RIVERTON – Kash Kaufman and Todd Walker both went 3-2 in the Ron Thon Memorial Tournament in Riverton this past weekend.
Fielding just two wrestlers, Lingle-Fort Laramie finished 34th out of 43 teams in the tournament.
“I was proud of the way Todd and Kash wrestled this weekend,” coach Brandon Gifford said. “There are a few things we need to continue to improve on, but I feel confident that we are moving in the right direction and will be ready to go during the postseason in a couple weeks.”
Walker started off his weekend with a pin over Star Valley’s Nick Robinson in the third period. He then advanced to the quarterfinals with an 8-1 win by decision over Peyton Rees (Riverton).
Walker’s final three matches all lasted three periods. He lost to Garrett Shwindt (Glenrock) by decision, 4-0. In the consolation bracket, the Dogger beat Cheyenne Central’s Kyle Hardee, 6-4, before losing by the same score to Sam Lester (Evanston).
Kaufman started his weekend with a loss, lasting all three rounds against Buck Butterfield (Worland), before losing, 13-7. Kaufman returned to the mat, rattling off three-straight wins in the consolation bracket. He pinned Cole Seymour (Rock Springs) and Gavin Garner (Torrington) in the first period and beat T.J. Kraft (Glenrock) by a 13-11 decision. Kaufman was pinned in the second period of his final match against Trey Fischbach (Moorcroft).
“It is always hard splitting up the team but Kash and Todd were able to compete against the best wrestlers in Wyoming and they held their own,” Gifford said.
While Kaufman and Walker were in Riverton, LFL’s Gaven Niles and Christian Burton were in Yoder to compete in the Southeast Duals. They tagged along with the Cyclones and wrestled in exhibition matches against teams that were in Yoder. Niles went 4-1 and Burton was 2-2.
