Bobcat wrestlers take first at 2A regionals

Kemmerer was the site for the strongest Bobcat wrestling performance in decades. Fifteen Thermopolis wrestlers made the trip to regional; fifteen Bobcats are qualified for the state tournament this weekend.

On the strength of 10 Bobcats finishing in the top four in their weight class, Thermopolis surprised the 2A field and out scored them by more than 15 points with total of 186 to runner-up Kemmerer's 170 followed by Cokeville (158.5), Lovell (140), and Big Piney (120.5).

This marks the first time Thermopolis has ever won Regionals.

Two Bobcats won regional championships - Austin Ireland and Logan Cole. Ireland won his crown with a dominating performance (5-0) over Kemmerer's Conner Vickery at 113 after recording two pins to get to the finals. Seeded No. 1, Ireland moved easily through the field with little difficulty along the way.

Cole knew from the start of the tournament that he would be eventually facing Lovell's returning state champion at 220, senior Coy Trainor. While the scoreboard indicates a cliffhanger (3-1), in fact the match was really not that close with Cole's crushing double-leg takedown attempt going just out of bounds early that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the match.

Along with Ireland and Cole, three other Bobcats won their way to the finals - Wyatt McDermott (126), Chance Watt (195), and Remington Ferree (285).

McDermott roused Bobcat fans by pulling off a last second (four to be precise) takedown to upset highly regarded and No. 11 seed, Lovell's Quinton Hecker at 126. He was unable to repeat his performance against the #2 seed, Kemmerer's Zakine Malone in the final losing on a major decision.

Watt took advantage of his usual fast aggressive starts to record two pins on his way to the final where he faced perhaps the best wrestler in the tournament, Kemmerer's Haydon Walker (42-0), and became Walker's 43rd victory.

Ferree was in much the same situation as he took the mat in the final. Having also pinned two opponents to get there, he faced Kemmerer's Ascencion Pelham (39-2) for the championship, and became Pelham's 40th victim of the year.

Both Jeff VanAntwerp and Riley Shaffer wrestled their way to 3rd place medals. VanAntwerp with a nail-biter (9-7) over Caleb Bottom of Greybull/Riverside while Shaffer dominated Lovell's Kelly Powell (5-0) to win his medal.

While these five Bobcats earned more than 100 of the Bobcats points, it was the rest of the team that brought the victory home by adding more than 80 points to the total. Led by 4th place finishers Blake Williams. Jon Harvey, and Cole Christianson, all team members played a role in the final outcome for the Bobcats. And all qualified for the WHSAA State Tournament, so Chase White (132), Jon Hagen (138), Aiden Ozman (138), Hunter Mounts (152), and Austin Barral (170) will join teammates in chasing a trophy in Casper

Now it's off to the state tournament to face expected 2A champion Moorcroft, Wright, and Glenrock from the East. As satisfying as the victory in Kemmerer was, the Bobcats must once again surprise people if they are to emerge with a state championship. To be "...in the mix" as Coach Travis McDermott puts it, the Bobcats will need even a greater effort from those wrestling in the consolation brackets. The tournament starts Friday, Feb. 22, at the Casper Events Center with a full day of wrestling through the semi-finals if it follows the usual agenda, with consolation rounds and finals the following afternoon.