4A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

SOUTH TEAMS
by Pete vanderHeiden

I feel it only fitting that we start off with the defending 4A State Champions, Laramie Plainsmen. However, they are going to have to reach way down inside themselves, to successfully defend their title from a year ago. The Green River Wolves have an awesome squad and have dominated in every tournament. The Evanston Red Devils are also a team to be reckoned with, as they proved to the Plainsmen two weeks in a row by defeating them in the dual and at Regionals. But remember who placed third in Regionals last year and who won the State Tournament? After getting clobbered by the Wolves a week ago, the Plainsmen began the task of rebounding at Regionals. At 119, Micah Schuch, seeded 4th, got his revenge against the #1 seeded Wolf, Tom Huntington. Following suit for the Plainsmen at 145, was Colter Floy, also seeded 4th, returned the favor of a week ago defeating #1 seed, Mike Grabusnik. Micah and Colter both finished second. Exacting his revenge against the Red Devils, was Remington Trabing at 125. Seeded 3rd, Trabing defeated #2 seed, Kirby Degraw, but couldn't get past Green River's Steve Harmon in the finals. Looking at the brackets, Laramie is in a good position to make a run for the Championship but they will need some help from up north.

Here's what I see for Laramie, 8-9 Plainsmen placing, with 4-5 in the finals.

Micah Schuch and Tom Huntington

Now for the Wolves. Led by Nationally Ranked Justin Salas, Green River is the odds on favorite, leading the all class rankings by a big margin. However, they stumbled a little in the Regionals and may have opened the door just enough for someone to squeak through. Sure they won the regional south by 53 points, but with the dominant wrestlers from the north in the picture, it may be a different story. I must say though, if they come out as they did in the Laramie dual, it will be lights out for all. The Wolves placed all of their 14 wrestlers in the Regionals and had 5 Champions. While runner-up Evanston placed 10 wrestlers with 2 Champions and 3rd place Laramie had 11 place winners with one Champion. Green River has 4 strong contenders for a State Championship, with two sure bets in Justin Salas and West Busha. However, the rest of the Wolf Pack will rack up a bunch of points, you can be sure of that.

For the Wolves I predict 11 place winners with 5-6 in the finals.

Tony Lopez and Pat Bettolo

Evanston is a strong team that did not get the recognition it deserved, mostly because we did not have that much information. They finished the season very strong and are definite contenders, probably battling Laramie, Gillette, Sheridan and Cheyenne Central for second. However anything can and will happen at the State Tournament. To quote Bob Winney "that's why we have a State Tournament". One Red Devil that stands out as a kid that has been overlooked all year is Jake Staley at 145. Jake has done a great job and is now ranked at #5. Although I think he should be higher. Jake should make it to the State Finals. Evanston's best, Nate Lonsway will have to get past Jake Arnold from Sheridan, the defending State Champ at 140. They have wrestled once this year and Nate was the victor by a 2-point margin. Also finishing the season strong for the Red Devils is 135 pounder, Ryan Bodine the 4A south Champion. Ryan will face #1 ranked Jason Weede in the finals. Unless Josh Cook from Laramie does what he did last year when he upset Ryan 8-2 in the semi-finals. One of the Red Devils came over to me at the dual meet and told me he wasn't worthy of being ranked in the "Top Ten". I disagreed with this modest wrestler and I guess he thought, well if the WUSA State Editor has faith in me, I should have faith in myself. So this junior at 189 went out and upset the #2 seed and took his spot finishing 2nd. Nick Small will have his work cut out for him when he faces Brian Dye of Kelly Walsh in the semi-finals.

I predict 10 place winners for the Red Devils with 3 in the finals.

