NewsUSAW Junior Olympic Wrestling Program Kicks Off in Gillette, WyomingBy Excel Staff Writer19 August, 2010
A new elite program for middle school and high school wrestlers comes to Gillette, WY. USA Wrestling, the national governing body for amateur wrestling has developed the Junior Olympic Program concept in several states. It is a national development program being offered to enhance learning for the more serious, committed wrestlers who are looking to advance on to the next level. USA Wrestling has partnered with Excel Wrestling and has already established training sites in Iowa and Colorado. The program has been designed to bring elite coaches down to the high school level to increase skills as well as motivation, work ethic and love of the sport. The Wyoming Junior Olympic Program operated in Cheyenne from 2002 thru 2007 with much success and it is hoped that the same will be true with a new location in Gillette. The Junior Olympic Program mission has been set in motion to encourage wrestlers to compete nationally, wrestle in college and pursue long term goals on the mat. Over the years, Excel Wrestling has seen many wrestlers go on to be High School and College All Americans through their different Junior Olympic Programs. John Bear, editor of the state website, www.wyowrestling.com, commented, “There couldn’t be a better opportunity for Wyoming wrestlers than Excel’s Junior Olympic Programs. My son was involved in Colorado years ago and we’re excited to see it come to Gillette.” Team Excel Coach Steve Knight, who helped facilitate the program for Wyoming, is excited to see it take off. "We hope Gillette will be a central enough location for wrestlers from several communities to participate. I have worked with many Wyoming wrestlers over the years and I’m glad to see this come together in Gillette”, said Knight. The Wyoming Junior Olympic Program is hosted by Twin Spruce Junior High School in Gillette, WY. For more information on the program, contact Coach Jeff Wagoner in Gillette at 307.660.4041 or the Excel Wrestling office at 303.931.3973 Excel Wrestling Names Cort Peterson 2010/11 CoachBy John Bear16 August, 2010 Cort Peterson has been chosen to lead the Wyoming Chapter of the Excel Wrestling Junior Olympic Program. The program is expected to start practices mid September at the Gillette North Campus. Applications are available on the Excel wrestling web site, www.excelwrestling.com. For more information about Cort Peterson and coach Steve Knight, please visit http://www.excelwrestling.com/programs/wyoming.html. "Hotter than a Branding Iron"By Joe Hatley (Prep Ranking Editor)06 August, 2010
Fargo notes and tidbits: · Getting to Fargo once again proves to be a challenge as the team sat on the side of the road for several hours. A serpentine belt was all that stood between the team and Fargo. 3 out of the past 6 years Team Wyoming has had bus troubles. I believe that the bus troubles did have some impact on our team as the boys arrived at Fargo 5+ hours later and that took time from our weight cutting efforts. · The smell of cinnamon encrusted almonds lets us know we have arrived. Anyone that has gone to Fargo in the past can attest to that cinnamon smell that actually gets tiresome after day 5. I can eat about 2 bags of them and then I am good for the rest of the year. Coach Dillon must have eaten 10 bags of those warm nuts over the course of the 8 days… · Weigh in changes with the Greco tournament sets the table for how the Freestyle tournament goes. USA needs to keep the same protocols for weigh-ins the same, from year to year. They use the same time (7:00AM) every year why not the same format? The weighing in once or twice format changes for the tournament are getting old. Had we used the old weigh-in procedure for 2nd day weigh-ins of weighing in at 1:30pm Austin Breckenridge would have made weight. I know some will say that is an excuse, but why is there not a dependable protocol that is the same year to year? · Officiating was better this year than in previous years. Now, having said that, there were 2 matches come to mind where our boys got the wrong end. Brady Turnbull’s throw that wasn’t awarded ANY points (eerily similar to Juby’s throw last year), and Leandro Arias’ spladle that was stopped. Both calls kept those boys from reaching All-American. In Leandro’s match the eventual pin would have put him into maybe a 5-6 AA placement. · Our officials Mac McGown, Don Tolin, Dennis Thorson, Shawn Thorson, Chuck Hull and son Dan Hull were at this year’s tournament and did a marvelous job. Glad to see our state so well represented by these gentlemen. Also a shout out to our pairers Vicki Tolin and Jill Thorson. Thanks ladies. · 72 miles. My wife bought me a pedometer so I could see how many miles I traversed over the week. 9 miles a day average. I was happy that I ran with the kids on the morning runs at the camp in Casper. NO SHIN SPLINTS this year! · Winning and losing our kids were very well behaved before and after matches. All our coaches were impressed. Thanks kids. · Temperature extremes. Dorms were hotter than Africa…the Dome was Alaska cold. Zac was the only guy that was happy in the Dome. Coach Dillon had coat on and zipped all week. The A/C was so phenomenal that the air coming out of the ducts blew the giant American Flag at a 60 degree angle. I was shivering while on the floor before Andy’s AA match. RIDICULOUS! · Many more assistant college coaches on the floor this year in the later rounds. If you are a high school wrestler looking for recruitment there is no better place than Fargo. · Team dynamics were great at the camp in Casper and as the tournament went on it was evident that they carried over to Fargo. Many kids were supporting each other during the tournament. That is what makes it worthwhile for us coaches. · Best overall performance by a Junior team at Fargo in Greco since 1989. Our team was 16th overall and we had 3 AA’s. Andy McCulley 2nd, Brady Turnbull was 5th and Austin Breckenridge was 8th. · Cadet Greco All-American Bryce Meredith (7th) was a bright spot on an otherwise young team. Bryce beat the Freestyle national champ, Bressler in his first match in the Dome. Good work! · Coach Kevin Dillon had this to say about his Cadet team’s performance, “We had a young team that needs to be encouraged to wrestle more Greco and Freestyle other than during the summer.” “Our numbers were good this year and should be even better next year with a good crop of schoolboys coming up.” “I am excited for the future of our Cadet team next year.” · Coach Helgeson had this to say about Team Wyoming this year, “This year’s team was the best I have had the privilege of coaching.” “I was really impressed at our overall performance as most of our Juniors won at least one match in either Greco or Freestyle.” “What a great way to end my Junior directorship and go out on a winning note.” · Things that make little sense… Why is it that officials can cut the chow line at the NDSU cafeteria which makes all of our nation’s hungry wrestlers wait to eat? They use the excuse that they have to be at the Dome earlier than the wrestlers but that is NOT true as the wrestlers need to get back to the Dome to warm-up. The officials meetings are important but not more than the nutritional needs of our competitors. That is, after all, why we are there in the first place. There has to be a better solution. “It is another aspect of putting officials ahead of wrestlers.” Coach Helgeson said. · Young clinicians that make the difference? Cort Peterson 25, was our oldest, Briston Brenton 20, Ty Cox 19, Alex Coolidge 18, was our youngest. Jared is 20, and went to the camp and the tournament (Jared’s 2nd Fargo as a coach). I believe that this infusion of youth has been an enormous asset to our cause when former AA’s come back and assist in the coaching of our state’s best wrestlers. The kids enjoy their youth and vitality and getting to roll around with them. It also saves our older coaches from injury…LOL. Thanks so much clinicians, we REALLY do appreciate your contributions! Nicknames that I heard attached to our boys and girls this year: Brady “Turn anybody” Turnbull, Leandro “Funkalicious”, “Funk master” or “The Mexican Ben Askren” Arias. Austin “Rather throw ya than know ya” or “Try it until it just works” or Scott Verner’s moniker for Austin, “Big Sexy” Breckenridge. Andy the “Upsetter”, or ”Hot as a Branding Iron”, McCulley. Coach Shaun, “Sugar Pants” or “SUG” for short, Carothers. Kevin, “The Mullet” Dillon or Kevin-Kipper ”ALL-American Coach” Dillon. Zac “Helgie” Helgeson or the “Norwegian Nightmare” Helgeson. Jared “The Punisher” Hatley. Jessica “Cool, Calm and Collected” Brenton. My nickname was an addition to my middle name, Joe-Gerald given by Coach Dillon. There were quite a few more but none I can repeat here… Losing his first match and winning 9 straight to make the Greco national finals. Andy McCulley was on an incredible run as he stampeded his way through the bracket. Pinning a much heralded and publicized Taylor Massa from Michigan, who by the way, was a two time USA Triple Crown winner. Andy was the talk of the tournament. McCulley didn’t bask in the glow of that great win he went on to win 2 more matches after his Massa upset and made the Greco finals. Andy would go on to lose in the final 2-1, 0-4, 4-0 to RaVaughn Perkins of Nebraska. Andy was the only wrestler in Greco to win a period against Perkins and Andy threw RaVaughn to his back and nearly pinned him. Our coaching staff was ecstatic with Andy’s performance. Nobody more than Zac Helgeson who had this to say about Andy, “Andy was one of our guys that I believed could make it to the finals and when he lost that first match I was worried but knew he could get back through the bracket and still make some noise. I did have my doubts about getting to the finals after his loss but we believed that Andy’s previous match with Massa (2 years ago), shown that Andy could score on Taylor Massa. All Andy needed was to just keep at it and wait for and opening…the opening came and Andy exploited it with a great left handed headlock.” “We as a coaching staff are so happy for Andy and are very proud of him.” Jason Bryant who did the announcing of Andy’s final match stated that on one of the message boards someone had made the statement that “Andy was hotter than a branding iron.” He certainly was and his performance in the Greco tournament was reminiscent of Tyler Cox’s run in 2006 including Andy’s upset win over Massa, which mimicked Ty’s win over David Taylor who, at the time, was considered unbeatable. But Andy wasn’t the only hot iron in the fire for team Wyoming as Brady Turnbull, Austin Breckenridge and Leandro Arias were winning matches at breakneck speed. At one point during our winning run the coaches and I were as giddy as a bunch of schoolgirls who just ran into the Jonah Brothers at the mall. All happiness aside, the reality was team Wyoming was proving to the coaching staff that our team camp had been successful and that our state’s high school coaches did a good job of encouraging summer wrestling. The last session on Thursday was the best practice session I can remember for quite some time. Coach Carothers ran a high intensity practice that had the wrestlers at wits end. The one group of McCulley, Turnbull, Arias, Breckenridge, Verner and Serres was one which featured a solid group of state champs and had so much action and scrambling that it boggled the mind. Admit it, high school coaches you wish you could have been there to witness it…come to think of it, you could/should have been there. At least at the camp. A Hat’s off to Zac Helgeson who has been on the Fargo national team staff for 9 years, (7 as the director and 2 as the assistant), he has been an anchor to these teams. THANK YOU ZAC!!! I will miss you and your double hands to the head move. See that move here at this link: http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view_video/237355-fargo-nationals-greco/348583-jrgr-152lbs-taylor-massa-mi-vs-andy-mcculley-wy Zac has an enthusiasm for wrestling and our kids in our state that NOBODY can match! I can state emphatically that he is the most nationally recognized face of Wyoming wrestling. EVERYONE who is anyone in wrestling nationally knows Zac. Zac puts in gobs of time for ALL ages of wrestlers. He ran a camp prior to the Western regional tournament and then went to the Western regional tournament and coached not only Douglas wrestlers but others including some of my club wrestlers. The past 4 years Zac has organized a team to wrestle at the Western Junior Duals in Idaho and led them to a 2nd place finish there last year in Greco and 2nd place the previous year in Freestyle. Not slowing down this year he added another Fargo to his resume. But to really get what Zac does you need to look at what he did during the HS season as he was on constant recruiting trips to recruit our state’s best to wrestle in the summer. He wrote letters, shook hands of coaches, parents and wrestlers and put a priority on summer wrestling to all involved which made this year’s team the largest in approximately 15 years. My wish for this state is that Zac is hired on as a high school coach after he completes his degree next year. It would be a total loss to our state’s efforts of increasing our Olympic style of wrestling if he gets hired in another state. Zac that little promo blurb will cost you…LOL. Seriously the contribution that Zac has made to our sport borders on insane and he is only in his twenty’s. We are so fortunate to have someone who has dedicated so much of himself to our state’s wrestlers. THANKS AGAIN ZAC! Where to go from here? Coach Shaun Carothers will be at the helm as Junior director next year and Coach Kevin Dillon will be on his 2nd year of directorship. I believe both will do great. There has been some chat on the message board about what will make Wyoming a contender and I will now address a few items that I see will lead to success in the next few years. · Money- Currently $800 will get a wrestler to Fargo. I believe we should up that amount to $1000 and use the extra $200 for securing hotel accommodations, a BETTER BUS, and coaching fees. The money for coaching would be allocated for a coaching staff that would attend the camp AND GOING to Fargo. Not necessarily for guys such as myself, but to get a college assistant coach to take 2 weeks out of their summer we gotta pay them. NO OTHER WAY. Many of our nation’s best teams do this and it is time for us to get on board with this philosophy. Moving back to the hotel from the dorms is more of a comfort item. The dorms are just too hot. We can still purchase the cafeteria plan for meals. The $1000 that is raised by each wrestler could be in a manner such as this: $300 from the wrestler’s club, $400 from the state and $300 from the raffle. The tickets each wrestler sells are on a above and beyond basis. Every dollar made above the $300 goes to the wrestler and his/her family. This will ensure that wrestlers are vested in earning their way but not so much so that are financially burdened to attend Fargo. Our state’s 40+ clubs will need to step up and help here. · Coaching- As stated above, I believe we need some help from college assistant coaches and combined with our young coaches we used this year I believe it will be a winning combination. · Our wrestlers are still coming to camp out of shape and behind on the basics. This is the most remedial of problems and the most correctable. If our state association, parents and clubs are investing in these wrestlers then the kids can invest a little time and workout prior to camp. The idea of doing satellite camps prior to the main Fargo camp is a good one, but it will be a lot of work to implement. This is your cue high school coaches… My opinions and ideas after being a part of team Wyoming for the past 5 years. Once again it was a stupendous Fargo and I see nothing but a great future for our team in the next few years. Our wrestlers and parents can be proud of this year. Keep tabs on how many of this summer’s competitors end up on the podium at our high school state championships in February, I guarantee there will be a bunch! Next on the docket: Wyoming ‘s best 10 senior wrestlers, an article that will be featured on Intermat. WyoWrestling.com is going nationwide! Joe Challenging you to make wrestling better. NWC Beefs up Roster for Another SeasonBy RANDAL HOROBIK(Tribune Sports Editor)02 August, 2010
Northwest College head wrestling coach Jim Zeigler announced five new commitments for the Trappers’ wrestling program last week. Included in the list is a grappler ranked 19th nationally this past season by Intermat magazine’s prep rankings. “Each one of these kids come from quality programs and quality coaches that I know personally,” said Zeigler. “These are guys with college experience and who produce college kids each season. These kids have the work ethic toward winning that I like. They’ve got a good focus and fit for our program.” Headlining the list of recent commitments is Boise, Idaho, native Josh Bundschuh. A state champion for Boise’s Borah High School, Bundschuh finished his senior season ranked 19th nationally, according to Intermat. Bundschuh capped his prep wrestling career this past spring by defeating a pair of former two-time state champions on the way to winning a 135-pound state title in Idaho’s large-school division. Another highly-prized recruit joining the Northwest College ranks this fall will be Broken Arrow, Okla., signee Keithen Cast. Cast finished as Oklahoma’s state runner-up at 171 pounds as a senior after dropping a 3-2 decision to a nationally-ranked wrestler in the state championship match. “Keithen was a highly recruited wrestler,” said Zeigler. “He’s a high caliber sort of kid and he’s an outstanding student. He’ll be a great addition to our program.” The Trappers pick up still more state championship experience with Fillmore, Utah, graduate Kamron Day. Day continues the Trappers’ tradition of talented lightweights after reaching the state championship match all four years of his prep career. Day won the state title as a sophomore and finished his senior season as the state runner-up at 119 pounds for Fillmore’s Millard High School. Also looking to make an impact next season will be Fort Collins’ (Colo.) Jeremy Luna. Luna comes to Powell fresh off a state championship season at 135 pounds for Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins. He captured that title with a 5-0 victory over a previously undefeated wrestler in the state title match. Rounding out the Trappers’ latest list of commitments is a 215-pound two-time state champion from Oregon, Clackamas’ Cody Mansur. Mansur compiled a 33-1 record during his senior season while winning the 6A state title in Oregon’s largest class. Mansur also scored a state title at 215 pounds as a junior while placing third at 189 pounds as a sophomore. “Cody was highly sought after by the University of Wyoming,” said Zeigler. “It’s nice to have him here.” Zeigler expects to add a few more wrestlers between now and the start of fall classes. He also expects a handful of students will attempt to walk on and earn their way onto the Trappers’ roster in the fall and winter. “There’s still some guys floating around out there,” said Zeigler. “Particularly in the small, rural areas, you’ll have kids that are still weighing their options for next year. We’ve had good success in that way in the past.” The Trappers are coming off their most successful national tournament appearance since capturing the national championship in 2004. Northwest College crowned seven All-Americans last season on the way to a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA national championships. Notes from Fargo Greco ChampionshipsBy Joe Hatley20 July, 2010
Well to start off this report I must first tip my hat to Andy McCulley for he just performed one of the biggest upsets in Fargo history. Andy McCulley to wrestle for Greco National Championship tonightBy John Bear20 July, 2010
Andy McCulley is having one of his best tournaments and his preparation for this event is showing. Andy has dominated his opponents on the way to the finals, including pinning Taylor Massa of Michigan. Andy is set to wrestle another well known in Ravaughn Perkins of Nebraska tonight. Half way through the Wyoming National Team CampBy John Bear13 July, 2010
The wrestlers and coaches are half way through their preparation for the world’s largest wrestling tournament, the ASICS/Vaughan Junior and Cadet Nationals in Fargo, N.D., July 18-24. The Coaches have set the pace to break these young men down before they build them back up to be at their peak readiness when they step on the mat next week. “This year’s team is much more diverse than in years past,” commented Joe Hatley the Open Director for WAWA. He is referring to the number of kids who came from smaller communities. “We are happy to see more individuals represented.” They add up, as the team is expected to travel with 47 wrestlers this year, up from 35 last year. This year also features two young ladies competing in the Women’s Junior Division in Fargo. Part of the team’s success is due to High School coaches like Eddie Clark of Star Valley “strongly” encouraging his wrestlers to attend this event. This year’s team boasts four members from the Indians line up. Coach Hatley did say that there is room for improvement in the level of conditioning of some of the members upon arrival to camp. “Even the usual studs were taxed by yesterday’s workout,” he said. A couple of the most prepared wrestlers are showing great promise on the practice mat to date. They are last year’s state champions, Brady Turnbull of Green River and Andy McCulley of Rock Springs. Brady attended the state’s cultural exchange trip to Poland in his quest to prepare. Andy went to the University of Wyoming technique camp and kept to a “pretty aggressive” work-out schedule when not on the mat. One high point is that, for the most part, the entire team showed up at camp either on weight, or close enough to get there by the end of camp. Even though the majority is at or near their competition weight, one new comer has had to wrestle much larger teammates to get his practice time in. That would be 91lb Cadet Bryce Meredith of Cheyenne. “He does exceptionally well considering the weight he is giving up. Some times 10 to 15lbs,” said coach Hatley. Two particular bright spots on the team are Jorge Alatore at heavyweight and Luis Flores at 130lbs, both of Green River. “Jorge has never wrestled freestyle before this, and his technique is coming along nicely. For a heavy wrestler, he is surprisingly quick and even was in the top two in a few sprints,” added Hatley. “Luis is always smiling and has the best attitude. That spreads and makes a coach’s life a lot better.” Due to the increase in participation, the host school Kelly Walsh, has moved the camp to an auxiliary gym where there is considerably more space than the wrestling room used last year. Even better than the additional space is the lack of posts in the center of the work out space. Safety has increased greatly and pre-tournament injuries should be down from previous years. The team will load up on a bus and begin the trip to the Fargo-dome at midnight on Friday. Wyoming's National Team Camp Gets UnderwayBy John Bear11 July, 2010 For the complete story see the Freestyle/Greco-Roman wrestling forum. Top-25 Wrestling Dual Between Wyoming and Oregon State Coming to Casper this DecemberBy Aaron Voos09 July, 2010
The dual will take place on Dec. 16 at Casper College and will replace a Cowboy Football scrimmage originally scheduled for August 21. LARAMIE, Wyo. (July 8, 2010) – A nationally prominent matchup between two national caliber college wrestling programs will take place in Casper, Wyo., this December featuring last year’s No. 25 ranked Wyoming Cowboys and the No. 15 Oregon State Beavers. The dual will take place at Casper College in Erickson Thunderbird Gymnasium on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. Maintaining UW’s ongoing efforts to showcase its programs to the entire State of Wyoming, the regular-season dual contest will replace a Cowboy Football scrimmage originally slated for late August. Due to the most recent NCAA interpretations regarding off-campus, preseason practices and missed class time by student-athletes for practice that came out in June, the football scrimmage had to be cancelled. UW will continue to work with the NCAA to identify an avenue so that a football scrimmage can be held in Casper in future years. “One of our goals as an athletics department is to make sure as many UW fans as possible throughout the state are given the opportunity to watch student-athletes from their university perform in a variety of our sports offerings,” UW Athletics Director Tom Burman said. “We believe providing this premium matchup between two of the nation’s top programs is an excellent way to do just that. “We have had much dialogue about what type of events we should bring to Central Wyoming. We felt that a regular-season dual highlighting our wrestling program would be an exciting new event for our fans. “We will continue to have dialogue with the NCAA regarding bringing Cowboy Football to Casper, but current NCAA interpretations would not allow us to do that this year,” Burman continued. “I want to publicly thank Oregon State for agreeing to come to Casper.” UW Wrestling concluded last season by winning its first-ever NCAA West Regional Team Championship, defending its regular-season dual title in the Western Wrestling Conference and earning a No. 25 national ranking in the National Wrestling Coaches Association/USA Today poll. Wyoming had an overall season record of 12-3, 6-0 in the WWC. For the 2010-11 season, the ‘Pokes present an exciting lineup which features two-time All-American Joe LeBlanc, a junior at 184 pounds, as well as juniors Michael Martinez (125/133 pounds) and Shane Onufer (165), each two-time NCAA qualifiers. The Cowboys also bring back six additional starters for this upcoming year. Mark Branch returns as head coach for his third year at the helm, and he will welcome 13 newcomers to the squad, as well as four team members who redshirted last season. Among that group of wrestlers, fresh to the Brown and Gold, are several names that are familiar to regional wrestling fans, including redshirt freshman Tyler Cox (Gillette), junior transfer McCade Ford (Northwest College/Powell), freshman Andy McCulley (Rock Springs) and freshman Leland Pfeifer (Hulett). “This will be a good opportunity to bring UW wrestling to our fans who don’t get to travel to Laramie for every home match, and expose this program to prospective fans in other parts of the state,” Branch said. “We are happy to compete in Casper and I’d like to thank Oregon State for their willingness to accommodate this venue change.” The Cowboys traveled to Corvalis to wrestle the Beavers last season and were due a return trip in 2010-11. UW’s entire upcoming season schedule will be released at a later date. The Oregon State Beavers were the 2010 Pac-10 team champions and finished 2009-10 ranked No. 15 in the final NWCA/USA Today poll. They return sophomore Mike Mangrum at 141 pounds, who was the Pac-10 Newcomer/Freshman of the Year last season, senior Colby Covington, who was the 2010 Pac-10 Conference individual champion at 174 pounds, and head coach Jim Zalesky, who was the Pac-10 Coach of the Year for the 2009-10 season. Juniors Kelly Kubac (133) and Clayton Jack (Hwt.) are past NCAA Tournament qualifiers. Chris Pendleton Joins Wyoming Wrestling StaffBy Aaron Voos01 July, 2010
Pendleton was a two-time national champion at Oklahoma State. LARAMIE, Wyo. (July 1, 2010) – The name recognition associated with the Wyoming Cowboy Wrestling program took another step in the right direction today as head coach Mark Branch announced that two-time NCAA Champion and three-time All-American Chris Pendleton would be joining his coaching staff this coming season. “Chris has an outstanding wrestling pedigree and will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our upper weights,” Branch said. “He is one of the best technicians in the country and he has a passion for coaching. He has trained with some of the best wrestlers in the country and has coached some very successful athletes. I know he will do great things with our team.” A Lemoore, Calif., product, Pendleton won NCAA titles at 174 pounds in 2004 and 2005 and was a three-time collegiate All-American (2003-05) while competing for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. He was a member of the OSU squad from 2001-05 while Branch was the associate head coach for the program. Pendleton defeated future two-time NCAA champion and Dan Hodge Trophy winner Ben Askren of Missouri for both of his titles. He was a leader on three Oklahoma State NCAA championship teams (2003-05), compiled a 118-12 record (91% winning percentage) as a collegian and was a 2006 USA National Team member. He was a two-time Big 12 individual champion, claiming titles in 2003 and 2005. Pendleton also won the 145-pound California State Championship in his senior year at Lemoore High School. Pendleton served as a volunteer assistant coach for OSU in 2009-10. He is the son of Bill Pendleton and Lisa Cervantes. He has two younger brothers, Willy and Jacob. Chris was born January 21, 1982. Pendleton joins Travis Shufelt, in his fifth year, and Ethan Kyle (second year) on Branch’s staff for the 2010-11 season. “I believe we are building one of the best programs in the country and doing it with a first-class coaching staff,” Branch concluded. Wrestling returns to Lyman High SchoolBy Kurt Ritzman(Bridger Valley Pioneer 6/11/10)12 June, 2010
Lyman High School will have its own wrestling program this upcoming school year for the first time since the 2002-03 school year. Wyoming Wrestling Ups 2010-11 Recruiting Class Total to 12By Aaron Voos11 June, 2010
McCade Ford and Conrad Snell will both transfer to UW and begin attending classes this fall. LARAMIE, Wyo. (June 11, 2010) – There will be strength in numbers for the Wyoming Cowboy Wrestling program’s incoming class in 2010-11, as head coach Mark Branch announced today that two student-athletes will transfer to the University of Wyoming this fall and boost the total of new recruits to 12. McCade Ford will come to UW from Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., while Conrad Snell is transferring in from UC Davis in Davis, Calif. Ford will be a junior in 2010-11 and Snell a redshirt freshman. The Wyoming program already had 10 high school wrestlers who signed National Letters of Intent to attend UW and compete for the Cowboys this fall. “We had a serious depth problem at 141 and 149 last year so I am pleased to be adding some experienced kids to strengthen our middle weights,” Branch said. “There is no doubt that McCade and Conrad will see our line-up this year and add some competition in our room that we desperately need. “ Ford wrestled the past two years for the Northwest College Trappers under head coach Jim Zeigler. During those seasons, Ford was a two-time NJCAA All-American at 141 pounds, placing eighth in 2009 and fifth in 2010. No stranger to UW’s home mats, he wrestled in both Northwest’s dual against the Cowboys last November, as well as the 2008 and 2009 Cowboy Opens in Laramie. Ford placed fourth at the Cowboy Open as a freshman in the Amateur Division and second as a sophomore. He hails from Payson, Utah where he was a Utah High School State Champion. As a true freshman, Snell used his redshirt season in 2009-10 as a member of the UC Davis Aggies’ squad. He had a 3-2 tournament record wrestling unattached at 149 pounds. In high school, Snell was a member of the 2009 California State Team Champions from Poway High School. He finished second at the 2009 California State Championships and was a First Team All-League and All-Section honoree. Snell had a 72-12 varsity record in high school, and was a 2009 Junior Freestyle State Champion and All-American, placing eighth at nationals. He will factor into the Cowboys’ lineup at either 141 or 149 pounds. The 10 high school signees who will be on the Cowboy squad next fall include Michael Hamel (Gilbert, Ariz.), Cody Mansur (Clackamas, Ore.), Andrew McCulley (Rock Springs, Wyo.), Leland Pfeifer (Hulett, Wyo.), Joe Raygor (Dresser, Wis.), Brandon Richardson (Rathdrum, Idaho), Robert Stroh (Harlem, Mont.), Tommy Thoman (Green River, Wyo.), Shane Woods (Tuttle, Okla.) and Zach Zehner (Tomahawk, Wis.). Trappers Fourth at National Wrestling TournamentBy Randal Horobik01 June, 2010
Northwest College wrestling coach Jim Zeigler brought home seven All- Americans from the NJCAA national wrestling championships in Des Moines, Iowa, including its latest national champion in sophomore heavyweight Landon Harris, as the team rolled to a fourth-place finish. The seven All-Americans are the second-most ever recorded by the Trappers. "Only the 2004 team had more kids crowned All-American," noted Zeigler, who has now coached 78 All-Americans and 10 national champions during his 17-year tenure with the Trappers. The latest of those national champions was crowned on Saturday as Harris posted a 5-0 decision over North Idaho's Roger McCovey in the 285-pound championship match. The win avenged a one-point loss Harris suffered to McCovey in NWC's Apodaca Duals earlier this year. "I knew it was going to come down to McCovey," said Harris. "I don't know how much of an advantage it is to go against someone you've faced before, but I knew what I had to do in order to beat him." Harris reached the finals for the second year in a row, improving on last year's runner-up finish. After pinning his way into the semifinals, Harris endured his closest match - at least in terms of the score - in a 3-2 semifinal win over Lincoln College's Corey Anderson. "Landon was in control that whole match, he just wasn't able to break it wide open," said Zeigler. In the championship match, Harris scored a second-period escape to tally the first point of the match. Nursing his 1-0 lead, he was able to get McCovey to the ground with 30 seconds remaining in the third period and added a late two-point nearfall for insurance to cap a stellar wrestling career. "It feels great," Harris said. "It's how I wanted to end it, to go out on top." While Harris' title run was the highlight of the Trappers' 2010 national tournament, it was by no means the only story. Six other Trapper wrestlers came home with All-American honors as Northwest College placed fourth overall in the final standings. "This is the highest number of All-Americans we've had since winning the national title," said Zeigler. "It's the second most ever for Northwest College. In terms of overall accomplishments, I couldn't be more proud of these kids. A lot of the losses we had were close matches. These kids went in there with a purpose and they kept competing and kept battling." When it comes to competing and battling, nobody fills the description more than 197-pounder Mak Jones. Jones won five of his six matches in Des Moines to finish in third place overall. None of Jones' matches featured a scoreboard spread of more than six points, including his narrow 4-3 loss in the semifinals and back-to-back 5-2 wins on the consolation bracket to earn the third-place finish. "I just tried to keep wrestling and keep my head up," said Jones, who missed out on the medal podium as a freshman. "You just try to take your matches one at a time. Last year I lost my first match and really got down on myself. This year, I lost a close one in the semifinals and I just tried to put that one away and get ready for the next one." Sophomores McCade Ford (141) and Saul Guerrero (133) each finished in fifth place. Ford got there after a dominating display of wrestling that included two major-decision victories and a win by fall. "Friday, I felt really, really good," Ford said of his hot start. "I really thought - I knew - that I was going to win. I was rolling." That roll ended abruptly on Saturday when Ford lost by fall in the semifinals and also couldn't find the magic in a decision loss to relegate him to the fifth-place match. "We were on a high on Friday night," said Zeigler. "I really think if we'd wrestled that next round on Friday night that we would have had three or four guys in the finals. It's just so hard to maintain those highs overnight, plus the break gives other guys a chance to recover who might not have that momentum coming in. A national tournament is really an emotional roller coaster, especially on a tight-knit team like ours." The Trappers also crowned three freshmen All-Americans in Jesse Hillhouse (sixth at 125), Nick Petersen (seventh at 174) and Jarrett Baker (eighth at 184). Sophomore Briston Brenton (157) fell one victory shy of reaching the medal podium. "To take eight guys and to have them all reach that top 12 is really special," said Zeigler, whose team led the scholarship division heading into Saturday's rounds. "There's not any question that our kids went to Des Moines with a goal of winning championships. We didn't go to make an appearance. We went with a purpose to fight and battle and they proved that on the mats." The Trappers were in a position to bring home a lot more on Saturday. Heading into the overnight, Northwest College led the team standings for scholarship- division schools. The team wound up tied with St. Louis- Meramec for fourth place in the final team standings. "I wasn't at all surprised (by the team's position)," Zeigler said. "I knew they were capable of it. Friday is mostly a battle for positioning though. The tournament is won and lost on Saturday. It all comes down to how high and how many you place. Obviously, when you are in that position, you want to win it. It hurts not to get it when you're in that place, but it hurts more at the moment than it does the day after. This was our highest finish since 2004 and this is a great team." The fourth-place finish is the Trappers' highest since the 2004 national championship season. It's Time for Wyoming's Junior and Cadet Wrestlers to Gear Up for FargoBy John Bear24 May, 2010
Zac Helgeson has sent out letters and raffle tickets to the potential wrestlers for Team Wyoming. The kids must now raise the funds to attend the camp and then represent our state at the USA National Freestyle and Greco Championships in Fargo North Dakota. If you are a Cadet or Junior, have not received this info, and would like to attend please contact Zac as soon as possible. Here is a part of Zac's letter: Wyoming’s LeBlanc Awarded National Strength and Conditioning AwardBy Aaron Voos24 May, 2010
