Wrestlers shut down Greybull/Riverside

A depleted Greybull/Riverside wrestling team had a long ride home after a 62-0 shutout Thursday by the energized Bobcats. Only six of the visitors were available for mat action, and those six went down to defeat – four by way of pins and the remaining two by major decision (eight plus points).

After two forfeits, Jon Harvey (170) started the parade of Bobcat victories with a pin at 4:46 over Shawn Erhart after dominating the second period. Following another forfeit, Chance Watt (195) started early and worked for six minutes to an 11-0 victory followed by Logan Cole's (220) usual competent performance in a 12-0 domination of Dale Green.

But perhaps the highlight for the fans was at 285 (Heavyweight) where sophomore Remington Ferree wrestled for the first time before hometown folk, and he responded with a second period fall at 2:53 to the delight of his teammates and the hometown crowd... and himself.

State placer Austin Ireland was not challenged as he dispatched Chad Balken in 53 seconds. Blake Williams ended the action on the mat with a 1:59 pin over Oscar Martinez.

About fifteen hours later, Bobcat wrestlers were on their way to the Battle of the Big Horns in Worland and one of the great days of HSCHS wrestling. Sixteen teams divided into four four-team pools resulted in the Bobcats wrestling duals with Cody, Glenrock, and Shoshoni. Those three duals would determine advancement to the Gold Bracket on Saturday composed of the top two teams in each pool.

The results? Bobcats 39, Cody 24; Bobcats 48, Glenrock 27; and, Bobcats 66, Shoshoni 12. In those three dual victories, Thermopolis wrestlers scored 19 pins led by Logan Cole, Chandler Maddock and Wyatt McDermott with three each; Austin Ireland, Riley Shaffer and Chance Watt with two each; and, four more Bobcats joining the pinning parade – Blake Williams, Jeffery VanAntwerp, Jon Harvey and Remington Ferree.

However with all those pins, it was a losing match that seemed to inspire the team to maximum efforts. Against Glenrock's Dustin Simmons, Blake Williams found himself behind 11-3 at the start of the 3rd period. Then this Bobcat seemed to make up his mind that enough was enough, and the score went to 11-6, and then 11-9 with less than 20 seconds left in the match where it stayed with the Herder desperately hanging on with an exhausted effort to prevent Blake from completing the comeback.

The last match on Friday built on that effort as nine Bobcats scored pins against their Shoshoni opponents...including one by Blake Williams.

Saturday brought the Bobcats back to earth as their 1-2 record attests. Wheatland, Pinedale, and Lander provided the wake-up call for Thermopolis wrestlers by way of loses to Wheatland (35-42) and Pinedale (32-42), and a win over Glenrock (46-24). In both team loses, unexpected last second reversals accounted for the margins by which the Bobcats saw possible victory slip away. In spite of the outcomes, the Bobcats still scored 15 pins in the three matches with Logan Cole, Wyatt McDermott, Chance Watt, Riley Shaffer, Hunter Mounts, and Chandler Maddock all scoring two pins; and, Austin Ireland, Blake Williams, and Remington Ferree all adding one to the total.

The Powell Panthers were too strong for Sheridan and took the team championship. The Bobcats finished seventh in the 16-team tournament.

The Battle of the Big Horns was not over though as five of the Bobcats - Cole, McDermott, Maddock, Watt, and Shaffer - qualified for the Bracketed "Best of the Best" portion of the tournament. Because of previous head to head outcomes, neither McDermott nor Cole had a chance to participate n the competition. Maddock and Watt lost in tough matches in the semifinals, but Shaffer put together his best performance of the year to pin his finals' opponent (Sheridan) in the third period for the trophy proving him the tournament "Best of the Best" in the 170 lb. class.

"The team excitement and support for one another was a highlight of the tournament," commented head coach Travis McDermott. "We had five wrestlers qualify for the "Best of the Best" competition, but because of previously head to head results were not participants in the semifinals. All in all, the team has started down the road to developing the qualities of a championship caliber program. Now individuals will work to improve their moves and conditioning getting ready for the Douglas tournament after New Year's."

The Battle of the Big Horns completed action for the Bobcats until after the Christmas vacation and New Year. The next action will see Thermopolis wrestlers in action at the Shane Shotto Memorial in Douglas Jan. 4 and 5.