Dillon Stone and Carter Downing

Cheyenne Central is loaded up top. Led by junior, Ryan Brown at 171 and senior, Brian Walker at 275. Central will finish in the thick of things, probably doubling the 70 points they scored last year. I know one Indian that is happy with his spot on the bracket, Jesse Whiteley. He may not wrestle Pete vanderHeiden in this tournament! Jesse and Pete have wrestled 5x this year. Don't get me wrong, I am sure he is not afraid of Pete, but after 5x, it's refreshing to face new opponents. I know Pete is happy about it! Jesse is a tough competitor and he will find himself leaving Saturday night with a well-deserved medal. Of course both wouldn't mind facing off one more time in the finals. Another Indian probably happy with his seed is Paul Tafoya; he has wrestled Green River's Justin Salas, more than once. However, they will meet again in the finals of this one. Probably the happiest Indian of all is Brian Walker, coming of his second victory over Brady Nielsen, the only wrestler in the state to defeat Nielsen. Brady won't have an easy time getting to the finals, if he is to meet Brian again. He will first have to get past John Haass of Casper Natrona. From the big guys, lets go to the little guys. There is a big match-up at 103; Dillon Stone will meet Gillette's Sterling Oglesby in the semi-finals. Dillon beat Sterling in the dual meet at the Laramie Dual Tournament and Sterling beat Dillon for 3rd at Riverton. It will be a good one.

The Indians should have 9 place winners 2 and maybe 4 in the finals.

George Martinez and Mike Grabusnik

Rock Springs, last year's runner up, will probably not finish in the top 5. Although they could come away with 3 state champs in Justin Gomez, Danny Carroll and Anthony Cordova. I know one will be leaving with the gold on Saturday. The Tigers have some definite contenders that could upset things a bit. Patrick Bettolo has a good shot at the semis where he will face Reynold Candelaria. Jason Tucker already scored one upset this year, when he defeated Jacob Buchanan in the Cheyenne East dual meet. Jason may find a medal in his pocket Saturday. Kevin Pecolar had a tough regional and did not place, but he can upset any one in the bracket. He lost to #1 ranked Clayton Wright, Green River 2x by a point. His first match on Friday will be a big one against Regional Runner-up, Danny Casteneda of Cheyenne East. Josh Johnson finished 4th last year and is in a good position to make it to the semi's. First he will have to get past Sheridan's Tony Larsen, the #1 seed from the north. Unfortunately, the Tigers lost a definite place winner, when George Moore fell to a season ending injury. We hope he has a good recovery and comes back strong next year.

Ok, for Rock Springs I see 9 possible place winners, 7 definite with 2-3 finalists.

Anthony Cordova and Pete vanderHeiden

Cheyenne East has a young team with 6 sophomores and 1 freshman in their line-up. They do however, have the potential to place 6 wrestlers. At 103, sophomore Mike Ausdal, a first year high school wrestler finished 3rd in the south Regional. He has an excellent chance to come home from Casper with a medal. Justin Benzel and Jacob Buchanan should finish in the top 4. While Danny Casteneda is on the upset warpath, he seems determined to get into the finals. Cody Fournier and Russ Webb each have a good chance to bring home a medal.

Dillon Stone and Mike Ausdal

NORTH TEAMS

By Don Tolin, State Editor, Wrestling USA Magazine, February 22, 2000

The six 4A North Teams go into the State Wrestling Championships primed with a new Conference Team title holder, the Sheridan Broncs who outscored the second place Natrona County Mustangs by only 11.5 points and the defending Conference Team Champion, the Campbell County Camels by 13.5 points at the recent 4A North Regionals held in Riverton. The Cody Broncs finished a strong 4^th with 122.50 points, while the Kelly Walsh Trojans finished 5^th with 117 points. The host team, Riverton Wolverines, finished with 47 points.