The two-time All-American has now been recognized for his work on the mat, in the classroom and in the weight room. LARAMIE, Wyo. (May 24, 2010) – Another post-season honor in yet another category was bestowed on Wyoming Cowboy wrestler Joe LeBlanc recently, when the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) awarded UW’s 184-pounder with its annual All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year award. Within the last few months, LeBlanc has earned his second All-America honor on the wrestling mat after placing fourth at the 2010 NCAA Championships, has been recognized by the National Wrestling Coaches Association on its annual Division I All-Academic team and has now rounded out his resume with the distinction from the NSCA. The classification awarded to LeBlanc by the NSCA recognizes student-athlete dedication to strength and conditioning training. He was selected for the honor by UW strength and conditioning coach Rob Hartman, CSCS. “Joe LeBlanc is an athlete who has embraced the weight room and is reaping its benefits,” Hartman said. “He began wrestling collegiately at 157 pounds and since that time has worked hard in the weight room throughout both the school year and summer months. Joe has gained both size and strength, which has contributed to his two All-America honors at 184 pounds. He has been awarded the title of a weight room leader, and in our program that is just like being an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for us. I look forward to having him around for the next few years and to the energy he brings to the weight room.” LeBlanc (Meeker, Colo.), had a dominant season in 2009-10. In addition to his afore-mentioned finish at nationals, he was the 2010 Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Year. He won his second NCAA West Regional Championship at 184 pounds and led the `Pokes to the 2010 West Regional team title, as well as the 2010 WWC Regular Season Dual team title. LeBlanc’s season record was 39-6 with 28 bonus point margins. Twelve of his wins came by fall, 12 by way of technical fall and four by major decision. He earned a team-best 69 points this past season in 15 duals, an average of 4.6. He was recently named the 2009-10 UW Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s Male Athlete of the Year, as well as the 2009-10 DICollegeWrestling.net West Region Wrestler of the Year. The NSCA honored a total of 232 collegiate athletes from 106 schools this year. The program is in its 32nd year, and is made possible by a grant from Power Systems, Inc., a Knoxville, Tenn., fitness product leader. W-Y-O Four More High School Standouts Ink With Wyoming Wrestling for 2010-11By Aaron Voos11 May, 2010
Pfeifer, Raygor. Stroh and Thoman will attend UW next fall, which brings Wyoming’s recruiting class total to 10. LARAMIE, Wyo. (May 11, 2010) – An already skilled Wyoming Cowboy Wrestling recruiting class became even more talent-laden today when UW head coach Mark Branch announced that four additional prep wrestlers have signed national letters of intent to wrestle for the ‘Pokes beginning in the 2010-11 season. The Wyoming program now has a total of 10 current high school seniors who have signed on the dotted line to attend UW and wrestle for the Cowboys this fall. Newly signed additions to the Wyoming team include Leland Pfeifer (Hulett, Wyo.), Joe Raygor (Dresser, Wis.), Robert Stroh (Harlem, Mont.) and Tommy Thoman (Green River, Wyo.). “We needed to increase our depth with some very good quality kids and that is exactly what we did,” Branch said. “I would have never guessed last summer when we started to recruit this year’s class that we would be able to fill the needs of our roster and add this level of talent. I feel very good about taking care of our immediate needs and I truly believe this class can carry Wyoming to the next level.“ Leland Pfeifer will come to UW from Hulett, Wyo. where he was a three-time Wyoming High School State Champion. He wrestled for Hulett High School at the 2A level and won his state championship bracket as a senior, junior and sophomore at 215 pounds. He finished third as a freshman at 189 pounds. A multi-sport athlete, Pfeifer was also named All-State for three years in football and was a Wyoming State Champion in the shot put for Hulett’s track and field team. He is expected to fit into the UW lineup at 197 pounds or heavyweight. Joe Raygor hails from the state of Wisconsin and was a two-time high school state champion for St. Croix Falls. After going undefeated and winning the D2 state crown at 171 pounds both his junior and senior season, he now holds his school’s all-time record for most wins on the mat with a mark of 167-9. A 2009 National Folkstyle Champion and runner-up at the 2009 FILA Nationals, Raygor was also a three-time All-American in both Greco-Roman and Freestyle. He competed in football and weightlifting for St. Croix Falls, and was named all-conference four times on the gridiron, three times on defense and once on offense. For UW Wrestling, Raygor should factor into the mix at 165 or 174 pounds. Robert Stroh won three wrestling state championships in Montana at Chinook High School. His senior year he was undefeated at 39-0 en route to a Class ‘C’ state title at 160 pounds. As a junior, Stroh won state at 152 pounds and he took the title at 145 pounds as a sophomore. He was runner-up as a freshman at 135. Stroh was named the 2009 Outstanding Montana High School Wrestler for the Northern Division. He placed third at the 2010 Reno World Championships and was the 2008 Rocky Mountain Nationals Triple Crown Winner. Stroh lettered four times in football for Chinook H.S. and twice in track. His anticipated weight class at the college level in wrestling will be either 157 or 165. Tommy Thoman, a Green River, Wyo. product, is a three-time state place winner for Green River High School at the Wyoming 4A Tournament. This past year, Thoman was runner-up at 189 pounds. He also placed third during his junior year in the 171-pound weight class and fifth as a sophomore at 152. Thoman is expected to wrestle collegiately at 184 pounds. Joining the afore-mentioned four signees on the Cowboy squad next fall will be six additional high school state champions who all inked with the Wyoming program this past December. Michael Hamel (Gilbert, Ariz.), Cody Mansur (Clackamas, Ore.), Andrew McCulley (Rock Springs, Wyo.), Brandon Richardson (Rathdrum, Idaho), Shane Woods (Tuttle, Okla.) and Zach Zehner (Tomahawk, Wis.) will also wear UW’s brown and gold singlets on the mat in 2010-11. Cowboy Wrestler Joe LeBlanc Earns Spot on NWCA All-Academic TeamBy Aaron Voos07 May, 2010
LeBlanc carried a 3.043 GPA in kinesiology into the spring semester. LARAMIE, Wyo. (May 6, 2010) – Two-time Wyoming Cowboy All-American Joe LeBlanc was recognized by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) on Wednesday when the organization included the UW sophomore on its annual Division I All-Academic wrestling team for the 2009-10 wrestling season. He becomes just the second wrestler in the history of Wyoming’s program to be honored by both the NWCA for academics and earn All-America honors on the mat, the other being Brandon Alderman in 1996. Prior to the spring semester, LeBlanc boasted a 3.043 GPA in kinesiology. Academic accolades coupled with academic success was a common theme on this year’s NWCA All-Academic team, especially at LeBlanc’s weight class of 184 pounds. Of 23 NCAA All-Americans to make the list, five were national champions and each of the top-five placers in the 184-pound bracket were honored, including LeBlanc who finished fourth. In all, 74 individuals representing 45 schools were honored on this year’s NWCA All-Academic Team. “Joe has put the same emphasis into the classroom that he has into the wrestling room and it shows,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “He now sees the importance of succeeding academically, and it is great to see a student-athlete who is striving to be the total package.” To qualify for the All-Academic team, a wrestler must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, and either been an NCAA qualifier or won 60 percent of his total schedule – and must have competed in at least 60 percent of said schedule. The other way to qualify for the All-Academic team is to have a 3.0 GPA and been an NCAA All-American. After a dominant regular season in 2009-10, LeBlanc (Meeker, Colo.) placed fourth at the 2010 NCAA Championships and earned All-America distinction at 184 pounds for the second straight year. On his way through the bracket, he upset No. 2 seed John Dergo (Illinois) and No. 5 seed Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State) at Nationals. LeBlanc finished three spots higher than his seed at the national tournament and improved on his NCAA finish from last year, after placing fifth in 2009. The 2010 Western Wrestling Conference Wrestler of the Year, LeBlanc is a two-time NCAA West Regional champion at 184 pounds. He led the `Pokes to the 2010 West Regional team title, as well as the 2010 WWC Regular Season Dual team title. His season record was 39-6 with 28 bonus point margins. Twelve of his wins came by fall, 12 by way of technical fall and four by major decision. He earned a team-best 69 points this past season in 15 duals, an average of 4.6. LeBlanc tied for No. 6 in the final NCAA Coaches Rankings at 184 pounds and was No. 7 in the final RPI. He placed first (Elite) at the 2009 Cowboy Open, second at the 2009 Body Bar Classic, third at 2009 Las Vegas Invitational and third at the 2009 Reno Tournament of Champions. His career record is 84-14 with 19 pins, 18 major decisions and 17 technical falls. He was recently named the 2009-10 UW Student-Athlete Advisory Committee’s Male Athlete of the Year, as well as the 2009-10 DICollegeWrestling.net West Region Wrestler of the Year. LeBlanc was the WWC Freshman of the Year in 2008-09. Tyler Cox Places in Greco and Freestyle at FILA NationalsBy John Bear25 April, 2010
After finishing second in the FILA Greco-Roman tournament at 55 kg/121 lbs., Tyler Cox continues to win big in Freestyle this week. WIN Magazine Honors Wyoming's BestBy Editor in Chief, John Bear24 April, 2010
Rob Sherrill, WIN's High School Editor writes in the "Prep Powers, WIN's 2009-10 State-by-State Wrestlers & Teams of the Year" article published 23 April, 2010 in WIN Magazine; Dave Schultz High School Excellence regional and state award winners announcedBy National Wrestling Hall of Fame13 April, 2010
Andy McCulley represents Wyoming Wyo Wrestlers Compete at USA Asics Folkstyle NationalsBy Michelle Vogel09 April, 2010
A dedicated group of youth wrestlers from Competing for Mason Miller Bantam 55 of Gillette’s Peak Wrestling - Injured Joshua Macy Bantam 65 of Gillette’s Peak Wrestling Jacob Horstman Intermediate of Gillette’s Camel Kids Dalton Macy Novice 70 of Gillette’s Peak Wrestling Trevor Jeffries Novice 70 of Gillette’s Peak Wrestling - Taylor Jeffries Novice 85 of Gillette’s Peak Wrestling Carless Looney Novice 90 of Brady Vogel Novice 95 of Gillette’s Peak Wrestling – Reece Jolley Novice 100 of Hulett’s Tower Tuffs – Trent Olsen Schoolboy 77 of Gillette’s Peak Wrestling Clayton Atkinson Schoolboy 105 of Jordan Fischer Schoolboy of Gillette’s Camel Kids – Dani Fischer Junior of Gillette’s Camel Kids – Tanner Galey Schoolboy 98 of Garrett Galey Novice 90 of Casper’s Tanner Allison Cadet 215 of Moorcroft Mat Masters Tate Allison Novice 95 of Moorcroft Mat Masters Tucker Allison Intermediate 112 of Moorcroft Mat Masters Luke Lovett Schoolboy 98 of Moorcroft Mat Masters Cameron Braden Schoolboy 105 of Moorcroft Mat Masters Toby Reynolds Schoolboy 98 of Moorcroft Mat Masters Parker Seeley Intermediate 70 Moorcroft Mat Masters Bryce Brenton Novice 112 of Casper’s Journey Connelly Novice 55 of Douglas Wrestling Club Peyton Connelly Schoolboy 77of Douglas Wrestling Club Brandon Skaj Schoolboy 91 of Casper’s Denton Skogen Schoolboy 98 of Jace Palmer Intermediate 50 of Casper’s Javen Palmer Intermediate 70 of Casper’s Keegan Berry Novice 95 of Bridger Berry Schoolboy 112 of Casper’s Tevis Bartlett Schoolboy 144 of Cheyenne’s Team Braves- Third Place Gunnar Bartlett Novice 60 of Cheyenne’s Team Braves- Sixth Place Terrence McDonough Schoolboy 77 of Cheyenne’s Team Braves Tommy Neal Intermediate 95of Cael Corley Intermediate 55 of
All of the 2009-10 Postseason Awards Announced by Western Wrestling ConferenceBy Aaron Voos02 April, 2010
LARAMIE, Wyo. (April 1, 2010) – As voted by its’ coaches, the Western Wrestling Conference has announced postseason award winners for the 2009-10 season. Wyoming sophomore 184-pounder Joe LeBlanc was named WWC Wrestler of Year, 141-pound Air Force newcomer Cole VonOhlen was the unanimous WWC Freshman of the Year and Northern Iowa head man Brad Penrith was chosen by his peers as WWC Coach of the Year. The Wrestler of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches this past week, while the Coach of the Year balloting was determined after the West Regional Tournament. Wrestler of the Year: Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming), 184 lbs., So., Meeker, Colo. (Meeker HS) Following up on a dominant regular season, LeBlanc placed fourth at the 2010 NCAA Championships and earned All-American distinction at 184 pounds for the second straight year. On his way through the bracket, he upset No. 2 seed John Dergo (Illinois) and No. 5 seed Clayton Foster (Oklahoma State) at Nationals. LeBlanc finished three spots higher than his seed at the national tournament and improved on his NCAA finish from last year, after placing fifth in 2009. Now the two-time West Regional champion at 184 pounds, LeBlanc led the ‘Pokes to the 2010 West Regional team title, as well as the 2010 WWC Regular Season Dual team title. His 2009-10 overall record was 39-6 with 28 bonus point margins. Twelve of his wins came by fall, 12 by way of technical fall and four by major decision. He earned a team-best 69 points this past season in 15 duals, an average of 4.6. LeBlanc tied for No. 6 in the final NCAA Coaches Rankings at 184 pounds and was No. 7 in the final RPI. He placed first (Elite) at the 2009 Cowboy Open, second at the 2009 Body Bar Classic, third at 2009 Las Vegas Invitational and third at the 2009 Reno Tournament of Champions. His career record is now 84-14 with 19 pins, 18 major decisions and 17 technical falls. LeBlanc has not lost a WWC match-up in his two-year career (13-0, including West Regional results). He was the WWC Freshman of the Year in 2008-09 and was recently named the 2009-10 DICollegeWrestling.net West Region Wrestler of the Year. Wrestler of the Year voting Wrestler (School) 1st place votes 2nd place votes 3rd place votes Point Total Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) 6 1 - 20 Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado) 1 5 - 13 Ben Kjar (Utah Valley) - - 3 3 Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State) - - 1 1 Ryan Adams (North Dakota State) - - 1 1 *3 points for a first place vote, 2 points for a second place vote, 1 point for a third place vote #One school did not submit a second place vote and two schools did not submit third place votes Hatley’s Heathens Final 2010 EditionBy Joe Hatley30 March, 2010
Closing out the high school wrestling season at the state tournament these wrestlers selected here put a punctuation mark on their seasons and some did on their careers. This list is MY opinion of our state’s top ten. I believe that we have some quality kids in the state of Wyoming and my selections will reflect that. I know that you all have been waiting so without anymore fanfare here I go… 1. Andy McCulley 152 Senior I said earlier in the year that Andy was just about to be cemented in the top position for his dominating and complete annihilation of opponents. Consider it done. Andy won all matches this year and he did it in a way that eliminated any doubt of how good he was, or will be, for that matter. Good luck in Laramie Andy and I am excited to see you wrestle in Fargo this summer! 2. Taylor Bear 112 Sophomore Taylor dispatched of all his foes and took an unblemished record into state. Strength of schedule plays a part here with Taylor wrestling and beating defending state champs and state runners-up at several tournaments. On pace to win 4 titles, Bear will be in the stream and picking out the choicest fish next year. 3. Mike Hill 285 Senior Undefeated in the last 2 years and posting a 75-0 record it is safe to say that Mike was an insurmountable “Hill” for his opponents. Mike was a light heavyweight but he controlled the pace of matches and won them generally by large margins. Mike will be playing football at CSC next year. 4. Leandro Arias Using a puzzling assortment of counter defense moves and scoring topwork, Leandro made opponents change their style. Arias won a state title this year in a strong bracket. He was in a tough bracket for most of the year, now that I think of it… 5. Austin Breckenridge Breckenridge gave all that wrestled him a moment where they said, “Oh no, he got out of that and &*^+* I am now on MY BACK!” Coaches throughout the state tried a variety of tactics to beat Austin but none seemed to get it right. 6. Leland Pfeifer Leland is not the most imposing looking 215 but his wrestling erases all doubt how good he really is. Winning his 3rd title in an upper weight is marvelous and as of now Leland has not signed with anyone…after beating a very good Malvesto of NY this last weekend at NHSCA Sr. nationals, I say he gets some offers. 7. Ryne Baier Ryne won his first Wyoming state title as a sophomore at 171. The Hulett wrestler may have looked sluggish in the final, but he won, and that is what matters here. Baier having only one loss in his sophomore season is very impressive and it is very possible he could have undefeated seasons in the next 2 years. 8. Matt Osbon Always in the finals and winning most of them, Matt was top 135 lber this year. Osbon sometimes kept the match closer than maybe it should have been but he won when the chips were down… 9. Hayden Heap Winning his 2nd title this year was icing on the cake for Hayden. Hayden was solid in his quest for a 2nd title and winning the Ron Thon illuminated his presence as the best 125 lber in our state. 10. Auston Carter True to my word, Auston gets on my list and as our state’s 13th four time state champ he deservedly belongs. What a crazy trip for 4 titles and I was more than a little overwhelmed once I heard the total story on Auston. Auston was always going a 100 miles an hour in his matches even with low blood sugar… Hatley’s Heathens are done for this year and as always I appreciate what our state’s high school coaches do to prepare these young men for competition. A shout out to our high school AD’s that promote wrestling. These young men performed wonderfully this year and made this year very fun for me. Looking forward to next year! The above wrestlers are tops in our state in my opinion. Thanks again for your support of Wyowrestling.com and our sponsors. Joe Hatley Challenging you to make wrestling better. 03/15/2010 Bear's BrawlersBy John Bear20 March, 2010
98 Kenny Sisson MOOR (9) Honorable MenHM)) Fourth Place for Wyoming’s LeBlanc at NCAA ChampionshipsBy Aaron Voos20 March, 2010
The Cowboy sophomore went 1-1 on Saturday. UW’s LeBlanc Earns All-America Distinction for Second Straight YearBy Aaron Voos19 March, 2010
Wyoming’s 184-pound sophomore will wrestle two more matches on Saturday for final placing. First Day at NCAA Championships a Mixed Bag for UW GrapplersBy Aaron Voos19 March, 2010
Wyoming’s four wrestlers were a combined 4-4 on Thursday, with LeBlanc advancing to the quarterfinals. OMAHA, Neb. (March 18, 2010) – Sophomore Joe LeBlanc led the University of Wyoming Cowboy wrestling team on Thursday at the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships by earning a spot in the quarterfinals for the second straight season. The No. 7 seed at 184 pounds, LeBlanc won both of his matches on the opening day by keeping the upper hand when he was on top of his opponents. He spent over half of his match time on Thursday riding his opponents into the mat and working for back points. LeBlanc totaled 7:03 in riding time in his first two fights of the three-day event. UW’s Michael Martinez, the No. 11 seed at 125, and Shane Onufer, the No. 8 seed at 165, were both 1-1 on the day. Martinez won his opener and then lost in his second go-around, while Onufer was just the opposite. Cory VomBaur lost both of his matches at the 133-pound weight class. On Friday morning, LeBlanc will face the No. 2 seed John Dergo from Illinois in the quarterfinals. In the consolation bracket, Martinez will wrestle Garrett Frey from Princeton and Onufer will match-up with Josh Asper from Maryland. Friday’s matches will begin at 8:30 a.m. MT. “Well, today could have been better and could have been worse,” Wyoming head coach Mark Branch said. “You have to expect the unexpected at the NCAA Tournament, be ready to go at that opening whistle and recognize that every match will be tough. We did not do that in some instances today. “Overall, no one looked their best and I expect that we will be better tomorrow. Having three guys still going is good and tomorrow will be the day that tells a lot about where we are at. If you are still going after Friday then you will be an All-American. It is important that we come out firing tomorrow and hitting on all cylinders.” It was Martinez against Aaron Kalil from Navy in UW’s first match of the day, a rematch of a contest Martinez had narrowly won earlier this year in Reno. There was no scoring in the first, but as is his style, Martinez would overcome his opponent late in the match. With a double-leg takedown at 3:54 in the second period and then another takedown at 6:15 in the third period, Martinez finished strong for a 6-2 decision win. In his second match, Martinez wrestled Jarrod Garnett from Virginia Tech. Garnett had upset No. 6 seed Zach Sanders (Minnesota) in the first round. Garnett maintained his momentum from earlier in the day by getting an early takedown against Martinez at 1:10. The score was 2-1 in favor of Garnett to start the second period until Martinez tied it at 2-2 with an escape. However, that would be as close as the UW sophomore would get, as his opponent added another takedown in the second period and a third period escape to send Martinez to a 5-2 defeat. VomBaur faced Matthew Fisk from Lehigh in the first round and there was no scoring in the first period. The Cowboy senior rode his opponent for the entire second period and then earned an escape at 5:38 in the third which put him in control of the match with a 1-0 lead and a riding time advantage, however, Fisk would score a takedown at the 6:00 mark, erase his riding time deficit and ride out the match for a 2-1 win. VomBaur then dropped into the consolation bracket where he matched up with Justin Paulsen from Stanford. Paulsen soundly defeated VomBaur by technical fall at the 5:18 mark, 17-1. VomBaur’s fourth NCAA Championships and his senior season ended with an overall record of 18-10. In his opener, Onufer could not generate any offense against Tyler Grayson from Central Michigan and lost for the second straight year by major decision in the first round, 14-4. Looking better in his consolation round bout with Edwin Hojilla (UNC Greensboro), Onufer bounced back and earned a 6-3 decision. The match was tied in the second period at 3-3 after a Hojilla takedown, an Onufer reversal and escapes by each wrestler, before Onufer took control with a takedown at 4:30 and proceeded to ride his opponent for the remainder of the bout. To begin his tournament, LeBlanc faced a familiar opponent in Josh Ihnen from Nebraska. The two had met earlier this year and LeBlanc had needed a riding time point to beat the tough NU freshman. This would also prove to be a close match, as the two traded takedowns and escapes in the first period to go into the second period tied at 3-3. From that point on LeBlanc would control the match. He chose down to begin the second, promptly escaped and then earned a takedown at 3:50. Ihnen would escape to end the period, but LeBlanc then racked up riding time in the third by staying on top for the majority of the period. With 2:08 in riding time, LeBlanc would win 7-5. LeBlanc faced Jason McCroskey from Chattanooga in his next match. McCroskey had to beat Mike Miller (Central Michigan) a returning 2009 NCAA finalist at 174 pounds, to set up his Thursday evening bout with LeBlanc. However, McCroskey was never in the match against UW’s returning All-American. LeBlanc got a takedown just 20 seconds into the match, then proceeded to ride McCroskey for the remainder of the first three-minute period. In the second period, LeBlanc started from bottom and quickly reversed his opponent at 3:25. Although McCroskey would escape prior to the period ending, LeBlanc would then ride him the entire final period for a grand total of 4:55 in riding time and a dominant 5-1 win. His season record is now 37-4. Wyoming NCAA Tournament Results 125 pounds - No. 11 seed Michael Martinez, 1-1 W - vs. Aaron Kalil (Navy), by decision, 6-2 (Thurs.) L - vs. Jarrod Garnett (Virginia Tech), by decision, 5-2 (Thurs.) 133 pounds - Cory VomBaur, 0-2 L - vs. Matthew Fisk (Lehigh), by decision, 2-1 (Thurs.) L - vs. Justin Paulsen (Stanford), by technical fall (NF, 5:18), 17-1 (Thurs.) 165 pounds - No. 8 seed Shane Onufer, 1-1 L - vs. Tyler Grayson (Central Michigan), by major decision, 14-4 (Thurs.) W - vs. Edwin Hojilla (UNC Greensboro), by decision, 6-3 (Thurs.) 184 pounds - No. 7 seed Joe LeBlanc, 2-0 W - vs. Josh Ihnen (Nebraska), by decision, 7-5 (Thurs.) W - vs. Jason McCroskey (Chatanooga), by decision, 5-1 (Thurs.) W-Y-O VomBaur Receives At-Large Bid, Brings UW’s NCAA Total to FourBy Aaron Voos10 March, 2010
All four Cowboy wrestlers are returning NCAA qualifiers, VomBaur becomes a four-time participant. LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 10, 2010) – The No. 25-ranked University of Wyoming Wrestling team had their list of NCAA Tournament qualifiers grow by one on Wednesday, when it was announced that senior Cory VomBaur had been awarded an at-large bid at 133 pounds. The Cowboys will now send four wrestlers to the 2010 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships, as VomBaur joins a trio of UW sophomores who won their brackets at the West Regional and earned automatic bids. Michael Martinez will compete at 125 pounds, Shane Onufer at 165 and Joe LeBlanc at 184. All four UW grapplers are returning national qualifiers. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee met earlier this week and on Wednesday announced 50 at-large selections to round out the field of 330 wrestlers. All weight classes for next week’s tournament now consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections were made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class. The three-day event will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha. Martinez will enter next week’s tournament as the No. 11 seed at 125 pounds. He will face sophomore Aaron Kalil from Navy in the first round on Thursday morning. Last season, Martinez had a record of 1-2 at the NCAA Tournament. His overall record this season is 30-7. One of only a handful of wrestlers in the history of the UW program to compete in four national championships, VomBaur will enter the event unseeded in the 133-pound weight class. In his first match, he will face the winner of a pigtail bout between Matthew Fisk from Lehigh and the No. 11 seed, Scotti Sentes of Central Michigan. At the 2009 Championships, VomBaur went 1-2. He is 18-8 this season. Onufer will be the No. 8 seed at 165 pounds in his second-straight trip to nationals. Tyler Grayson from Central Michigan will be his first round opponent. In 2009, Onufer was 2-2 at the national championships. He currently has a 27-5 season record. Wyoming’s highest seeded wrestler heading into the season-ending tournament will be LeBlanc, who at 184 pounds is the No. 7 seed. His first match will be against Josh Ihnen of Nebraska. LeBlanc’s season record is currently 35-4. Last year as a redshirt freshman, LeBlanc placed fifth at 184 pounds, becoming the first All-American in 13 years for UW’s wrestling program and the 24th in school history. He was 5-2 overall and his only two losses came at the hands of top-3 finishers. This Weeks Sponsor of the Week (03/08/2010)By John Bear08 March, 2010
1ST Bank Supports Academic All State Wrestling Team 1ST Bank, with 7 locations in western Wyoming, has a long history of supporting Wyoming student athletes and they are proud to continue this support by contributing to the Wyoming All State/Academic All State Wrestling Team. 1ST Bank believes that their future lies with the youth of the state and especially with those individuals who exhibit a great work ethic and a drive for excellence in the class room and on the field of competition. These attributes are especially evident in the sport of wrestling. Hours of training, competing through injuries, facing adversity, and lest we forget, showing extreme discipline in diet and nutrition, all the while, maintaining high standards in the classroom help to mold a student athlete into an individual that has all the tools to be a success in any endeavor they pursue. 1ST Bank believes these types of individuals are worthy of recognition. Wrestling is a large part of the culture in 1ST Banks market area. Star Valley, Mountain View/Lyman, Evanston, Kemmerer, Green River and Rock Springs, have tradition rich programs that have been established for years while Big Piney and Pinedale have newly established programs that are creating their own tradition of excellence. Regardless of the length of time the program has been established, one thing stands out. The people involved in these programs, the athletic directors, youth coaches, high school coaches the athletes and countless others, are passionate about the sport of wrestling and about the success of the participants. They are proud to call themselves Red Devils, Braves, Wolves, Rangers, Punchers, Buffalos, Wranglers, and Tigers and 1ST Bank is proud to support them. Many of the employees of 1ST Bank also support the sport of wrestling. Mike Seppala, President of 1ST Bank, is a former high school and college wrestler who stays involved with the sport by officiating many high school tournaments and duals including regional and state tournaments for the past several years. Roger Coles, Branch President in the Afton Branch of 1ST Bank, is also a former High School and College Wrestler who continues to support the Star Valley program. 1ST Bank boasts several more former wrestlers on the staff who continue to exhibit those attributes of hard work and a spirit of excellence making 1ST Bank the quality financial institution it is. 2010 West Regional Title Determined By a Half Point, Wyoming Edges Northern IowaBy Aaron Voos27 March, 2010
BROOKINGS, S.D. (March 6, 2010) – All members of the Western Wrestling Conference competed on Saturday in Brookings at the NCAA West Regional qualifying tournament for automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships. In the team race, Wyoming came from behind and won the West Regional team title by a half point over the 24-time defending champion Northern Iowa Panthers. It is UW’s first-ever West Regional team title. The Cowboys concluded the event with 75 points, Northern Iowa had 74.5, North Dakota State (44.5) was third, followed by Utah Valley (43.5), Air Force (37.5), South Dakota State (29.5) and Northern Colorado (18.5). All seven Western Wrestling Conference teams competed at the event, making it in effect the league’s championship tournament. Entering the final matches in the heavyweight division, the ‘Pokes trailed the Panthers by a half point. UNI’s Christian Brantley won his match, but so did UW’s Helbig, only Helbig pinned his opponent which gave Wyoming the necessary bonus points to jump in front of Northern Iowa to end the night. UNI had a penalty point deducted from their team score for poor sportsmanship after the 157-pound final. Five defending individual champions successfully kept their titles and earned automatic NCAA bids, including UW’s Michael Martinez (125), UNI’s Trent Washington (149), the Cowboys' Shane Onufer (165) and Joe LeBlanc (184), as well as the Panthers’ Christian Brantley (Hwt.). First-time weight class winners were Flint Ray (UVU, 133), Ryan Adams (NDSU, 141), Vince Salminen (NDSU, 157), Jarion Beets (UNI, 174) and Tyler Sorenson (SDSU, 197). Ben Kjar (UVU, 125), Kenny Hashimoto (UNCo., 141), Cole VonOhlen (AFA, 141) and Brad Darrington (UVU, 174) also earned automatic NCAA bids based on their finishes. Kjar and Darrington won their spots based on true second-place matches. There were no unseeded weight class winners, however there were three No. 3 seeds who earned the top spot in their class: Beets, Ray and Salminen. The three NCAA qualifiers from Utah valley were the first in the history of the school. Each weight at the Western Wrestling Regional has earned a specific number of automatic bids for nationals. The automatic bids for each weight are: 125 pounds (2), 133 (1), 141 (3), 149 (1), 157 (1) 165 (1), 174 (2), 184 (1), 197 (1) and Hwt. (1). The National Championships will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha. After all of the qualifying events have concluded this weekend, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person next week to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10. West Regional Automatic Qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Championships 125 - Michael Martinez (Wyoming) 125 - Ben Kjar (Utah Valley) 133 - Flint Ray (Utah Valley) 141 - Ryan Adams (North Dakota State) 141 - Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) 141 - Kenny Hashimoto (Northern Colorado) 149 - Trent Washington (Northern Iowa) 157 - Vince Salminen (North Dakota State) 165 - Shane Onufer (Wyoming) 174 - Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa) 174 - Brad Darrington (Utah Valley) 184 - Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) 197 - Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State) Hwt. - Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa) Tournament Awards Most Falls Award - Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) Outstanding Wrestler - Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) Coach of the Year - Brad Penrith (Northern Iowa) Western Wrestling Conference Regular Season Champions – Wyoming West Regional Champions – Wyoming Other matches competed: 125 pounds - True 2nd - No. 1 Ben Kjar (UVU) dec. Anthony Mustari (UNC), 2-1 TB1 141 pounds - 5th place - Charlie Ettelson (UNI) maj. dec. Wyatt Ray (UVU), 12-4 165 pounds - True 2nd - No. 3 David Bonin (UNI) fall No. 2 Jeb Clark (UVU), 6:53 174 pounds - True 2nd - No. 2 Brad Darrington (UVU) dec. No. 4 Tyler French (AF), 3-1 SV1 184 pounds - True 2nd - David Michaud (SDSU) dec. No. 3 Andy OLoughlin (UNI), 3-2 Wyoming Wins West Regional, Breaks UNI 24-Year StreakBy Aaron Voos07 March, 2010
The Cowboys had three individual champions and automatic NCAA qualifiers. BROOKINGS, S.D. (March 6, 2010) – In unusual and exciting fashion, the University of Wyoming Wrestling team qualified three individuals for the upcoming national championships and won the NCAA West Regional title on Saturday in Brookings. A trio of UW sophomores won their brackets and earned automatic bids to the 2010 NCAA DI Wrestling Championships. Michael Martinez was the victor at 125 pounds, Shane Onufer at 165 and Joe LeBlanc at 184. The Cowboys also got a second-place finish from Cory VomBaur (133) and three third-place winners: Jimmy Belleville (157), Alfonso Hernandez (197) and L.J. Helbig (Hwt.). As a team, the ‘Pokes came from behind and won the West Regional team title by a half point over the 24-time defending champion Northern Iowa Panthers. It is Wyoming’s first-ever West Regional team title and UW’s first tournament conference championship team since 1992. The Cowboys concluded the event with 75 points, Northern Iowa had 74.5, North Dakota State (44.5) was third, followed by Utah Valley (43.5), Air Force (37.5), South Dakota State (29.5) and Northern Colorado (18.5). All seven Western Wrestling Conference teams competed at the event, making it in effect the league’s championship tournament. Entering the final matches in the heavyweight division, the ‘Pokes trailed the Panthers by a half point. UNI’s Christian Brantley won his match, but so did UW’s Helbig, only Helbig pinned his opponent which gave Wyoming the necessary bonus points to jump in front of Northern Iowa to end the night. The Cowboys and Panthers did battle all day long, with four head-to-head match-ups in the semifinals, two others for first place and one for third place. UW was 5-2 in those matches. Those bouts, along with some key consolation bracket wins and bonus points, helped Wyoming come from down 15 points after the semifinals and seven and a half points to UNI heading into the finals. UW was hurt by some key losses to some of their high seeds in early matches, but also benefited from a penalty point deducted from UNI for poor sportsmanship after the 157-pound final. "This is a bitter-sweet day," Wyoming head coach Mark Branch said. "I feel that we wrestled about as poor as we could today and that is the reality. The good thing is that we walk away with the team championship, which was one of our goals this year. It is hard though, because I don’t believe we deserved it with our performance. I would trade the team title for a few more guys going to the NCAA Championships. "The way that we train and my philosophy as a coach is to perform well on this weekend. Everything points towards that. To come out and wrestle poorly is disappointing. We trained too hard and too smart to let our opponents dictate the outcome the way they did today. "There were some performances on our team that deserve thanks for getting this team over the hump and earning the West Regional trophy. Guys like Fonz (Hernandez), Jimmy and L.J. all showed some heart with the way they came back through the back-draw, earned bonus points and got some big wins." Martinez, the No. 2 seed at 125 pounds, faced Andrew Zwirlein from Air Force for the second straight year in the opening round. In a low-scoring match, Martinez won 3-2. Next, the Cowboy sophomore had Caleb Flores of UNI and the two had to go to a second sudden victory period before Martinez won the match in extra time with a takedown, 4-2. In the finals, he would face No. 1 seeded Ben Kjar from Utah Valley for the third time this season. The pair had split their two previous meetings. Like their match at the Cowboy Open in November, No. 9-ranked Kjar and No. 11-ranked Martinez needed extra time to determine a champion, and just like that earlier match Martinez used a takedown in the first sudden victory period to win 7-3. With the win Martinez won his second straight 125-pound West Regional title and took one of the league’s two automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. His overall record is now 30-7. Seeded No. 1 in the 133-pound weight class, VomBaur had a first-round bye and then faced No. 4 seed Ryan Jauch from Northern Iowa in the semifinals. He recorded an early first-period takedown, racked up riding time over Jauch and then held on for a 5-3 decision. In the finals, against No. 3 seed Flint Ray (UVU), VomBaur lost 8-3 and must now hope for an at-large NCAA bid. VomBaur wrestled the event on a sore knee, after a staph infection had caused his knee to swell over the past two weeks. He will now wait for the NCAA at-large selections next Wednesday to see if he will attend his fourth national championships. At 141 pounds, Chase Smith was pinned in his opening match and lost a decision in the wrestlebacks, the only Cowboy to go 0-2 on the day. Starting as the No. 3 seed at 149 pounds, Cole Dallaserra controlled his first-round match with Nick Hagar (SDSU) and won 6-0. He then had trouble creating any offense against No. 2 seed Andrey Patselov (NDSU) and lost 6-2. That dropped Dallaserra into the consolation bracket where he would face Gabe Martinez of Air Force. He would need extra time to beat Martinez, but did manage get revenge for a recent dual loss by winning in a second sudden victory period, 3-1. Dallaserra then wrestled No. 4 seed Justin Morrill (UVU) in the third place bout, losing 9-4 and taking fourth place. UW freshman Belleville was seeded No. 4 at 157 pounds and opened his tournament by avenging a recent dual loss to Alec Williams of Air Force. Belleville never trailed and beat Williams 9-3. No. 1 seed Tyson Reiner (UNI) was his next opponent and he would lose a major decision 14-4. In the back draw, Belleville first saw Nick Flynn from SDSU, winning 8-2 before meeting No. 2 seed Justin Gaethje (UNCo) for third place. In an exciting match that was back-and-forth for a full seven minutes, Belleville won 11-10 thanks to a late takedown. He finished his freshman campaign with a 31-8 record. No. 9-ranked Onufer was the No. 1 seed at 165 pounds and got an 11-2 major decision against Kevin O’Brien from Northern Colorado in his first match, followed by another major decision, 13-5, against No. 4 seed Tyler Johnson (NDSU). His finals’ opponent was the No. 3 seed David Bonin (UNI). Onufer pushed the pace, scored two takedowns and won the Regional title match by a score of 6-2. He was awarded the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for his efforts, his second-straight trip to nationals. Onufer now has a 27-5 season record. Also a No. 1 seed, Brock Smith drew a first-round bye and then faced No. 4 seed Tyler French (AFA) for the third time this season. Each wrestler had one head-to-head win over the other, but French tilted the season scorecard in his favor by beating Smith this time 5-2. Mac Stoll from NDSU was next for Smith, whom he beat 10-5, setting up a third place match with Utah Valley’s No. 2 seed Brad Darrington. Smith had beaten Darrington earlier this season, but this time was forced to wrestle with a foot injury he sustained in an earlier match. He lost the match 6-1. LeBlanc, nationally ranked No. 8 at 184 pounds, lived up to his No. 1 seed by earning a technical fall in his opener against Patrick Prentice (UNCo). Wyoming’s All-American took a 14-1 first-period lead and then ended the match quickly at 3:13 by a 17-1 margin. It was LeBlanc’s 12th technical fall victory this season. Equally as dominant was LeBlanc’s next match, in which he pinned James Ciccone from Air Force at 1:49. The fall was his 12th win in that fashion this season. It would then be No. 3 seed Andy O’Loughlin (UNI) whom LeBlanc would fight in the finals and despite his opponents’ defensive approach, he would win 9-2. LeBlanc rolled up over four minutes in riding time in the match. It was also his second consecutive West Regional crown and he will return to the NCAA Tournament via an automatic bid. LeBlanc’s season record is now 35-4. He was named the event’s Outstanding Wrestler as voted by the coaches. In a big blow against the Cowboy team, 197-pounder Alfonso Hernandez, who was seeded No. 2, was pinned by Drew Ross of North Dakota State in the opening round. He battled back in the consolation bracket with a pin of his own, his first this season, over Edward Matthews (UNCo) at 2:36, then followed that up with his second win by fall of the year, this time at 2:58 over No. 4 seed Josh Wood (UVU). Having seen his chances of qualifying for nationals go south in the first round, a frustrated Hernandez then beat No. 3 seed Dustin Bauman (UNI) by decision, 9-3. He placed third with the win and won the tournament’s Most Pins award. L.J. Helbig was the No. 4 seed at heavyweight and drew a first-round bye before matching up with No. 1 seed Christian Brantley of UNI. Brantley proved to be too much for Helbig, winning 6-2, however, in his next match UW’s redshirt freshman beat Joe Arthur from NDSU, 7-3. He now faced Kevin Kelly (SDSU) for third place and with the ‘Pokes team title hopes on the line. Helbig came through in the clutch for his team by pinning Kelly with just a second remaining in period number two and sealing the West Regional team title for Wyoming. LeBlanc, Martinez and Onufer will now begin training for the NCAA Championships which will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha. VomBaur will have to wait until after all of the qualifying events have concluded and the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee meets in-person to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10. See match-by-match results on the following page. W-Y-O Wyoming Results, Place (Top-3) 125 pounds - No. 2 seed Michael Martinez, 1st place, Automatic NCAA bid W - vs. Andrew Zwirlein (AFA), by decision, 3-2 W - vs. No. 3 seed Caleb Flores (UNI), by SV2 decision, 4-2 (3OT) W - vs. No. 1 seed Ben Kjar (UVU), by SV1 decision, 7-3 (OT) 133 pounds - No. 1 seed Cory VomBaur, 2nd place Bye W - vs. No. 4 seed Ryan Jauch (UNI), by decision, 5-3 L - vs. No. 3 seed Flint Ray (UVU), by decision, 8-3 141 pounds - Chase Smith L - vs. No. 2 seed Ryan Adams (NDSU), by fall, 1:12 L - vs. Charlie Ettelson (UNI), by decision, 4-1 149 pounds - No. 3 seed Cole Dallaserra W - vs. Nick Hagar (SDSU), by decision, 6-0 L - vs. No. 2 seed Andrey Patselov (NDSU), by decision, 6-2 W - vs. Gabe Martinez (AFA), by SV2 decision, 3-1 (3OT) L - vs. No. 4 seed Justin Morrill (UVU), by decision, 9-4 157 pounds - No. 4 seed Jimmy Belleville, 3rd place W - vs. Alec Williams (AFA), by decision, 9-3 L - vs. No. 1 seed Tyson Reiner (UNI), by major decision, 14-4 W - vs. Nick Flynn (SDSU), by decision, 8-2 W - vs. No. 2 seed Justin Gaethje (UNCo), by decision, 11-10 165 pounds - No. 1 seed Shane Onufer, 1st place, Automatic NCAA bid W - vs. Kevin O’Brien (UNCo), by major decision, 11-2 W - vs. No. 4 seed Tyler Johnson (NDSU), by major decision, 13-5 W - vs. No. 3 seed David Bonin (UNI), by decision, 6-2 174 pounds - No. 1 seed Brock Smith Bye L - vs. No. 4 seed Tyler French (AFA), by decision, 5-2 W - vs. Mac Stoll (NDSU), by decision, 10-5 L - vs. No. 2 seed Brad Darrington (UVU), by decision, 6-1 184 pounds - No. 1 seed Joe LeBlanc, 1st place, Automatic NCAA bid W - vs. Patrick Prentice (UNCo), by technical fall (NF), 17-1, 3:13 W - vs. No. 4 seed James Ciccone (AFA), by fall (1:49) W - vs. No. 3 seed Andy O’Loughlin (UNI), by decision, 9-2 197 pounds - No. 2 seed Alfonso Hernandez, 3rd place L - vs. Drew Ross (NDSU), by fall (2:38) W - vs. Edward Matthews (UNCo), by fall (2:36) W - vs. No. 4 seed Josh Wood (UVU), by fall (2:58) W - vs. No. 3 seed Dustin Bauman (UNI), by decision, 9-3 Heavyweight - No. 4 seed LJ Helbig, 3rd place Bye L - vs. No. 1 seed Christian Brantley (UNI), by decision, 6-2 W - vs. Joe Arthur (NDSU), by decision, 7-3 W - vs. Kevin Kelly (SDSU), by fall (4:59) Grandslams, and When to do a Standing Ovation.By Joe Hatley05 March, 2010
