TMS wrestlers gear up for conference

by Mark Dykes

Last week saw 10 middle school wrestlers hitting the mats during the Thermopolis Quad Tuesday, January 31.

The boys wrestled against Lander and Riverton, and came away from the home competition with 13 wins and seven losses.

Sean Johansen lost by a 2:04 fall to Tallen Anderson of Lander, but won by a 1:31 fall over Hunter Peterson of Riverton.

Carson Williams won by a 59-second fall over Gabe Harris of Lander, but lost by a 2:21 fall to Angel Monroe of Riverton.

Wyatt McDermott won by 10-5 decision against Blaize Laird of Lander, and by a 3-1 decision against Elisha Hernandez of Riverton.

Landon Sosa won by 13-9 decision against Gage Bailey of Lander, but lost by 9-4 decision to Kaden Toman of Riverton.

Roedy Farrell won by a 50-second fall over Ryan Edinger of Lander, and by 14-2 decision against Dalton Leach of Riverton.

Matt Music won by a 36-second fall over Mark Mock of Lander, but lost by 6-2 decision against Dalen Draper of Riverton.

Jarek Sorenson won by a 57-second fall over Sean Williamson of Lander, but lost by a 59-second fall to Brandon Kautz of Riverton.

Austin Barral lost by a 2:12 fall to Jaden Rivera of Lander, and won by a 4-0 decision against Kris Topan of Riverton.

Logan Cole won by a 50-second fall over Mason Hutson of Lander, and by a 45-second fall over Blake Walters of Riverton.

Charlie Sandberg lost by a 1:24 fall to Talon Anderson of Lander, and won by a 1:28 fall over Kaden Hinkle of Riverton.

Coach Toby Emery said the matchups were good during the quad. The only downfall, he noted, was they only wrestled 10 kids compared to other schools who had over double that. This meant the Bobcats had to show how they can stay ready and prepared, as sitting for an hour before hitting the mat wouldn't do them any favors.

All of the boys wrestled well, Emery said, and they've had the weekend off so he hopes they come into this week fresh and ready to practice for the conference at Powell this Saturday.

Emery added Barral has really come along this season and is wrestling with better technique, and Johansen is really stepping up and has more confidence. Overall, he said, the team has been evolving bit by bit each week, and the conference will be a true test for them. He hopes to see the boys step up and beat kids to whom they have lost in the past.

The conference at Powell is scheduled to begin Saturday at 10 a.m.