The battle for a Y2K state championship is lead by the nationally ranked 4A South Green River Wolves, with Evanston, Laramie, and Cheyenne Central on their tails, and Rock Springs and Cheyenne East filling out the 4A South Teams. However, they should not overlook the balanced attack by the North Teams who are sure to field many place finishers and some state champions. Although it is possible for a 4A North Team to take a state championship, it is not likely this year given the dominance and depth of the Wolves and their strong placing against other nationally ranked teams. On the other hand, the 4A North wrestlers will definitely play a major role in determining which 4A South Team, if any, takes the state title. As this is the State Championships, anything is possible, and don’t be surprised if a 4A North Team slips into the top three and makes a very strong run for the state title.

As to individual match ups, the State Championships are like a whole new wrestling season, with previous results between wrestlers becoming sometimes irrelevant, although past performances are usually good predictors for consistent wrestlers, but are not necessarily controlling at the State Tournament time. The season records and past state place finishes are something the wrestlers have earned on the way to their quest for a state championship, and no matter what happens at state, no one can take those away.

Although all wrestlers who weighed in at Regionals are eligible to compete at the State Tournament this weekend at the Casper Events Center, only the top four of each of the fourteen weight classes receive seeds, with two of the top two seeds of the north and south usually making it to the finals, and the others battling it out for 3^rd through 6^th places. The seeded wrestlers are placed one quarter brackets apart with the #1 seeded wrestler in the South in the same quarter bracket as the #4 seeded wrestler in the North. The #3 seeded wrestler in the South is in the same quarter bracket as the #2 seeded wrestler in the North. The #2 seeded wrestler in the South is in the same quarter bracket as the #3 seeded wrestler in the North, and the #4 seeded wrestler in the South is in the same quarter bracket as the #1 seeded wrestler in the North. Non-seeded wrestlers are randomly drawn in regardless of which conference they belong to, and can easily upset a top seed. Confused, don’t be... just come and watch the excitement and the thrilling wrestling action at the Casper Events Center, Friday and Saturday, February 25^th and 26^th.

The 4A North Conference Champions, Sheridan Broncs finished in 7^th place at the State Championships last year and return with 1 state champion and 2 state place finishers. The Broncs are currently ranked #7 in the top 25 teams of the Wyoming All Class Rankings, and placed 12 wrestlers in the top four at Regionals. They won the conference title with 3 first places, 4 second places, 4 third places and 1 fourth place.

#1 seed at 125 pounds Senior Jose Sosa (26-6) placed 2^nd at State at 125 last year, but faces some of the strongest competition in a weight class that is characterized by more splits and splits with the common opponents among the competitors than by any one wrestler dominating the weight class. Sosa currently ranked #4 in the all class rankings, may not get a chance to face #1 south seed Steve Harmon of Green River, because of the strong competition on his side of the bracket. Sosa has lost to #4 seed Cheyenne East’s Jacob Buchanan who took an injury default in the consolation finals to #3 seed Evanston’s Kirby Degraw, at the South Regional Tournament in Cheyenne. The #3 seed from the North, Joey Puettman has split with Buchanan and Buchanan has split with Degraw, while Sosa has lost to Degraw and split with Tolin of Kelly Walsh, although Tolin has pinned Sosa. Sosa has defeated Puettman every time.

#1 seed at 140 pounds, senior Jake Arnold (29-4) is a returning state champion for the champion Sheridan Broncs. #3 ranked Arnold lost to #2 seed from the south, Nate Lonsway 14-12, in an upset at the Riverton Tournament. Arnold is the favorite to be a repeat state champion. Arnold had been ranked #1 all class for most of the year. Arnold took 1^st at the Rapid City Invitational, 2^nd place in the Cowboy Classic in Miles City, Montana, with a 3-2 loss in the finals against Nedens of Hardin, Montana, and 2^nd place in the Billings Invitational, with a 7-6 loss to Nedens. Arnold has defeated most of the Wyoming wrestlers he has faced and will likely get another shot at #2 ranked Lonsway in the semi-finals and then will likely face #1 seed of the south, #1 ranked Danny Carroll of Rock Springs in the finals.