Shin splints for an old guy like myself are not expected or enjoyable. My shin splints from my constant walking in the Casper Event Center are the reminder of what I had to do all year to get the best feel of our tournaments and the capabilities of our state’s wrestlers. I walked and pursued matches in many gyms. Again, I want to thank those that gave me access to the best seat in the house at each of the tournaments I attended this year. Notes on the tournament: · I have had the good fortune to watch the last 5 of our state’s 4 time state champs win their 4th title. Of those, 4 of the 5 received a standing ovation. Saturday night Auston Carter didn’t get one. Why? I stood and turned to the crowd and urged them to their feet. I asked the official sitting with me on officials row what he thought and he said, “Joe they just don’t get it.” I think maybe it was a case of the announcer who was very busy just not stopping the action long enough to let the crowd acknowledge Auston. Well folks here is the basic rule: If a wrestler wins a 4th title and you are present, stand and cheer for him. Even if you don’t like him. It is an amazing accomplishment and it should be recognized. I believe we have a couple on their way toward 4. So be ready to give them a standing O when it happens. The kids appreciate it and they earned it. · Gotta say the best dressed coach on Saturday’s finals was Troy Gunter. · Are singlets that much cooler than they were in the past with the designs and colors? They almost have too much going on it seems to me…just don’t bring back the leggings! · A capacity crowd at the Event Center was treated to the best team race in 8-10 years. The Douglas team had that special chemistry that only happens once a decade. As each Douglas finalist was getting ready for his match the team was urging him on and sending him off with the utmost of enthusiasm. The Bearcats had shown me the same cohesion at the regional tourney and that was one of the reasons I chose them as the championship team. Team dynamics can, and do, win state titles…these guys knew that from their State football experience… · Hayden Heap did the Lane Frost wave after he won. Our family loved the movie 8 Seconds and I thought it was cool. Way cool. · Eight will not be the stopping point for the Camels. It is conceivable that this Gillette team could win 10-11 titles before they lose steam. Take a look at their current lineup and count top 4 finishes…SCARY. · Rawlins had 2 in the finals and they were their 103 and 285. That seems to me as somewhat of an anomaly…Usually a team has someone in the middle. · I figured out how to get out of the Event Center parking lot quickly after the State tournament. Wait until 10:45 PM. Nobody to compete with getting out! My state preview took an enormous amount of time because of analysis and my inability to type very fast. I was typing on my computer as we left Torrington until 2:40 AM on Friday. My extra analysis yielded a much better result than the Ron Thon and in many instances I hit all 4 placements correctly in order 1-4. Hence, the term “Grandslam”. Here are my Grandslams: 2A: 135: 1. Brodey Serres 2. Chance Maddock 3. Luke Zeller 4. Kyle Kidd DH: Cody Ray was 5th 160: 1. Kaleb Hoyt 2. Chayce Goton 3. RJ Olson 4. Jesse Duncan DH: Jordan Johnson was 5th Here are the rest of my picks that were right or wrong: 103: Both finalists and Champ right. Tenor Teichert and Cody Vichi. Darkhorse: (DH) 3rd JJ Martinez, Champ Cody Vichi 112: Both finalists wrong (ughh!) Garrett Bietz and Jesse Bassett. But I picked the DH and he made the finals. Zane Mackey, Champ Tom Stockwell 119: Finalists correct. Max Vichi and Jake Jones. 3rd and 4th were in reverse order though. Baily Hepp was 3rd and Colton Lantz was 4th. Champ correct with Max Vichi DH: Anthony Samson dnp 125: Both finalists and champ correct. Dustin Kruckenberg and Nate Gossens. 3rd place was correct: Eddie Collins 4th was Randy Jinks. Champ: Dustin Kruckenberg DH: Roy Winder dnp 130: 1 finalist right and Champ right. Finalists: Caleb Thompson and John Collins. Champ: John Collins 3rd and 4th wrong but DH Landon Cornia placed 5th. 135: GRANDSLAM! All 4 in order. 1. Brodey Serres 2. Chance Maddock 3. Luke Zeller 4. Kyle Kidd 140: Both finalists correct and champ also. Finalists: JR Vezain and Curtis Clark 3rd: I was wrong but 4th was the DH: Jacob Beck Champ JR Vezain 145: Both finalists correct, but finish order reversed. Finalists: James Montez and Garrett Traylor. Champ James Montez. 3rd and 4th were correct Juan Rodriguez and Chandler Harris DH: Ben Anson was 5th . 152: Both finalists correct but finish order reversed. Finalists: Lance Hladky and Hadley Harmon. Champ Hadley Harmon. JT Cattelan was picked to get 4th and he was 3rd. Garrett Habernman was 6th instead of 3rd as picked. 160: GRANDSLAM! All 4 in order. 1. Kaleb Hoyt 2. Chayce Goton 3. RJ Olson 4. Jesse Duncan DH: Jesse Johnson dnp 171: Both finalists correct and champ correct. Ryne Baier and Clay Cundall 3rd correct: Ryley Giacometto. 4th: wrong. Tony Rodriguez 189: 1 finalist right and champ right. Finalists were Ace Thurston and Bob Anderson. Hayden Davidson was 3rd, I picked him to be a finalist. Champ: Ace Thurston 215: Both finalists right. Wes Ridgway and Leland Pfeifer. Champ right Leland Pfeifer. 3rd Jared Asay that was right also. 4th Paige Begay DH: Jared Asay 3rd 285: 1 finalist right with Mike Hill but Mike’s teammate Taylen Arnett was 3rd and Trent Slagowski who I picked 3rd was 2nd. Champ: Mike Hill Totals for 2A: I picked 11 of 14 champs 79% My finalist picks were 23 of 28 82% My goal: 75% Summary of 2A: Greybull’s team this year proved to me early they could be a potential title winner. I bet on Cokeville for a variety of reasons but mostly because the depth of their team looked as if it could steal the championship from Greybull. As the lightweights were getting upset or hurt it was apparent to me that it could be difficult since Cokeville didn’t have any upper weights. Greybull had a couple of good rounds and they secured the title going away. Greybull will be a force next near as well. Hulett’s late run this year was almost glorious as a few wrestlers I had picked for better finishes had trouble. Had my picks came through they could have been in the running for first. Here are my 3A picks: 103: Both finalists right, Jay Stine and Jon Gomez. Champ right, Jay Stine. 3rd wrong, I picked Raymond Geho to be 4th and he was 3rd. Levi Anderson was the DH and he was 5th. 112: 1 finalist correct with Josh Materi but the other finalist was Louis Bradshaw. Remember in my preview I made a statement about a bad game of roulette? Well, it turned out true as this was a bizarre bracket, DH was Louis Bradshaw. Picked right champ though, Josh Materi. 119: Picked both finalists right with Jared Leithead and Jesse Craig. I DID PICK Jared Leithead but in my preview’s final draft it didn’t show. Champ Jared Leithead. 3rd Wrong as I picked Kevin Baker for a 4th place (He earned a 3rd). Shawn Zavala was 6th DH: Trevor Lange and he was 5th. 125: Jorden Osbon and Brode Bullington were my finalist picks and they made it but Brode Bullington won and I picked Osbon. I was right with 3rd, Ollie Olson, but wrong everywhere else. 130: 1 finalist right and champ right with Colt Nix. Felt like I really missed not picking Reed Burgener to make it into this bracket and he was 2nd. Jordan Hernandez was 3rd. I was right with Phillip Tabb at 4th. DH: did not place 135: Both finalists right with Matt Osbon and Trent Gillett. Champ right, Matt Osbon. 3rd and 4th wrong. DH: Injured Matt Widiker 140: Both finalists right with Randy Andrews and Lane Reed. Champ right with Randy Andrews. 3rd right with Jeff Redland. 4th Zach Gray. DH: didn’t place. 145: Both Finalists were right with Auston Carter and Tyler Smart. Champ right as Auston Carter became our state’s 13th 4 time state champ. CONGRATS! 3rd: was Waylon Bays and I was right having Tanner Miller in the 4th spot. DH: Drake Menck was 5th. 152: 1 finalists right with Houston Falkenberg and Jimmy Seckman who I picked 4th was 2nd. 3rd was Chris Ryan who I picked to be 2nd and 4th was Jamie Newman who I picked 3rd. The right guys, wrong order… DH: Seth Edwards was 5th. 160: 1 finalist right with Dustin Finnerty, Dustin was the champ and Mitch Schlager earned a 3rd. Cole Kary was 2nd and Jace Jensen was 4th. Once again, right guys, wrong order…DH: Kaleb Matthiesen was 5th. 171: Pierre Etchemendy was the 1 finalist I got right and he also won which I predicted. Kyle Larson as he pointed out to me on the floor at the Event Center was picked to be 4th and he made the finals. Sorry that you couldn’t prove me totally wrongJ Andrew Litzel as predicted was 3rd . Dane Dooley was 4th. DH: Travis Garhart was 5th. 189: Both finalists right, Colter McNare and Monte Nickles. Champ right with Colter McNare. 3rd right with Wynston Anglen and Wade Newton, my DH was injured. I went against my rankings and was punished. 215: 1 finalist right with Trent Boner who subsequently went on to become a state champ. Adam Himrich earned a 2nd place finish (had him to be 3rd). Joe Lujan was picked to be a finalist and he was 3rd. Bo Aimone 5th and DH: Travis Jenkins was 6th. 285: Closing out one of the most dramatic state tournament team title runs in history had Joe Lake winning over Ryley Dawson. I said previously that this would be a feature match in the 3A state tourney and I was right! I picked both finalists but had Dawson winning instead of Lake. Tyson Lopez was 3rd instead of 4th as I had him picked. Trevor Griffith was 6th and I picked him 3rd. Juan Deleon was my DH and he earned 6th. I met a lot of opposition with my pick of Douglas as the team champ. What I saw was EXACTLY what happened! Douglas was better in the heavys and I knew they could pin to earn bonus points. Powell couldn’t get out in the lead far enough to hold Douglas off. Worland proved they had the chops to be in this battle and they finished where I figured they would at 3rd. No VIEW on Mountain View. Mountain View kept in the shadows for most of the year and I had a hard time keeping up on their results…it won’t happen next year, the coaching staff assured me they would help us out and so I think next year they will be accurately placed in the rankings. Good team. Lander, Wheatland, Buffalo and Torrington could have finished in any order from 5-8 on any given Saturday. No worries there. Totals for 3A: 22-28 Finalists right for: 79% 11 -14 Champs right 79% Goal: 75% My 4A picks: 103: Lukas Poloncic was my one right finalist and he also was the champ. My other finalist was Brandon Kussy and he finished 3rd and Blaze Cress who I picked to be 3rd was a finalist. I was right with Mitch Heap at 4th and DH was Austin Vye 112: Both finalists right with Taylor Bear and Mario Luna. Champ right with Taylor Bear. 3rd was right with Josh Hillhouse and 4th was my DH Josh Claye. Mikey Chitto who I picked 4th was 6th. 119: Finalists both right with Dani Fischer and Luis Flores. Champ wrong Dani Fischer won and Luis was 2nd. TJ guild was my 3rd place winner and he was 4th to Jordan Puente. Hayes Stone was the DH and he was 5th. 125: Hayden Heap and Tanner Olson were my finalist picks and champ pick was right with Hayden Heap. 3rd place pick was correct with Ryan Slaugh and Joe Baca was 5th and DH Clay Carter was 4th. 130: GRANDSLAM! All 4 in order! Leandro Arias and Savoy Bell were my finalists and Leandro Arias was my pick for champ. 3rd was Mark Harris and Chris Barnish was 4th DH was Tim Stephens dnp. 135: Finalist picks were correct with Jacob Flores and champ right with Jacob Flores. Trevor Goss who I didn’t pick to place went on to place 3rd and Dillon Karajanis earned 5th and Mark Van Slyke finished where I predicted at 4th. DH Tanner Juby dnp. 140: Both finalists were correct with Brady Turnbull and Burke Burgess. Brady was my champ pick and he won. Cormick Eaton slipped out of my sight for a moment and since I HAD NOT picked him he earned 3rd to spite me…LOL. Kendall Nuss dnp and I had him 3rd DH Brandon Aullman came in 4th Zach Gunyan dnp either.. 145: Austin Breckenridge and Darin Taylor were correct finalist picks and Austin Breckenridge was the champ. Kolby Kester my DH was 3rd and Devan Reilly who I picked to be 3rd was 4th. Caleb Rhoades was 6th and he was picked 4th. 152: Andy McCulley was my no brainer finalist and champ. DH Joey Koslowksi proved to be my second DH pick that made it to the finals. Bob Helmerick earned a 3rd he was picked 2nd and Dalton Dance landed at 4th as predicted. Jake Homer my 3rd pick was 5th. 160: Scott Verner was a correct finalist pick and champ pick as well. Mason O’Dowd who I picked to be 4th was the runner-up and Ab Brown finished 3rd as predicted. Shawn Seppala was 4th (He was picked as a finalist). DH Brandon Anglesley 5th. 171: Hayden Jones was one right finalist and champ pick but Dawson Loveland was 3rd and the other finalist was Taylor Pownall who I picked 3rd. Cole Wines was 4th as predicted. The order was wrong but I had the right 4… 189: GRANDSLAM! Both finalists correct with Alex Coolidge and Tommy Thoman. 3rd and 4th correct as well Lucas Hurt 3rd and Nick Edwards 4th. DH Taelor Prado dnp. 215: Casey Wolfley was my only DH that became champ. Cheyton Vermillion was the pick for champ and he was runner-up. Chase Cimburek was 4th and I picked him for a finalist. Carlos Saabedra was picked to be 3rd and finished 6th. Aaron McGee the #4 pick finished 3rd. What a crazy bracket! 285: Narrowly missing another Grandslam I picked the finalists right with Jacob Edwards and Jimmy Boylan. Champ pick was right with Jacob Edwards and the only finish that was turned was 3rd and 4th. I Picked Zac Haney over Ryan Kuster and it was reverse. DH Sheldon Hullinger was 6th. Totals for 4A: 23-28 Finalists correct 82% 12-14 Champs correct 86% Goal 75% The team race was partially determined at the East regionals, and it was obvious by the quarters that Gillette would not be denied their State record of 8 consecutive titles. I approached Tom Seamans as the quarter final round was approaching conclusion and asked him how it felt to win 8 titles and he looked at me and said as evenly as possible, “It is far from over Joe, you know that.” No, Tom it was over and I sensed most knew that Gillette had it sewn up even if Tom was just cautious. I foretold the race would not be over on Friday unless the other 3 teams fell to pieces. Ironically they did just that. As Central was having problems Eddie Clark’s Braves were gaining ground and made a great push on Saturday for a respectable 2nd place. Green River was a half a point from 3rd place Central. I picked the team champ right but failed miserably on the others…I did have the top 3 right on the week 10 rankings. In summary, I have to mention that I had a blast this year and I beat my goal of 75% in the individual brackets my overall percentages were 81% on finalist picks total and 81% on Champs. I met my team champ pick goal of 2 out of 3 in the 2A-3A-4A team races. My top 3 in each division was poor except in 3A. I had no chance to predict or prognosticate without the help of our state’s coaches, managers, and parents who helped with data submission. John Bear’s organization, sifting, research, and oversight of the rankings compilations were instrumental to me doing so well. He would, of course, disagree with me but I know what lengths he went to get all the information to me. I am so grateful. THANK YOU JOHN! Belief in our state’s wrestlers and giving you the fan, parent, coach, and official a place to see just where a team or athlete stacks up is how this website grew this year. John Bear and John Poloncic created this for you. I was selected because I can’t run fast anymore and I have a hard time saying no to wrestling. Wrestling has been my passion for over 14 years and I NOW am pleased that John and John asked me to do this. Chasing these kids throughout the state has increased my love for this sport even more. My hope is that you the fan also enjoyed the ride as much as I did. I will have Hatley’s Heathens out soon and then I plan on covering what I can of the college kids. Freestyle and Greco season is upon us and I highly encourage you to wrestle these 2 other styles or help others to see the benefits of wrestling them. With wrestling we will develop character, mental strength, and future leaders. Without wrestling? Joe Hatley Challenging you to make wrestling better. UW Wrestlers Compete Saturday for Automatic Bids to National ChampionshipsBy Aaron Voos04 March, 2010
Wyoming took second place at the 2009 West Regional. LARAMIE, Wyo. (March 4, 2010) – The No. 25-ranked Wyoming Cowboys will begin their postseason this week when they travel to the NCAA West Regional, a one-day qualifying tournament at which all Western Wrestling Conference institutions will compete to earn automatic bids for nationals. The event will be held in Frost Arena on the South Dakota State campus on Saturday, March 6, in Brookings, S.D. Matches will start at 9 a.m. (MT), and the finals will begin at 4 p.m. The Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Since all league schools compete at the West Regional the WWC uses the event as its conference championship. Last season the ‘Pokes finished second and lost to the Northern Iowa Panthers by a mere one and a half points. UNI has won the team NCAA West Regional title for 24 straight seasons, a streak that the Cowboys hope to break this year. Tournament information, results and live video of the finals matches will be available at GoJacks.com. The 2009-10 season will mark the 11th year (since 2000) that Wyoming has qualified for the NCAA Championships through the West Regional Tournament. UW has finished in second place three times, 2004, 2006 and 2009. Prior to 2000, the Cowboys were members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and qualified for nationals via that conference tournament. Each weight at the Western Wrestling Regional has been awarded a specific number of automatic bids for the NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championships. The automatic bids for each weight are; 125 pounds (2), 133 (1), 141 (3), 149 (1), 157 (1) 165 (1), 174 (2), 184 (1), 197 (1) and Hwt (1). The winners of each weight class will take an automatic bid, along with the next highest finishers in the divisions which were awarded multiple qualifiers. The National Championships will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha. After all of the qualifying events have concluded, of which the West Regional is one, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The following line-up is expected to compete for the Cowboys at the Western Wrestling Regional. 125 pounds - Sophomore Michael Martinez: Martinez is a returning NCAA qualifier and has a record of 27-7 this season. He is currently ranked No.10 in the Coaches’ Poll, and No. 12 in the RPI rankings. Martinez won the West Regional as a redshirt freshman last year. 133 pounds - Senior Cory VomBaur: VomBaur is a three-time NCAA qualifier and a defending West Regional Champion. He is currently ranked No. 20 in the Coaches’ Poll, and No. 14 in the RPI rankings. VomBaur is 5-0 this season at 133 pounds against WWC competition. 141 pounds - Sophomore Chase Smith: Smith is a returning starter for the Cowboys. Last year Smith competed for the Cowboys at 149 pounds. While wrestling the 2008-09 season at 149 pounds he placed fourth at the West Regional Championships. Smith’s record this season is 20-14. 149 pounds - Junior Cole Dallaserra: This is Dallaserra’s third year as a starter for the Wyoming Cowboys. Last year he placed third at the West Regional Championships at 141 pounds. Dallaserra is currently 18-10. 157 pounds - Freshman Jimmy Belleville: Belleville came to the University of Wyoming from Tumwater, Wash., and jumped into the starting line-up in January. He is the only true freshman starting for the Cowboys this post-season. Belleville has an impressive record at 28-7. 165 pounds - Sophomore Shane Onufer: Onufer is one of the four returning National qualifiers from last season. He is also a returning West Regional Champion after winning it his redshirt freshman year at 174 pounds. Onufer is currently ranked No. 9 on the Coaches’ Poll and No. 4 on the RPI rankings. During his career he has never lost a dual match to a WWC opponent. His current record is 24-5. 174 pounds - Sophomore Brock Smith: Smith is a native of Gering, Neb. He placed fifth at the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions Tournament earlier this season. He is 20-10 and is currently No. 30 in the RPI rankings. He is undefeated this season in dual meet matches against West Regional competition. 184 pounds - Sophomore Joe LeBlanc: LeBlanc is a returning All-American for the Cowboys. Last year he won the West Regional and went on to place fifth at the NCAA Division I National Tournament. He is currently ranked No. 6 in the coaches’ poll and No. 7 in the RPI rankings. LeBlanc is undefeated in his career against WWC competition. He is 32-4 on the season. 197 pounds - Sophomore Alfonso Hernandez: This is Hernandez’s second year starting for the Wyoming Cowboys. Last year Hernandez placed third at the West Regional Championships. He is 19-15 on the season and is currently No. 33 on the RPI rankings. HWT—Redshirt Freshman L.J. Helbig: After redshirting last season Helbig has found his spot in the UW line-up at heavyweight, despite wrestling much of the year at 197 pounds. Helbig is from Mason, Mich. and his record is 18-14. W-Y-O WyoWrestling 2010 All-State Wrestling TeamBy Joe Hatley01 March, 2010
103: Cody Vichi Your 2010 Academic All-State Wrestling TeamBy John Bear01 March, 2010
103# Jay Stine of Worland 4.000 125# Ed Collins of Dubois 3.920 145# Chandler Harris of Cokeville 3.895 WyoWrestling.com 2010 State Tournament Preview and PicksBy Joe Hatley26 February, 2010
History is leaned on heavily when describing the future. At WyoWrestling.com our history is only 1 bruised and battered year. We are rookies to the website game, but we are committed to giving you the public a venue where it can see where their kid stands in the state with rankings and commentary. I believe we have done well. I know we can do better though, and as my signature says, “Challenging you to make wrestling better.” That is what we live by here at WyoWrestling.com we are ALWAYS trying to put a product out that exceeds your expectations and we challenge ourselves to do it better each time. John Bear and I have been working all year to provide the state of Wyoming a website that is focused on NOTHING but wrestling. When looking at our website the wrestling fan gets to see pictures of our state’s wrestlers, can view our rankings page, read articles, and look back in time at past wrestling accomplishments on our records page. Our good friend and records Guru, Spencer Condie has been with us providing historical data and insight. NOBODY in this state has the focus of promoting our great sport of wrestling like we do. Proof in that lies in our All-State Academic letterman’s jacket awards. We reward the best student/wrestler for their good work in the classroom. All of our efforts are geared to giving our state’s wrestlers a place to call home. It is for YOU the wrestler, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, and avid wrestling fan. Our place in history is not as important as the history of wrestling we want to convey and preserve. WyoWrestling.com intends to be here for a long time and with your support we will be. History as I mentioned before, is the bedrock for our sport. What has happened before, has the likelihood of happening again. As fans, we relish the records that get broken and the records that stand. My love of wrestling for years was based on more of the future of our sport and how to make my son’s and our town’s wrestlers to wrestle better. Now I embrace the past, as most who are growing older do. Watching and wondering if wrestler A is better than wrestler A’s dad is so intriguing to me now. Champions come and go. Where do they go? That is another aspect I love. After a high school wrestler walks out of the Casper Event Center for the last time, Where does he go? Does he give back to the sport as Casey Schell does for Buffalo? Does he go on to wrestle at a D-1 college or maybe to one of our Community Colleges? The people of wrestling, the athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators make this the greatest of all sports. Wishing our athlete’s and fans the very best, I give you my picks, predictions, and prognostications. As I have said all year long to the kids and coaches. If you don’t like my picks, then PROVE ME WRONG! To the kids that I pick: PROVE ME RIGHT! Let’s have a fun and safe State tournament. My picks: 2A
103: Tenor Teichert and Cody Vichi are the on top of this bracket. Both have wins against each other. Next in line will be a battle between J.J. Martinez, Keanu Slovernick, and Levi Kelly. Slovernick and Martinez are on the same side of the bracket as is Bonner Brown and Kelly. This bracket has only 11 competitors but there is depth and has difficulty to it. No easy trip to semis. Finalists: Tenor Teichert and Cody Vichi 3rd: Bonner Brown 4th: Keanu Slovernick Darkhorse: J.J. Martinez Champion: Cody Vichi Note: I believe this to be one of the feature finals of this year’s state tournament. Teichert has proven to be a formidable opponent, but Vichi can score from so many positions that I believe he will rack up plenty of points and cruise. 112: Garrett Bietz week 6 made the move down to 112 from 119 and it has been successful. Bietz can scramble with the best of them and he forces the action. Jesse Bassett had a great regional tournament beating both Kalen Hill and Brigham Teichert. Tom Stockwell always gives a close match. Travis Gaukel has been ahead of all of the above in almost every match this year…but has had problems closing the deal. This may be his time. Finalists: Garrett Bietz and Jesse Bassett 3rd: Brigham Teichert 4th: Kalen Hill Double Darkhorses: Travis Gaukel and Zane Mackey (Both have had leads on the top picks) Champion: Garrett Bietz 119: Max Vichi has been atop the rankings all year and deservedly so, Max is going for his 3rd title. Jake Jones may be a freshman but he doesn’t wrestle like one. Baily Hepp blew through his regional tournament. Blaine Gossens finished 3rd in the tougher of the 2 regions. Lantz, Hepp, Samson and Noyce round out this tough weight class. Finalists: Max Vichi and Jake Jones 3rd: Colton Lantz 4th: Baily Hepp Darkhorse: Anthony Samson Champion: Max Vichi 125: Dustin Kruckenberg’s reign of the rankings top spot is only a few weeks old. Nate Gossens wants to go out the champ and avenge his regional finals loss to Dustin. Eddie Collins is looking for his 2nd state title. Jackson Bassett is ready to improve on last year’s performance. Finalists: Dustin Kruckenberg and Nate Gossens 3rd: Eddie Collins 4th: Jackson Bassett Darkhorse: Roy Winder Champion: Dustin Kruckenberg 130: Nate Hetzel and John Collins have been playing leapfrog in the rankings all year. One or the other have been on top for most of the way. Landon Cornia, Caleb Thompson, Corson Kerbs, and Joe Bartlett are legitimate threats. Finalists: Nate Hetzel and John Collins 3rd: Joe Bartlett 4th: Corson Kerbs Darkhorse: Landon Cornia Champion: John Collins 135: Chance Maddock and Brodey Serres have not crossed paths but they soon will. This is the Big Dog of matches in the 2A class. Maddock and Serres are both chasing a 2nd state title. Only one gets it this year… Kyle Kidd, Luke Zeller , Cody Ray, and Berto Soto give this bracket some color. Finalists: Chance Maddock and Brodey Serres 3rd: Luke Zeller 4th: Kyle Kidd Darkhorse: Cody Ray Champion: Brodey Serres 140: JR Vezain is looking to get his 2nd state title and we here at WyoWrestling.com noticed JR hung his hat on the top peg of the rankings and it wasn’t ever knocked off. The rodeo champ is looking to corral another title. Curtis Clark boasts a good record at 31-8. Colton Miller, Jose Hernandez, and Bronson Teichert will be trying to buck Vezain off his title chase. Finalists: JR Vezain and Curtis Clark 3rd: Colton Miller 4th: Bronson Teichert Darkhorse: Jacob Beck Champion: JR Vezain (Riding into the sunset, I always liked a good western movie) 145: Juan Rodriguez lost in OT at the East Regional final to Garrett Traylor. Revenge will be on Juan’s mind but he needs to make the final to make it happen. James Montez is on his same side of the bracket so the semis match will be a burner. Chandler Harris is always a contender. Ben Anson and Weston Louth are looking to nose in. Finalists: James Montez and Garrett Traylor 3rd: Juan Rodriguez 4th: Chandler Harris Darkhorse: Ben Anson Champion: Garrett Traylor 152: Lance Hladky had an early season loss and he rebounded marvelously. Garrett Haberman, JT Cattelan, Hadley Harmon, Perry McNees, Kirksey Dodd, and Dino Collins will look to add to Lance’s loss total. Finalists: Lance Hladky and Hadley Harmon 3rd: Garrett Haberman 4th: JT Cattelan Darkhorse: Perry McNees Champion: Lance Hladky 160: With his victory over Ab Brown, Kaleb Hoyt shocked a few fans at the Ron Thon 3 weeks ago . Chayce Goton wants to get his 2nd title and he has a win against Hoyt. RJ Olson, Harley Cushman, Jon Borah, and Jesse Duncan add real strength to this weight class. Finalists: Kaleb Hoyt and Chayce Goton 3rd: RJ Olson 4th: Jesse Duncan Darkhorse: Jordan Johnson Champion: Kaleb Hoyt 171: If Michael Jordan can call himself Air Jordan than it is only fair to say that Ryne Baier is Air Baier? Clay Cundall looks to crash Baier’s run for his first Wyoming state title. Ryley Giacometto, Cassidy French and Tyler Arnett make up the rest of the air defense crew. Finalists: Clay Cundall and Ryne Baier 3rd: Ryley Giacometto 4th: Cassidy French Darkhorse: Tyler Arnett Champion: Ryne Baier 189: Ace Thurston and Hayden Davidson are juniors and they have both traded wins and losses this year. Ethan Dirks has shown some glimmer of promise with his winning the Dogger Invite. Bob Anderson and McKay Tonga must be considered to be threats as well. Anderson finished higher at the Thon but Tonga earned the win in the semis at regionals. Finalists: Ace Thurston and Hayden Davidson 3rd: Bob Anderson 4th: McKay Tonga Darkhorse: Ethan Dirks Champion: Ace Thurston 215: Leland Pfeifer and Wes Ridgway are the twin towers of this weight…in the whole state…ALL CLASSES. Todd Baker and Jared Asay should give the above mentioned good matches. 3rd: Jared Asay 4th: Todd Baker Darkhorse: NONE… Jared Asay I will stretch myself a bit here. (Yes, I know he is on the same side as Pfeifer) Champion: Leland Pfeifer 285: Mike Hill is undefeated. Mike’s biggest competition as mentioned before on previous Hatley’s Heathens comes from his teammate Taylen Arnett. Arnett is a solid sophomore heavyweight and Mike is just SOLID. Trent Slagowski is aiming to improve on last year’s 5th place finish. Brian McGuire was 6th and he surely wants to show that he can do better. Finalists: Mike Hll and Taylen Arnett 3rd: Trent Slagowski 4th: Brian McGuire Darkhorse: Jerico Birch Champion: Mike Hill 2A Team Finish order: 1. Cokeville 2. Greybull 3. Hulett 4. Wright 5. Lusk 6. Lingle 7. Lovell Cokeville will win this on the backside of brackets. Greybull has been my pick most of the year. Watch for the Hulett team they have momentum. 3ABy Joe Hatley26 February, 2010
3A
