TORRINGTON – The three Goshen County high schools are sending a combined 28 wrestlers to the Casper Events Center this weekend for the 3A and 2A State Tournaments.
At the regional level, the Torrington squad captures the sixth-place slot with 119 points, one point behind fifth-place Rawlins. The Blazers qualified 14 wrestlers to make the trip to Casper. At the 2A East Regional Tournament, Southeast took fourth with 78 points and Lingle-Fort Laramie finished eighth. The Cyclones are sending nine wrestlers to the final tournament and the Doggers are sending five.
With the final weekend of high school wrestling this weekend, here’s a couple of recommendations about who to watch for in Casper:
Torrington
State Qualifiers: 14
Ranked State Qualifiers (WyoWrestling): 5
Trey Rodriguez highlights the wrestlers heading to Casper from Torrington, sitting first at 120 pounds according to WyoWrestlings Week 9 rankings. The senior is no stranger to the state tournament, where he has placed in each of the past three years. In 2014 and 2015 at 106 pounds, he took fifth. Rodriguez stepped up to 113 pounds last season and finished third at the state tournament.
The Blazer is set to compete at 120 pounds this weekend, where he has competed for most of this season. First-place finishes at the Mitchell, Neb. Invite and the 3A East Regional Tournament have highlighted his season. He also took third at the Shane Shatto Memorial Tournament, Lander Valley Invite and Ron Thon Memorial Tournament. In the Old Chicago Northern Colorado Tournament on Dec. 17, Rodriguez took eighth at 126 pounds.
“For my pick of wrestlers to watch, it’s definitely Trey Rodriguez,” Torrington coach Doyle Meyer said. “With him being a senior and wrestling against mostly sophomores, he definitely stands the best shot at getting a shot at getting a title. He has been there and he understands what it takes to win.”
Rodriguez posted a 44-10 record this winter. His earned the first seed at 120 pounds. Fellow Blazer Quentin Meyer joins Rodriguez in the 120-pound bracket. Meyer went 21-12 this winter and took third at the regional tournament. If both Torrington wrestlers win their opening matches, they will face off in the semi-finals.
“Quentin Meyer has kind of been in the shadows of Trey at 120, but he has been doing some really good things for us,” Meyer said.
Blazer Lane Johnson is another senior who could make waves in Casper, in the heavyweight division. He wrestled as a heavyweight for Torrington during his sophomore season, when he took sixth at the state tournament. He was not with the Blazers last year, but has returned for his final season.
This winter, Johnson has posted a 28-7 record and sits fourth in 3A in WyoWrestlings recent rankings. He took third at the regional tournament last weekend. He has 12 wrestlers in his 16-seed bracket for the state tournament. With a win in his first match, Johnson would have to wrestle Powell’s heavyweight who had a bye in the first round.
“It looks good for him to reach the semi-finals and even the finals and then we will see what happens,” Meyer said of Johnson’s positioning in the bracket.
Juniors Nathan Davis and Chase Dominguez are the only other upperclassmen to represent Torrington in Casper. Dominguez (160) locked up the seventh seed after finishing fourth at the regional tournament last weekend. He has posted a 16-26 record this winter. Fourth place finishes at regionals, the Mitchell, Neb. Invite and the Lander Valley Second Chance Tournament, have highlighted his season.
Josh Kingsley is joining Dominguez in the 160-pound weight class. Kingsley recorded a 16-23 record this season and finished eighth at the regional tournament. Kingsley and Dominguez are in separate halves of the bracket, so their chances of meeting on the mat come in the first-place match or the battle-backs.
Davis has spent a lot of time on the mat for the JV squad for Torrington this winter. Even though most of his action came in the JV ranks, Davis finished eighth at the regional tournament to qualify for this weekend. He has posted a 13-15 record this winter and taken fourth at the Dogger Invite and the Charlie Lake JV tournament.
Sophomores round out the remaining qualifiers for Torrington. Casey Britton (145), Jacob Polkowske (138) and Tristan Kingsley (132) are the remaining three Blazers to be ranked by WyoWrestling. Britton sits sixth in his weight class with an 18-21 record this winter. Polkowske and Tristan Kingsley both rank seventh in their respective weight classes. Polkowske has posted a 19-16 record, while Tristan Kingsley is 15-8. In 2016, Tristan Kingsley took fifth at state at 106 pounds.
“(Kingsley) is a returning state placer and he can definitely see the podium when it’s all said and done,” Meyer said. “He knows what it takes.”
Austin Fox (132, 15-16), Ryan Walson (170, 14-21), Alejandro Chavarria (170, 4-17), Jakob Brott (195, 11-20) and Brandon Bennick (220, 14-21) round out the contenders heading to Casper.
Torrington finished fifth as a team at the state tournament in both 2014 and 2016. The Blazers had an off year in 2015, falling to seventh.
“It’s going to be tough for us to make a lot of head way this year,” Meyer said of the chances of a team title. “We are young but if we get in the top-six as a team, I will be happy.”
Southeast
State Qualifiers: 9
Ranked State Qualifiers (WyoWrestling): 4
Chase Lovercheck is riding into Casper on the heels of a win at the 2A East Regional Tournament this past weekend, where he finished first in the 145-pound weight class. This is Lovercheck’s third trip to the state tournament in as many years. In 2015, he finished sixth at 120 pounds and he followed that up with a fifth-place finish at 132 pounds last year.