#1 seed at 160 pounds senior Tony Larsen (20-15) will likely face nationally and #1 all class ranked Justin Salas from Green River. Larsen is ranked #7 in the all class rankings, but has his share of splits with many of the wrestlers in his bracket.

Sheridan has some strong #2 seeds that could find their way to the state finals. They include at 112 pounds, freshman Usman Khan (12-19); at 119 pounds, junior Brian Tillery (15-12); at 145 pounds, #4 ranked sophomore Scott Crane (29-6); and at 152 pounds, #3 ranked senior Loren Hutchins (28-6) who placed 3^rd at State at 145 pounds last year. Hutchins lost to Cody’s Josh Taylor in the conference finals 9-7, while Crane took an injury default to Gillette’s Zach Ferguson in the finals.

#3 seed, freshman Suliman Khan (15-14) at 103 pounds; #3 seed at 130 pounds, senior Lyle Hebel (23-15); #4 seed at 140 pounds, senior Brandon Warner(17-8); #3 seed at 171 pounds, sophomore Austin Hall (17-11); and #3 seed at 215 pounds, senior Brock Duin (7-6) are all likely contenders to place at State for the talented Broncs.

The Natrona County Mustangs from Casper finished in 10^th place at the State Championships last year and return 2 state place finishers at both ends of the weight classes. The Mustangs are currently ranked #12 in the top 25 teams of the Wyoming All Class Rankings, and placed 12 wrestlers in the top four at Regionals. They are conference runner ups with 4 first places, 1 second place, 3 third places, and 4 fourth places. With the recent death of long time former wrestling coach John Miller, the Mustangs have dedicated this wrestling season to him and this seems to have added some additional steam to the drive and intensity displayed by the Mustangs in their final weeks before the State Championships and their strong showing as a runner up at Regionals.

Bryce Leonhardt brings a perfect record of 29-0 with him to the State Championships at 103 pounds. The Mustang’s top junior, placed first at Regionals and is ranked #1 in the all class rankings. His only loss last year was at the State finals when he was upset by a decision after two overtimes, by Laramie’s nationally ranked, Remington Trabing. Leonhardt has defeated nationally ranked Oglesby of Gillette four times this year, the most recently, by a 3:52 fall in the finals at the Regional Championships in Riverton. It’s not likely that Leonhardt will let a state championship slip away from him this year. Leonhardt’s first round opponent will be Michah Lewis of Laramie who Leonhardt defeated by a technical fall in 5:45 at the Laramie dual.

John Haas, the Mustang’s top senior, placed 4^th at the State Championships last year and first at Regionals. Haass takes a 26-5 record in his quest of a state championship, and is currently ranked #1 in the all class rankings, having defeated #2 ranked Walker of Cheyenne Central with a 1:34 pin and most recently a 1-0 decision at the Riverton Invitational. Although Walker defeated Laramie’s Brady Nielsen for the top seed at the South Regionals by a 7-2 decision, #3 ranked Nielsen has defeated the Mustang heavyweight 5-2 at the Douglas Invitational and by a 2:15 fall at the Laramie dual. Nielsen will be that one roadblock Haass has to overcome, for a state championship. Haas’s first round opponent is Eric Fagley of Sheridan. Haass pinned Fagley in 45 seconds at the North Regionals.

Nielsen vs. Haass- A rematch in semis?

The Mustang’s top sophomore Clyde Barella, with a 20-10 record at 119 pounds, won the conference title for the Mustangs. Barella will meet #4 South Seed, Justin Benzel, of Cheyenne East, in the quarter finals. Benzel has previously defeated Barella 12-7.

#1 seed junior Joe Fiumara, with a 15-3 record at 215 pounds, won the conference title in Riverton, and is currently ranked #7 in the all class rankings. Fiumara will meet John Kreller from Cheyenne East in the first round and if Fiumara wins he will face Dillon Gilster of Laramie in the quarter finals. Fiumara pinned Gilster in 3:41 during the Laramie dual.