103: Jay Stine’s experience in big tournaments will be relied upon this weekend. Jon Gomez is a go getter and his move down a weight class has proven to be a good decision. Dalton Weil, Levi Anderson, Raymond Geho, and Jonathon Land all appear able to beat each other. Dogfights abound in this weight. Finalists: Jay Stine and Jon Gomez 3rd: Dalton Weil 4th: Raymond Geho Darkhorse: Levi Anderson Champion: Jay Stine 112: No collapse in the East Regional tournament was as bad as Josh Materi’s. That said, Josh will be out to avenge his loss and regain his mojo. Stoney Rettinghouse is the lone senior in this weight and we all know experience counts at state. Louis Bradshaw, Luke Wozney, Derek Debolt, and Cody Estes can upset this applecart. This was once a bracket I felt sure about, now I am running around my kitchen table screaming… Finalists: Josh Materi and Stoney Rettinghouse 3rd: Derek DeBolt 4th: Luke Wozney Darkhorses: Roman Herrera/Cody Estes (Give me a break, this bracket is bizarre) Throw Louis Bradshaw in here too. This is like a bad game of roulette where you cover all the numbers…LOL Champion: Josh Materi 119: This bracket is not as tough to pick the winners on as 112 was but it is not easy either. Jared Leithead leads the pack here but Jesse Craig is plenty tough enough. Leithead will face a strong Shawn Zavala, if Zavala gets past Trevor Lange. Kevin Baker, Dillon Von Rein, and Jacob Miller will be knocking each other in the noggins on the other side of this bracket. Finalists: Jared Leithead and Jesse Craig 3rd: Shawn Zavala 4th: Kevin Baker Darkhorse: Trevor Lange 125: Jorden Osbon is going for his 3rd state title. Brode Bullington wants to get his 2nd title. The rest of these guys just want to get their first title. Ollie Olson, Tyler Cearns, and Joel Dappen are all potential title winners. Finalists: Jorden Osbon and Brode Bullington 3rd: Olie Olson 4th: Tyler Cearns Darkhorse: Taylor Bell Champion: Jordan Osbon 130: Colt Nix is driving this bus and Phillip Tabb is the unruly kid in the back of the bus. Jordan Hernandez, Ryan Lewandowski, Andrew Blumer and Reed Burgener are shooting spitwads at Nix. This bus could wreck. How’s that for a metaphorical description of a wide open and out of control weight? Finalists: Colt Nix and Jordan Hernandez 3rd: Ryan Lewandowski 4th: Phillip Tabb Darkhorse: Jacob Hatley (Yep, he is better than his record and he is my son after all.) Champion: Colt Nix 135: Matt Osbon and Trent Gillett keep this weight class to themselves. Osbon has a recent dual loss to Gillett but Osbon won the West Regional final. I believe Brandon Leis and Skyler Elder can make some noise in this bracket if they get on a roll. Finalists: Matt Osbon and Trent Gillett 3rd: Brandon Leis 4th: Skyler Elder Darkhorse: Matt Widiker Champion: Matt Osbon 140: Lane Read, Randy Andrews, Jeff Redland and Ben Vetter are all capable of getting to the top step on the podium at state. What defines this weight is there is a parity of abilities that evens the playing field. Randy Andrews has put together a strong season and has led the rankings for all but a few weeks. Finalists: Randy Andrews and Lane Read 3rd: Jeff Redland 4th: Ben Vetter Darkhorse: David Russell Champion: Randy Andrews 145: Here we are at the weight class that represents history. Auston Carter is finishing his career this weekend at Casper with a 4th title in sight. I believe that Auston’s title run represents what we love about this sport. The trials and tribulations of injury, medical challenges and a late start to his season that challenged Auston were more than most kids could take. NOT Auston Carter, he has persevered. Carter’s story intrigues us all. Another great reason to have your kids wrestle. It makes em’ TOUGH! Now, for the rest of the competitors. Tyler Smart just never gets out of position he chooses his attacks carefully and his cautious style has paid dividends thus far. Tanner Miller and Drake Menck will challenge Carter and Smart. Finalists: Auston Carter and Tyler Smart 3rd: Drake Menck 4th: Tanner Miller Darkhorse: Drake Menck (Once again, I know I picked him 3rd, but I see this kid as a bit dangerous…) Champion: Auston Carter. He will become our next FOUR TIME STATE CHAMPION! 152: Houston Falkenberg has made the finals at a host of tournaments and he won his region convincingly over Chris Ryan. So Falkenberg sets the pace here and it will be up to Jimmy Seckman, Jamie Newman, Chris Ryan to surpass him. Finalists: Houston Falkenberg and Chris Ryan 3rd: Jamie Newman 4th: Jimmy Seckman Darkhorse: Seth Edwards (Newman could surprise) Champion: Houston Falkenberg 160: In Wyoming winning multiple times against the same opponent is sometimes a difficult task. In this weight Jace Jensen and Mitch Schlager have traded wins and losses. Dustin Finnerty was 4th at the Ron Thon and he won his region. Cole Kary won his region and Kaleb Matthiesen was runner-up. Finalists: Dustin Finnerty and Mitch Schlager 3rd: Jace Jensen 4th: Cole Kary Darkhorse: Kaleb Matthiesen Champion: Mitch Schlager 171: Finalist: Pierre Etchemendy and Dane Dooley 3rd: Andrew Litzel 4th: Kyle Larson Darkhorse: Travis Garhart Champion: Pierre Etchemendy Looking to get a 2nd title. Nobody stops him. 189: I was looking through the west regional brackets and saw that Wayne Newton left Vegas and put on his wrestling shoes and had a great regional earning 3rd. Not bad for an old dried up lounge singer. CORRECTION: WADE NEWTON a wrestler from Worland, had a good tourney, WADE wrestled great after losing his 1st match he battled back for 3rd. Couldn’t resist… Colter McNare from Douglas has had a banner year at 189 and is seeking his 2nd title. Monte Nickles has been a force all year as well. Wynston Anglen showed on the scene late this season and has won some matches. Dalton Crane, Tyler Tillman, and Troy Pinkerton round out this class. Finalists: Colter McNare and Monte Nickles 3rd: Wynston Anglen 4th: Dalton Crane Darkhorse: Wade Newton (poor kid, all his teammates will want to hear a song, or watch Vegas Vacation…LOL) Champion: Colter McNare 215: Trent Boner has been living a wrestler’s fantasy. Eat all you want because weight is a non-issue and beat almost all of your opponents with the smell of a freshly eaten cheeseburger on your breath and ketchup on your singlet. Obviously I am joking about the the ketchup, not so sure about the cheeseburger though. Joe Lujan, Bo Aimone, and Adam Himrich are all good enough to get up on the top step of the podium. There should be plenty of action in this weight class even though it is an upper weight. Finalists: Trent Boner and Joe Lujan 3rd: Adam Himrich 4th: Bo Aimone Darkhorse: Travis Jenkins Champion: Trent Boner (Burp) 285: Bob Bath of Douglas saw a chance to earn some team points and keep his Bearcats in contention for a state team title with an adjustment in his roster. Bob moved Joe Lake up and guess what? It paid off in spades. Lake had the Thermopolis gym in an uproar as he scored takedown after takedown on the number #1 3A heavyweight Ryley Dawson. Ryley should not be counted as down and out though and Lake has to beat a good Tyson Lopez to get to the final. Trevor Griffith carries Powell’s hopes for a team title. This will be one of our feature matches in the 3A tourney. Finalists: Ryley Dawson and Joe Lake 3rd: Trevor Griffith 4th: Tyson Lopez Darkhorse: Juan Deleon Champion: Ryley Dawson 3A Team Finish: 1. Douglas 2. Powell 3. Worland 4. Torrington 5. Lander 6. Wheatland Douglas has so much top end strength that Powell will not be able to get far enough ahead to withstand Douglas’ late charge. Worland may upset everyone. Powell is not to be taken lightly, but they don’t match up well with the other teams throughout the state in certain weights. 4ABy Joe Hatley26 February, 2010
4A
103: Lukas Poloncic stopped his midseason swoon and won the East Regional and Brandon Kussy won the West Regional. Blaze Cress has wins over both. Mitch Heap, Justin Verner and Austin Vye are quality wrestlers trying to battle hard for their spot and their teams, (all represent a state title contender). Finalists: Lukas Poloncic and Brandon Kussy 3rd: Blaze Cress 4th: Mitch Heap Darkhorse: Austin Vye 112: Team title chases are so much more amplified when each potential title team has a wrestler in the circle. This is certainly the case as I see a rematch a brewing between Mario Luna and Taylor Bear. At the Thon Bear was on his way to the title when Luna hit a spladel and won the scramble to get back into the match. Bear recovered nicely and won. Josh Hillhouse has made a significant improvement late this season. Mikey Chitto, Lance Kailey, Josh Claye and Derek Berretini give this weight some chops. Finalists: Mario Luna and Taylor Bear 3rd: Josh Hillhouse 4th: Mikey Chitto Darkhorse: Josh Claye Champion: Taylor Bear Note: A rematch of the 2009 state final as well… 119: Luis Flores made a statement beating TJ Guild at the West Regional and revenged a couple of early season losses. Jordan Puente is a strong competitor but he lost to the freshman phenom Dani Fischer at the East Regional. Baily McHenry and Hayes Stone are Cheyenne boys on different teams with the same winning intentions. Finalists: Dani Fischer and Luis Flores 3rd: TJ Guild 4th: Jordan Puente Darkhorse: Hayes Stone Champion: Luis Flores 125: Hayden Heap has owned this weight all classes from week 4 on. New resident Tanner Olson is a heavy favorite as a lighter dude. Ryan Slaugh, Joe Baca, and Clay Carter fill this bracket with worthy competitors. Team race importance makes this weight one to watch. Finalists: Hayden Heap and Tanner Olson 3rd: Ryan Slaugh 4th: Joe Baca Darkhorse: Clay Carter Champion: Hayden Heap 130: Leandro Arias and Mark Harris have battled twice this year. It looks like a third time is likely. Savoy Bell recently back from injury is a serious threat. Throw Chris Barnish, Wes Cowan and Tim Stephens in and this is one of those brackets that has action and mayhem from start to finish. Finalists: Leandro Arias and Savoy Bell 3rd: Mark Harris 4th: Chris Barnish Darkhorse: Tim Stephens Champion: Leandro Arias Note: This will be the wildest of all the matches this weekend… 135: Trevor Goss won a state title last year and Dillon Karajanis wants one of his own. The problem is they face each other first match. Both are recovering from injury… Jacob Flores will wrestle the winner of these two. Mark Van Slyke and Tucker Young will duke it out on the other side. Finalists: Jacob Flores and Tucker Young 3rd: Dillon Karajanis 4th: Mark Van Slyke Darkhorse: Tanner Juby Champion: Jacob Flores 140: Mama Mia! Another first round matchup that sends a bracket spinning. Kendall Nuss and Cormick Eaton get a early morning wakeup match against each other. Burke Burgess should get to the semis and Brady Turnbull is the favorite of this weight and will be tested. Finalists: Brady Turnbull and Burke Burgess 3rd: Kendall Nuss 4th: Zach Gunyan Darkhorse: Brandon Aullman Champion: Brady Turnbull 145: Austin Breckenridge has 2 losses. None of them have occurred in Wyoming. Caleb Rhoades, Darin Taylor, Kolby Kester, Devan Reilly and Trevor O’Dowd are looking to give Austin his first loss in Wyoming. Finalists: Austin Breckenridge and Darin Taylor 3rd: Devan Reilly 4th: Caleb Rhoades Darkhorse: Kolby Kester Champion: Austin Breckenridge 152: Andy McCulley. The other young men attempting to make upset history can be found in the bracket. Finalists: Andy McCulley and Bob Helmerick 3rd: Jake Homer 4th: Dalton Dance Darkhorse: Joey Koslowski Champion: Andy McCulley 160: Well I have to say this is a tough bracket. Ab Brown had a little scare with his 2-1 OT match with Scotty Verner in the West Regional. Ab beat Shawn Seppala in the final. Scott Verner and Matt Spoon are on Ab’s side and Shawn Seppala and Nate Clark is on Mason O’ Dowd’s side of the bracket. We can say the bracket is at least fairly even in competition. Finalists: Scott Verner and Shawn Seppala 3rd: Ab Brown 4th: Mason O’ Dowd Darkhorse: Brandon Anglesey Champion: Shawn Seppala 171: Hayden Jones was a whisker away from a title last year and he is in position to get to the final again this year. Christian Epshteyn, Kody Brown, and Cole Wines are on the same side of the bracket. Taylor Pownall, Dawson Loveland and Braden Henderson will be wrestling towards a finals appearance. Finalists: Hayden Jones and Dawson Loveland 3rd: Taylor Pownall 4th: Cole Wines Darkhorse: Braden Henderson 189: With the vision of a team state title in the back of their heads, Tommy Thoman and Alex Coolidge will take the mat Saturday night…yes, that is the finals match, each have the same goal, but the drama of the Ron Thon still remains. Who will just wrestle? Who win and help their team to get one step closer to a team championship? Finalists: Tommy Thoman and Alex Collidge 3rd: Lucas Hurt 4th: Nick Edwards Darkhorse: Taelor Prado Champion: Alex Coolidge 215: Cheyton Vermillion, Chase Cimburek, Carlos Saabedra, Clayton Holler and Casey Wolfley all have one thing in common. Their first names all start with the letter C. Not much else to say other than they are all good wrestlers. Finalists: Cheyton Vermillion and Chase Cimburek 3rd: Carlos Saabedra 4th: Aaron McGee Darkhorse: Casey Wolfley Champion: Cheyton Vermillion 285: Adam Walton won over a very good Zac Haney in the West Regional. Jacob Edwards beat Jimmy Boylan who came up a weight. Ryan Kuster has wins or higher placements than all of these guys. Finalists: Jacob Edwards and Jimmy Boylan 3rd: Zac Haney 4th: Ryan Kuster Darkhorse: Sheldon Hullinger Champion: Jacob Edwards 4A Team Finish: 1. Gillette 2. Green River 3. Cheyenne Central 4. Star Valley 5. Natrona 6. Rock Springs Gillette has more depth than I thought 4-5 weeks ago. This race will not be over on Friday unless the next 3 teams in line all fall to pieces. I foresee a close team race to the end of the tournament. To be honest I must say this was way more than I envisioned. There were so many regional upsets and the last minute weight changes got the best of me. I know what I will change next year and I will do much better. At the very least you now have some ammo for the forum. Joe Hatley Challenging you to make wrestling better West Regional Awarded 14 Auto Qualifiers for Nationals, 22 WWC Wrestlers Make Final NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings and RPIBy Aaron Voos25 February, 2010
The coaches’ rankings and RPI were two of the three tools used in the selection process for NCAA Championships automatic qualifiers. LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 25, 2010) – In an announcement made Thursday by the NCAA, the NCAA West Regional Tournament has been allocated 14 automatic qualifier spots for the 2010 Division I Wrestling Championships. Only members of the Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) earn bids to the NCAA Tournament at that event. Also released by the NCAA, the WWC had 22 wrestlers named in the final Coaches’ Panel Rankings and Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2009-10 wrestling season. The breakdown of the 14 automatic bids per weight class for the West Regional, and subsequently for the fourth-year league, were as follows: 125 pounds (2), 133 (1), 141 (3), 149 (1), 157 (1), 165 (1), 174 (2), 184 (1), 197 (1) and Heavyweight/285 (1). Last season, the NCAA West Regional Tournament, at which all WWC institutions currently compete to qualify for nationals, was awarded 13 automatic qualifiers. The WWC was also given one additional at-large bid for a total of 14 spots. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. This year’s NCAA West Regional Tournament will take place March 6 in Brookings, S.D. and is hosted by South Dakota State University. The three-day, NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha. Each qualifying tournament was awarded spots per weight class based on current year data. Each wrestler was measured on the following: Division I winning percentage; rating percentage index (RPI); and coaches ranking. A threshold of a 0.725 winning percentage, top 28 in the RPI and top 28 in the coaches ranking was established to allocate 284 of the 330 championships field positions. For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his qualifying tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each qualifying tournament was awarded a minimum of one wrestler per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds. NCAA tournament spots for each qualifying event will be awarded at the tournament based solely on place-finish. After all of the qualifying events have concluded, the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee will meet in-person to select the remaining 46 at-large qualifiers, which will be announced on March 10. All weight classes will consist of 33 wrestlers. The at-large selections will be made based on the following criteria: head-to-head competition; qualifying event placement; quality wins; results against common opponents; winning percentage; RPI; coaches ranking and the number of matches contested at that weight class. Following is a list of WWC wrestlers in each weight class for both the coaches’ panel rankings, as well as RPI. Lists of complete rankings and RPI are attached… Weight Class WWC Wrestler (Institution) Coaches’ Panel RPI 125 pounds: Ben Kjar (Utah Valley) No. 9 No. 14 Michael Martinez (Wyoming) No. 10 No. 12 133 pounds: Cory VomBaur (Wyoming) No. 20 No. 14 Flint Ray (Utah Valley) No. 31 No. 22 Ryan Jauch (Northern Iowa) NR No. 31 141 pounds: Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) No. 18 No. 9 Kenny Hashimoto (Northern Colorado) No. 22 No. 14 Ryan Adams (North Dakota State) No. 25 No. 17 149 pounds: Trent Washington (Northern Iowa) No. 30 NR 157 pounds: Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa) No. 29 No. 21 Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado) No. 30 No. 14 Vincent Salminen (North Dakota State) NR No. 24 165 pounds: Shane Onufer (Wyoming) No. 9 No. 4 Jeb Clark (Utah Valley) No. 32 NR David Bonin (Northern Iowa) NR No. 32 174 pounds: Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa) No. 24 No. 14 Brad Darrington (Utah Valley) No. 28 No. 26 Brock Smith (Wyoming) NR No. 30 184 pounds: Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) T No. 6 No. 7 197 pounds: Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State) No. 29 No. 28 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) NR No. 33 HWT (285): Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa) No. 30 No. 33 Our Featured Sponsor this weekBy John Bear22 February, 2010
Our featured donor for this week is one of the biggest contributors to the 2010 Wyoming All-State Academic Wrestling Team and that is Dust Control Incorporated. I took some time today to talk to Del Shelstad about his company and family and why they support wrestling in Wyoming. DCI was founded in 1987 and specializes in creative concepts and innovative products that reduce airborne dust and spillage associated with material handling operations. A link to their company web site can be found on our links page under “Sponsors and Partners.” DCI operates Nationally, but is found primarily throughout the state of Wyoming, especially in places like Gillette, Green River, Kemmerer, Rock Springs, Wheatland, and Glenrock. This company has supported various youth sports activities since its inception. A few examples are The Energy Classic Basketball Tournament, The Pat Weede Wrestling Tournament, as well as supporting Tyler Cox as he traveled overseas to wrestle on the World Junior Team. DCI is headed by Del and his father Keith and they have been especially fond of wrestling since Del wrestled for the Gillette Take-Down Club in various AAU events as a child. Del attended Sunshine Bible Academy in South Dakota and wrestled in the 2A division prior to his senior year in High School. Del’s father Keith was one of seventeen children on a small farm in Montana and when he reached the age of 10 in that family you were a work hand and sports just were not an option, so when Del was growing up, Keith really enjoyed his involvement in the sport of wrestling. Both Keith and Del find wrestling to be something special. As Del said, “I like to see the internal fortitude that individuals exhibit when they step out on the mat in front of a crowd at the Casper Events Center and put it on the line against someone else just as good as themselves. It takes guts and courage and you see young men dig deep to get the win, or just to stay in a match where they are outwrestled. I love to see someone that doesn’t quit, but fights. That person will grow up and be successful in life.” As Keith said, “These kids are dreamers and those that do well in school will grow up to be our leaders in the future.” Del added, “I never knew of a varsity athlete who obtained good grades that ended up being a drain on society. Those kids nearly always turn out to be respectable citizens. I believe this All-State Academic Wrestling Team is a great thing. I like my own kids to be in sports, as I believe they concentrate on their grades better when competing. It takes a heck of a lot of work to get good grades while working to be a varsity athlete. I have twice the respect for those kids as compared to the ones who get good grades, but do not compete at the varsity level.” Del and his wife Nichole have foster parented 72 different children and are currently raising two foster children in addition to their 7th grade son Brandon. Brandon wrestles for Twin Spruce Junior High in Gillette. Brandon was a triple-crown winner in 2005 and National AAU Runner up and All American in 2007. He also competes on the national level in Super-Moto and Flat Track Motorcycle Racing. They also have a daughter who is an accomplished model working on the west coast. Del was an Army Ranger who served in combat during the conflict in Panama. Wyoming Wrestlers Ranked No. 25 in NWCA/USA Today PollBy Aaron Voos23 February, 2010
UW broke into the top-25 for the first time this season. LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 23, 2010) – After a full season in the ‘Others Receiving Votes’ category, the University of Wyoming Wrestling team finally broke into the top-25 of the National Wrestling Coaches Association/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll on Tuesday. Wyoming was listed at No. 25 this week after receiving votes for the entire season, yet remaining unranked. UW finished their dual season last week with a record of 12-3 overall, 6-0 in the Western Wrestling Conference. The Cowboys’ only losses came at the hands of teams who were ranked at the time of their match-up: No. 4 Oklahoma State, No. 24 Michigan State and No. 24 Oregon State. Oklahoma State still resides in the fourth slot, Oregon State is currently No. 15, while MSU has since dropped from the rankings. Last Thursday, Wyoming defeated Air Force to win the WWC regular-season dual title for the second straight year. The `Pokes earned the league title outright after sharing the honor with the University of Northern Iowa last season. UW ended this season on a six-match dual win streak, and they won eight of their last nine, losing only to the orange Cowboys from OSU. Wyoming currently is in the midst of a week of hard training, prior to traveling to Brookings, S.D., next week for the NCAA West Regional tournament on Saturday, March 6. In the poll’s top-10, Iowa retained its No. 1 spot for the 15th and final week, followed by Iowa State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Cornell , Lehigh, Oklahoma, Maryland and Penn State. This will be the last set of team dual meet rankings from the NWCA/USA Today for the 2010 season, and there will be one set of tournament rankings which will be released in March. The NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll Committee is made up of one coach from each conference. A number one ranking is worth 25 points and a number 25 ranking is worth one point. The complete NWCA/USA Today Division I Team Coaches Poll can be found at www.nwcaonline.com. W-Y-O UW Grapplers Beat AFA, Win Regular Season WWC TitleBy Aaron Voos18 February, 2010
At 141 pounds Cowboy sophomore Chase Smith lost a major decision, 9-1 to No. 15 Cole VonOhlen, who had over five minutes in riding time. That win gave Air Force a 4-3 lead. Wyoming junior Cole Dallaserra then fell victim to a third-period takedown and subsequent three-point nearfall at 149 pounds to Gabe Martinez and lost a 6-5 decision. The Falcons extended their team lead to 7-3. At the 157-pound weight class, UW freshman Jimmy Belleville lost a high-scoring, back and forth match with Alec Williams, 16-11. Air Force had won three straight and led 10-3. No. 9-ranked Cowboy sophomore Shane Onufer fought his way to a 12-4 major decision with five takedowns against Clayton Gable and earned four team points. AFA’s lead was now 10-7. Cowboy sophomore Brock Smith avenged a loss earlier this year to Tyler French at 174 pounds by winning a sudden victory overtime decision, 4-2. Smith used a takedown in the opening seconds of the extra period to get a big win and tie the team score at 10-10. In the 184-pound fight, No. 9-ranked UW sophomore Joe LeBlanc did his job as a team leader and pinned Josh Mohr at 4:18. The win gave Wyoming a 16-10 team lead. The Cowboys’ All-American was leading 13-2 at the time of the fall, his 11th of the year. He now has a season record of 32-4 with 26 bonus-point (eight points or more) margins of victory. LeBlanc’s last five wins have now all been by fall (three) or technical fall (two). 197-pound UW sophomore Alfonso Hernandez earned a 3-1 decision over Neil Delaney with a late takedown in the third period at the 6:35 mark. That win stretched UW’s lead to 19-10 with two matches remaining. The heavyweight match was another close contest as Cowboy redshirt freshman L.J. Helbig lost to Stephen Larson, 5-3. UW’s lead was now 19-13. No. 12 sophomore Michael Martinez closed things out for Wyoming at 125 pounds over Andrew Zwirlein with a 6-2 decision. That finalized the team score in favor of Wyoming, 22-13. “Tonight was not about the team score,” Branch added. “It was about sharpening things up and getting ready for the postseason. The West Regional will be a wide open tournament and we will have our work cut out for us.” The Cowboys will now have a couple weeks of training before the NCAA West Regional, at which all WWC institutions currently qualify for nationals, which will be held on March 6 in Brookings, South Dakota. Wyoming (WYO) 0, Air Force (AFA) 0 Team Score 133 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by decision over Derek Gillespie (AFA), 2-0 3-0 WYO 141 pounds - No. 15 Cole VonOhlen (AFA) by major decision over Chase Smith (WYO), 9-1 4-3 AFA 149 pounds - Gabe Martinez (AFA) by decision over Cole Dallaserra (WYO), 6-5 7-3 AFA 157 pounds - Alec Williams (AFA) by decision over Jimmy Belleville (WYO), 16-11 10-3 AFA 165 pounds - No. 9 Shane Onufer (WYO) by major decision over Clayton Gable (AFA), 12-4 10-7 AFA 174 pounds - Brock Smith (WYO) by SV decision over Tyler French (AFA), 4-2 10-10 Tie 184 pounds - No. 9 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Josh Mohr (AFA), 4:18 16-10 WYO 197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) by decision over Neil Delaney (AFA), 3-1 19-10 WYO Hwt. (285) - Stephen Larson (AFA) by decision over L.J. Helbig (WYO), 5-3 19-13 WYO 125 pounds - No. 12 Michael Martinez (WYO) by decision over Andrew Zwirlein (AFA), 6-2 22-13 WYO
Greybull State Champion Teams Highlighted on Records PageBy Spencer Condie18 February, 2010 The Greybull Buffs State Champion Teams from 1984-1994 are currently being highlighted on the records page. Check it out! Bear's Brawlers 2/15/2010By John Bear16 February, 2010
103 Cody Vichi BIGP (10) Honorable Mention(HM): Tenor Teichert COKE (10) 112 Taylor Bear CCHS (10) HM: Mario Luna GRHS (11) 119 Jared Leithead WORL (11) HM: Max Vichi BPHS (12) 125 Hayden Heap SVHS (12) HM: Jorden Osbon WORL (12) 130 Leandro Arias CENT (11) HM: Mark Harris GRHS (12) 135 Matt Osbon WORL (12) HM: Dillon Karajanis CENT (12) 140 Brady Turnbull GRHS (11) HM: J.R. Vezain ROCK (12) 145 Austin Breckenridge CENT (11) HM: Auston Carter POWE (12) 152 Andy McCulley RSHS (12) HM: Lance Hladky NIOB (11) 160 Kaleb Hoyt ROCK (11) HM: Ab Brown NCHS (11) 171 Ryne Baier HULE (10) HM: Pierre Etchemendy DOUG (12) 189 Alex Coolidge CCHS (12) HM: Tommy Thoman GRHS (12) 215 Leland Pfieffer HULE (12) HM: Wes Ridgeway GREY (11) 285 Mike Hill LING (12) HM: Ryley Dawson RAWL (12) The 10th class of the Wyoming Sports Hall of Fame inducts Tyler Cox.By John Bear16 February, 2010
The Athlete of the Year for the Wyoming Sports Hall of Fame is wrestler Tyler Cox. The Gillette product was a four-time state wrestling champion at Campbell County High School and was 164-2 over his high school career. As a senior in 2009 Cox earned ASICS Honorable Mention All-America honors, was a Milward Simpson Award finalist as the state’s top high school athlete and won the Dave Schults High School Excellence Award. Cox also participated in a wide-range on national tournaments, including a second-place finish at 119 pounds at the NHSCA Senior Nationals in Virginia Beach, Va. Cox is currently a freshman on the University of Wyoming wrestling team, and earned the Outstanding Wrestler Award at the Cowboy Open in Laramie and the Utah Valley Open in Orem, Utah.
Cowboy Wrestlers Roll on Senior Night Over Titans, 28-13By Aaron Voos14 February, 2010
Wyoming won six total matches, with two pins, two major decisions and a technical fall. LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 12, 2010) – The University of Wyoming Wrestling team defeated the Cal State Fullerton Titans (2-8-1), 28-13 on Senior Night in the UniWyo Sports Complex, Friday improving their record to 11-3 overall. Cowboy seniors Cory VomBaur and Alex Rieder competed in the last home dual of their UW careers. VomBaur wrestled Aaron Navarrete at 133 pounds, recording four takedowns and a reversal during the match and cruising to a 11-3 major decision for the Cowboys. Unfortunately, Rieder was not able to win his match with Todd Noel of the Titans at 174 pounds, wrestling tough for the Cowboys but losing in a decision to Noel, 10-5. As a whole, the ‘Pokes won six of 10 bouts with the Titans, which included five bonus-point victories. “Tonight was good and I’m proud of what we were able to do,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “I think it was important to send the seniors out right. Rieder’s match didn’t end the way he wanted, but it was nice to have him out there representing us since he has meant so much for this program. “That’s (aggressive wrestling) what we hope for. It was good to see Cory come out and open up. Overall, I’m proud of the way we competed.” The dual began at heavyweight with Cowboy L.J. Helbig wrestling a tough match against the Titans’ No. 17-ranked Kurt Klimek. Helbig trailed the entire match, but closed the gap at the 6:55 mark of the match with a big takedown. Helbig would ultimately lose to Klimek by decision, 9-6 No. 12 Michael Martinez then battled Andre Gonzalez of the Titans at 125 pounds. Martinez controlled the entire match, taking his first lead at 2:28 with a takedown and never giving it up. Martinez wrestled his way to a major decision, 10-2. Following VomBaur’s win, Cowboy Kasey Garnhart (141 pounds) wrestled up from his normal weight of 133 pounds for the third straight match. Garnhart lost, 9-1, in a major decision to No. 27 (NCAA Coaches’ Rankings) Adin Duenas. The Cowboy’s Chase Smith, also wrestling up a weight class, could not avoid a second straight Cowboy loss at 149 pounds. Smith wrestled Nick Jordan to a close 3-0 loss. After no scoring in the first period, a quick three-point nearfall from Jordan at the beginning of the second period proved to be the deciding moment of the match. Smith was close to nearfall points of his own in the second period, but time expired before the points could be awarded. After that match the Titans would take their second lead, 10-8, of the dual but they would not lead again. Wyoming would then win four of the next five matches. Freshman Jimmy Belleville would wrestle his way to a solid victory over Steven De La Fuente at 157 pounds. Belleville came out early with a takedown at 1:07 and would earn two more takedowns and a reversal on his way to a 10-4 decision. That gave the Cowboys an 11-10 team lead over the Titans and UW would never let up. No. 9-ranked Shane Onufer and No. 9 Joe LeBlanc would once again prove invaluable to the Cowboys, pinning both of their opponents. Onufer, at 165 pounds, wrestled Clayton Schuelke of the Titans and controlled his entire match, leading 11-3 before sticking his opponent at the 4:11 mark. Like Onufer, LeBlanc at the 184 pounds was controlling his match against Mark Savalle, leading 12-0, before pinning his opponent at 3:11. The win by fall was LeBlanc’s 10th of the season and Onufer’s pin was his eighth this season. Rieder’s loss was sandwiched between Onufer and LeBlanc’s wins. 197 pounds was the final match of the evening and it pitted UW’s Alfonso Hernandez against Ethan Weisrock. Hernandez would come out of the gate quickly with a takedown at :39 and would never look back. He would score five takedowns and three nearfalls on his way to winning by technical fall, 18-3. The final score of the ‘Pokes dual with the Titans would come out to 28-13 in favor of Wyoming. “We trained right through this dual and we will do the same next week with the Air Force match-up,” Branch concluded. “Although our eyes are on the postseason right now, that match is important to us and we want to finish the dual season strong. Just like tonight, I will expect us to come out, perform well and dominate.” Up next for the Cowboys, they will travel to Colorado Springs to take on the Air Force Falcons on Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Wyoming (WYO) 28, Cal State Fullerton (CSF) 13 Team Score Hwt. (285) - No. 17 Kurt Klimek (CSF) by decision over L.J. Helbig (WYO), 9-6 3-0 CSF 125 pounds - No. 12 Michael Martinez (WYO) by major decision over Andre Gonzalez (CSF), 10-2 4-3 WYO 133 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by major decision over Aaron Navarrete, 11-3 8-3 WYO 141 pounds - Adin Duenas (CSF) by major decision over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 9-1 8-7 WYO 149 pounds - Nick Jordan (CSF) by decision over Chase Smith (WYO), 3-0 10-8 CSF 157 pounds - Jimmy Belleville (WYO) by decision over Steven De La Fuente (CSF), 10-4 11-10 WYO 165 pounds - No. 9 Shane Onufer (WYO) by fall over Clayton Schuelke (CSF), 4:11 17-10 WYO 174 pounds - Todd Noel (CSF) by decision over Alex Rieder (WYO), 10-5 17-13 WYO 184 pounds - No. 9 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Mark Savalle (CSF), 3:11 23-13 WYO 197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) by technical fall over Ethan Weisrock (CSF), 18-3 (5:29) 28-13 WYO 22 WWC Wrestlers Named in Second NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings, First RPI ListBy Aaron Voos13 February, 2010
for NCAA Championships qualifiers LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 12, 2010) – As announced on Friday by the NCAA, the Western Wrestling Conference has had 22 wrestlers named in the second of three coaches’ panel rankings and the first Rating Percentage Index (RPI) for the 2009-10 wrestling season. The weight classes for the fourth-year league appear to be fairly balanced as there were three wrestlers apiece listed at 125, 133, 141 and 174 pounds. The final rankings and RPI will be two of the tools used as part of the selection process to determine the qualifiers for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Last season, the NCAA West Regional Tournament, at which all WWC institutions currently qualify for nationals, was awarded 13 automatic qualifiers. The WWC was also given one additional at-large bid for a total of 14 spots. This year’s NCAA West Regional Tournament will take place March 6 in Brookings, S.D. and is hosted by South Dakota State University. Wrestlers in each weight class will be measured by winning percentage, rating percentage index (RPI) and coaches' rankings to earn spots for the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. The three-day event will be held in Omaha, Neb., March 18-20 at the Qwest Center Omaha. The coaches' rankings are compiled by a vote of coaches across the nation. Each qualifying tournament has five coaches rank the top 33 wrestlers in two weight classes. For ranking purposes, coaches must select a wrestler as a starter at a designated weight class. In addition, coaches may only select one wrestler per weight class. To be eligible for an RPI ranking, a wrestler must have a minimum of 15 Division I matches at a given weight class. The top 33 wrestlers in the RPI are listed for each weight class. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Following is a list of WWC wrestlers in each weight class for both the coaches’ panel rankings, as well as RPI. Lists of complete rankings and RPI are attached… Weight Class WWC Wrestler (Institution) Coaches’ Panel RPI 125 pounds: Ben Kjar (Utah Valley) No. 11 No. 12 Michael Martinez (Wyoming) No. 12 No. 11 Justin Solberg (North Dakota State) No. 32 NR 133 pounds: Cory VomBaur (Wyoming) No. 23 NR Flint Ray (Utah Valley) No. 31 No. 26 Ryan Jauch (Northern Iowa) NR No. 31 141 pounds: Cole VonOhlen (Air Force) No. 18 No. 8 Kenny Hashimoto (Northern Colorado) No. 21 No. 12 Ryan Adams (North Dakota State) No. 29 NR 149 pounds: Justin Morrill (Utah Valley) NR No. 29 Andrey Patselov (North Dakota State) NR No. 30 157 pounds: Justin Gaethje (Northern Colorado) No. 31 No. 18 Tyson Reiner (Northern Iowa) No. 32 No. 32 165 pounds: Shane Onufer (Wyoming) No. 9 No. 6 174 pounds: Jarion Beets (Northern Iowa) No. 28 No. 8 Brad Darrington (Utah Valley) No. 31 No. 20 Brock Smith (Wyoming) NR No. 30 184 pounds: Joe LeBlanc (Wyoming) No. 9 No. 5 Andy O’Loughlin (Northern Iowa) NR No. 30 197 pounds: Tyler Sorenson (South Dakota State) No. 27 No. 24 Alfonso Hernandez (Wyoming) NR No. 31 HWT (285): Christian Brantley (Northern Iowa) No. 28 No. 28 Hatley's Heathens 2-9-10By Joe Hatley09 February, 2010
1. Andy McCulley Mac’s grandson has been GRAND! I believe that Andy is in control of his own destiny as of now. He needs to be pushed and may need to go up 2 weight classes to find a match. Just my opinion. Not much time left. May not be possible. 2. Taylor Bear Is undefeated and had his closest match against Mario Luna this year in the Ron Thon. Taylor is a complete wrestler and could cruise to a title. He better not cruise on training or Luna could catch him. Knowing Bear, I say he becomes even more focused. 3. Ryne Baier The proof that Greco and Freestyle are necessary techniques for a wrestler was never so evident than this weekend. Ryne is extraordinary with his ability to throw from positions that appear to not have throw potential, the fact that Baier shoots, and gets off the bottom well pushes him up my list. I was daydreaming about the state Juniors tourney that occurs after high school state and wondered; “Could a possible match occur against McCulley and Baier?” Wouldn’t that be fun? 4. Leandro Arias The proof that Lee’s Cheyenne Central tournament schedule is good was never so obvious than when Arias was about to step onto the finals mat at the Thon this year looking as if he was going to a friend’s house. No worried look, no nervous twitch, no problem. Leandro is one cool customer and that should worry his opponents… 5. Austin Breckenridge Beating a potential four time state champ Auston Carter by basically riding him for the better of 3 periods shows that Austin has improved. Carter made a valiant effort to get back into the match, but Breck scrambled and now is back in my top 5. 5 and 1/2. (LOL!) Alex Coolidge Coolidge beats Thoman in the semis and shocks the Ron Thon crowd. Thoman was #4 last HH’s and nobody can’t say this wasn’t a big win. Picking Alex to win had many thinking that maybe I slipped a cog in my mental machinery. Coolidge wrestled well and was consistent. Tommy will be working hard to avenge this loss. The drama between these two will be worth the price of admission at state! 5 and ¾ Mike Hill Mike is still undefeated. What can anyone really say? Mike is a talented and explosive wrestler that doesn’t let the bigger guys push him around. He outmaneuvers them! 6. Leland Pfeifer Leland can win the big matches and he can take it up a notch as shown in his Thon finals match against Ridgway. Something needs to be said about that 2A 215 class. WOW! 7. Hayden Heap Star Valley develops talent. Hayden demonstrated that this weekend. Hayden was seeded poorly for being a returning RT champ. He showed them by beatin’ them all. 8. Lance Hladky Still high on this kid. Most will see what I am talking about in 3 weeks. Another wrestler I would like to see at State Juniors. Quick, explosive, and can move well when on the mat. 9. Brady Turnbull Getting a win against 3 time RT finalist J.R. Vezain puts your name on the list. 10. Cody Vichi The 103 lb. bracket at the Thon was ridiculously tough. Cody was a stud and gets the nod here. Vichi allowed 2 points the whole tourney, and won his final over a very good Tenor Teichert by TF 16-1. Cody dominated so well that I think he could have been the Co- OW at the Thon. The close but not on the list, list: Pierre Etchemendy Not sure where to put you this time. Kaleb Hoyt Big wins over Ab Brown, Scotty Verner, and Dustin Finnerty. You are knocking at the door. Jared Leithead Wins the Thon over a talented Max Vichi. Great win. But. The bracket strength was not what the above guys on the list had to wade through. Auston Carter Tough enough, and chasing history. Upon winning a fourth title, he will be on the list. Hayden Jones Close losses keep Hayden off my list but on my mind. I was RIGHT there at his mat when he was wrestling Baier. Hayden gave Baier his best match of the tourney. Matt Osbon Good performance at the Thon. Not sure where to toenail you in on the list Matt. I may edit the list. (That’s my prerogative!) Ryley Dawson Ryley has wrestled well all year. That simple. Chris Ryan 3rd place at the Thon is nothing to sneeze at. Your record as a sophomore has my radar going beserk. Oh, and you beat some good dudes along the way Saturday! Shawn Seppala, Wes Ridgway, Trent Boner, Devan Reilly, Tenor Teichert and Houston Falkenberg are all warriors always battling. Only one more list, or one more chance to make the final Hatley’s Heathens. The last list will be my, BEST OF THE BEST. That list comes out FOLLOWING the Wyoming High School State Tournament. Following criteria will apply: 1. Be a State Champ 2. Dominate your weight class 3. Have significant wins over better than average competiton 4. If a tie occurs…in my head, of course, then I refer to the number of previous times a wrestler was on HH’s. 5. Must have 20 matches. The Final Hatley’s Heathens get a shirt for their efforts this season. Heathens must e-mail your shirt size to Wyowrestling.com within 10 days following the posting of the Hatley’s Heathens BEST OF THE BEST 2010 to receive your shirt. Joe Hatley Challenging you to make wrestling better. UW’s LeBlanc and AFA’s VonOhlen Named WWC Co-Wrestlers of the WeekBy Aaron Voos09 February, 2010
