Cole claims second championship

Bobcat wrestlers competed at the Wyoming High School 2A State Championship Wrestling Tournament Friday and Saturday in Casper.

Logan Cole claimed his second straight state championship, Riley Shaffer and Roedy Farrell brought home second in their weight class, Remington Ferree earned third and Wyatt McDermott was fourth.

Jorge Agguire, Elijah Skelton and Austin Barral also competed for the Bobcats.

Five of the eight Bobcats earned medals giving the team a sixth place finish, out of 22 teams, with 114 points.

Many observers thought the 126 pound was one of the toughest 2A weight classes this year. McDermott was one of four that had genuine chances at the championship. When McDermott lost in the semifinal match against #2 rated Wright’s Preston Seemands, he came back to pin his way into the consolation finals against the former #1 rated Colter Julian whom he had defeated in last second heroics at the regional tournament. The match with Julian was another squeaker but McDermott lost by two points for fourth place and earned 14 team points.

For freshman Roedy Farrell, the state tourney seemed to be business as usual as he recorded three pins on his way to the championship match. There waiting for him, also having pinned his way to the finals, was Moorcroft’s #1 rated Parker Seeley. Farrell earned 5 points against his foe, but gave up 9 to finish as runner-up and earn 24 team points. “Roedy didn’t quit and had some really good offensive moments,” said McDermott.

Austin Barral, completing an amazing season for the sophomore, won his first round match by pin, but suffered back to back losses thereafter to end up earning 4 team points. “Austin ran into a couple of good wrestlers from Hulett who went on to place. He’ll be even better next year,” commented McDermott.

Moorcroft again presented the challenge of facing a #1 rated wrestler in Rowdy Pfieil (46-3) to Bobcat Riley Shaffer. Shaffer faced him into the third period, but gave up a technical fall to become another Bobcat runner-up and earn another 24 team pts.

Earlier in the year, returning Bobcat champ Logan Cole defeated his Moorcroft adversary, Parker Schlater, in a narrow 2-point win which had brought the observation from Coach McDermott that they would likely see each other again for the state championship. They did and Cole won 4-2 claiming his second state championship and earning 26 team pts. Despite the closeness of the score, Coach McDermott noted, “Logan gave up a reversal, but really controlled the match from the beginning.”

Many expected the 285 pound weight final to be a repeat of Lovell’s Coy Trainor and Bobcat Remington Ferree, but Ferree ran into Southeast’s Will Baker. After the upset, Ferree came back with two pins (for a total of 4) to earn a third-place medal and 22 team points.

Coach Travis McDermott was up-beat about his team’s performance. “For the most part, they wrestled to their best potential. This tournament was a good finish for the team. We got three into the (winners bracket) finals, and two into the consolation finals out of the seven weights we competed in. Low numbers hurt us in the practice room, and in competing with teams able to fill more weights than we could.”

“We could have as many as 7-9 freshmen out for the sport next year. We’ll continue to work to develop a championship wrestling team in Thermopolis,” summed up Coach McDermott.

Farrell, Shaffer and Cole were all named to the Wyoming Coaches Association All-State list.

Moorcroft was first in 2A with 200 pts., nearly 70 more than second place Lovell and third place Shoshoni.