Bobcat wrestling season wrap up

Six Bobcat wrestlers finished the season with more than half of their matches ending in victory. Leading the team were Cullen Becher (40-15),Koy Myers (36-17), Austen Ireland (18-11), Jonathan Harvey (16-11), Blake Williams (14-10), and Riley Shaffer (12-11).

One might expect Becher to be the Take Down Master based simply on his record and success at the state tourney. He led the team with 47 of the two point moves. More than half of the two point moves were team criteria and the prevue of a coming victory seeming to inspire the Bobcat to a maximum effort. Becher also led the team with 25 escapes and team points and was runner-up in match points.

Koy Myers had the unfortunate experience of a late season injury which limited his effectiveness at state; however his 22 pins during the season speak loud and clear about the possibilities for his senior year. They also make him the teams PIN-ister. Myers was runner-up with 27 takedowns and doubled the entire team with 34 two and three point near falls as well as leading the Bobcats with 180 match points.

Last year sophomores Austin Ireland and Jon Harvey had less than 10 wins between them; this year the two Bobcats had 16 pins between them. Their 34 victories make them co-Bobcat Pride winners for the 2016/17 season. Ireland led the team in reverses with 19 and was runner-up in escapes with 15, and third in match points with 112.

Freshmen Blake Williams and Riley Shaffer make all the errors a coach expects freshmen to make, and then Blake wins half his 14 wins by pins while Riley ends 3/4 of his 12 victories before time runs out.

There is another factor in common for these six Bobcats, they’ll all be back next year. In fact, the Thermopolis wrestling program will say goodbye and thank you to one wrestler - Michael Harvey. After sitting out his junior year, Mike returned to the program scoring 7 pins in 9 wins.

Others contributing to the Bobcat season: Josh Lackey (6-12, 3 pins), Jonathan Hagen (14-16, 7 pins, Chase White (6-9, 5 pins), Hunter Mounts (3-10, 3 pins), Aiden Ozman 6-9, 4 pins), Jeffery VanAntwerp (9-13, 9 pins), Tyler Kay (0-7), Tyson Tobar (6-15, 4 pins), and Andrew Yarbrough (4-12, 3 pins).

The coming 17/18 wrestling season will see a major change in the configuration of the sport in Wyoming. There will be two classes, 4A and 3A. The top half of the present 3A class (8 teams) will move up into 4A while all the other wrestling teams in the state will be in the same class.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Coach Scholl. “Some coaches are not in favor of the action, but I think the move will make the competition more equal and allow teams with fewer but more talented wrestlers to be in the hunt for tournament championships. No one will really know what the impact will be until the season concludes next year. Regardless, we’ll be ready to wrestle.”

Scholl has a right to be optimistic. His team ended the season with more wrestlers still in the room than all but one year in the last decade.