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Feb. 9, 2010) – Wyoming sophomore 184-pounder Joe LeBlanc (Meeker, Colo./Meeker HS) and Air Force freshman 141-pounder Cole VonOhlen (Jackson, Minn./Jackson County Central HS) have been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Co-Wrestlers of the Week as announced today by the league. UW’s All-American LeBlanc helped his team improve to 5-0 in the WWC with two dominating performances against league opponents on the road this past weekend, while VonOhlen led the Falcons to a second-place finish at the 16th-annual All-Academy Championships, earning an individual title in his first appearance at the event. On Friday night against South Dakota State, LeBlanc, No. 9 ranked at 184 pounds, was leading 14-4 over David Michaud before getting his ninth fall of the season at 4:15. On Sunday against North Dakota State, he delivered with an 18-2 technical fall win over Kenny Moenkedick. LeBlanc racked up four takedowns and three nearfalls on his way to his 30th win of the season. It was also his 11th technical fall this year. LeBlanc’s overall record is now 30-4 with 24 bonus point margins (11 tech falls, nine pins and four major decisions). He has a 12-1 dual record this year, contributing a gaudy 57 team points and is 5-0 in the WWC. VonOhlen, ranked 15th in the nation at 141 pounds, recorded falls in all three of his weekend matches, pinning Norwich’s Nick Monaco in a time of 1:20 in the opening round, while notching a fall over fourth-seed David Yost of VMI in a time of 1:42. In the championship match versus Navy’s Matt Pagan, seeded second, VonOhlen held a 3-2 advantage in the waning moments of the bout, before pinning Pagan with just one second remaining on the clock. The true freshman from the Air Force Academy now has a team-best 12 falls on the year and improved his record to 26-5 overall. This is the second time during the 2009-10 season that VonOhlen has won the WWC weekly award, the first this year for LeBlanc and the second of his career. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other Nominees: Northern Iowa - Trent Washington, So., 149 lbs., Omaha, Neb. (Boys Town HS) Utah Valley - Brad Darrington, So., 174 pounds, Shelley, Idaho (Shelley HS) 2009-10 Western Wrestling Conference Dual Standings School WWC Win % *Overall Win % Wyoming 5-0 1.000 9-3 .750 Utah Valley 2-1 .667 8-3 .727 North Dakota State 2-1 .667 9-5 .643 Northern Iowa 2-2 .500 7-12 .368 Air Force 1-2 .333 5-8 .385 South Dakota State 0-3 .000 1-9-1 .100 Northern Colorado 0-3 .000 1-13 .071 *Record vs. Four-Year Institutions A Zebra, A Camel, Two Tigers, and One Large Baier.By Joe Hatley08 February, 2010
No, silly, the Ark didn’t leave without the required amount of animals. Yes, this article will be about wrestling. There are ALWAYS characters and animals in wrestling. Some are in the story. Some REPORT the story. Driving to Riverton with USA National team coaches, Zac Helgeson, (Junior Director) and Kevin Dillon (Cadet Director) the cab of my truck was filled with excited chatter , banter, and spirited discussion about who would win the individual titles and which team would win the team title. All three of us also were excited to get to Riverton to begin our recruitment of the wrestlers that would be at the Ron Thon. The opportunity to have so many Wyoming wrestlers in one gym only presents itself twice, once at the Thon and, of course, the State tournament. We recruit these fine young wrestlers heavily now at the Ron Thon because we can use the results of the participants at the Ron Thon and State tournament to illustrate the need for these wrestlers to wrestle in the summer. My first time at doing predictions. Could and should I put them on paper for the masses? Last year I picked 10 of 14 winners. John Bear was intrigued. He gave me the impression that most would enjoy them… Putting them into print and not just confiding them to a few friends, made me nervous. The discussion of who was to be the big story of the tournament centered around a few kids. Andy McCulley seemed to be the consensus favorite to cruise through the tournament. (He did.) Certain weight class matchups held an allure that gets the fans going. One such weight class was the 171 bracket. I have had Pierre Etchemendy in the top 5 or my Hatley’s Heathens for quite some time. He was deserving, he is a strong, very athletic wrestler who knows what to do and how to do it. Pierre has won all, but one, tournament leading up to the Ron Thon. His only loss was a forfeiture of the finals match due to injury to Hayden Jones, at the Charlie Lake tournament at Cheyenne East . Ryne Baier has shown me some of what he had in his toolbox of tricks at 2 previous tournaments, the Lusk Invite and the Dogger Invite. I knew that Ryne was a lethal thrower and I noticed his set-ups for throws were very good. Baier could throw EVERYONE, even the ones who gave a mighty effort not to get thrown. My opinion was that his only weaknesses were that he didn’t really shoot a shot and he MAY be ridden. Baier shot 4-5 shots this Ron Thon and they were great. MORE SHOTS THAN 2 tourneys combined! Against Etchemendy in the finals, Ryne used a roll to get to his feet. In the semis he had no trouble getting to his feet with Hayden Jones either. So, I was wrong on my assumptions. Speaking of Hayden Jones, Hayden nearly won the semi-finals match. Late in the 3rd period, Ryne trys a throw and both wrestlers land side by side on the mat with Baier on his back. Hayden ALMOST scrambled to cover Baier. Had Hayden just got on top it would have surely been a 2 takedown and 2 maybe 3 points nearfall. Credit to Ryne Baier for moving like a cat escaping harm. That was the closest I saw anyone to scoring any serious points on Baier. Here are my thoughts on the Ron Thon: - The seeding gave people plenty to talk about. Seeding made the semi-final matches as important, if not MORE important than most of us knew. I am fine with most of the criteria used except I believe the Ron Thon placement should be swapped with the state tourney placement. The state tournament is the last tourney that a wrestler wrestles prior to coming to the Ron Thon. Subsequently, it usually presents some last head to head and common opponent info. Just switch the 2 and we all would be happy. - Quarter final match of Slaugh and Bullington had plenty of action and after the 3rd tiebreaker Slaugh wins. Ryan and Brode gave the best effort for an entire match that I saw. Hat’s off to you both! - Ron Thon or Ron Thin? Several wrestlers made changes in their diets and went down a weight class. Scotty Verner went UP! My predictions suffered. I expected some movement but there was quite a bit more than I expected. Regionals in 2 weeks will have a bunch more. The trial and error of some will push a few back UP a class I suspect. - Ryley Dawson revenged a loss from earlier in the season and earned a belt. Solid in stature and solid performance. - Alex Coolidge wins a close 4-3 match against Tommy Thoman. I called it, but Thoman will certainly work to prevent another loss. This should be the state final match up. - Close calls or wake up calls? Leland Pfeifer was on his back in his qtrs match with Joe Lake. Some said to me that they thought he was stuck, I confess I was too far away to say for sure. Leland got off his back and wrestled extremely well the rest of the tournament. Woke up? - Bear and Luna had one of those close call situations and Ab Brown also got a takedown that was met with some dissension from the fans. When the caliber of wrestling goes up the calls get tight. That is the way it is. - The team race. Cheyenne Central, as most seem to forget, was my pick as the top team in 4A for 5 weeks. I KNEW they were a good team. YOU guys were the ones that DOUBTED me! I picked them 4th for this last week based on a slump they seemed to be in. Green River needed only a few weights to perform well to stay in a title hunt this weekend. It didn’t happen and they took 2nd. Still ahead of Campbell County and 44 points ahead of Star Valley. I was off, but not that far. Cheyenne Central PINNED a ton in a lot of matches this weekend. Bonus points are hard to call. Hat’s off to Powell. Nate Urbach and staff have the Panthers on track for another title. Douglas can catch Powell only if the lightweights perform. No other way that I can see they earn a title without the little guys doing better. Powell could possibly win an ALL-Class state title in my opinion. Here comes the flak……folks they had the same amount of placers in this tournament as Central! It is very possible! The 2A race now has me back to zero. Cokeville, a perennial favorite, finished 3rd out of the 2A teams. Greybull has good team depth for a small school. Hulett used 2 champs to secure 12th place. Regionals should clear up some of my questions. Weight class changes and no shows impacted my picks in a big way. Even in the team picks! At the State tournament the weights will be set. I should do better. Questions everyone asks me: “Why dont Torrington and other Goshen County schools come?” Torrington’s dual schedule would need to be rearranged for the Blazers to make it. The Southeast dual tournament is what keeps Lingle, Lusk, Hanna? Others? and Southeast away. THEY SHOULD GO! Especially this year would have made for some great matches. This subject has been beat to death. “What really affects the rankings?” “Will this weekend’s performance put my boy on top?” The Ron Thon will give me lots of info on our state’s wrestler’s. It will not necessarily take a kid from 5th to 1st. The Ron Thon works well when the head to head matches are interclass or have a number 1 from one class against number 1 of another. It is a case by case basis. “Why is this tournament so late in the year?” Ask the AD. It may be a little late and I know that kept Torrington out for years, however, everybody in the state would need to adjust their tournaments to open a slot earlier in the year. Final thoughts on the Thon… The OW wrestler awards are named after two young men that lost their lives too soon. The OW awards should be and are the most important awards given at his tournament. The Tyler Apodaca lightweight OW was Hayden Heap of Star Valley. The Brooks Apodaca heavy weight OW was Ryne Baier of Hulett. My Hat is OFF to you two. Excellence was properly awarded. Hayden Heap put two fantastic matches together. His win against a good Jorden Osbon and his win in the finals against Slaugh was impressive. The Bear vs. Luna match was a bit of a surprise. Bear roared to a big lead and Luna came back hard to make the match close. This matchup will be a key one at the state tournament. One note: Andy McCulley could have won the OW. He was outstanding and nobody will argue that he was not worthy. My opinion was that Ryne Baier a SOPHOMORE, beat more upper classmen and just a smidgen better competition. So hard to decide on paper, but being in that gym this weekend I have to be objective, and say it was impossible to not deny Baier for his spectacular performance. Andy McCulley knows where he stands. (Gosh, he has a ton of OW’S already…his parents would just have to build another shelf to put it on!) Ryan Slaugh should be noted as he wrestled very well throughout the tourney. Mike Seppala was the Outstanding Official of the tournament. He was top Zebra! A tip of my Hat to you Mike. I think you do a fine job and those 2 pretty gals of yours have been keeping me laughing and on my toes. Great family. Yes, I know, I didn’t give Shawn enough credit… I was allowed to sit on “Officials row” while waiting for the finals. A great experience, these guys are good natured and are attentive to doing their jobs the best they can. They let me bend their ears on rule questions and gave me some refereeing philosophy. I learned a bunch. One of my high points of the tournament. J.R. Vezain is a National Bareback champ in the tough sport of rodeo. My Hat is off to you. Becoming a National champ in anything demands recognition. J.R. Vezain will be showing up on my Heathens list. I was asked to do the play-by-play, (actually, move-by-move), with John Gabrielsen of WyoPreps.com and I frankly was terrified. John Bear and I talked earlier in the month about the possibility of me being asked to do some live media. I felt that I really was not that qualified. I do LOVE to talk wrestling and I figured John Gabrielson would do most of the talking. I leaned on him heavily and it went a lot better than I thought. Hat’s off to TCT and WyoPreps.com for their contributions to promoting wrestling. We all win when we get the live media involved. That is about it. The Zebra, a Camel, two Tigers and Baier reference should be apparent. The RonThon tournament crew performed excellent. Thanks to Lynette “squared” for the completed brackets and team score sheets! Already stoked for next year’s Ron Thon and working on my State preview/prediction I am signing off… Joe Hatley Challenging you to make wrestling better. Cowboy Wrestlers Get the Job Done Against Bison, 25-15By Aaron Voos07 February, 2010
Wyoming improves their dual record to 10-3 overall and 5-0 in the WWC. FARGO, N.D. (Feb. 7, 2010) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team won their second Western Wrestling Conference dual in as many days by beating the North Dakota State Bison 25-15 on Sunday in Fargo. Wyoming now has an overall record of 10-3 and is 5-0 in the league, while NDSU is 9-5 and 2-1. The Cowboys broke a six-match win streak by the Bison. UW also clinched at least a share of the WWC regular season dual title for the second straight year. The ‘Pokes won five matches, three by bonus-point margin (eight points or more), and took a forfeit at 133 pounds to obtain the final 10-point team margin. “North Dakota State is a vastly improving team and they came out to win,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “They were riding a win streak that included a win over No. 6 Boise State. They wrestled hard and as a team we matched their intensity. “We got dominating performances from Mike (Martinez), Shane (Onufer), Joe (LeBlanc) and Fonz (Alfonso Hernandez). Fonz wrestled an outstanding match and really put the dual in our hands with the way he finished. He set the tone for a solid Cowboy win.” The match began at 133 pounds, where UW’s Cory VomBaur took a forfeit, followed by two bouts where Wyoming wrestled guys above their normal weight classes due to a reoccurring stinger issue that has kept 149-pounder Cole Dallaserra out of the lineup. Cowboy redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart lost 6-2 to Ryan Adams who is ranked No. 30 at 141 pounds in the NCAA Coaches Panel rankings, and UW’s Chase Smith lost by a riding time point, 3-2 to Andrey Patselov at 149 pounds. No. 9 Shane Onufer then swung the momentum back in the favor of UW at 165 pounds when he used six takedowns to earn a 14-4 major decision over Tyler Johnson. Onufer is now 22-5 this season. At 174 pounds, Brock Smith picked up a 7-2 decision for his team over Mac Stoll. All-American Joe LeBlanc, No. 9 ranked, then delivered at 184 pounds with an 18-2 technical fall win over Kenny Moenkedick. LeBlanc racked up four takedowns and three nearfalls on his way to his 30th win of the season. His overall record of 30-4 includes 24 bonus point margins. The win over Moenkedick was his 11th technical fall this year. In the 197-pound match, UW’s Alfonso Hernandez was aggressive with five takedowns and two reversals, which resulted in a 15-8 win over Drew Ross. Wyoming’s L.J. Helbig got caught at heavyweight and pinned by NDSU’s Joe Arthur at the 0:59 mark. In the final match of the day, No. 12 Michael Martinez faced Justin Solberg, who is No. 32 at 125 pounds in the NCAA Coaches Panel rankings. Martinez made sure that the match was never a close one, as he recorded six takedowns on the way to a 14-5 major decision. He is now 25-7 this season. Wyoming’s next competition will be their final home dual of the season, as well as Senior Night for Cowboys Alex Rieder and Cory Vombaur. UW will host Cal State Fullerton in the UniWyo Sports Complex on Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. MT. Rieder and VomBaur will be honored prior to the match. Wyoming (WYO) 25, North Dakota State (NDSU) 15 Team Score 133 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by forfeit 6-0 WYO 141 pounds - Ryan Adams (NDSU) by decision over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 6-2 6-3 WYO 149 pounds - Andrey Patselov (NDSU) by decision over Chase Smith (WYO), 3-2 6-6 Tie 157 pounds - Vince Salminen (NDSU) by decision over Jimmy Belleville (WYO), 7-2 9-6 NDSU 165 pounds - No. 9 Shane Onufer (WYO) by major decision over Tyler Johnson (NDSU), 14-4 10-9 WYO 174 pounds - Brock Smith (WYO) by decision over Mac Stoll (NDSU), 7-2 13-9 WYO 184 pounds - No. 9 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by technical fall over Kenny Moenkedick (NDSU), 18-2 (6:20) 18-9 WYO 197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) by decision over Drew Ross (NDSU), 15-8 21-9 WYO Hwt. (285) - Joe Arthur (NDSU) by fall over L.J. Helbig (WYO), 0:59 21-15 WYO 125 pounds - No. 12 Michael Martinez (WYO) by major decision over Justin Solberg (NDSU), 14-5 25-15 WYO Pokes Bully Jacks, Roll to 34-9 WinBy Aaron Voos07 February, 2010
Wyoming won six of nine bouts competed and were awarded one forfeit in the WWC victory over South Dakota State. BROOKINGS, S.D. (Feb. 5, 2010) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team won big and won often on Friday night in Brookings, beating their Western Wrestling Conference opponent, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, by a score of 34-9. The Cowboys earned pins at three weight classes, a major decision at another, were the recipient of a forfeit and tacked on two additional solid decisions to run away with the team scoring. Sophomores Joe LeBlanc at 184 pounds and Shane Onufer at 165, in addition to senior Cory VomBaur at the 133-pound weight class, all ended their matches by sticking their opponents. Freshman Jimmy Belleville tallied the other bonus point win for UW, a major decision at 157 pounds. After the dual win, Wyoming has an overall record of 9-3 and is 4-0 in the league. SDSU is 1-9-1 overall and 0-3 in the WWC. UW now leads the all-time series with SDSU, 11-0. “This was a good win for us,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “Every conference match is important and every match helps prepare us for the postseason.” The dual began at 149 pounds where UW was forced to insert 133-pounder Kasey Garnhart, due to an arm injury to starter Cole Dallaserra. Despite giving up almost 20 pounds, the Cowboy redshirt freshman gave Nick Hagar all he could handle before dropping a 3-1 decision. Belleville quickly righted Wyoming’s ship in the next bout by cruising to a 12-2 major decision over Nick Flynn. He has been a spark to the lineup since earning a spot last month with a 4-2 dual record, all of his wins coming by bonus-point margin (eight points or more) and scoring 24 team points. Belleville now has a season record of 27-5. No. 9-ranked Onufer dominated in his match against Seth Moe, leading 15-4 before a pin at the 4:16 mark. He now is 21-5 overall, with seven pins this season and a team-best 21 for his career. Wyoming’s All-American, LeBlanc, also ranked No. 9, mirrored Onufer’s performance by leading 14-4 over David Michaud at the time of his pin and getting the fall at 4:15, just one second earlier than his teammate. LeBlanc’s overall record is now 29-4 with an incredible 23 bonus point margins. It was his ninth pin of the season, the 16th of his career, and he now has a record of 11-1 in duals this year, contributing a gaudy 52 team points. Sandwiched between Onufer and LeBlanc’s pins was a win by forfeit for UW’s Brock Smith at 174 pounds. A stalling point provided the difference at 197 pounds, where Wyoming’s Alfonso Hernandez lost to SDSU senior Tyler Sorenson, 3-2. Hernandez had a two-point reversal and Sorenson had two escape points, before the costly penalty in the third period decided the match outcome. Sorenson is currently listed No. 28 in the all-important NCAA Coaches Panel rankings. The ‘Pokes got a big-time performance by redshirt freshman L.J. Helbig at heavyweight, where he out-muscled the bigger Kevin Kelly for a 4-1 decision. A takedown by Helbig in the third period was the turning point of the match. Although he weighs in at 197 pounds, Helbig is now 3-2 at heavyweight for Wyoming, 2-0 in the WWC. No. 12 ranked Michael Martinez faced a scrappy opponent, Aaron Pickrel, in the league’s toughest weight class, 125 pounds, but came away with a hard-earned 10-4 decision. In familiar fashion, Martinez outlasted his opponent and is now 24-7 this season. One of the biggest wins of the evening for the Cowboys came in the next match, where VomBaur worked his way to only the second pin of his four-year career. Leading 16-6 over Tyler Johnson in the third period, VomBaur kept the pressure on his opponent near the edge of the mat and was rewarded with a victory by fall at 6:19. UW’s only lopsided loss of the night came at 141 pounds where Chase Smith trailed the entire seven minutes and lost to Dustin Walraven, 8-1. “When you are on the road you have to take the match out of the official’s hands and we did not do that at 197 pounds,” Branch continued. “I hated to see it end that way in such an important match. We are not performing at 141 pounds and that has to be addressed, but overall I liked our performance. “NDSU will be tougher, so we need to bring an even better effort on Sunday.” The ‘Pokes will now make the three-hour drive north on I-29 for another WWC dual on Sunday, this time against the North Dakota State Bison at 12 p.m. MT. Wyoming (WYO) 34, South Dakota State (SDSU) 9 Team Score 149 pounds - Nick Hagar (SDSU) by decision over Kasey Garnhart (WYO), 3-1 3-0 SDSU 157 pounds - Jimmy Belleville (WYO) by major decision over Nick Flynn (SDSU), 12-2 4-3 WYO 165 pounds - No. 9 Shane Onufer (WYO) by fall over Seth Moe (SDSU), 4:16 10-3 WYO 174 pounds - Brock Smith (WYO) by forfeit 16-3 WYO 184 pounds - No. 9 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over David Michaud (SDSU), 4:15 22-3 WYO 197 pounds - Tyler Sorenson (SDSU) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 3-2 22-6 WYO Hwt. (285) - L.J. Helbig (WYO) by decision over Kevin Kelly (SDSU), 4-1 28-6 WYO 125 pounds - No. 12 Michael Martinez (WYO) by decision over Aaron Pickrel (SDSU), 10-4 31-6 WYO 133 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by fall over Tyler Johnson (SDSU), 6:19 37-6 WYO Ron Thon Preview: “No Other Wyoming Tournament Compares.”By Joe Hatley05 February, 2010
I am starting this at 11:05 AM on Tuesday, February 2, and the first thought in my head is what someone else said last year, “Joe I am glad to see that you made it here, no other Wyoming tournament compares to this one for strength and excitement!” I was hesitant to believe him then, but after the finals on Saturday afternoon his point was made. The match of the tournament was, without a doubt, between Ty Cox and Kasey Bertagnolli. Cox was going for his 4th Ron Thon title and was one match away from being only the 2nd 4 timer EVER. (Troy McIlravy was the 1st.) As Ty Cox was fighting off his back and Kasey Bertagnolli was about to pull off a monumental upset I said to myself “YEP, this is tops”. I will HAVE TO COME BACK NEXT YEAR!!” Cox, came back dramatically to win, with the crowd on its feet cheering madly. I have had the distinct privilege of being in Ty’s corner many times throughout his career when he has come from behind to win…I wasn’t surprised AT ALL. Cox became the 2nd Ron Thon 4 time winner, and I was hooked. Opinions are all around about what a Ron Thon title means. Winning an individual title is significant and no one really argues that. The team title seems to be where the controversy lies. Being convinced that the Ron Thon is the best state wide tournament (other than the state tournament), is only half the opinion battle. The other half of the opinion battle is what does winning the team title really mean? Does it mean the winner is the best of all in the state? Perhaps, it means a team has depth. Or, could it mean that with such a wide array of teams from throughout the state that 2A and 3A teams indeed can compete with the 4A guys? The end result tells the story. A big margin of victory by the title winner states that their team is tops. A close margin shows that the winning team while tough, is a front runner to win the teams respective class state championship and no more. I see it as that cut and dry. This year’s Ron Thon will be a close affair. The winner will win by a whisker, 5-10 point spread. The individuals from throughout this state prove my argument. I will go though the weight classes and illustrate why I see success is going to be dependent on one move or call. That is what we enjoy. The close matches and the close team races. For wrestling fans the tighter the race, the higher the emotions, the better the win, and the more depressing the loss. One can say, that with the Ron Thon 3 weeks from the state tournament, it is the last big tournament to see what a team has and what that team will need to improve on. I certainly agree on that, but the Thon provides an opportunity for a team and individual to say they are the best. Winning a Ron Thon championship belt declares a wrestler to be the “potentially” best in his class throughout the state. Many of our state tourneys have had different winners than Ron Thon winners, so that may NOT be the case. As I was looking through the media guide for the Ron Thon, I came across some interesting data and highlights. - Zach Dillon won 1 title and was 2nd 3 times, Zach never won a state title, but he was 2nd twice. -Jeff Wood won 3 Thon titles and won 4 state titles. Guess who he lost to? -Last year’s revenge from the Thon was sweet for Travis Henderson who lost 2 times at the Thon but went on to beat Leandro Arias in the state final. Arias was the runner-up at both the Thon and State. - Kris Stenhaug won 2 Thon titles and 1 state title. -David Zuniga, one of Wyoming’s best won only 2 Ron Thon titles. -Lanny Schneider a 4x state champ, also only won 2 Thon’s. So as you all can see a Ron Thon title is highly coveted, but it DOES NOT assure the winner a state title. The Ron Thon is tops for what it does. It brings nearly all of the state together under one roof and showcases the individual and highlights the team champ as one SERIOUSLY good team. 7 weeks of wrestling have occurred and the picture is getting clearer on the individuals. The following predictions are for the Ron Thon ONLY! Feel free to use them for the state tournament and then find yourself hopelessly wrong! 3 weeks separate the Thon from the State tournament. Much can happen in that time. Consider yourself warned! Here goes my first run at predictions…at least on paper. 103: Brandon Kussy, Blaze Cress, Mitch Heap, Lukas Poloncic, Cody Vichi, Jon Gomez, Jay Stine and Tenor Teichert are running in a tight pack. For some reason no one sticks out as being the MAN. Brandon Kussy will be right in the thick of it all. Finalists: Jay Stine and Lukas Poloncic Darkhorses: Mitch Heap and Blaze Cress Winner: Jay Stine 112: Taylor Bear leads this group. Mario Luna is out to win a second Ron Thon and revenge his State finals loss to Bear. Materi is long lanky and has been solid. Cokeville adds 2 outstanding wrestlers with Brigham Teichert and Kalen Hill. Derek DeBolt seems to be in the mix. Josh Hillhouse after being out for a while is coming on. Finalists: Bear and Luna. Materi will be close on these 2. Darkhorse: Garrett Bietz Winner : Taylor Bear 119: T.J. Guild was rolling along quite nicely until a week or so. Max Vichi is well traveled and has plenty of mat time under his shoes. Leithead has wrestled very well this year. Collins, Craig, and Flores will be out to notch a big win over opponents that are ranked above. Vichi and Guild are my finalists. Leithead, Flores and Puente are so close on the finalist’s heels. OT matches all-around… Darkhorse: Not really that dark, Jared Leithead. Winner: Max Vichi 125: Brode Bullington, a returning state champ has beaten Hayden Heap once this year. Can he do it again? Fischer, Slaugh, Gossens, and Kruckenberg make this one bracket a doozy. Jorden Osbon has been in contention for a top slot all year. Darkhorses: Jorden Osbon and Ryan Slaugh Finalists: Bullington and Fischer Winner: Fischer (Some may consider him a Darkhorse…I don’t ) 130: Arias and Harris. Arias was second last year and he is very motivated to get his first Ron Thon belt. Mark Harris lost a close 2-0 decision to Arias a few weeks ago. Sorry, this is a 2 gladiator fight. Olie Olson and Tanner Olson will, of course, have something to say about that. J.R. Collins and Hetzel will show how tough the 2A boys can be. Darkhorse: Tanner Olson Finalists: Arias and Harris Winner: Harris (Match of the tourney?) 135: Matt Osbon appears to have everyone’s number. Chance Maddock at 39-1 is stunningly good. Lane Read has lots of fight in him. Karanjanis, Flores, and Colt Nix round out a bruiser of a weight class. Darkhorse: Luke Zeller… (You guys really need to watch out for this young one!) Finalists: Maddock and Osbon Winner: Matt Osbon 140: Brady Turnbull and Kendall Nuss would make for a good match here. J.R. Vezain as of press time, is injured. Serres ain’t coming, so what we have here is Jeff Redland, Randy Andrews and Andrew Lobach showing their stuff and battling for a top slot. Burgess is back from injury. Darkhorse: Burke Burgess Finalists: Brady Turnbull and Kendall Nuss Winner: Brady Turnbull (Go easy on me Tom!) 145: Auston Carter has a big target on his back going for his 4th state title. He has struggled some but has improved lately. Austin Breckenridge has 2 losses and a chip on his shoulder, he lost the belt last year. Breck wants the belt. Kolby Kester is full of surprises. Houston Falkenberg, Cormick Eaton, Juan Rodriguez, Garrett Traylor, and James Montez fill this treasure chest of competitor’s. EASILY the DEEPEST of weights. Picking through these gems is difficult. Darkhorse: James Montez Finalists: It’s a tale of two Auston’s/Austin’s. Pick one…please. Ok….I will. Winner: Austin Breckenridge 152: I will save the Tiger for last. Rumor has it Verner has went up to 160, so I will comment accordingly. Chris Ryan is wrestling well, but for some reason I have missed EVERY opportunity to see him. SORRY! Tyler Smart, Jimmy Seckman , Garrett Haberman , Bob Helmerick, and Hadley Harmon all figure to be able to battle for 2nd…I know, I said 2nd. Andy McCulley (the RS Tiger, LOL) has that belt around his waist as far as I am concerned. Hey, prove me wrong kids…. One note: Lance Hladky will not be at the Thon but as of right now, he is the only guy I see here in Wyoming capable of keeping up with Andy. Wish it could happen…but it won’t. Darkhorse: Bob Helmerick Finalists: Andy McCulley and Garrett Haberman Winner: Andy McCulley 160: Scotty Verner moves up to what may, or may not be greener pastures. Ab Brown resides here. Shawn Seppala has been steady but has losses to both Ab and Scotty. Chayce Goton and Kaleb Hoyt have records demanding attention. Can you say up in the air? Mason O’Dowd and his patented family trick of ”Going to my back so I can score.”, may prove to be the ticket here. Darkhorse: Mason O’Dowd…could it really be anyone else? Finalists: Scott Verner and Ab Brown Winner: Scott Verner 171: Ryne Baier has shown he can win with a tie-up and pressure. Pierre Etchemendy would like to improve on last year’s 3rd place finish. Hayden Jones stands between, with solid credentials and a 3rd place medal at home also. Clay Cundall, Holden Fauber, Dawson Loveland, Monte Nickles, and Taylor Pownall all could spoil the soup, or enhance it. This weight class may have more fireworks than any other. Darkhorse: Taylor Pownall Finalists: Pierre Etchemendy and Hayden Jones Winner: Pierre Etchemendy 189: Hayden Davidson impressed me earlier this year at the Dogger Invite. Ethan Dirks did just as well, HE WON the Dogger. Colter McNare has been a scrappy, light 189 lber. The 2 hammers though would have to be Alex Coolidge and Tommy Thoman. Tommy showed me plenty at GR and Alex is just strong, quick and very good on his feet, and he wrestles in the summer. Nick Edwards has placed in every tourney this year and Lucas Hurt is no slouch. SOOOOO, where does that take this weight class? Darkhorse: Caleb Seghetti Finalists: Alex Coolidge and Tommy Thoman Winner: Alex Coolidge 215: Leland Pfeifer lost just last week, 1st loss of the year and it was to a very good Damon Lappe from Douglas SD. That is bad for the guys in this class. Leland intends to get his 2nd belt. Wes Ridgeway wants the belt also, and he has NO losses this year. The 4A boys Cimburek and Saabedra figure into this tug-o’-war. We get to watch the leather rip… Trent Boner may be light in the shorts but not light on effort. Todd Baker has shown promise. Darkhorse: Trent Boner Finalists: Leland Pfeifer and Wes Ridgway Winner: Leland Pfeifer HWT: Ryley Dawson a Bears Brawler’s Honorable mention has won plenty this year. His real test happens in Riverton. Zac Haney has not seen Ryley Dawson according to our data base. Ryley has wins or a higher placement over the rest. Jacob Edwards and Kuster have battled with Kuster earning the win. This weight class is open to whoever gets hot and stays hot. Darkhorse: Adam Walton Finalists: Ryley Dawson and Zac Haney Winner: Ryley Dawson Note: Mike Hill from Lingle would change this tournament IMMENSELY. The team title will go to: Green River (History is on their side and I like even numbers, as in 10 titles if they win this year.) 2. Gillette 3. Star Valley 4. Cheyenne Central 5. Powell 6. Douglas 7. Worland 8. Greybull 9. Hulett 10. Lander Some of my picks may seem a little odd. FACT IS, THEY ALL MAY BE! The seeding criteria makes this tournament especially hard to guage. The criteria is as follows: 1. Head to Head 2. Common opponent 3. Place at last year’s Ron Thon 4. State Place 5. Current season record I muddled through it and I know that the semis (like most are!) will be some of the best matches this year. I had an idea about going to the seeding meeting but chickened out. If I went, and there was a tie of sorts between two wrestlers I didn’t want to be called upon. Not really my place. It was harder than I thought writing this. I will have a whole week for my state preview and I will do much better at that time. Thanks for reading and enjoy. A special thanks to my wife Holly, who has endured more than any wife and supports my love of wrestling. You folks just don’t know what she has put up with over the years! Thanks honey, we only have 3 more weeks to go with high school wrestling… and lots of USA wrestling left! Love ya… Joe Hatley Challenging you to make wrestling better. Week Seven Rankings Are PostedBy Joe Hatley05 February, 2010 With the Ron Thon on the menu for the weekend, week seven rankings are posted. These rankings will be available at our table at the Ron Thon. See you there. Bear's Brawlers 02/01/2010By John Bear01 February, 2010
103 Jonathan Gomez RAWL (10) Honorable Mention(HM): Jay Stine WORL (10) 112 Taylor Bear CCHS (10) HM: Mario Luna GRHS (11) 119 T.J. Guild SVHS (10) HM: Max Vichi BPHS (12) 125 Hayden Heap SVHS (12) HM: Jorden Osbon WORL (12) 130 Leandro Arias CENT (11) HM: Mark Harris GRHS (12) 135 Matt Osbon WORL (12) HM: Chance Maddock COKE (11) 140 Brodey Serres LING (11) HM: J.R. Vezain ROCK (12) 145 Austin Breckenridge CENT (11) HM: Auston Carter POWE (12) 152 Andy McCulley RSHS (12) HM: Lance Hladky NIOB (11) 160 Ab Brown NCHS (11) HM: Shawn Seppala EVAN (11) 171 Ryne Baier HULE (10) HM: Pierre Etchemendy DOUG (12) 189 Tommy Thoman GRHS (12) HM: Alex Coolidge CCHS (12) 215 Leland Pfieffer HULE (12) HM: Wes Ridgeway Grey (11) 285 Mike Hill LING (12) HM: Ryley Dawson RAWL (12) The Moon is Bright, Big and BrightBy Joe Hatley31 January, 2010
As I drove out of the parking lot after the Wyoming vs. Oklahoma State dual, I noticed a full moon that seemed larger and brighter than normal. Upon my arrival home, I looked at my home screen on my computer, I was informed that tonight’s full moon is the biggest and brightest that it will be all year. Due to the moon’s elliptical orbit. Go figure. Well that makes sense for how our Pokes wrestled tonight. The full moon changed a tide or karma or something… On my arrival to the AA, I was fortunate to get to my seat early and watch the fans spill into the arena. The excitement and enthusiasm was palpable. Excitement aside, our Cowboys had plenty of chances to show who the REAL Cowboys were…not so lucky there… 125: Michael Martinez No. 11 vs. Chris Notte No. 10 Michael Martinez was setting the tempo and had Chris Notte on his heels for 2 plus periods. In the 3rd period Martinez sits to a push back position then gets headlocked for 3pt. nearfall and loses 3-2. Michael performed admirably and earned 2 stalling calls one resulted in a point, of course. Martinez set the tone of the match with an up- tempo attack. Bad loss, great effort. 133: Jordan Oliver No. 5 vs. Cory Vombaur Jordan Oliver has had a stellar career thus far. Cory Vombaur has shown, at times that he can rise to the occasion. With 13 seconds left in the 3rd period, Cory appears to be cruising to a 3-2 win (riding time included) when Oliver slinks Cory and gets a reversal and the win 4-3. ARGGGGGHHHH!!! Oliver will have to improve to get a high AA in Omaha. 141: Jamal Parks No. 8 vs. Chase Smith There is a saying in football, “Speed kills.” Tonight, Chase can attest to that fact applies to wrestling too. Parks was in on legs and around behind Smith so fast that we, on press row, were in astonishment. Chase gave a good effort late. Not enough though. 8-1 Parks. 149: Luke Silver vs. Cole Dallaserra Dallaserra starts with a bang shooting and nearly getting a takedown . Silver uses the splits to avoid takedown. Cole rides Silver for the ENTIRE 2nd period. Dallaserra chooses down and reverses Silver and rides out. Nice win. 157: Neil Erisman No. 17 vs. Jimmy Belleville Erisman gets a quick takedown and armbar to go up 4 then scores a tilt to get 2 more. Belleville attempts a roll and gets caught for 2 more. A reversal and tilt for 4 and a riding time point closes out the scoring. Jimmy is a touch light for this weight class but he gave a nice effort. Score 13-0 Erisman with riding time added. 165: Alex Meade No. 9 vs. Shane Onufer No. 10 On paper ,this looked to be the match of the night. To me, at least. Meade, I have watched for years, and Onufer has developed well this year. Meade is quick and so darn explosive. His weakness is after a few scores he sometimes will coast. Alex coasted and Shane came back. Onufer battled the entire match and loses 8-6. This match was the match that had the most crowd participation. Meade took some well-timed, time-outs to enable his efforts. Meade’s frustrated removal of his headgear after some head slaps by Onufer which led to appeals to Coach John Smith didn’t sit well with the crowd of 2566. (A UW dual record, I might add.) I am not fond of booing but the fans paid for wrestling, not posturing, as Alex Meade was doing. It was their way of letting everybody know they wanted these 2 Cowboys to wrestle. 174: Mike Benefiel No. 7 vs. Brock Smith Benefiel is taken down promptly by Smith. Benefiel quickly escapes and gets his own takedown. Smith is ridden most of the 2nd period and gets free in the closing seconds using a little roll. Score was 4-2 going into the 3rd. Smith chooses down does a little buck and clears bottom. Benefiel stays clear of Brock’s repeated long extended double leg attempts. Mike gets a takedown on the counter of Smith’s double attempt . 7-3 final. 184: Clayton Foster No. 10 vs. Joe LeBlanc No. 6 LeBlanc wrestled well for 6:57 LeBlanc was leading 5-4 and Foster had riding time. A mental lapse or inability to hang on to Foster causes the match to go to OT. In OT LeBlanc is in on a excellent single and lifts Foster off the mat. Foster fights out of Joe’s grasp and bunches Joe up into a cradle for the TD and nearfall. Final 10-5 Foster. OUCH! 197: Alan Gelogaev No. 7 vs. Alfonso Hernandez Alfonso took enough shots for the whole UW team and came away with a goose egg. Gelogaev completed his takedown. Hernandez escapes. In the second period Alfonso chooses down and gets away. 2-2. In the 3rd period Alan chooses down and gets away. Multiple shot attempts get a stall warning but that’s it. 3-2 Gelogaev. Hwt: Jared Rosholt ( Ranked #1) vs L.J. Helbig Helbig was 80 lbs and a club away from neutralizing Rosholt. Rosholt pins. My take: Stalling calls helped but…. Wyoming should have made this a 22-12 dual. You that lost, and should have won, know who you are. (125,133, and 184.) Had to call you out. That’s the way I roll. I really think that Alfonso was closer than he thought. 174: Smith needs another takedown. Heavyweight is heavy on this team. NEED ONE. Dallaserra has the potential to AA. Where is that go get it, attitude I saw a month ago? OPEN UP. You have the tools. Onufer gets a tip of my Hat. Shane, you took it to an excellent wrestler with a resume’ that rivals any at 165 this year. I like how you performed and I believe that there are quite a few that think the way I do. Keep up the good work! Man, I love wrestling . For a solid week I was a jitterbug around my house as I thought about this dual. I am seeing so many positives and few negatives about our POKES! Coach Branch is doing a wonderful job and the fans are coming out and supporting our guys. Great time for our Cowboys and their fans! Joe Cowboy Grapplers Dump Panthers and Wolverines, Get Two Big WWC WinsBy Aaron Voos30 January, 2010
