You’re good fans, you know who’s who out there. You pick em.

Kilgore vs. Kerns

The bottom line is this, five teams out of 16 will be doing all they can to become champions, either individual, team or both. All sixteen teams have wrestlers that want to win, desperately. Each individual and each team will be giving it all they have to accomplish the most they can. It will be fun and exciting again this year.

I wish you all the best. Good luck to all of you wrestlers, teams and wrestling fans.

Enjoy the state tournament, it will be a GOOD one.