#2 seed at 130 pounds, junior Benny Roberts (11-12) lost 6-4 in the Regional finals to Campbell County’s Dennis Taylor. However, Roberts is on the top half of the bracket and if he makes it past the quarter finals, he likely will face Clayton Wright from Green River, the #1 seed of the south who has previously defeated Roberts by a pin. Unless there is an upset it will be Taylor and Wright in the finals.

The Mustangs have a chance at placing all of their other seeded wrestlers including #3 seed at 125 pounds, senior Joey Puettman (16-11) ranked #9 in all class rankings; #3 seed at 140 pounds, senior Matt Gurkin (8-12); #4 seed at 145 pounds, junior Mick Novotny (19-15); #4 seed at 152 pounds, freshman Mike Malone (11-19); #3 seed at 160 pounds, sophomore Tony Fiumara (13-16); #4 seed at 171 pounds, senior Shaun Swiger (10-14); #4 seed at 189 pounds, junior Josh Elliott (12-7).

The Campbell County Camels from Gillette finished in 4^th place at the State Championships last year and return the most state finishers from the 4A North Conference with 1 state champion and 6 state place finishers. The Camels are currently ranked #3 in the top 25 teams of the Wyoming All Class Rankings, and also placed 12 wrestlers in the top four at Regionals, with 2 first places, 4 second places, 2 third places, and 4 fourth places.

Junior Dennis Taylor (36-8) won this year’s conference title and placed 5^th at state last year at 130 pounds. Taylor, the #1 seed, is currently ranked #4 in the all class rankings and is expected to win a state title for the Camels.

Senior Zach Ferguson (13-2) has missed most of the season because of knee surgery the second week of competition, but is expected to repeat as a state champion. He currently shares the #1 ranking with Cory Brown of Rawlins, who he injury defaulted to at the Riverton Tournament before the finals were wrestled. Scott Crane of Sheridan took an injury default against Ferguson at the conference finals.

The #2 seeds from Gillette will probably be seen in the semis and several are likely to make it to the finals. Junior and #3 ranked Sterling Oglesby (31-10) at 103 pounds has lost to #1 Leonhardt of Casper Natrona each time they have wrestled. However, Oglesby is a strong tournament wrestler, and has a shot at the title, although Leonhardt is more likely to prevail in the finals, no matter the competition.

Oglesby is a national Greco-Roman champion and is ranked #2 as the top juniors in the nation. Oglesby placed 3^rd at state last year at 103 pounds. The #2 seed, junior Jason Weede (33-10) is currently ranked #1 at 135 pounds and has had a very successful season under some extremely difficult conditions. His #1 fan and coach, his father, Pat Weede, a long time wrestling coach and official was recently diagnosed with inoperable cancer, but hopes to be at the state finals. His presence may give this top ranked Camel the motivation to not allow any wrestler to stand in his way to a state championship. Last year, Weede, placed 5^th at state at 125 pounds. At 140 pounds, the senior Joe Green (36-7) placed 3^rd at state last year at 140 pounds, and is ranked #8 in the all class rankings. Heavyweight senior Cory Wallace (18-16) fills out the Camels #2 seeds from this year’s Regionals.

#4 seed at 112 pounds, Trevor Cool (8-7); #4 seed at 125 pounds, freshman Tell Barbour (19-8); #3 seed at 152 pounds, #10 ranked senior Jacob Johnston (26-15); #4 seed at 160 pounds, senior Chris Leisy (8-7); #3 seed at 189 pounds, #9 ranked junior Daniel Peak (23-12); and #4 seed, junior Jeremy Jones (18-16) fill out the top four seeds for the Camels for this year’s state championships.