Wyoming defeated Utah Valley 37-3 and then took care of Northern Iowa 26-12. LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 30, 2010) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team took firm hold of the reins in the Western Wrestling Conference standings on Saturday in Laramie by soundly defeating fellow league front-runners Northern Iowa and Utah Valley. The Cowboys won eight of nine bouts competed and received a victory by forfeit in their 37-3 win over the UVU Wolverines. Then UW turned right around and took down the UNI Panthers by a 26-12 margin, winning six of 10 match-ups. By beating their two WWC opponents, Wyoming’s overall record improves to 8-3 overall and 3-0 in the league. Utah Valley’s record is now 6-2 and 2-1, while Northern Iowa falls to 6-10, 2-2 in conference duals. Earlier in the afternoon, UVU had defeated UNI by a score of 19-16 in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Wyoming’s win over Northern Iowa broke a nine-match losing streak to the Panthers that dated all the way back to Feb. 4, 1964, a 29-3 win by the ‘Pokes in Laramie. “It was good to come out on the winning end tonight,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “We needed to shake off last night (OSU loss) and we did. This is an indication that our team is getting better and these were two big WWC victories. “I saw some inspiring performances tonight from our team. Kasey’s (Garnhart) come from behind win, Jimmy’s (Belleville) upset over Reiner (of UNI) and L.J.’s (Helbig) last-second victory were examples of the type of efforts we need to have every time we step on the mat. Among the highlights for the ‘Pokes were a major decision and technical fall by sophomore All-American Joe LeBlanc at 184 pounds, as well as two victories apiece for freshman Jimmy Belleville (157 pounds) and sophomore Shane Onufer (165 pounds). No. 6-ranked LeBlanc now has a record of 28-4, with 22 of those wins coming by bonus-point margin. Both Belleville and Onufer each recorded falls for their team, Belleville’s over Tyson Reiner of UNI at 2:33 and Onufer’s over Jeb Clark of UVU at 2:10. “We now need to focus on finishing the rest of our league schedule strong for seeding purposes, but we need to also look bigger than that,” Branch concluded. “We need to pay attention to the little things that will benefit us on a larger scale at the West Regional and the NCAA Tournament.” The next two WWC dual matches for the Cowboys will be on the road, at South Dakota State on Friday, Feb. 5, at 6.pm., and then at North Dakota State on Sunday, Feb. 7, at 12 p.m. Wyoming (WYO) 37, Utah Valley (UVU) 3 Team Score 125 pounds - No. 13 Ben Kjar (UVU) by decision over No. 11 Michael Martinez (WYO), 5-3 3-0 UVU 133 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by decision over Flint Ray (UVU), 3-2 3-3 TIE 141 pounds - Chase Smith (WYO) by decision over Jeff Newby (UVU), 6-2 6-3 WYO 149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over Justin Morrill (UVU), 4-3 9-3 WYO 157 pounds - Jimmy Belleville (WYO) by medical default over Jamison Moss (UVU), 1:44 15-3 WYO 165 pounds - No. 10 Shane Onufer (WYO) by fall over Jeb Clark (UVU), 2:10 21-3 WYO 174 pounds - Brock Smith (WYO) by decision over Brad Darrington (UVU), 8-6 24-3 WYO 184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by major decision over Casen Eldredge (UVU), 15-5 28-3 WYO 197 pounds - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) by decision over Josh Wood (UVU), 7-1 31-3 WYO Hwt. (285) - L.J. Helbig (WYO) by forfeit 37-3 WYO Wyoming (WYO) 26, Northern Iowa (UNI) 12 Team Score 125 pounds - No. 11 Michael Martinez (WYO) by medical default over Terrance Young (UNI), 3:11 6-0 WYO 133 pounds - Kasey Garnhart (WYO) by decision over Ryan Jauch (UNI), 11-9 9-0 WYO 141 pounds - Charlie Ettelson (UNI) by decision over Cory VomBaur (WYO), 4-1 9-3 WYO 149 pounds - Trent Washington (UNI) by SV decision over Cole Dallaserra (WYO), 4-2 9-6 WYO 157 pounds - Jimmy Belleville (WYO) by fall over Tyson Reiner (UNI), 2:33 15-6 WYO 165 pounds - No. 10 Shane Onufer (WYO) by decision over Nick Pickerell (UNI), 5-0 18-6 WYO 174 pounds - Jarion Beets (UNI) by decision over Alex Rieder (WYO), 7-4 18-9 WYO 184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by technical fall over Scott Hazen (UNI), 15-0, 5:36 23-9 WYO 197 pounds - L.J. Helbig (WYO) by decision over Dustin Bauman (UNI), 9-5 26-9 WYO Hwt. (285) - Christian Brantley (UNI) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 3-2 26-12 WYO UW Wrestling Loses Multiple Tight Matches, Drops Dual to No. 4 OSU, 31-3By Aaron Voos29 January, 2010
Wyoming’s lone win of the evening came from junior Cole Dallaserra at 149 pounds LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 29, 2010) – For the second consecutive year, the University of Wyoming wrestling team battled Oklahoma State in most every match, but came out on the short end of each tight contest, thus losing the dual by a big margin, 31-3. The Cowboy vs. Cowboy match-up was held in UW’s Arena-Auditorium on Friday night in Laramie before a school record number of fans for a dual match, 2,566. Those fans watched No. 4-ranked OSU win three bouts by one point, one match by two points and one contest in sudden victory overtime. As a whole, the brown and gold Cowboys took good shots and got to their opponent’s legs but could not finish takedowns. The orange and black Cowboys turned defense into offense, took advantage of UW mistakes and that made all the difference in what turned out to be a lop-sided final team score. Last year was a similar story in Stillwater, as UW lost four close bouts and won at only one weight, falling to OSU 34-4. Wyoming’s only win on this evening came at 149 pounds where junior Cole Dallaserra earned a 3-0 decision over Luke Silver. After a scoreless first period, Dallaserra rode Silver for the entire second period and then used a third-period reversal and riding time point to seal the victory. With the dual loss, Wyoming falls to 6-3 overall while Oklahoma State improves their dual mark to 10-2-1. “The crowd, the cheerleaders, and the band were all great...we weren’t,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “Our guys battled hard, but constantly put ourselves behind the eight-ball and found ways to lose. We did not close out matches and I want to make it clear, that I, and this team are not okay with close losses. What we saw tonight was the difference between being a top-level team and everyone else.” UW’s close losses included a 3-2 decision by No. 10 Chris Notte over No. 11 Michael Martinez at 125 pounds, a 4-3 decision by No. 5 Jordan Oliver over Cory VomBaur at 133 pounds, a 8-6 decision by No. 9 Alex Meade over No. 10 Shane Onufer at 165 pounds, a 10-5 sudden victory, overtime decision by No. 10 Clayton Foster over No. 6 Joe LeBlanc at 184 pounds, and a 3-2 decision by No. 7 Alan Gelogaev over Alfonso Hernandez at 197 pounds. Both LeBlanc and VomBaur were leading their bouts with just seconds remaining in the final period before dropping the decisions. “We did not have the formula to win tonight,” Branch ended. “Now we have to find a way to get those matches behind us, make weight in the morning and make the adjustments that we need in order to win some important conference match-ups.” UW’s busy weekend will continue tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 30 when they host a full day of Western Wrestling Conference duals. The first WWC dual of the day will feature a neutral-mat match, with the Utah Valley Wolverines against the Northern Iowa Panthers at 2 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Next, the ‘Pokes will face Utah Valley at 4 p.m., followed immediately by a match-up with the defending West Regional champions, UNI, at approximately 5:30 p.m. No. 4 Oklahoma State (OSU) 31 Wyoming (WYO) 3 Team Score 125 pounds - No. 10 Chris Notte by decision over No. 11 Michael Martinez, 3-2 3-0 OSU 133 pounds - No. 5 Jordan Oliver by decision over Cory VomBaur (WYO), 4-3 6-0 OSU 141 pounds - No. 8 Jamal Parks by decision over Chase Smith (WYO), 8-1 9-0 OSU 149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over Luke Silver (OSU), 3-0 9-3 OSU 157 pounds - No. 17 Neil Erisman (OSU) by major decision over Jimmy Belleville (WYO), 13-0 13-3 OSU 165 pounds - No. 9 Alex Meade (OSU) by decision over No. 10 Shane Onufer (WYO), 8-6 16-3 OSU 174 pounds - No. 7 Mike Benefiel (OSU) by decision over Brock Smith (WYO), 7-3 19-3 OSU 184 pounds - No. 10 Clayton Foster (OSU) by SV decision over No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO), 10-5 22-3 OSU 197 pounds - No. 7 Alan Gelogaev (OSU) by decision over Alfonso Hernandez (WYO), 3-2 25-3 OSU Hwt. (285) - No. 1 Jared Rosholt (OSU) by fall over L.J. Helbig (WYO), 2:30 31-3 OSU New Cowboy vs. Old CowboyBy Joe Hatley29 January, 2010
Mark Branch gets a different viewpoint of his old coach and mentor, John Smith, this Friday evening. Instead of being on the mat being coached by him or sitting next to him coaching, Mark Branch will be across a mat and will be shouting instructions, that I believe, will be eerily similar to the ones that will be coming from across the mat. After a highly successful career at OSU as a wrestler, Coach Mark Branch went on to be an assistant coach for John Smith. Branch was awarded NWCA assistant coach of the year in 2004 The next chapter in the Oklahoma State University legend will begin when Coach Branch and Coach Smith will face each other with their respective teams at the AA. While Coach Branch and Coach Smith have spent countless hours on a mat together, (four years in the Coach-athlete capacity and another six years as coaches together), they have NOT coached against each other in a dual. With that in mind, I called Coach Branch on Thursday and we had a telephone interview. It was short, but informative. WW: “Coach you must be stoked to wrestle your Alma Mater, and get a chance to coach against your mentor John Smith?” Coach Branch: “Yes I am excited to get OSU up here; I have a lot of friends and family coming in to town for the dual. I am close with the OSU wrestlers and staff and have good personal relationships with them.” “It will be a good opportunity to see them.” “It’s going to be a hectic weekend but fun. I have been looking forward to it for quite a while, and so has the team.” WW: “I think there are going to be some good matches but I see the Onufer vs.Meade match to be maybe the best. What do you think?” Coach Branch: “Oh, yeah, that will be a good one.” “Lots of similarities in their young careers. Alex has been exceptional this year and Shane has improved, they won’t be just standing around Friday night, there will be plenty of action. The fans will see a good match.” WW: “So with OSU coming to town, the venue will change as the dual will be held in the AA. How will that affect the team?” Coach Branch: “It is unfamiliar territory and we may have some nerves but we have been telling the guys to get focused on the wrestling and not where we wrestle. I will say that I am excited about it and the people around town are also. What I have been emphasizing to the team is while the OSU dual is important the 2 duals on Saturday are more important.” WW: “Absolutely, those conference duals weigh heavy on the seeding for the WWC tournament.” Coach Branch: “It is important for us to be prepared and I believe we are, there is no reason our guys can’t do well in those duals.” WW: “Last item to talk about. The University is offering awesome deal for our high school wrestlers this weekend with free admission into the duals. How does that work?” Coach Branch: “We have 350 kids coming with their high school teams in on an unofficial pass visit. We have teams from throughout the state and some Colorado teams also. It is an unofficial visit and it gives the wrestling community a chance to see some great wrestling.” WW: “What a wonderful deal for our state’s wrestlers and parents. Good luck this weekend!” Coach Branch: “Thanks, see you tomorrow night.” The dual score, while important to so many, won’t tell the real story. The real story is Oklahoma and Wyoming are both home to Cowboys some old, some new. Each are driving the herd forward to the same NCAA National Championship arena. Maybe a different cattle trail, but using a similar technique and style of riding the horse. GO POKES! Joe Challenging you to make wrestling better. 2010 All-State Team SponsorsBy John Bear27 January, 2010
WyoWrestling.com has instituted two exclusive teams of wrestlers to be named the Wyoming All-State team and the Wyoming All-State Academic team. There will be one team member for each weight class and all wrestlers who receive medals at the High School State Championship Tournament are eligible. Each member will receive an award of a letter jacket which signifies their accomplishment. The awards will be paid for by donations to a non-profit organization. Donors are being asked to make a three year commitment in order to ensure that this worthwhile endeavor becomes a tradition in Wyoming. The total expense for the awards is $5,600.00. The following donor levels have been established with corresponding levels of recognition; Grand Donor; the person or entity which donates the highest amount over three years. This donor will be featured during the week before the State Tournament on our web site with both marketing opportunities and a write up about this donor and their interest in wrestling. They will also be mentioned in any news releases regarding the two teams and will be featured in our Sponsor section on the web site for twelve months. Once a donor has made a commitment, they will be informed of any donors who exceed their contribution so that they will have an opportunity to increase their own donation until February 15. Platinum Donor; $1,500 or more. These donors will be featured on a rotating basis during the week before the Regional Tournaments on our web site with both marketing opportunities and a write up about this donor and their interest in wrestling. They will also be mentioned in any news releases regarding the two teams and will be featured in our Sponsor section on the web site for nine months. Gold Donor; $1,000 or more. These donors will be featured during the week after the State Tournament on our web site with both marketing opportunities and a write up about this donor and their interest in wrestling. They will also be mentioned in any news releases regarding the two teams and will be featured in our Sponsor section on the web site for six months. Silver Donor; $500 or more. These donors will be mentioned in any news releases regarding the two teams and will be featured in our Sponsor section on the web site for three months. Since WyoWrestling.com is not a 501C3, all donations will be made to Camel Kids Wrestling who has graciously allowed us to use their entity to ensure that your donations are tax exempt. Camel Kids Wrestling will disburse payment for the awards and the awards will be given to the recipients at the conclusion of the State Tournament. If you are interested in donating, please contact John Bear prior to 15 February 2010 to make arrangements for your contribution. Thank you for your interest in Wrestling in Wyoming. Sincerely, John Bear Editor 307-670-1130 Hatley's Heathens 1-27-10By Joe Hatley27 January, 2010
1. Andy McCulley OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!!! Yep, that’s what Andy’s foes are saying and that is about how many OW’s (Outstanding Wrestler) awards he has earned thus far this year. No, way, no how, do I say it is over. (It might be though?) In wrestling it is NEVER over, until it is over. (Sorry Yogi, not trying to steal your quote, or misquote either). I just have a hard time believing there is a 152 pound wrestler on our side of the Rockies that can keep up with Andy. Prove me wrong I guess… 2. Taylor Bear Unbeaten, and virtually unscored on. Taylor has conquered all tourneys so far and with the exception of OW’s he has mimicked Andy. Bear has been UNBEARABLE for all opponents so far, and soon he will have some new wrestlers to tangle with at the Thon. 3. Leandro Arias Leandro faced a multi-national champ and ( #2 AWN ranked in the USA) in Louis Trujillo and he lost 5-2, at the Top of the Rockies. Hmmmm? Most of you are saying, “So why is Hatley putting him at #3 on his list?” “He lost…” Well folks, Leandro wrestled the best kid in the Centaurus gym and he kept it close. Leandro is a cool customer with excellent mat awareness and a ability to score when it doesn’t look as if he can. That’s worth a lot and he has only one loss… 4. Tommy Thoman Mr. Thoman WON the TOR and that is IMPRESSIVE. Thoman has momentum at the 189 class and he has shown that regionally he is to be reckoned with. 5. Leland Pfeifer With a couple of state titles under his arm, and the heads of his opponents under his other arm, Leland is PFOLDING up his competiton. LOL. At the Ron Thon, his legend will grow, or diminish once he gets some competition that HASN’T got a chance to see him. Leland is undefeated and has pinned all but one. I spoke with Leland and he is genuinely nice. Not nice on the mat, but he is nice off. 6. Austin Breckenridge Slipping a bit, but not because his performance has been bad, the guys above Austin, frankly are just on a bigger roll. Austin was 2nd at the TOR and lost to a good opponent, ( Jacob Snider ranked AWN #5 in the country) Breck is tough, and I can tell that kids don’t want to wrestle him because they don’t have a clue what he will attempt next. (Neither do I !) 7. Pierre Etchemendy Ok, so Pierre has won and won and won. He has a forfeit due to injury to Hayden Jones. The 171 3A weight class has become the empty corral that I hinted at. What else is there to say? Oh, John Bear disagrees with me. One week John…One week. 8. Lance Hladky Being tough, means something to me. Winning everytime I watch him wrestle works well too. Lance is what I would call a “Goer”, always on the “GO” and doesn’t hang on to leads. He makes them bigger. I like that… 9. Mike Hill Winning tourneys and doing it almost effortlessly is worth #9 on my list. Mike is so ATHLETIC and quick. Hill is back on my list. Our entire state would LOVE to see him at the THON…ME TOO! 10. Gosh darn it… Here is where it gets tricky for me. Brodey Serres has one loss and I watched the vid with both guys present. Juan Rodriguez and Brodey actually gave me commentary. It was a neat moment and I think it is cool that they get along so well. Juan and Brodey, you 2 yahoos will share the #10 slot this week. Great kids and darn good wrestlers. My soft side shows up and that is they way it wll be… Close and pinging my radar… Both Osbons…You know who you are….LOL Auston Carter He has issues and I am understanding of them. Wes Ridgway I need to see you wrestle…sorry, it’s geographical. Ryne Baier Show me you can handle a good top guy and you are in. Riley Dawson Much improved over last year, you are almost there…can you say Fargo camp? T.J. Guild, Brady Turnbull, Ab Brown, Hayden Jones, Dillon Karajanis, Mark Harris, Mario Luna, Kussy, Poloncic, Cress, MY, MY MY, you are cresting the rankings horizon. Keep on , keeping on. That is it. Joe Challenging you to make wrestling better. Big Weekend of Home Duals for UWBy Aaron Voos25 January, 2010
With last week off from competition, but while still maintaining a diffi cult training schedule, the Cowboys have been prepping for their biggest home weekend of the season when they host Oklahoma State this Friday, and then on Saturday will wrestle Western Wrestling Confernce foes Utah Valley and Northern Iowa in Laramie. On Friday, Jan. 29, a large crowd is expected when the ‘Pokes host No. 4-ranked Oklahoma State. In anticipation of the increased number of fans, the Cowboy vs. Cowboy match-up will take place in the Arena-Auditorium, beginning at 7 p.m. The event is presented by Your Local Ford Stores. The last time Wyoming Wrestling hosted an event in the AA was the 2006 NCAA West Regional Tournament on March 5 of that year. The last dual hosted in the spacious facility was Dec. 9, 1995 when the Cowboys took on the Northern Colorado Bears, winning 24-15. UW’s busy weekend continues on Saturday, Jan. 30 when they host a full day of Western Wrestling Conference duals. The fi rst WWC dual of the day will feature a nuetral-mat match, with the Utah Valley Wolverines against the Northern Iowa Panthers at 2 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Next, the ‘Pokes will face Utah Valley at 4 p.m., followed immediately by a match-up with the defending West Regional champions, UNI, at approximately 5:30 p.m. Tickets for each day will be $5 for adults and $3 for youth. UW students can gain free admission with a valid ID. On Saturday, doors will open at 1 p.m. and one ticket on that day will gain entrance for all three dual match-ups. Additionally, a ticket from Saturday’s women’s basketball game between Wyoming and Air Force, at 2 p.m. in the AA, will gain free admittance to that day’s wrestling duals. For these three upcoming duals, all tickets are General Admission and OSU tickets are being presold. Thoman Man-handles Competition at Top of the Rockies.By Darren Heslep25 January, 2010
Tommy Thoman senior 189 pounders led his short handed team to a 22 place at the Top of the Rockies Wrestling tournament in Lafayette Colorado. This Event attracts many teams from Colorado as well as several from Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Kansas, Texas, and Nebraska. Junior Brady Turnbull also had a good showing with a 4th place finish. Individual Results: 130 Mark Harris W 7-1 Burns of Brighton CO W 4-2 Godin of Grandview CO L 11-8 Rodrigues of Grand Island NE W 2-1 Rosalas of Pomona CO L 4-3 Babcock of Broomfield CO This was one of the premier weight classes in the event. There were multiple state champions in this weight class and many returning state place winners represented included was the #5 ranked kid in the country from Rio Rancho New Mexico. 140 Brady Turnbull (4th Place) WBF Blakely of Montezuma Cortez CO WBF Olson of Ponderosa CO L-7-2 semifinals to Hummelman of Conifer CO W 2-1 Legino of Roosevelt CO L 4-2 Delgado of Centaurus CO This was another great weight class with some great competitors including the undefeated Hummelman who was a USA Fargo Jr. National All-American. 189 Tommy Thoman (1st Place) WBF Jackson of Brighton CO WBF Sparks of Grand Junction Central CO WBF Good of Ponderosa CO W 9-3 Taylor of Grand Island NE Doggedly Determined at the DoggerBy Joe Hatley24 January, 2010
Having the opportunity to watch some good wrestling at a tournament 10 minutes from my house was too much for me to resist. I went west 10 miles as opposed to 390 miles as I had the previous weekend. The 2A guys needed a look anyhow. I alluded to possibly going to the Top of the Rockies but decided that my sources would keep me abreast of the wrestling down there, so I went to the thriving metropolis of LINGLE, WYOMING.
I normally would say that when a #2 ranked wrestler (Garrett Traylor, Moorcroft (145) meets a #4 ranked wrestler (James Montez, Hanna (152) there will be some action and the match will be close and well, #2 will beat #4. Of course in a perfect rankings world that would happen.
NOPE! Not even close. That is why we wrestle those matches. The best match of the tournament, and a top 3 match I have watched this year. I have watched Montez for a few years now at out of state tourneys and knew what he brought to the table and Traylor has been on an upward swing with a big win on Thursday over Juan Rodriguez.
So the table was set for some good home cooking and I was served one heck of a match! Traylor was up on Montez 9-6 with some time left in the 3rd period when Montez reversed and put Garrett to his back to go up 11-9 (here is where it gets foggy…I didn’t have time to write notes! The action was too hot and heavy! ) the next flurry had Montez on his back for only a 2 count and the score went 13-10. An escape and takedown in the closing seconds knotted the score at 13 to send it to OT. In OT, Traylor got both hooks in but James used his double over and threw Garrett to his back for the pin.
Hat’s Off Award this week goes to both of these young men.
Garrett Bietz was the hustle award winner for the tournament as he scored 23 points in his final over Tom Stockwell. Stockwell initially looked as if he was going to be the victor as he scored a couple of takedowns and scrambled well to keep it close for a period and a half. This match had more reversals than a 5 year old with a reversible jacket. (Do they still make those anymore?) Bietz obviously was just a motor on idle as he finally got into gear and scored and scored and scored.
Shawn Nagel from Kimball, Nebraska rolled into Lingle with 2 state titles and a 133-3 record. He left with a 137-3 record and a Dogger Invite title. Baily Hepp looked a bit smaller but wrestled hard.
140
Brodey Serres has settled into a weight class and nobody I saw this weekend at 140 can match Serres move for move on his feet. Brodey pinned all but his finals opponent(Trendon Hinton) who forfeited due to injury. Trendon had a 30-0 record and I know that most, if not all, wanted to see the final. Injuries just plain stink! Get well Trendon!
145
Rodriguez and Montez battled to a 12-7 score with almost as much action as the Montez-Traylor match. Rodriguez stayed low the last portion of the match and won. Juan and I talked several times during the tournament and I was impressed with him. Good kid.
152
Lance Hladky earned a career milestone Saturday, with his 100th win in the finals over Garrett Haberman 18-2. (Was there a $$$ bonus given out say, 15-18 years ago, on the name GARRETT? 3 kids today!!!) Congrats to you Lance! Hladky is real solid right now.
R.J. Olson had a lead and was cruising to the Dogger Invite title 8-3 in the 3rd period, when lo’ and behold, Jesse Duncan shot a double leg took him down. With the score 8-5, R.J. thought he had better go in for the kill and Duncan headlocked and pinned to snatch the title away.
Ryne Baier is a friendly sort of feller. He is a little short, but at 171, he walks tall. The word is out that Ryne likes doing his wrestling via airmail. All of his opponents, including Holden Fauber, know this. The problem is it is virtually impossible to not get a airmail drop when wrestling Baier. Holden Fauber gave a great effort and looked to be close to scoring…Not quite close enough. Baier got the throw and pin.
The Ron Thon is looming on the horizon and several 171 packages could soon be in the mail! LIKE I ALWAYS SAY… ”Either learn Greco and Freestyle or get beat by it!!!”
As rankings editor I sometimes scratch my head and wonder how some weights are seemingly a merry-go-round of wins and losses. Take 189 for example. Thurston who just arrived at 189 this week after being ranked 2nd at 171 looked to maybe be the favorite at 189. After Ace loses to Hayden Davidson from Saratoga in the semis I thought OK, Davidson is the number 1 guy at 189 anyway, so I am right. NOPE. Ethan Dirks the number 4 dude steps up and beats Davidson 4-3 in the finals….
Can you see why I am going bald at far greater rate than I am suppose to?
215 Leland Pfeifer He makes my job easier. He pins them all. His opponent Todd Baker of Burns had a great semi-final match with Travis Willey of Bayard, Ne. Baker is on the radar screen…
285
Mike Hill and Taylen Arnett
Athletic heavys are not a dime a dozen. Ask any high school coach how rare they really are. They will say they happen about as often as an eclipse.
Now ask that same question to a SMALL school coach. He will roll his eyes and tell you that the last time he had one was back in 69’ or some time approximate to that…
Lingle has 2. Two. Dos. Double. Deuce.
What a problem to have. Mike and Taylen wrestle each other 5 days a week and once on Saturday. They do it each and every week. (I think they have met each other, in every final, at every tourney, this year).
Kinda like a daily multivitamin…
Unlike a multivitamin I fear the benefits aren’t going to be there much longer.
So, as you would expect the match was a little slow. The 3rd period had some action and Hill pinned Arnett at the 5:34 mark.
Wrapping up my commentary on the Dogger Invite will not be as flashy as Hanna’s Rylie Richardson’s socks, which, by the way, were white and black barbershop spirals that went to his knees. Not EVEN CLOSE!!! I liked your socks Rylie, you have style…
My closing will actually be similar to the introductions that preceded the finals. (I LOVED THEM!!!). The announcer, (Larry?) From Wright read a quip from each finalist and some were cocky and some were funny.
Mike Hill said he loved his gal…AHHHH so sweet..! Somebody said they dumped their girl. Poor girls…both of em’ Just joking Mike!
No, I am not that witty. What I can tell you is that the Dogger Invite was well ran, (Out at 3:30) and I was extended every courtesy and opportunity to cover the event. I appreciated the help and the hospitality room. There will be some ranking shakeups and I gather that most are aware of us now. As people become familiar with the website it is imperative to use the tools we have in place to help YOU enjoy the sport more.
Joe
Challenging you to make wrestling better.
19 High School Wrestlers From Wyoming HonoredBy John Bear21 January, 2010
Wrestling USA magazine ranked 19 Wyoming High School Wrestlers in their latest pole. Freshmen and Sophomores Taylor Bear, 10, (Campbell County, WY) Special Mention @ 112# T.J. Guild, 10, (Star Valley, WY) Special Mention @ 119# Lane Read, 10, (Douglas, WY) Special Mention @ 140# Juniors Austin Breckenridge (Cheyenne Central, WY) #10 @ 145# Brodey Serres (Lingle-Fort Laramie, WY) #27 @ 140# Trent Boner (Douglas, WY) #28 @ 189# Brady Turnbull (Green River, WY) #29 @ 140# Leandro Arias (Cheyenne Central, WY) #30 @ 130# Jared Leithead (Worland, WY) Special Mention @ 119# Thomas Carr (Torrington, WY) Special Mention @ 125# J.R. Collins (Wright, WY) Special Mention @ 130# Trevor Goss (Sheridan, WY) Special Mention @ 140# Jace Jensen (Buffalo, WY) Special Mention @ 171# Seniors Andy McCulley (Rock Springs, WY) #22 @ 152# Kalen Hill (Cokeville, WY) Special Mention @ 119# Jorden Osbon (Worland, WY) Special Mention @ 130# Pierre Etchemendy (Douglas, WY) Special Mention @ 171# Leland Pfeifer (Hulett, WY) Special Mention @ 215# Mike Hill (Lingle-Fort Laramie, WY) Special Mention @ 285# Bear's Brawlers 01/20/2010By John Bear20 January, 2010
103 Jay Stine WORL (10) Honorable Mention(HM): Cody Vichi BIGP (10) 112 Taylor Bear CCHS (10) HM: Mario Luna GRHS (11) 119 T.J. Guild SVHS (10) HM: Max Vichi BPHS (12) 125 Hayden Heap SVHS (12) HM: Jorden Osbon WORL (12) 130 Leandro Arias CENT (11) HM: Mark Harris GRHS (12) 135 Brodey Serres LING (11) HM: Matt Osbon WORL (12) 140 J.R. Verzain ROCK (12) HM: Brady Turnbull GRHS (11) 145 Austin Breckenridge CENT (11) HM: Auston Carter POWE (12) 152 Andy McCulley RSHS (12) HM: Lance Hladky NIOB (11) 160 Ab Brown NCHS (11) HM: Shawn Seppala EVAN (11) 171 Ryne Baier HULE (10) HM: Pierre Etchemendy DOUG (12) 189 Tommy Thoman GRHS (12) HM: Alex Coolidge CCHS (12) 215 Leland Pfieffer HULE (12) HM: Wes Ridgeway GREY (11) 285 Mike Hill LING (12) HM: Ryley Dawson RAWL (12) Dropping 10 to Elevate 16By Joe Hatley20 January, 2010
On my 3rd, or maybe it was my 4th time running back from the Green River Rec center my inability to catch my breath, hold onto my notepad and see where I was running had finally got the best of me. I slipped on the ice and snow did a moderate splits…not a full gymnastic style splits but a 44 year old fat man version complete with 35 degree separation of my legs. Yes it really was that much!!! Nadia would have been proud!!! (You little whippersnappers don’t remember Nadia, an Olympic gold medalist. Just ask your parents for clarification.) Anyway, I grunted and said some choice golfing words and continued on to the Green River high school gym assuring myself that running back and forth was for the betterment of Wyoming wrestling, and even for me, as I surely stood to lose 10 pounds. Not sure if I lost 10 pounds on my back and forth travels but I figure these kids hustle for the sport, I can hustle for them…
What a classy tournament the Bill Thoman Jr. Memorial Wrestling Tournament was! From finals singlets for each and every finalist in the Best of the Best tournament, to the site itself, the Thoman was top flight.
The presentation of flowers by Tommy Thoman to his Grandma was a nice touch and it appeared by the standing ovation that I wasn’t the only one that thought that way.
Tommy gave her another gift by pinning his opponent in the Best of the Best dual at the end of the tournament. Cool all the way around.
In a dual tournament, I have to tell you, I scramble more to catch up to matches than at an individual tournament. I want to see the important duals but I also must get to watch individual matches. Some great kids wrestle on weak teams and that means I’ve got to be moving to keep up with it all.
Fortunately, I was lucky that I caught most of the wild action. For example, I ran in during the Green River and Cheyenne Central dual to see Austin Breckenridge losing 7-4, and on his back, with Kolby Kester squeezing and praying that it would be his day to shine. ALMOST, but not quite. Breckenridge escaped and promptly threw Kester to his back and pinned him. Don’t worry Kolby, I moved you up the rankings! Kester impressed me later by winning the Best of the Best (BoB) 10-7 throwing with reckless abandon against Griffiths of Moffat Co. CO. The absence of Breck was due to injury. He will be back for the TOR.
Best of the BEST?
103
Jay Stine impressed me this weekend and the reports I had on the young chap were correct. He is one tough bugger. He crushed the competition all weekend pinning each and every opponent before the 3rd period. In the BoB he won 8-7 over Hawthorn of Vista Ridge CO.
112
Mario Luna proved that he is plenty man enough to swim in the 112 lb fish tank. He stuck Devon Godeski in 1:23
119
Jared Leithead met up with Colby Christensen a Junior Nationals (VA. Beach) runner- up from Uintah UT. For a while it looked as though Leithead was going to use his length in a long extended switch position to go up on Christensen, but the Uintah wrestler held Leithead off. Jared kept it close, (5-2 in 3rd per.) before succumbing to a flurry of tilts and eventual pin.
130
Leandro Arias looked bored as he attempted Lazy Man after Lazy Man before eventually completing the move, and pinning Larry Schmeuser. from Rifle CO. Arias wants to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke at the TOR. If he wins that tourney, this year, his name will be in lights for sure… Can you say Louis Trujillo?
135
Matt Osbon is good and he has been through the fire of a great schedule that coach Barent has put together, BUT, Damon Mele was better on this day. Mele wins by fall. Great effort by Matt to stay in the match.
140
Brady Turnbull’s offense disappeared on the last match, of the last day of the tournament. James Martinez of Rifle CO. stayed out of harm’s way and Brady couldn’t score. Martinez 3-0
145
I told you folks already about that Kester lad earlier…
152
Tyler Smart and Scott Verner attempted plenty of moves, but the score showed a match score of 4-2. Smart has improved. Verner is scrappy.
160
Dustin Finnerty vs. Shawn Seppala Shawn was solid all weekend and he was solid for 2 periods before Finnerty used the ol’ Bulldog on him and got the pin. Not sure if these 2 ever wrestled again that the pace of the match would ever change.
171
Etchemendy won. Schlager was in on a shot. Etchemendy got the fall.
189
Tommy Thoman pins Avery Montenez
Thoman “Two Tone” Thoman dominated from the first tweet of the whistle until the tweet to signal the ending pin. (Get it?) Oh, maybe it should be Two Tweet… NO, then all the girls would want him, (Get it, AGAIN?) Two Tweet…(too sweet). Sorry Tommy, I got carried away there. You, my man, are one heck of a wrestler and a nice kid. Giving flowers away and winning your namesake’s tourney gets you a Hatley’s Hat’s Off Award.
215
Saabedraaaaaaa pins Vermillion. That long Saabedraaaaa thing is my own doing. I just think it sounds cool. Saabedra got it done.
285
Shepley pins Edwards. Shepley looked another weight class bigger…That’s right, there is NOT another weight class. It seemed as if he SHOULD have been in another weight class.
Not sure how the Bill Thoman Memorial Tournament invites the teams there, but I will ride the shirt tails of whoever goes next year to see this one again. Great tournament, nice folks, and WHAT AWESOME WRESTLING!
No, I didn’t forget.
The Green River and Cheyenne Central dual was the dual of duals this year. The score after the smoke cleared was 37-37.
After 20 minutes, 5 officials, 2 scorers and numerous other experts it was determined that the Green River Wolves won on criteria H in the scoring table in the rule book. (You look it up at your leisure please).
The dual was stupendous, fantastic, awesome, and fun. Did I mention that I missed the Arias-Harris match? (Arias 2-0) I was watching my son at THE OTHER GYM when that match was going on. (Remember all of that running?) Anyway, I got back to watch 2 strong teams get it on. Green River’s team on paper looked a tad weaker than CC. Guess not. I would go through it match by match but it wouldn’t be sufficient.
Many said afterwards that if these 2 teams were to wrestle again the result could and would be different. Most were in agreement that it, more than likely, would be 50-50. I agree.
That’s it for this week.
There were 16 teams at the Thoman this weekend. And I chased em’ all down!!! Hence my opening line…”Dropping 10 to elevate 16.” Got it? GOOD!!!
Joe
Challenging you to make wrestling better.