The junior has a 34-8 record this winter. He has taken first at the regional tournament and the Dogger Invite, while finishing second at the Mitchell, Neb. Invite and the Garden County Invite. In each of the six tournaments Southeast has competed in this winter, Lovercheck has not finished below fourth. His efforts this winter have earned him the fourth ranking at 145 pounds according to WyoWrestling.
Like Lovercheck, fellow junior Hunter Woodruff made it to Casper last year. He posted a 23-11 record and finished fifth at the state tournament in the heavyweight division last season.
This winter, Woodruff sits at 25-7. He took first at the Banner County Invitational on Dec. 10. In 2017, Woodruff has taken third at the Knights Invite and Dogger Invite and finished fourth at the Garden County Invitational. Most recently, Woodruff earned a third-place finish at the regional tournament. WyoWrestling ranks Woodruff fourth in 2A in the heavyweight division.
He got the fifth seed in the heavyweight bracket for this weekend and already has a bye into the quarterfinals.
Southeast’s only senior, Elijah Boyd (132), has garnered the sixth spot in WyoWrestling’s rankings. He has gone 22-18 this winter and placed in four tournaments, including a fourth-place finish at the regional tournament in Moorcroft. Boyd has reached the state tournament in each of the past two years, but he has yet to pick up a win in Casper, a stat he will be looking to reverse this weekend.
Bryan Baker is the final Cyclone to rank in WyoWrestling’s individual rankings, sitting seventh at 182 pounds. He has reached the state tournament in each of the past two years, but has only one win in Casper last winter. He competed at 170 pounds in his freshman in sophomore years.
As a junior, Baker picked up a first-place finish at the Dogger Invite. He also finished on the podium at the Banner County, Garden County and Mitchell, Neb. Invitationals. He took eighth at the regional tournament this past weekend. Baker is 19-10 this winter and is the 10th seed heading into Casper.
Greg Logsdon (106, 13-9), Kaden Brothwell (106, 9-24), Tate Carson (160, 17-9), Brady Tosh (170, 21-17) and Connor Smith (195) are the final Cyclones that are set to compete in Casper.
The Cyclones finished 15th as a team at the state tournament last winter with 11 wrestlers in Casper. In 2015 Southeast grabbed the 10th spot with 61 points and in 2014 they finished 11th with 74 points.
Lingle-Fort Laramie
State Qualifiers: 5
Ranked State Qualifiers (WyoWrestling): 2
Lingle-Fort Laramie’s two seniors, Kash Kaufman and Todd Walker, will be leading the charge for the Doggers in Casper this weekend.
As a freshman, Kaufman wrestled at 106 pounds and finished sixth at the state tournament. A year later, he wrestled 113 and finished fourth. Last season, he wrestled at 120 pounds and was a state-runner up. This winter, Kaufman is in the 126-pound bracket and looking to continue the trend of going up a weight class and finishing better than the year before at state.
“He has been there three times in the past and has wrestled on the big stage,” LFL coach Brandon Gifford said. “That fact will help him compete and make things happen in the big matches this weekend
Kaufman posted a 25-7 record this season, finishing fourth or better at the Banner County, Garden County, Cheyenne East JV and Dogger invitationals. His wins included first place finishes in Cheyenne and Lingle. Kaufman took third at the 2A East Regional Tournament last weekend, earning him the fifth seed for the state tournament.
“Kash is obviously a wrestler that will be favored in certain matches this weekend,” Gifford said. “His pedigree speaks for itself. However, he is in one of the toughest weight classes in 2A and will need to wrestle his best to make the finals and win a state championship.”
Walker has also had his fair share of state appearances, taking sixth in 2015 and runner-up last winter. This season, Walker has posted a 27-6 record. At the regional tournament in Moorcroft, Walker finished second to earn himself the third seed for the state tournament. He is one of only four seniors in his bracket.
Walker has had a solid final regular season, racking up three first-place finishes (Banner County Invite, Cheyenne East JV Invite and Dogger Invite). Walker also picked up a fourth-place finish at the Belle Fourche Invitational.
“Todd is the other senior whose pedigree speaks for itself,” Gifford said. “Todd has an excellent opportunity to accomplish his goal of a state championship. Todd’s key will be to take one match at a time and not try to wrestle away from his style or the positions that have made him successful.”
LFL’s 120-pounder, Gaven Niles, has the third best record on the team, sitting at 29-15. He found his way to the state tournament last year, but fell in his first two matches.
“Gaven is a wrestler that I would consider a major dark horse at the state tournament,” Gifford said. “Obviously, he is going to have to wrestle his best to get on the medal stand, but he has the potential to do just that. If he can keep matches close going into the third period, you will see him have a chance to compete for a medal at the state tournament.”
Christian Burton (113) and Zane Rising (132) are the final two Doggers heading to Casper. Burton has posted an 11-19 record this winter, while Rising has gone 19-16. Gifford said that both Burton and Rising will have their work cut out for them, but have the ability to find their way to the medal stand.
As a team, LFL finished 12th at the state tournament last year on seven wrestlers. They finished 14th in 2015 and 12th in 2014.
“We as a team overall are coming in as sort of underdogs,” Gifford said. “We are talented and are favored in individual match ups at certain weight classes but overall, I think that we can come into Casper and surprise some people. That is what we plan to do and I think we have a shot to do just that.”