The Cody Broncs finished in 12^th place at the State Championships last year and return with 1 state champion and 3 state place finishers. The Broncs are currently ranked #9 in the top 25 teams of the Wyoming All Class Rankings, and placed 8 wrestlers in the top four at Regionals, with 2 first placers, 3 second placers, 1 third placer, and 2 fourth placers.

Josh Taylor (28-3), the top senior at 152 pounds has split with Hutchins from Sheridan this year but defeated him in the conference finals , 9-7. Taylor placed 5^th at 145 pounds last year at state and is currently ranked #1 in the all class rankings.

Jeremy Pollock (32-4), the top senior at 171 pounds is currently ranked #2 in the all class rankings behind nationally ranked Harry Gabe of Worland. Pollock is expected to repeat as a state champion. He won the title last year at 160 pounds.

The #2 seeds from Cody have wrestled tough this season and could sneak into the finals. These include #8 ranked at 160 pounds, senior Quentin Gwynn (17-17); #3 ranked senior Bruce Applegate (28-6) who placed 5^th at state last year at 189 pounds; and at 215 pounds, junior Chris Dunks (24-15) who is currently ranked #9 in the all class rankings and placed 6^th at state last year.

#4 seed at 103 pounds, freshman Luke Burkart (7-19); #3 seed at 135 pounds, senior Kyle Bales (28-10); #4 seed at 140 pounds, junior Tanner Beemer (6-17) may place in the state finals, if they have a strong tournament.

The Kelly Walsh Trojans from Casper finished 5^th at the State Championships last year, just behind the Camels, and return 3 state place finishers. The Trojans are currently ranked #11 in the top 25 teams of the Wyoming All Class Rankings, and placed 8 wrestlers in the top four at Regionals, with 2 first placers, 2 second placers, 2 third placers, and 2 fourth placers.

Team Captain, Brian Dye, the senior 189 pounder for the Trojans, is the favorite for a state championship, with a 26-1 season record. He placed 2^nd at State at 189 last year. His only loss this year was to Bruce Applegate of Cody in a 7-6 decision at a time Dye was sick with the flu. Dye avenged the loss to Applegate with a 10-5 decision in the finals at Regionals, and is currently ranked #1 in the all class rankings. This season, Dye has handily won by a technical fall in 5:11 over the South’s #1 seed, Scott Brady of Green River, at the Riverton Tournament, and by a 42 second pin over the South’s #2 seed, Nick Small of Evanston. Dye has dominated all of the wrestlers he has faced this year. Dye’s first round opponent is Seth Edmunds of Cheyenne East.

Brian Dye’s younger brother, Kyle Dye, is a freshman for the Trojans and is the favorite for a state championship title at 112 pounds. Kyle Dye, also a conference champion, has an incredible 29-2 record as an underclassman, making him Wyoming’s Top Freshman. Dye’s only two losses were by a one point decision to #1 ranked Casey Farris of 3A Buffalo, 10-9, in the Douglas Invitational, and 2-1 in the finals at the Chadron Invitational to top ranked Portenier of Gering, Nebraska. Dye has a previous 10-8 decision over Farris at the Rapid City Invitational. Dye has also defeated state champion and nationally ranked Reynold Candelaria, the South’s #1 seed from Laramie, by a score of 11-7. Dye’s first round opponent is Yanci Sabin of Cody. Dye pinned Sabin in 2:28 at Regionals.