Worland on the Records PageBy John Bear19 January, 2010 Spencer Condie has provided the Worland State Champion data and it is posted on the Records Page. There is also a picture of the 1986 Championship team on the Home and Photo Album pages. Please check out this great wealth of information on one of the great teams from this state. If you like what you see, let Spencer know when you see him at one of the tournaments this year. UW 29 - NU 10By Aaron Voos17 January, 2010
Wyoming Wrestling Knocks Off No. 25 Nebraska, 29-10 LINCOLN, Neb. (Jan. 17, 2010) – On Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, the University of Wyoming wrestling team took the fight to the home team and beat the No. 25-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers by an impressive 19-point margin, 29-10. Wyoming (WYO) 29, No. 25 Nebraska (NU) 10 Team Score Wyoming Wrestling Rolls in WWC Opener, 33-6 over Northern ColoradoBy Aaron Voos16 January, 2010
The Cowboys get bonus-point wins from Joe LeBlanc, Shane Onufer and Brock Smith. LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 15, 2010) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team started their Western Wrestling Conference dual season with a bang on Friday night in Laramie, as they soundly defeated the Northern Colorado Bears by a score of 33-6. The ‘Pokes won seven of nine bouts that were wrestled and did not give up an offensive point to their league opponent until the seventh match of the evening. UW had three bonus-point victories to begin the dual and then won by forfeit at 197 pounds, giving themselves a huge cushion they would never relinquish. With the win, Wyoming improves their dual mark to 5-2 overall, 1-0 in the WWC, while Northern Colorado falls to 1-9 and 0-1. “We knew that the lower weights would be tougher matches tonight, so that is why we started out at 165 pounds,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “That was a good weight for us to start at and our upper weight classes really gave us some momentum for the remainder of the dual. “We trained hard this last week and I did not expect us to be at our best physically tonight, but I did expect us to be on top of our game mentally. I saw some good things and now we just need to go back, clean a few things up and fix the little stuff. We need to continue to chain wrestle and put multiple moves together.” There were multiple story-lines for the Cowboys against the Bears, including a technical fall win by No. 9-ranked Shane Onufer to kick-off the dual at 165, a major decision by Brock Smith at 174 pounds, a fall from No. 6-ranked All-American Joe LeBlanc at 184, a gritty decision by Alfonso Hernandez at heavyweight, a three-overtime decision by No. 11 Michael Martinez in the 125-pound weight class, as well as shut-out wins by Cory VomBaur (133) and Cole Dallaserra (149). Wyoming was off and running after reigning WWC Wrestler of the Week Onufer racked up seven takedowns in his 19-4 technical fall win over Kevin O’Brien at 165 pounds. He now owns an overall record of 17-4, with 11 bonus-point wins. Brock Smith kept lighting up UW’s side of the scoreboard in the 174-pound bout with an aggressive 14-2 major decision over Patrick Prentice. Smith has a 3-1 dual record for the ‘Pokes and an overall mark of 16-8. Sophomore sensation LeBlanc did not disappoint the home crowd at the 184-pound level, as he pinned Eric Brennan at 5:33. At the time of the fall, LeBlanc led 12-2 and had over four minutes in riding time. The win was No. 70 of his young, two-year career. He now has an overall record this season of 25-3, 7-0 in duals. It was LeBlanc’s eighth pin of the season, the 15th of his career. Of his 25 wins this year, 20 have come by bonus-point margin. Redshirt freshman L.J. Helbig received a forfeit from UNCo. at 197 pounds, which gave UW a 21-0 team lead. Wrestling up in weight to fill UW’s void at heavyweight, Hernandez then gave a valiant effort to beat the much larger Justin Tuell of Northern Colorado by a score of 3-2. He was the aggressor all match and his approach finally paid off in the third period when Tuell was twice penalized points for locking his hands in an effort to keep Hernandez from escaping. The lightweight bout was a rematch of last season’s West Regional finals match-up between Martinez and the Bears’ Tony Mustari. A riding-time point by Mustari sent the match into extra time, but an escape and subsequent takedown by Martinez in the second overtime, followed by Martinez staying on top for the entire third OT, sealed the match 6-3 in UW’s favor. It was the UW sophomore’s first match back in action since December, after some academic issues kept him out of the last two duals. Martinez now has an overall record of 21-5. “Win or lose, Michael (Martinez) is going to come out and battle,” Branch added. “He was not happy with his match, but he did keep after it and got a good win. It was good to have him back.” At 133 pounds, VomBaur tilted a low-scoring affair in his favor by riding Casey Cruz for the entire second period, then gaining three points in the last period via escape, penalty and riding time. The 3-0 win by the UW senior avenged a loss to Cruz earlier this season at the Cowboy Open. UW’s Chase Smith could not do much with No. 20-ranked Kenny Hashimoto of UNCo. at 141 pounds and lost 9-2. However, Dallaserra followed with a 5-0 blanking of Justin Gonzalez at 149 pounds to get his team an additional three points. Dallaserra is now 15-8 this season, 4-2 in duals. The last match of the evening saw UW freshman Jimmy Belleville shrug off his redshirt season at 157 pounds and give Justin Gaethje all he could handle in a close 6-4 loss. It was Belleville’s first varsity action for the ‘Pokes, but after competing the previous portion of the season unattached he does have an impressive 23-4 overall record. Following this home dual, and for the second week in a row, UW will now immediately head out on the road, traveling east on I-80 to face the No. 25-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 1 p.m. (MT). Wyoming (WYO) 33, Northern Colorado (UNCo) 6 Team Score 165 pounds - No. 9 Shane Onufer (WYO) by technical fall (5) over Kevin O’Brien (UNCo), 7:00, 19-4 5-0 WYO 174 pounds - Brock Smith (WYO) by major decision over Patrick Prentice (UNCo), 14-2 9-0 WYO 184 pounds - No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (WYO) by fall over Eric Brennan (UNCo), 5:33 15-0 WYO 197 pounds - L.J. Helbig (WYO) by forfeit 21-0 WYO Hwt. (285) - Alfonso Hernandez (WYO) by decision over Justin Tuell (UNCo), 3-2 24-0 WYO 125 pounds - No. 11 Michael Martinez by decision (3OT) over Tony Mustari (UNCo), 6-3 27-0 WYO 133 pounds - Cory VomBaur (WYO) by decision over Casey Cruz (UNCo), 3-0 30-0 WYO 141 pounds - No. 20 Kenny Hashimoto (UNCo) by decision over Chase Smith (WYO), 9-2 30-3 WYO 149 pounds - Cole Dallaserra (WYO) by decision over Justin Gonzales (UNCo), 5-0 33-3 WYO 157 pounds - Justin Gaethje (UNCo) by decision over Jimmy Belleville (WYO), 6-4 33-6 WYO Hatley's Heathens Week 5By Joe Hatley14 January, 2010
1. Andy McCulley
Andy solidified his position at the top of HH’s for another week. Winning the Vernal tournament and beating a quality opponent in Raider Lofthouse proves that Andy has what it takes to be a state champ in this state and I believe he should be nationally ranked. McCulley had better watch out for the cement truck as it is backing up to pour concrete around him and cement him in for the remainder of the year...
2. Leandro Arias
Hard to argue 20 pins out of 24 matches and Lee seems to make it look so darn easy. Arias won the UNC tourney a few weeks ago, went to Florida, won there and pinned all at the Shatto. Arias was a counter specialist but now has developed some offense and he is a leach on top. Leandro needs to be pushed hard in a match to show me if he can close the deal when the heat is on.
3. Taylor Bear
It sure seems to me that Bear has nibbled all of the berries that are here on the Eastern side of Wyoming, and our neighboring states for that matter…Who on the Western side wants to be gnawed on? Taylor has the steadfastness and determination this year to repeat as a state champ it appears. Maybe a bump up to test the waters? Or maybe we all have to wait for the rematch of last year’s final?
4. Austin Breckenridge
There is a saying in the biker world that goes something like this, “Straight up, but sideways!” It means pin the throttle, keep the bike upright and push the bike just to the verge of wrecking it. That is how Breckenridge wrestles and so far he only has one loss to prove that it doesn’t work all the time. Austin is leading the pack at 145 and he is daring all to keep up…
5. Tommy Thoman
Speaking of west, Tommy Thoman is roaming large and in charge in that neck of the woods. Thoman wins Vernal in a strong bracket. Thoman’s tournament schedule has been significant with his only loss in the Warrior Classic in Grand Junction, CO. I will see TT wrestle this weekend and will report accordingly…
6. Pierre Etchemendy
Pierre has met the challenge each and every time this year and he hasn’t had it easy. Coming off injury, Etch didn’t miss a beat at the Shatto, winning the tournament and co-OW. I see some scrambling in some of the adjoining weight classes as wrestlers try to find a softer spot to land…
7. Leland Pfeiffer
Watching Leland mash the competition at the Lusk invite I was interested but maybe not impressed. Everyone had been telling me that Pfeiffer was the real deal I just didn’t see anyone seem to give him a match. As the results have come in, it is apparent Leland just doesn’t give his foes a chance to give him a match.
8. Lance Hladky
Beating Falkenberg in his home gym is a strong statement that Lance has arrived. Hladky must stay focused and not let one win in January define his season. The tools are there, and rolling around with scramble artist Ace Thurston seems to be working…
9. Savoy Bell
Finishing strong in tourneys turns my head. Finishing in the top slot ahead of Harris and beating a stud like Papachek from Roosevelt is worthy of recognition. Good job Savoy!
10. Matt Osbon (Please tell me I spelled it right!...lol)
Matt has 4 losses according to my stat man John Bear and I frankly can’t believe it. Osbon has performed exceptional in the toughest tourneys and has competed well. I see that Matt has wrestled tough and been solid throughout the year. Worland’s schedule has been the toughest in 3A and Matt and his teammates are the beneficiaries. By the way Matt’s brother Jorden has been making waves as well.
The lads that were soooo close to making it.
Brodey Serres
I left Brodey off my last list inadvertently 2 weeks ago and nobody called me on it. Were you all sleepin’? Now that Brodey has a loss (a bump up 2 weight classes) to a very good Juan Rodriguez who is now close to cracking the HH list himself, people are commenting. Brodey and Juan are 2 big fish in the 2A ranks.
Wes Ridgway
At 215, Pfeiffer casts a big shadow, but Wes is undefeated and we are awaiting the inevitable match of 1 vs. 2 for bragging rights…
Mike Hill
King of the Hill. Winning easy, and not in danger of getting toppled off his perch. We all would love to see the match-ups between Wes, Leland and Mike but it only happens if Leland and Wes go up.
Ryne Baier
A Baier with a different spelling, but Ryne wrestles like the Bear who wrestles like a bear. Did you catch that? Ryne the SD. transplant has one early loss in his season but has been rolling strong since.
Brode Bullington
The Lander returning state champ has performed admirably. Brode is picking up speed and is wrestling well enough to be in consideration as a front runner for another title.
Jay Stine
Stine’s name has been floating at the top of brackets all year long. Making it to several semi final and final matches in arguably the toughest schedule a high school team has this year, Jay must be mentioned. As the only wrestler to have scored an offensive point on Taylor Bear he shows he has what it takes to be a champ this year.
As the season reaches the halfway mark, I feel that several kids are making a case to get on here but their schedule and level of competition is what holds them back. I take pride in identifying good talent but this is one BIG state and I will miss one or two occasionally. Understand that I am still learning who is who throughout the state. I will be at the Thoman this weekend in Green River and I will get to watch our Western boys. I am fired up to see ‘em !!!
One last note, this list is a pound for pound list. The wrestlers that are here are the best that I know of, POUND FOR POUND.
Challenging you to make wrestling better,
Joe
Wyoming’s Shane Onufer Named WWC Wrestler of the WeekBy Aaron Voos12 January, 2010
Wyoming’s Shane Onufer Named WWC Wrestler of the Week LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 12, 2010) – Wyoming sophomore 165-pounder Shane Onufer (Auburn, Wash./Auburn HS) has been named the Western Wrestling Conference's Wrestler of the Week as announced today by the league. After missing a month due to a knee injury, No. 9-ranked Onufer was back in the Cowboy lineup last week at 165 pounds and won both his matches in dominating fashion against North Carolina State and Oregon State. Against the Wolfpack, Onufer set the tone for an 11-point team comeback win by sticking Ray Ward to the mat at 4:35 in the second period of their match. The win by fall was his fifth this season and 19th of his two-year career. Onufer controlled the match from the start and led 9-2 at the time of his pin, thanks to three takedowns, a two-point nearfall and an escape. Against the No. 24-ranked Beavers, Onufer earned a 12-4 major decision over Dan Brascetta, his fifth decision by eight or more points this season. He now has a 16-4 overall record this season. The weekly league honor for Onufer is his second this season, the other coming on Dec. 8, and the third of his career. The Western Wrestling Conference is comprised of seven schools including the Air Force Academy, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Utah Valley and Wyoming. Other Nominees: North Dakota State - Tyler Johnson, So., 165 pounds, Bismarck, N.D. (Bismarck HS) Northern Colorado - Justin Gonzales, Fr., 149 pounds, Greeley, Colo. (Northridge HS) Northern Iowa - Terrance Young, Jr., 125 pounds, Minneapolis, Minn. (Iowa Central CC) Utah Valley - Jeb Clark, Jr., 165 pounds, Spanish Fork, Utah (Spanish Fork HS) Northern Colorado and Nebraska Duals:By Aaron Voos12 January, 2010
The Cowboys will return home to the UniWyo Sports Complex in Laramie this Friday, Jan. 15, for a big Western Wrestling Conference dual against much-improved rival Northern Colorado. The match will begin at 7 p.m. While the ‘Pokes are 4-2 in duals this year, the Bears are a deceiving 1-8. UNCo. has very good talent at the 125-pound weight class with three-time NCAA qualifi er, senior Tony Mustari; at the 141- pound level with 2007 NCAA qualifier, senior Kenny Hashimoto; and at 157 pounds where junior Justin Gaethje has been in and out of the national rankings all season. Hashimoto has been injured during the past month and is questionable for the dual. This will be the 74th meeting between the two Front Range wrestling squads, which is the most against any opponent for the UW program. Wyoming leads the all time series 43-29-1. The last time the two teams matched up was Feb. 25, 009, in Greeley. The Cowboys narrowly escaped with a 21-15 win. The Bears placed third (70 points) at the 2009 West regional/WWC Tournament, while the ‘Pokes placed second (92.5). Common opponents for the Cowboys and Bears this season include Stanford and Oregon State. UW beat the Cardinal (25-9) and lost to the Beavers (28-8), while UNCo. fell to Stanford (34-5) and also lost to Oregon State (48-0). Following that home dual, and for the second week in a row, UW will immediately head out on the road, traveling east on I-80 to face the No. 15-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, on Sunday, Jan. 17, at 1 p.m. (MT).NU has struggled a bit lately and their dual record has dropped to 8-5. The Huskers lost this last weekend at the NWCA National Duals to No. 1 Iowa (33-3) and to Buffalo (18-17). Still a very talented team, Nebraska is led by No. 2-ranked senior Craig Brester at 197 pounds, No. 3-ranked senior Stephen Dwyer at 174, as well as No. 11 sophomore Tucker Lane at heavyweight. UW and NU have met 41 times on the wrestling mat, with Nebraska holding the series lead 28-13. The last meeting between the two schools was No. 9, 2007, in Laramie, when the No. 14-ranked Cornhuskers blanked the Cowboys by a score of 47-0. The lone common opponent for Wyoming and Nebraska so far this season has been North Carolina State, whom both teams defeated, UW by a score of 26-15 and NU by a margin of 31-10. The Cornhuskers have also beaten WWC schools North Dakota State (33-9) and South Dakota State (46-6) this season, both of whom the Cowboys have yet to wrestle. GRHS Varsity Wrestlers place 4th at Vernal TOCBy Darren Heslep11 January, 2010
Wolves Varsity Team traveled to Vernal Utah last weekend to compete in the Annual Vernal Tournament of Champions Wrestling Tournament. This event attracts teams from Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Individual Placers: Tommy Thoman at 189 1st place. Mario Luna at 112 3rd place. Mark Harris at 130 3rd place Scott Verner at 152 3rd place. Brady Turnbull at 140 4th Justin Verner at 103 5th place Jacob Flores at 135 5th place Luis Flores at 119 6th place Kolby Kester at 145 7th place Clay Allen Won 1 lost 2 Jorge Alatorre Won 1 lost 2 Cody Phillips injured We went to Vernal and all wrestlers entered into the varsity division bracket. This was great experience for our kids. Those who did not make it to the 2nd day of competition within the double elimination bracket were put into a “second chance” bracket with other kids with similar abilities. The second chance bracket was designed to get younger, experienced wrestlers matches with other wrestlers with similar abilities. Something that we need to learn from this event is to compete for the entire match in an effort to outscore our opponent. We had kids lose matches that shut down trying to protect a lead. The only way a champion can protect their lead is to continue to compete with the same intensity for duration of match. We had some just wanting to keep it close and try to win with seconds left in the match. Those who do that often run out of time. Finally, our less experienced wrestlers need to use the things we have been working on in practice to help them succeed in matches. We have worked on fundamental techniques for every position and conditioning. We need to outwork our opponents in a continual battle to win the match. Many times, our wrestlers shut down if they get scored on and spend all of their effort not to get scored on again. Wrestlers can never win a match that way. All wrestlers need to understand the program’s expectations. We can not expect every wrestler to win every match. We do however, expect every wrestler to compete with the desire and intensity to compete in the efforts to win the match. That is something everyone can do. Two nozzles are better than one…or “As good as a double headed shower.”By Joe Hatley10 January, 2010
As I was watching the semi-final matches today…and they were on 3 mats ALL AT THE SAME TIME, at the Shane Shatto tournament in Douglas. I was thinking to myself that “Man, this tourney has too much going on with all of this semi-final action going on, how will I ever keep up with it?” I, at that exact moment, overheard a couple of nice looking ladies say, “Wow, these matches are all good right now, just like a double headed shower!!!” I laughed out loud and they asked, “Did you hear that?” I said, “Yeah and your right!!!” We all laughed and I told them that I would mention that they said it and, well, I did.The Shane Shatto is one of Wyoming’s crown jewel tournaments. It honors the late Shane Shatto. The Casey Uhlich Outstanding wrestler award is highly coveted by our state’s wrestlers. In memory of two special young men this tournament is held each year. This year’s tourney was not as tough as previous years overall, but there were several weight classes that were stacked and I will say that the competition was as one parent I overheard say, “Worth my 2-3 bucks I paid to get in here.”The 171 weight class, was without a doubt, the King of Kings today. With Etchemendy putting an exclamation mark on his number 2 Bear’s Brawlers ranking and causing me to rethink his position on Hatley’s Heathens as well. Pierre did have one hiccup today with a win over Ace Thurston only winning 3-2, but he blazed back with a 15-4 crunching of Hayden Jones. I see cracks in Pierre’s wrestling at times, but they are not enough to warrant a fissure strong enough for a defeat, yet.Jones’offense wasn’t horrible there just wasn’t enough of it. Hayden has been extraordinary on top this year, but Etch got off bottom and that was the difference today.Dustin Finnerty made his debut at the Shatto and he promptly beat Jensen from Buffalo 14-5 then he went on to pin Larson from Thermopolis. Finnerty then got cradled by Jones and stuck in the 3rd period. (I told you Jones was good on top!) Dustin wrestled a tall sophomore in Caleb Seghetti, who took advantage of some pressure and headlocked Finnerty for a 3rd place finish. Finnerty is a good wrestler, I think he still has some cobwebs to clear before we see his best stuff.Schlager a young man who I have known for quite some time, proved once again, that the sport of wrestling has 3 periods in it and to win, a wrestler has to wrestle ALL 3 PERIODS.Jensen, who has a couple wins against Schlager, a couple losses also, and finished behind Mitch at the Rapid City invite, has me scratching my head . His performance confuses me as much as Schlager’s does…I am not going to go through each and every weight class and its final. These are the highlights.103 Kussy didn’t panic and his experience won out with his OT win over Cress. Blaze, by the way, has now proven he isn’t a flash in the pan freshman. He is solid and he had the best slideby of the lightweights I saw all tourney. (Normally, I would say, of all of the tournament’s wrestlers…but Hladky’s was EXCEPTIONAL ALL TOURNAMENT)Cress was good and Kussy never quit. Good match.112 Materi loses to Buccieri from Cherokee Trail, Co. 8-2Buccieri scores from his feet and on top to win title. Hillhouse makes debut and loses to Buccieri by fall, getting caught in cradle. Then Josh cradles Gaukel. Funny how that works…119 Puente and ZavalaNot a lot to say except Puente hit 1 of the 3 best laterals I saw this weekend. Zavala had byes until the semi’s and I wonder if it made him a little rusty. He had plenty of moves going until Jordan hit the big lat drop for the win. I am wondering if anyone drops to 119 to challenge Puente in the 4A ranks…135 Arias and LewandowskiLewandowski makes it deeeep into the 1st period before getting stuck. At least further than anyone else this weekend. Leandro has been on the pinning trail all year. Not sure who can hang with him in our state.140 Was the Prince of the tournament if 171 was the King.Entering this tournament Karajanis was on top of the 140 4A ladder and his results were hard to argue. Not anymore. Karajanis loses to Lane Read in the semis (Read is ranked #2 in 3A) 9-6 and then gets pinned by Goss in the 3rd place match in 1:15. Nuss storms onto the scene with a win over Goss 7-6 and was leading in the final with Lane Read when a bizarre chain of events happens. Kendall takes Lane down with seconds left (almost like he fell into it) and it appears for a moment as if Nuss will win when Read Houdini’s out, and puts Nuss to his back and wins. BIZARRE!!! Great chain wrestling by Lane, who I have seen pause in matches and lose. Not this time he earns a good win.Nuss has improved and Goss also. Karajanis had a bad weekend but the season has enough time in it for him to figure it out.145 Breckenridge and Eaton
152 Hladky and FalkenbergNo final was better than this one and I am not sure how many in the past were at this level of action and intensity.Numero Uno against Numero Uno. Number 1 vs. Number 1. (#1 2A vs #1 3A)No matter how you say it this was the match of the day and I will not be able to put into words just how the flurries were or how much effort both these young men gave to win this match.Lance Hladky starts the match with a takedown and nearfall to go up 4 and Houston reverses Lance to make it 4-2. That happens in the first minute and when the smoke cleared the score was 12-9 Hladky shot shots, hit slidebys, and standing switches to stay in contention. Houston shot shots, rode like a glove and scrambled and caught Lance to make this match a one worth remembering.When these two gents finished the match they gave each other highfives and a hug with the whole gym engulfed in ovation. The sportsmanship didn’t go unnoticed as the ovation continued until the wrestlers left the mat. A Hatley’s Hat’s off award for both of these guys. Excellent match and poise by both.189, 215, 275Ok, odd stuff was going on in these 3 classes.189 McNare a small 189, just keeps winning wherever Bob Bath puts him.215 Boner If McNare is small then Trent is …well, smaller. Boner hit a gorgeous lateral in OT to win. Did I say he was light or lights out? Bob has a weird problem. He has 3 wrestlers within 10-15 pounds of each other covering 3 weight classes and 44 pounds. (Etchemendy, McNare and Boner) You Da Man Coach Bath!!!275 Riley Dawson vs. Ben Jordan (Cherokee Trail)I told my wife as we were almost home that in all of my years I have never seen a heavyweight shoot 3 low singles in a match. (Not even 2…debatable about 1) Ok, check that box on my career stats page. Jordan took Riley down 3 times with a low single. (It really was lowwww) and the 3rd one resulted in a pin. Dawson is a good heavy and I am POSITIVE nobody in this state will do that again to him. Is it really physically possible?I enjoyed my time at the Shane Shatto this year (even if Jake lost). I am hearing 99.9% positive feedback on the website and John and I are ecstatic that, you our readers, are utilizing ALL the pages not just the Forum. Feel free to approach me and don’t be offended if I bolt in mid conversation to watch a match. That is what I am at the tournament to do right? I will try and catch up to you and we will just pick up where we left off. See ya matside.The Casey Uhlich Outstanding wrestlers were:152 Lance Hladky171 Pierre EtchemendyJoeCowboy Wrestling Loses to No. 24 Beavers, 28-8By Aaron Voos30 November, 1999
Wyoming’s only victories against Oregon State came from Joe LeBlanc and Shane Onufer. CORVALLIS, Ore. (Jan. 7, 2010) – Unlike earlier this week, the University of Wyoming wrestling team could not climb out of an early hole that they dug themselves, and the Cowboys lost 28-8 to the No. 24-ranked Oregon State Beavers on Thursday night in Corvallis, Ore. Wyoming won only two of 10 weight classes, with major decision victories from Joe LeBlanc at 184 pounds and Shane Onufer at 165 pounds. UW lost all of the close matches against OSU, with six decisions going the way of the Beavers by a combined total of 13 points. Two nights earlier in Laramie, the ‘Pokes had come from 11 points down to beat North Carolina State, however against Oregon State, UW’s slow start cost them dearly and they were never able to recover in the team tally. With the road loss Wyoming falls to 4-2 in dual matches this season, while Oregon State improves to 9-1. The Cowboys are now 6-17 all-time versus the Beavers. “We got outwrestled tonight…plain and simple,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “They wrestled with more intensity, passion, and heart. They were the better team.” For the second straight dual UW began the night by forfeiting the 125-pound weight class due to academic eligibility issues with starter Michael Martinez. Down 6-0, Wyoming then suffered a 7-3 loss by senior Cory VomBaur at 133 pounds to No. 15-ranked Kelly Kubec. OSU’s Mike Mangrum beat the Cowboy’s Chase Smith, 7-5 at 141 pounds, and UW’s Cole Dallaserra lost 4-1 at 149 pounds to No. 15 R.J. Pena. The Beavers’ No. 12-ranked Keegan Davis rolled to a 15-2 major decision at 157 pounds over Micah Kadera, giving Oregon State a 19-0 team lead. Wyoming sophomore and No.9-ranked Onufer then stopped the bleeding temporarily at 165 pounds. He earned a 12-4 major decision over Dan Brascetta, his fifth decision by eight or more points this season. Onufer now has a 16-4 overall record. Cowboy 174-pounder Brock Smith lost a late lead against No. 12 Colby Covington and dropped a 5-4 decision in the next bout. No. 7-ranked sophomore LeBlanc then picked up the second win for UW with a hard-working effort at 184 pounds. He got a bonus point victory over OSU’s Brice Arand for the second time this season, with a 12-3 major decision. LeBlanc had previously beaten Arand by technical fall, 17-1 in the Las Vegas Invite quarterfinals. He is now 24-3 this season, with 19 of those wins by bonus-point margin. Flip-flopping weight classes from Tuesday’s dual, Cowboys Lee (L.J.) Helbig and Alfonso Hernandez each lost close decisions in the final two matches. Helbig fell to Chad Hanke, 6-5 at 197 pounds, while Hernandez wrestled up from his normal spot at 197 pounds to fill a void at heavyweight and went down 4-2 to No. 20 Clayton Jack. “This was a wake-up call that we have some individuals that are doing the minimum,” Branch added. “We have individuals that are doing the minimum in the wrestling room, outside of the wrestling room, in the classroom and in their personal lives. This team will be challenged by the coaching staff and we will find individuals who want to give us the maximum effort.” The Cowboys will return home to the UniWyo Sports Complex in Laramie next Friday, Jan. 15, for a big Western Wrestling Conference dual against much-improved rival Northern Bear's Brawlers Team Week FourBy John Bear06 January, 2010
103 Lukas Poloncic CCHS (9) Honorable Mention(HM): Dalton Weil LAND (10) 112 Taylor Bear CCHS (10) HM: Mario Luna GRHS (11) 119 Jessee Craig POWE ( ) HM: Kalen Hill COKE (12) 125 T.J. Guild SVHS (10) HM: Max Vichi BPHS (12) 130 Leandro Arias CENT (11) HM: Jordon Osbon WORL (12) 135 Matt Osbon WORL (12) HM: Savoy Bell RSHS (11) 140 Brodey Serres LING (11) HM: Dillon Karajanis CENT (12) 145 Austin Breckenridge CENT (11) HM: Juan Rodriguez WRIG (11) 152 Andy McCulley RSHS (12) HM: Houston Falkenberg DOUG (12) 160 Ab Brown NCHS (11) HM: Matt Spoon CENT (12) 171 Hayden Jones CENT (12) HM: Pierre Etchemendy DOUG (12) 189 Ryne Baier HULE (10) HM: Tommy Thoman GRHS (12) 215 Leland Pfieffer HULE (12) HM: Nick Edwards SVHS (12) 285 Mike Hill LING (12) HM: Jacob Edwards EAST (11) Wyoming Wrestling Comes From Behind to Beat N.C. StateBy Aaron Voos05 January, 2010
LARAMIE, Wyo. (Jan. 5, 2010) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team took their home fans on an emotional roller coaster on Tuesday night in the UniWyo Sports Complex against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Short-handed and with a shuffled lineup, UW fell behind 15-4 after five weight classes, only to rally and win the remaining five bouts, earning a 26-15 team victory. Wyoming improves to 4-1 in dual matches this season, while North Carolina State drops to 2-5. The Cowboys are now 3-0 all-time versus the Wolfpack. Getting wins for the ‘Pokes in their first home dual since Nov. 13 were senior Cory VomBaur at 133 pounds, sophomores Shane Onufer (165), Brock Smith (174), Joe LeBlanc (184) and Alfonso Hernandez (197), as well as the unlikely hero, redshirt freshman Lee Helbig at heavyweight. “The overall theme tonight was that we needed our guys to step up and fill some vacancies,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “Some guys stepped up and some didn’t. The later needs to, and will be addressed, but hats off to our upper weights. They really pulled through and made the end of that dual about as exciting as it could be. They put a good product out there and hopefully that is what our fans want to see.” The Cowboy team was not in a good position to begin the match since they were missing two starters from this past fall. Junior heavyweight Matthew McLaughlin has been declared academically ineligible for the remainder of the season and No. 10-ranked lightweight Michael Martinez was relegated to the bench pending a decision on his own academic issues. As a result, the ‘Pokes had to forfeit the 125-pound weight class and immediately were down 6-0. No. 22-ranked VomBaur got the Cowboys their only win in the lower weights at 133 pounds with an 8-0 major decision over Scott Norris. VomBaur fended off Norris early and then took control of the match with a takedown at 2:08, never looking back on his way to a bonus-point win. UW was now down 6-4, but things would only get worse over the next three matches. Sophomore Chase Smith and junior Cole Dallaserra each lost one-point decisions at 141 and 149 pounds respectively, while sophomore Mikah Kadera also dropped a decision at 157 pounds, by a score of 8-4. Wyoming was now behind by 11 points, 15-4. The Wolfpack would not score another team point, as the Cowboys’ upper weights then took the reins and guided their squad to a victory by winning five consecutive bouts. In his first action in a month due to a knee injury, No. 9-ranked Onufer set the tone for a comeback by sticking Ray Ward to the mat at 4:35 in the second period of their 165-pound match. The win by fall was his fifth this season and 19th of his two-year career. Onufer dominated the match from the start and led 9-2 at the time of his pin, thanks to three takedowns, a two-point near fall and an escape. He now has a season record of 15-4. Brock Smith then followed suit at 174 pounds by shutting out Quinton Godley, 5-0. Smith is 15-7 this season, 2-0 in duals for the Cowboys. All-American and No. 7-ranked LeBlanc took all of two minutes and 28 seconds to pin Jonathan Becker at 184 pounds, continuing his amazing run of bonus-point victories this year. He now has a season record of 23-3, with 18 of those wins by either fall, technical fall or major decision. The fall against the Wolfpack was LeBlanc’s seventh this season and 14th of his career. His win gave UW the lead for good at 19-15. Hernandez then put the match out of reach for his team with an impressive 13-4 major decision at 197 pounds over Andrew Tumlin. He led 4-1 heading into the third period before gassing his opponent with four takedowns in the final two minutes. Helbig’s match at heavyweight then ended the evening on an emotional high note. Wrestling up in weight in his first career dual for the Brown and Gold, the UW 197-pounder took the fight to his much larger opponent, Eloheim Palma, never giving the N.C. State big man a chance to rest. Helbig won 6-0 in dominating fashion, with takedowns in the first and third periods, an escape point and a riding time point. In fact, Helbig had 3:20 in riding time as he had control from beginning to end. He is now 14-8 this season. “I can’t say enough about L.J. (Helbig),” Branch stated. “He won tonight because from the moment he stepped onto that mat he thought he could beat their guy. It’s exciting to see a guy who is put into that kind of situation really step up and perform. With adversity the best will come out of you and our entire team can learn from that kind of effort.” Wyoming will now take a quick road trip to Corvallis, Ore., to face the No. 24-ranked Oregon State Beavers on Thurs., Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. North Carolina State and Oregon State Duals:By Aaron Voos04 January, 2010
After a brief break from competition over the holidays, Wyoming will be back on the mat for a home dual match-up with the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Tues, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m. in the UniWyo Sports Complex. Following that dual, the ‘Pokes will take a quick road trip to Corvallis, Ore., to face the No. 25-ranked Oregon State Beavers on Thurs., Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. So far this season Wyoming has a 3-1 dual record, while the Wolfpack is 2-4 and the Beavers are 8-1. N.C. State recently participated in the Southern Scuffle tournament, Dec. 29-30, as well as matching up with both Nebraska and North Dakota State on Sunday, Jan. 3, in Lincoln. At the Southern Scuffle, N.C. State’s best fi nish came from junior 149-pounder Bobby Ward who placed fi fth. The Wolfpack dropped both duals, losing to No. 14 NU by a score of 31-10 and to NDSU 23-16. OSU competed in the Midlands Championships, Dec. 29-30, and placed eighth of 54 teams. They were led by senior Keegan Davis who placed third at 157 pounds. All-time, the Cowboys are 2-0 against North Carolina State and 6-16 against Oregon State. The last time UW wrestled N.C. State was Jan. 17, 2009 in Raleigh with a 26-16 result in favor of the Cowboys. Wyoming and Oregon State last matched up on Jan. 20, 2007 in Laramie, with the Beavers winning 32-6. Week Three Rankings Are PostedBy Joe Hatley30 November, 1999 Let 2010 begin! See the rankings page for rankings based on week three results. WyoWrestling Seeks Sponsors for 2010 Season ActivitiesBy John Bear26 December, 2009
The team here at WyoWrestling has had one goal since we started this site, to promote wrestling in the State of Wyoming for both fans and competitors alike. With that in mind, we have developed things like the forum, state wide High School rankings, Hatley’s Heathens, monthly featured wrestlers, and our news page. We are far from the limit of our creative envelope. We would like to share with our members and fans what we would like to achieve just in this first season alone. With the assistance of one of our sponsors, we have already ordered “flip discs” for the finals of state this year. These are the discs that will be used by the officials during the finals matches. They are octagonal and green on one side, red on the other. They are engraved with “2010 Wyoming State Champion” and will be awarded by the referee to the champion at the conclusion of the match. We are hoping that this will be a tradition that WyoWrestling can be a part of for many years to come. It should give the officials an opportunity to discuss with the champion getting involved with wrestling the way they have. It should also give the champion just a little something extra to commemorate a great achievement. We will be seeking sponsors now to accomplish our next project. We will be naming an All-State Team and an All-State Academic Team at the conclusion of the state tournament. Members of the All-State Team will be chosen from the three champions of each class. If head to head matches have been recorded or common opponents that will be used to determine the members. The All-State Academic Team will be chosen from all medalists in all classes and will be awarded to the wrestler with the highest cumulative grade point average through the fall semester 2009. These teams will have only fourteen members, one for each weight class. It is our hope that we will be able to award the members of these two teams each with a savings bond/scholarship to be used for post graduate education. It is our hope that we will be able to provide a $200 award for each wrestler. That means we are looking for a sponsor, or sponsors, who will donate $5,600 each year, with a commitment to do so for at least the next three years. That is a tall order, but I believe you can see the value in such an award when it comes to making this sport something special in Wyoming. Hatley’s Heathens(top ten wrestlers pound for pound in the state) and Bear’s Brawlers(top wrestler from each weight in the state) are published every other week on alternating weeks. As a matter of promoting the site, the teams, and the wrestlers who have earned the honor of making these teams, we would like to award t-shirts exclaiming their membership on the team. We are also looking for sponsors to allow us to make and ship these shirts to the wrestlers. If you are interested in sponsoring or contributing to the sponsorship of any of these items, please contact me at sales@WyoWrestling.com Upton on the Records PageBy John Bear30 November, 1999 Spencer has provided the team summary for Upton and it will be posted on the records page for a limited time. Check it out. Highs and Lows for Wyoming Wrestling at RenoBy Aaron Voos20 December, 2009
The Cowboys had six place-winners and finished seventh as a team in a strong field. RENO, Nev. (Dec. 20, 2009) – The Wyoming Cowboy wrestling team won some tough matches on Sunday at the Reno Tournament of Champions, but also dropped some difficult decisions and left the annual event with plenty to chew on as they prepare to begin the dual portion of their schedule after the first of the new year. Wyoming had six place-winners on the day, recording a third place finish by sophomore Joe LeBlanc, two fourth place showings from sophomore Michael Martinez and senior Cory VomBaur, two fifth place winners in redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart and sophomore Brock Smith, as well as one sixth place honor by sophomore Alfonso Hernandez. As a team, the ‘Pokes placed seventh of 25 teams with a total of 69.5 points. Each team could enter 13 wrestlers in the competition, but only one competitor at each weight class (10) counted towards the team score. No. 4-ranked Oklahoma State ran away with the team title by scoring 154 points, 68.5 ahead of second place Edinboro (85.5). No. 14 Penn State was third (83), No. 21 Arizona State and Ohio tied for fourth (77), No. 19 Cal Poly (70.5) and then Wyoming. The Cowboys did finish ahead of No. 8-ranked Boise State, who placed eighth with 57 points. As has become a good habit, Wyoming’s No. 5-ranked LeBlanc stormed through the 184-pound bracket with two wins by fall, two technical falls and a major decision victory over No. 14-ranked David Erwin from Penn State in the consolation finals, 16-8. However, that was not the finals match LeBlanc had in mind, having slipped up and lost to Nick Purdue from Ohio, 8-6 in the semifinals and sending UW’s All-American to a bitter-sweet third place finish. After going 5-1 in Reno, he now has a team-best season record of 21-3, with 17 of those wins by bonus-point margin of eight points or more. At 125 pounds, No. 9-ranked Martinez was 5-2, placed fourth and along the way beat No. 10-ranked Brad Pataky of Penn State, 4-3. However, UW’s lightweight could not figure out No. 12-ranked Chris Notte from Oklahoma State and lost twice to the OSU senior. The Cowboys’ other fourth place finish came from VomBaur at 133 pounds in the first time he has wrestled down at the weight this season. He was a solid 5-2 and had to fight his way through the back draw after losing his opening round match. Garnhart also placed at 133, coming in at fifth with a 4-2 record. Both VomBaur and Garnhart beat the event’s No. 3-seed Ben Ashmore of Arizona State and the No. 5-seed Quentin Keyes from Ohio, but lost to Colin Johnston of West Virginia, with Vombaur twice on the losing end to Johnston. Smith’s 5-2 record and fifth place finish at 174 pounds included a technical fall and two major decision victories, one of which was a 16-3 win over Stanford’s Jake Johnson, whom Smith had narrowly beaten by one point on a last second takedown in the team’s dual two days earlier. He beat the No. 3-seed Eric Starks from Arizona State by a score of 7-4 in his final match on Sunday. The final place-winner for UW was Hernandez at 197 pounds. He was 4-3 and made a good run through the consolation bracket before dropping a 3-1 sudden victory decision to Ryan Smith from Cal Poly in the fifth/sixth place match. Not placing, but also getting big wins for the Cowboys on Sunday were junior Cole Dallaserra at 149 pounds and redshirt freshman Lee Helbig at 197 pounds. Dallaserra pinned No. 20-ranked Nick Stabile of North Carolina in the opening round, while Helbig beat No. 10-ranked Tyler Sorenson from South Dakota State, 6-5. Wyoming will now take a brief break before resuming training after Christmas in preparation for their home dual match-up with North Carolina State on Tues, Jan. 5, 2010 at 7 p.m. Big Road Win for Wyoming Wrestling at StanfordBy Aaron Voos19 December, 2009
The Cowboys got victories in seven of 10 matches and won going away, 25-9. PALO ALTO, Calif. (Dec. 18, 2009) – Facing an improved Stanford team on Friday night on the road, the University of Wyoming wrestling team showed up with a big effort and walked away holding a 25-9 dual victory. Wyoming improves to 3-1 in dual matches this season, while Stanford drops to 5-2. The Cowboys are now 5-0 all-time versus the Cardinal. The dual was a good measuring stick for the ‘Pokes since Stanford had beaten fellow Western Wrestling Conference member, and reigning league champion Northern Iowa earlier this season by a score of 19-12. UW got a major decision victory from sophomore Chase Smith at 141 pounds to begin the match and never looked back. Earning decisions for the ‘Pokes were sophomores Alfonso Hernandez at 197 pounds, Joe LeBlanc (184), Michael Martinez (125) and Brock Smith (174). Juniors Cole Dallaserra (149) and Matthew McLaughlin (Hwt.) also got wins for the Cowboy team. “I am proud of our effort tonight,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “This was a dual that concerned us, following up finals week and against a much-improved team. I think that ultimately our advantage was that we have already seen a lot of tough competition this year and this dual did not faze our guys. We had watched film in preparation for Stanford and focused on keeping pressure on their guys. I saw improvement in that area, it made a difference and was good to see. “With Shane (Onufer) out, Ernie (Alex Rieder) was asked to cut some weight over the last two weeks and make 165 pounds for this dual. Even though he lost tonight, his effort was incredible and he really sacrificed for the good of the team. Brock’s (Smith) win was a big swing for us and certainly a turning point. After having some struggles early on in his match, he really fought back, stayed tough and pulled out an important win.” The evening began at 141 pounds where UW got a dominant 12-2 major decision from Chase Smith. That win would prove to be the only bonus-point victory for Wyoming, but did set the pace for the rest of the team. Dallaserra then earned a workmanlike 6-3 decision in the Cowboys’ favor at 149 pounds to put the team score at 7-0. Next, Stanford won two straight, Lucas Espericueta over Mikah Kadera, 7-2 at 157 pounds, and No. 16 Nick Amuchastegui by a slim margin over Alex Rieder, 8-6 at the 165 pound weight class. That brought the team score to 7-6 in favor of the ‘Pokes. The Cowboys then won five straight to leave no doubt and put the dual out of reach. That run started with a comeback victory for Brock Smith at 174 pounds. With the score tied 4-4 late in the third period and down over a minute in riding time to Stanford’s Jake Johnson, Smith dug in his spurs and got a two-point takedown on the edge of the mat with 10 seconds remaining. Smith would win 6-5 despite Johnson tacking on the riding time point. In the marquee match-up of the night, No. 5-ranked LeBlanc out-muscled No. 13 Zack Geisen at 184 pounds and won handily, 8-1. LeBlanc narrowly missed out on an eight-point major decision which would have earned UW an additional team bonus point, however he did rack up over four minutes of riding time and kept the pressure on Geisen the entire match. Following suit for the Cowboys was Hernandez at 197 pounds with a solid 7-1 decision and McLaughlin, who won by injury default at heavyweight. McLaughlin was leading 2-1 after two periods, with a riding time advantage, in his match when Dylan Rush was forced to bow out with a shoulder injury sustained from twice being slammed to the mat by Wyoming’s big man. No. 9-ranked Martinez out-lasted a formidable opponent in Ryan Mango at 125 pounds, scoring two third period takedowns to win 8-4. The Cardinal did pick up another win at 133 pounds, when Justin Paulsen beat Kasey Garnhart 10-3, but ultimately that bout played little role in the final team tally of 25-9 in favor of the Cowboys. Bear's Brawlers Team Week TwoBy John Bear and Joe Hatley17 December, 2009
103 Lukas Poloncic Honorable Mention(HM): Blaze Cress 112 Taylor Bear HM: Jay Stine 119 Mario Luna HM: Garrett Bietz 125 T.J. Guild HM: Thomas Carr 130 Mark Harris HM: Olie Olson 135 Leandro Arias HM: Colt Nix 140 Brady Turnbull HM: Brodey Serres 145 Austin Breckenridge HM: Juan Rodriguez 152 Andy McCulley HM: Houston Falkenberg 160 Ab Brown HM: R.J. Hoyt 171 Pierre Etchemendy HM: Hayden Jones 189 Tommy Thoman HM: Alex Coolidge 215 Leland Pfieffer HM: Carlos Saabedra 285 Mike Hill HM: Ryan Kuster Hatley's Heathens for week threeBy by Joe Hatley17 December, 2009
1. Andy McCulley
“He’s making a statement and he is checking it twice, He’s pinning em’ once and not very nice. Andy McCulley is going to town!!!!” I know I don’t sing very well…terribly actually. But you get the point. Andy has been demolishing the competition this first part of the season pinning opponents at breakneck speed. Many felt Andy was slighted somewhat by not being my first pick in the beginning , and he was, but not because he isn’t a great wrestler, it was because he had no current results. Austin Breckinridge did, (Fargo) and so NOW that Andy has wrestled, and very well, I might add, he moves to the top position. I see an undefeated season for Andy as of now. Vernal will be his biggest test in the upcoming future. 2. Austin Breckinridge Austin is dispensing his foes at a similar pace as Andy. Austin can and will beat opponents with an explosive, high octane offense. Austin is in need of a higher quality of opponents or a bump up in weight class to sharpen his focus and wrestling. In my opinion(IMO). Austin is the most dangerous of all that I rank, here in Wyoming. He can and will throw from everywhere and he shoots to finish. Not much to add… 3. Taylor Bear Winning the Rapid City Invite is no small feat. Getting a revenge win over Bothwell of nationally ranked Sturgis, makes it sweet for Taylor. I see no one as of now, as dominant in the light weights as Bear. Taylor has 2 good tournament championships and has a perfect record.
4. Mark Harris A proven record, and a proven veteran Mark, gets high marks and a high slot. Curious about his next few weeks. Do opponents take him on, or do they run to a different weight class? Harris moves up from here with big wins IMO. 5. Pierre Etchemendy I was so impressed with Pierre 2 weekends ago and I believe the sky is the limit for this kid. Pierre has an iron will and never seems to be too far out of position. Wins over solid competition vaults him to number 3. (Note: I refuse to penalize Pierre for inj dflt at CL. He EARNED this spot!)
6. Ollie Olson 2nd Place in rapid with his loss against Lange of Sturgis, (another nationally ranked wrestler) speaks volumes about Olson. Ollie moving up 3 weight classes and still having success says a bunch, especially looking at who from Wyoming was in his bracket.
7. Leandro Arias Lee has been enormously successful using counters to stymie the opposition that it now has worked in reverse and nobody wants to engage. Dangerous and always lookin to get it on, Arias will make a jump up the list once results from UNC come in…I suspect. 8. T.J. Guild T.J. slides into the 8 position by virtue of beating Slaugh and Flores and his 14-1 record is impressive also. T.J. was a hard worker this summer at Fargo camp and it certainly has paid off.
9. Tommy Thoman Nothing but dominant so far...waiting to see Coolidge and Tommy to meet in a match for top 189er. Solid credentials. 10. Leland Pfeiffer Definitely could be higher. Won the Lusk invite but no other results to prove if he is as tough as last year. NOT SAYING HE ISN’T BETTER, just not saying he is any worse. Off the list: Auston Carter. He needs to wrestle then I will move accordingly. Ab Brown 2 losses and a weaker than normal RCI 160 bracket didn’t help. Brady Turnbull (Hardest decision to make this week) Maybe bump up a weight and get some competition? Tough Call. Mike Hill Good wrestler. Needs a test other than his own teammate. Maybe go DOWN a weight and test the water. At either weight, Mike is one tough hombre. Hayden Heap and Hayden Jones Double Haydens, Double trouble. Heap has Harris ahead so not much to explain there and Jones could get back in with a strong UNC tourney. It definitely could happen! This week was hard to do. When I start seeing head to head results this list will change. These are good kids on here and the ones that left, are excellent as well. Joe Excitement at the 2009 Evenston InviteBy Lance Cattelan30 November, 1999
The 2009 version of the Evanston Invite proved to be another great tournament. It was an all class, multi-state affair where anything can happen. After watching Green River and Star Valley over the weekend, it appears 4A will be a competitive team race again. Both schools have many weights where two wrestlers could be state placers at the same weight. Green River scored 211 points to win it with Star Valley at 176.5 taking second. It was interesting to see that the two wrestlers who suffered serious season ending injuries last year Andy McCulley and Mark Harris, were the most dominating this weekend. McCulley pinned all his opponents and was outstanding wrestler and Harris pinned everyone except Heap in the championship. The most entertaining match I saw was at 130 for 3rd and 4th place. Savoy Bell from Rock Springs won a barn burner against Gavin Robbins from Brighton UT in a 6th period OT sudden death. One other thought that stuck with me from the tournament was Drake Menck a freshman from Mountain View wrestling in a tough 152 bracket going 3-2 and almost placing. There aren’t many freshmen who can wrestle in the upper weights with success, but I think he did. This young man will be one to keep an eye on. Evanston High School puts on a great tournament, pushing that many matches through in that amount of time is quite an effort. Running 26 teams with three tournaments, freshman, JV, and varsity in one gym is quite an accomplishment. Strong Finish for Cowboy Wrestling at Las Vegas InviteBy Aaron Voos05 December, 2009
Joe LeBlanc and Shane Onufer placed third, while Michael Martinez was fourth. PRIMM, Nev. (Dec. 5, 2009) – Capping a strong showing in a high-caliber event, the Wyoming Cowboy wrestlers left the Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday with two third-place finishes and one fourth-place honor. UW’s Joe LeBlanc, at 184 pounds, and Shane Onufer, at 165 pounds, both took third in their brackets. Michael Martinez (125) placed fourth in his weight class. All three Wyoming grapplers had to beat All-Americans during the two-day event to secure their finishes. As a team, the Cowboys held their position in the standings from Day One and finished in 10th place out of 42 squads. That field included 12 of the top-25 ranked wrestling programs in the country. Wyoming placed ahead of ranked programs No. 19 Old Dominion, No. 20 Illinois, No. 21 Arizona State and No. 24 Virginia Tech. “We did some good things to put ourselves in the top 10,” UW head coach Mark Branch said. “When you look at this field, our finish was a positive team step, but probably more so individually because some of the wins our guys got make it easier for the others to realize the type of success we are capable of. This should provide some positive things for the mentality of the team. Our finishes here will also bring some exposure and respect, both of which are important for a program.” At 184 pounds, LeBlanc had one of the biggest wins of the event for the ‘Pokes in the consolation finals when he beat No. 3-ranked, three-time All-American and 2008 NCAA Champion Mike Pucillo of Ohio State. The Cowboy sophomore finished his tournament strong by dominating the match and beating Pucillo 10-5. To get to that match, LeBlanc beat Steve Bosak from Cornell, 7-5 in sudden victory, after narrowly losing to No.7 ranked Kirk Smith from Boise State (3-2) in his semifinal match. He ended the event with a 6-1 record, 16-2 this season. Onufer followed a similar path at 174 pounds, losing by a slim margin in the semifinals to No. 8 Colt Sponseller from Ohio State (6-4), before winning two straight to finish the tournament. He beat P.J. Gillespie from Hofstra by a score of 3-2, before getting his second victory in as many days over All-American and No. 6 ranked Andy Rendos from Bucknell in the consolation final. Onufer was aggressive from the start and stuck Rendos’ shoulders to the mat at 2:15 in the first period. He finished the tournament with a 5-1 record, 14-4 so far this year. Martinez lost his 125-pound semifinal bout with No. 3 Anthony Robles of Arizona State by a score of 7-3. He then beat Alan Bartelli of Boise State 4-1, setting up a rematch with All-American and No. 5 ranked James Nicholson of Old Dominion. On Friday, Martinez beat Nicholson 6-4 in sudden victory to get to the semifinals. This time around Nicholson would have the upper hand, winning 7-2. Martinez concluded the event with a 4-2 record, 14-3 this season. No. 4 ranked Ohio State won the team title with 122.5 points, followed by No. 9 Cornell (121.5), No. 12 Oklahoma (109.5), No. 7 Boise State (97.5), No. 11 Nebraska (95), No. 13 Indiana (90.5), No. 23 Cal Poly (78.5), Oregon State (77.5), No. 22 Wisconsin (73.5) and then UW (71). Wyoming will now have a 12-day break before traveling to Stanford for a dual on Friday, Dec. 18 and then to the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday, Dec. 20. Pair of Close Duals Results in Split for Cowboy WrestlersBy Aaron Voos22 November, 2009
Wyoming defeated West Virginia, but lost to No. 24 Michigan State. BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (Nov. 22, 2009) – The University of Wyoming wrestling team ended their East Coast road trip on Sunday in Binghamton, N.Y. at the Sprawl and Brawl Duals. Wyoming competed in two morning duals, first with No. 24-ranked Michigan State and then with West Virginia. UW lost to the Spartans 20-13, but then bounced back and defeated the Mountaineers 19-18. Junior Cole Dallaserra at 149 pounds, as well as the sophomore trio of No. 6 Joe LeBlanc (184), No. 10 Michael Martinez (125) and Chase Smith (141), each won both their match-ups for the Cowboy team. Wyoming’s dual with Michigan State was tight throughout, but the Spartans ultimately won six of 10 bouts to earn a seven-point victory. Martinez started things off right for the ‘Pokes with a 15-5 major decision win at 125 pounds, but then redshirt freshman Kasey Garnhart ran into No. 1-ranked Franklin Gomez at 133 pounds and suffered a 17-1 technical fall set-back. Down 5-4, UW won the next two matches with Smith and Dallaserra earning five-point decisions. Now the Cowboys had a 10-5 lead before losing three straight match-ups by narrow margins to go down 14-10. LeBlanc brought his team back to within one (14-13) by winning 8-3, however Wyoming would get no closer and lost the last two bouts by two-point decisions. In their next head-to-head match-up, Wyoming won five matches and West Virginia won five matches, however the Cowboys had two bonus-point wins, while the Mountaineers had only one. Again, Martinez started the dual with a major decision victory (14-4), only to see that lead shrink immediately when Garnhart lost a close two-point decision at 133 pounds. The team score was 4-3 in favor of Wyoming when Smith and Dallaserra won back-to-back decisions for UW to stretch the margin to 10-3. Three straight wins by WVU would give them their only lead of the day, 12-10. Included in those wins was a key victory at 165 pounds by No. 13 Donnie Jones (3-2) over Wyoming’s No. 16 Shane Onufer, as well as a triumph for No. 20 Chance Litton (6-3) over UW’s Alex Rieder. LeBlanc then made short work of his WVU opponent, earning the win by fall only 40 seconds into the match. That win, combined with Alfonso Hernandez’ 4-2 decision at 197 pounds gave the Cowboys a 19-12 lead, which would be enough for the team win despite a Mountaineer pin in the heavyweight match. The next competition for the Cowboy team will be the Las Vegas Invitational, Dec. 4-5 in Las Vegas, Nev. University of Northern Colorado Open
(Wrestling isn't easy and getting home sometimes isn't either!) First I must apologize that this is late. As the family and I returned home from Greeley my truck's fuel line broke and the long day became longer. So, after getting home at 2:15 A.M. and numerous calls to the dealership the next day, and other miscellaneous problems, I present to you the UNC notes and observations... Tyler Juby proved this weekend what Zac Helgeson and I have said for years, having throws in your arsenal is a GOOD THING!!! Tyler, placed 2nd this past weekend at the UNC open, utilizing his patented (it isn't, but it should be!), double-over knee block to pin 2 For those that thought that Tyler was a one trick pony, he proved otherwise shooting shots and getting go-behinds in several of his matches. Now, I will admit that his throws led to a couple of his pins, but having one great move, and EVERYONE KNOWING THAT IT IS HIS BIG MOVE, and Juby still able to get it in most of his matches is simply IMPRESSIVE. Juby, you are my Hatley's Hat's off award winner this week!!!! What a difference a week makes. Cox, who was fresh off a 2 tourney win streak, leaves his thinking cap back at the dorms in Laramie and makes a couple of mental mistakes to go 2-2 in the tournament. Winning 5- 1 in the 3rd period, Cox gives up an escape to Bauer(UNC) and then a subsequent hip-toss to lose 6-5. In Cox's defense the clock/scorekeeper made an apparent error but the official let it go. Ty also lost to Seth Chavez in a match that saw a junior high move work. (Headlock from the bottom) Ty almost rolled Chavez through, but didn't and then while fighting it off, he choked HIMSELF out... hard to explain how, though. Suffice to say, Ty won't be draping his head over an opponent's shoulder anymore. Ty, promptly shaves his mustache off, (Yeah, that one... the one that looked like a little caterpillar on his lip, LOL) and was smiling as he gathered his gear to head back to UW. Ty will be fine, and it was a good learning weekend for Cox. Trevor Donarski continues to impress me as a hard-nosed wrestler who is looking to score each time he steps on the mat. Trevor earned a 5th place finish in a good bracket. Telbe Storbeck wrestled to a 3-2 mark. Telbe can score and did so... but he can do more than what he is now. Pat Lehnan went 1-2. Pat had to wrestle teammate Storbeck, (we all hate that, don't we?), and the eventual champion Snider. Tough spot in the bracket. Jacob Bassett went 1-2 and suffered from being in a tough place in the bracket as well. Justin Shumacher was at the receiving end of a really poor call as he was countering a single leg takedown attempt with a front quarter and earned ZERO POINTS... OUCH. Justin should have received 2 takedown and 2 nearfall to win match. No dice. Joe Budd went 1-2 but I missed the former Lander wrestler's matches. (All 3 of em', sorry Joe!) Brinkman went 0-2, Garrett gave a whale of a try to almost win his first match as he pulled his opponent back into the circle and had him on his back for what could have been nearfall points... but it wasn't to be. JoJo Ojeda is my honorable mention Hatley's Hat's off award winner by virtue of wrestling in the toughest weight bracket (125), wrestling Tony Mustari in his first match, (he lost by pin, late though). Then losing his next match 3-2, and this is with NO practice whatsoever. JoJo has been overseas fighting for our country and wrestled this weekend while on leave. That is what I call love of the sport and JoJo represents what we all want our kids to be. Good job JOJO!!!! Saving my son, Jared, for last. Jared has no offense as of now. If any of you see his missing takedowns would you PLEASE RETURN!!! ASAP!!! Jared went 3-2 ending up 5th. Jared wrestled and lost to a very good Ganbayer Sanjaa from Colby CC. 2009 JUCO national champ. Ganbayer (the Mongolian nightmare, as I was calling him at the end of the day.) is a legitimate d-1 AA in the future, as he beat Justin Gaenjthe of UNC (national qualifier last year) in the 4th Sudden Death period on the last rideout. Jared has a lot of work to do, but he is proving to many that while talent will open doors it is work that helps you get through those doors... To close this week's summary, I must say that it seems that many officials are having issues making the HARD call. In 2 matches this weekend, (Schumacher's and Juby's) the official, (the same one, in both) needed to make the call and refused because it was a tough one. Schumacher hit his move cleanly and correctly and earned nothing. Juby had a takedown and nearfall that wasn't awarded and in the closing seconds of the match he had Snider on his butt with the legs secured, feet inbounds, which is a takedown in any rule book and the official said no. It was a takedown, plain and simple. Either make those tough calls or get out of the business. These officials need feedback from their peers or they will not get better. I know that it is a hard job, but these kids are working hard to improve, so should the officials... It has become apparent that getting off bottom is a problem area for our kids coming out of high school. "Getting out is a belief that nobody can hold you down." That is what Dean Sims said time and time again to both of my kids when they wrestled for him in middleschool. Dean is absolutely correct. I continue to watch our state's wrestlers having problem's down under and it seems that the main issue is how to combat pressure from above. Guys, if your weight is on your hands you are WRONG. Just a little tip... I am not sure what collegiate event I will cover next, but as the high school season is now underway, it will be less to be sure. Good luck to all our college guys and send info from opens so we can get them up on the site. See ya matside, Challenging you to make wrestling better. Cowboy Open Notes and Observations:
Did anyone notice UW bought some new mats? Not many people did, but I remember some of those old mats that were like pieces of cardboard. Thanks UW for the upgrade!!! Good attendance considering that the high school state football championships were going on and the roads were treacherous. I, for one, was most impressed with Tyler Cox and Jesse Hillhouse, these two kids are simply stupendous (and they are in our backyard!) Jesse showed he had what it takes by going up a weight at the dual the night before wrestling Garnhart to a 3-2 decision and then HANDILY beating George Billy from UNK 14-1 (Billy was a Virginia Beach AA). Then, in what proved to be a rematch of the Powell Open, Jesse wrestled Cox to a 2-1 match narrowly missing a double leg takedown in the 3rd period. Jesse has the tools and moxie to AA this year. Coach Zeigler and staff have done a marvelous job with Jesse to be sure. Keep up the good work! Not to overshadow the winner, but Cox has proven that moving up to 125's really wasn't worthy of discussing as he crushed the competition. At Fargo, our coaching staff and I, heard that Cox was going to have a tough year making the transition up to 125...well it sure doesn't appear that supposition has any merit. Cox used a wide variety of takedowns and turns to dominate his opponents and to be frank, I only saw 2 opponents all day even get a sniff at a takedown. (Stodola and Hillhouse) His defense and riding skills are markedly improved. Others saw what I did and Ty earned OW for his efforts. Congrats Ty!!!! The sky is the limit for Cox as I see him as the starter at 125 next year. (That is, of course, if Martinez goes to 133, which I suspect will happen.) Jacob Bassett represented Western Wyoming College well by earning a 4th place finish in the 133 baracket. Trevor Donarski earns my Hatley's Hats Off Award, as Trevor lost his first match, and came back through the bracket to get 4th. Donarski wrestled a total of 9 matches... Whew, that's 2 tournaments worth of matches. GREAT JOB TREVOR!!! Justin Schumacher from Green River and currently wrestling for WWC, performed well and went 1-2 (but wrestled Carlson well it looked like, Carlson beat Donarski in the 3-4 place match). Telbe Storbeck went 2-2, wrestling a typical Storbeck match, (low scoring, lots of defense,LOL ). Briston Brenton was cruising through the 157 pound amateur bracket when he suffered a knee injury and withdrew from the tourney, he was wrestling Abner Cook in the qtrs when it happened. (Some of you may remember Abner.) Briston assured me it wasn't bad. Mak Jones fresh off his win from the night before, went blasting through the 197 amateur bracket and was winning in OT when he was taken down with a wonderful armspin by Flavin of UNK. Tough loss for Mak, but rest assured, Jones will win more than he loses this year as it looks like he is off to a great start of the season. (I posted a thread on the Freestyle and Greco forum...please read!). That about does it for the amateur bracket results, now here goes the Elite division... Michael Martinez #17 starts his D-1 competition season off with a big win over #9 Ben Kjar of UVU in the 125 finals. Martinez was wrestling at the same time as Cox-Hillhouse match was going on and therefore, I missed a ton of the wrestling action, but I saw the td at the buzzer in OT. Huge win for Michael. Kasey Garnhart lost to Newby first match and came back through the backside of the bracket to wrestle for 3rd and 4th. Kasey lost a close match to Flint Ray from UVU. Kasey's offense improved as the day went on. Chase Smith, down a weight from last year (149 to 141), lost to eventual champ VonOhlen (AF) and then he worked his way back through to wrestle for 3rd. Smith lost to Hashimoto (UNC) 10-5. Cory VomBaur also competed in the 141 wt. class and lost to Cruz from UNC 4-2. On the consolation side Cory got on a roll and it appeared as if he was going to end the day on a winning note when he lost by fall to Hashimoto (who btw, was on the 2008 Olympic Judo team). 149 is where Cole Dallaserra calls home and he blew through the bracket outscoring his opponents 52-17 and also notching a pin in his first match. Cole faced a Juco national champ in T.J. Hepburn in his finals match and Dallaserra had 3 tds and an escape to become champ. Dallaserra is on top of his game this year. He is controlling the tempo of the match very well and seems to not have many weak spots in his wrestling as of now. 157 What a logjam this weight is for UW!!! Eric Jones makes it to the finals by using well-timed big moves to get there, but in the finals match, Mosher (UGF) cut off any chance for throws or big bottom moves. Mosher won the match 8-1. Eric leads the way at 157, as of now, but Kadera and Davis also had good showings. Kadera ended the day at 4th losing to Deaguero (Adams State). Davis lost to Kadera in OT. Hatley (former UW wrestler) lost to both Kadera and Davis in OT. Hatley's record was 2-2. 165 Shane Onufer came down from 174 (last year) and proves that it is the right play as he makes short work of all in the bracket, until the finals match when he wins in a squeaker 3-2 against Gaethje from UNC. 174 Wow...If 157 is a logjam for UW, then this is just a woodpile in the backyard. Last week Hintz wins the Powell open against Smith. Then to blur the picture some, Smith beats Hintz in the qtrs on Saturday, Hintz then loses to Rieder. Rieder loses his match to go for 3rd/4th and Smith makes it through to the 3rd/4th match and loses in a match that was not as close as the 9-3 score indicates. AS A SIDENOTE, Brock wrestled Usman, UNK (2nd in div 2 national tourney 2009) quite well, but the new double set rule cost Brock 3 maybe 4 pts? As he cautioned himself out of the match. I HATE THAT DOUBLE SET RULE IT IS THE MOST WORTHLESS ONE THE NCAA HAS DONE!!! I am sure Brock feels the same way. Smith could have chose neutral, which I suspect most wrestlers will do for the beginning of this year. Rieder wrestled Darrington UVU tough, (6-5) and I think he has made the most improvement in this group of 174's. Kyle Brightman who wrestles for Mesa State went 2-2 in the 174 elite also. Kyle struggled with his offense in his last match, his set ups were good he just needs to pull the trigger. 184 Joe LeBlanc crushes all competitors and his scoring margin was a staggering 74-10. Joe, is no average Joe. LeBlanc scores from every position and never is out of position. Those New Yorkers are in for a treat next weekend...not much else to say, other than Joe LeBlanc was the 2009 Cowboy Open OW Elite Div. Congrats!!! 197 Hernandez led the way for the Pokes at this weight with Helbig giving him fits in the consolation semi-final. Fonz was considerably up from his lackluster performance the previous evening. McMahill from WS college gave Fonz his only loss 6-4 OT. O'Farrell went 2-2 and L.J. Helbig went 3-2. I get the impression that Helbig is going to challenge Fonz throughout the year. HWT Matthew (Bubba) McLaughlin Scratched out a 2nd place finish and is showing some promise. Big boy with a good attitude. Looking back on the tourney, I was happy to see how many of our good high school wrestlers have went into the college ranks. I spoke with Blake Gunter, head coach of Western Wyoming and told him how important it was that our state has both junior colleges, (Northwestern in Powell, and Western, in Rock Springs), working to prepare our kids academically and athletically for the step up to University/State college level. I encourage parents, and athletes alike, to look at these fine institutions as a viable option for the next step after high school. I had fun covering the Open and the dual the night before...even if my legs were a little wobbly after standing for 14 hrs.!!! Feel free to speak to me when you see me at duals and tourneys, I look forward to your feedback!! We at Wyowrestling.com want to give you the best product possible and your opinion matters!!! See ya matside, Challenging you to make wrestling better. Wyoming vs. Northwest CollegeBy Joe Hatley, Ranking Editor16 November, 2009
125 Phillip Grout(NWC) vs. Michael Martinez (UW) 133 Jesse Hillhouse (NWC) vs. Kasey Garnhart (UW) While this match was slow and down in tempo for a lightweight match, it gave our state a chance to see two solid wrestlers that hail from our state perform. Hillhouse will be solid at 125 in the Juco ranks. 141 McCade Ford(NWC) vs. Cory VomBaur(UW) Vombaur scores in 2nd period with escape and td. Vombaur pressures on offense but 3rd period ends with little fanfare. 149 Cody Brit(NWC) vs Colton Zier(UW) Britt dominated Zier from start to finish, (the bump up was a little much, it appeared) but Zier showed some fight and kept fighting. 157 Briston Brenton (NWC) vs Mikah Kadera (UW) (2 more Wyoming boys getting after it, for those that are counting, total of 5, so far) Brenton who is ranked 5th in the NJCAA preseason poll proved that ranking has merit by wrestling well from his feet and controlling the tempo throughout the match. Kadera had some near miss td attempts. Both will represent Wyoming well this season. 165 Zach Oppenheimer(NWC) vs. Tyler Davis (UW) Davis chooses down to start period and Oppenheimer locks hands to give Davis a point. Davis gets escape and td to end 2nd period. Davis scores 2 more tds and gives up a stalling point in the 3rd. 174 Nick Peterson(NWC) vs. Dallas Hintz(UW) Peterson escapes quickly. Hintz scores another td and Peterson escapes again to end 1st period. Peterson chooses down, is ridden for most of 2nd period, but gets to feet and secures td with 4 secs left. Hintz chooses down in 3rd and escapes to knot score at 5. OT... no td. Go to rideout period and Hintz escapes. Peterson gets his chance on 2nd rideout and reverses to win...wild match most action of any up to this point. 184 Jarrett Baker(NWC) vs. Joe LeBlanc(UW) LeBlanc wins big by fall at 4:04 LeBlanc dominated all facets of match. 197 Mak Jones(NWC) vs. Alfonso Hernandez(UW) In what was to be the most action of the night, unusual, to say the least, for a heavier weight class to put on such a show!!! Lots of time spent on set-ups but Hernandez gets paid off with td and Jones escapes. Jones chooses down to start the 2nd and escapes. Hernandez takes down to start 3rd and reverses Jones quickly to get back into the lead 4-2. Jones reverses to even score 4-4, Hernandez works out for escape and is ahead 5-4 when Jones gets a dramatic td to win with 3 ticks left on the clock. Heavyweight Sergio Perdoza(NWC) vs. Matthew McLaughlin(UW) Perdoza chooses down, and escapes quickly. McLaughlin notches a td with go-behind and Perdoza escapes again to even score 2-2 McLaughlin's choice is down in 3rd period and he escapes, making the score 3-2. Perdoza battles back with deep underhooks and good head position to earn a stalling warning and subsequent stalling call to even score 3-3. McLaughlin gets off shot with 5 seconds left and wins match 5-3 Final score of dual: Coaches comments and match follow-up, WyoWrestling: "Coach Branch, what is your take on how the team performed today?" WyoWrestling: "Northwest wrestled well tonight but you were missing a few starters." WyoWrestling: "Thanks coach and good luck tomorrow in the Open." WyoWrestling: "Another big win tonight was Brenton at 157, Briston appears to be a big asset for your team this year." WyoWrestling: "Any last thoughts coach?" WyoWrestling: "Thanks and good luck tomorrow in the Cowboy Open." While I thought our Pokes were a little "pokey" on offense, I thought that there were a couple of bright spots in the dual for Wyoming. Martinez has put on some muscle mass and it has proven quite beneficial for him. Michael will be a force at 125 this year. Now, he not only can wrestle all 3 periods with little or no problem as far as conditioning but he can ride and turn better with his boost in strength. The absence of Dallaserra, Onufer, was definitely a loss of potential bonus points but as far as this dual I agree with Coach Branch that it has to be considered a non-issue. LeBlanc is scary good. Even if Halloween was a couple of weeks ago...!!!Nobody in the Western Wrestling Conference can or will beat him as far as I see it. Matthew (Bubba) McLaughlin is a good addition at Hwt. He can improve on his mat strategy somewhat and we can all rest assured that Branch will improve that aspect of his wrestling. Northwest is for real. Zeigler had a big smile on his face after the dual, and he has a right to that grin. He has his team off to a good start. His team was on the attack most of the night and his kids battled whistle to whistle. The state of Wyoming can be proud of our wrestlers as we had 6 represent this evening. Attendance 567 2nd Clinic at U.W. Well AttendedBy John Bear, Editor14 November, 2009
While outside the wrestling room the snow flew and the State High School Football Championships raged, several die-hard wrestlers and coaches gathered wisdom from Coach Branch and his assistants. The University of Wyoming's 2nd Annual Coaches Clinic was held in Laramie last Friday. In attendance from Wyoming were; Some of the subjects covered were Strength and Conditioning by Robert Hartman, UW's Director of Strength and Conditioning, Penetrating Shots by Mark Branch, Bottom Work by Travis Shufelt, Assistant Coach UW Wrestling, Defense by Ethan Kyle, Assistant Coach UW Wrestling, Scrambling by Ben Vombaur, Assistant Coach UW Wrestling, and "Being Eligible to Wrestle in the NCAA" by Jason Frank. Jim Ziegler, Head Coach for Trapper Wrestling (North Western College) closed by stressing the "Seven Basics of Wrestling" and conducting a warm up for his team. All of the High School wrestlers in attendance gained insight to technique that should be expected to be seen on the mat this year. Most of the attendees stayed to watch the Cowboy's dual the Trappers that night and the Cowboy Open on Saturday. Mark Branch, Head Wrestling Coach at the University of Wyoming speaks with WyoWrestling.comBy John Bear, Editor WyoWrestling.com18 August, 2009
Mark Branch took time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions for me today. I took the opportunity to get some information from him that I believe all you fans will find helpful and interesting. WyoWrestling: "I understand you attended the Fargo Tournament this year. What are your thoughts on the tournament?" WyoWrestling: "Your assistant, Ben Vombaur spent a little time with Team Wyoming at their pre-Fargo camp in Casper this year. Is that something that you encourage, and do you think you or your staff would be willing to get more involved with Team Wyoming?" WyoWrestling: "What are your thoughts on summer wrestling?" WyoWrestling: "What things do you look for in a recruit?" WyoWrestling: "What would you like to see the High School Coaches in this state do to help their wrestlers achieve the level that you would like to see coming into your program?" WyoWrestling: "What would you like to see the state organization (WAWA) do?" WyoWrestling: "Many, if not all, states have a similar web site to WyoWrestling.com. They have a forum and rankings. Has the lack of consistent, formal, and organized rankings hurt the Wyoming wrestlers at the national level?" WyoWrestling: "Do you see anything that this site can do to assist your program?" WyoWrestling: "Will you be attending the Wyoming High School State Wrestling Championships again this year?" 35 Cadet and Junior wrestlers represent Team Wyoming at Fargo NationalsBy John Bear, Editor WyoWrestling.com24 July, 2009
When most of the wrestling community in Wyoming is enjoying the summer weather, a few dedicated souls packed up and hit the mats to compete against the Nations best Cadet and Junior Freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers. Team Wyoming, led by coaches Zac Helgeson and Bob Henderson arrived at Kelly Walsh High School on Saturday July 11 to complete a week long preparation camp. The camp featured guest coaches Ben Vombaur, head assistant coach of the University of Wyoming wrestling team, Blake Gunter, head coach of Western Wyoming wrestling team, Mark Hamrick of Kelly Walsh and Todd Latimer formerly of Kelly Walsh. On Thursday, July 16th, there was only one practice session, then the boys canvassed the city of Casper in an effort to sell the last few raffle tickets to help fund the trip. Then, at midnight, it was time to board the chartered bus to Fargo North Dakota. After a 14 hour crowded bus ride, the team arrived and checked into the NDSU dorms. The practice and competition schedule kept the 35 member team and the 9 coach staff busy and spread out over campus for the duration of the week. Some even participated in late night eight mile runs to keep the weight down and stay in wrestling condition. On Saturday the three day Greco-Roman tournament started for the Cadets. The next day, the Juniors started their three day Greco tourney. By Monday evening, Three of Wyoming's Cadet wrestlers had earned a spot on the podium and the coveted All-American status. The Three were Ryan Slaugh of Rock Springs at 119 pounds, Brady Turnbull of Green River at 135 pounds, and Austin Breckenridge of Cheyenne Central at 145 pounds. All were competing for 5th place, and all three won their finals matches. The next day, the sole Junior All-American, Tyler Cox of Gillette at 112 pounds, had won his finals match, placing third. Both the Cadet and Junior teams took one day off and then they started the "tough-as-nails" three day freestyle tournament on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. All of Team Wyoming's wrestlers represented our state well, both on and off the mat. A trip was made to the local go-cart track for some much needed rest and relaxation. By Friday night, all of the Juniors from Wyoming had been eliminated and all but one Cadet, Austin Breckenridge, had been eliminated. Austin would go on to place fourth in freestyle that night, making him Wyoming's only double All-American for 2009. |