Will there be a rematch? Candelaria vs. Dye

Josh Tolin placed 3^rd at State at 119 pounds last year for the Trojans and is ranked #5 in the all class rankings. The Kelly Walsh junior returns to the State Championships with an 18-5 season record and the #2 North seed at 125 pounds following a mid-season injury that sidelined him following his third place finish at the Douglas Invitational. Tolin faces the #3 South seed, Senior Kirby Degraw from Evanston in the quarter finals. The winner will likely face #1 South seed and #2 all class ranked, Steve Harmon from Green River in the Semi-Finals. Although Tolin has not faced #6 all class ranked Degraw this season, Tolin defeated Degraw last year at the Riverton Tournament, and then Degraw defeated Tolin in the State quarter finals, with Tolin defeating Degraw in the Consolation Finals and taking home a 3^rd place finish at last year’s State Championships. Tolin will try to avoid a repeat of last year’s loss in the quarter finals to Degraw and make it to the finals this year, possibly against Sheridan’s Jose Sosa, #1 seed from the North, or #2 Seed from the South, Laramie’s nationally ranked Remington Trabing who is currently ranked #3 in the all class rankings. Sosa beat Tolin in the finals, 6-3, at the Rapid City Invitational, and Tolin pinned Sosa in the Sheridan Dual in 3:59 The #4 all class ranked Sosa defeated Tolin in a very close match in the finals at Regionals, 7-4. Tolin lost at the buzzer to Trabing 5-3 at the Douglas Invitational. The 125 pound weight class will be one of the most competitive brackets at State and all of the top four seeds have a shot at the title.

#8 all class ranked at 171 pounds, Co-Captain junior Jake Bartz took a second place at Regionals with a loss to #2 all class ranked Jeremy Pollock of Cody (32-14). Bartz ( 25-15) may get a second chance at Pollack in the State finals. Bartz first round opponent is Levi Krehmeyer of Campbell County who Bartz has pinned in 5:09. The winner will meet Nick Twitchell of Green River in the quarter finals. Bartz defeated Twitchell 12-2 at the Riverton Tournament. However, Bartz will have to get passed Cheyenne Central’s Ryan Brown, the #1 Seed from the South who sports a 26-5 season record, if Brown defeats Natrona’s Shaun Swiger in the quarter finals. Bartz has previously defeated the Natrona senior, Swiger 15-7 and 18-7.

The Trojans are likely to place all their other seeded wrestlers at State, including #3 seed at 119 pounds, junior Dustin Hill (16-18); #4 seed at 130 pounds, junior Jeremy Brown (16-14); #3 seed at 145 pounds, senior Beau Hill (14-12); #4 seed at heavyweight, senior Aaron Wheeler (11-18). The 140 pound junior, Jon Butler (10-16) placed 6^th at State last year at 130 pounds, but did not place in the top four at Regionals, and has a chance in placing in the top 6 again at State.

The Riverton Wolverines finished 6^th at the State Championships last year, just ahead of the Sheridan Broncs, and return 1 state place finisher. The young Wolverines are not currently ranked in the top 25 teams of the Wyoming All Class Rankings. They placed 4 wrestlers in the top four at Regionals, with 1 first placer, 2 third placers, and 1 fourth place. Riverton lost many of its upperclass wrestlers and their valuable leadership and is basically starting over in rebuilding a competitive team.

Senior Garth Yeates (26-10) is the only returning place finisher for the Wolverines. He placed 3^rd at State at 130 pounds and is the conference winner at 135 pounds. He is currently ranked #5 in the all class rankings. Yeates defeated #1 ranked Jason Weede in the finals at Regionals by a 5-1 decision. However, Yeates has been defeated by wrestlers Weede has defeated, but the Wolverine will give the Camel junior a chase for the state title and they may meet each other, again, in the State finals.

#3 seed at 112 pounds, freshman Josh Smith (25-9); #4 seed at 119 pounds, freshman Tyler Apodaca (19-14); and #3 seed at Heavyweight, sophomore Doug Lemley (6-5) are the best hopes for additional state placers for Riverton.

The 4A North Teams will be looking to take home lots of hardware from the State Championships with medals hanging around the necks of most of the seeded wrestlers and maybe a few unseeded wrestlers as well. Best of luck to all of the competitors and we hope this will be a tournament with no injuries interrupting quality wrestling. After all this is the main opportunity for Wyoming’s best wrestlers to shine and show their skills and abilities, and for wrestling fans to cheer and enjoy the world’s oldest organized sport.