Wrestlers finish fourth in 2A, Alexander wins second individual title

It was an effort that would have made Tom Urbach smile.

The Greybull-Riverside grapplers made their way onto the podium at the end of last weekend’s State Wrestling Championships in Casper, reveling in a fourth-place finish that was fueled  by contributions from nearly every wrestler on the roster.

Urbach, the late, great former Greybull High School coach, will be remembered at a Saturday, March 14 funeral service at Buff Gym, where nine state championship banners hang as a reminder of the program’s remarkable run in the 1980s and ‘90s.

While the Hound Dogs didn’t come close to adding a 10th — Kemmerer ran away with it in 2A, followed by Kemmerer and Moorcroft — they maximized their potential, a trademark of the Urbach teams.

Loomis Alexander, a senior, led the way, winning a second state title and becoming a four-time state placer.

Bennett Sanford, Caiden Sorenson and Zack Kuntz all got to experience the electricity of finals night, with each finishing second.

Garrett Wiggins, Nikoah Sorensen and Camden Schriner added fifth-place finishes and Hayden Jensen captured sixth.

Wrestling coaches like to say they’re never satisfied, but Mark Sanford couldn’t find much to critique about his team’s performance. “Really only one match,” he said Monday. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a state tournament where I came out of it thinking about only one match that got away.”

“It was a great tournament for us, with some really big wins along the way.”

Sanford said going in, “I thought going in we were going to need eight guys to place — and we got eight guys to place. They did it in a different way than I thought.  I didn’t think we’d get six into semis, but I knew we needed to push four into the finals. I also knew it would be hard for some of them to win because they’d be likely be going against kids they lost to previously, but we needed them to get there.”

Like last year, Alexander stood out. Wrestling in Basin/Riverside red, he dominated Rio Edwards of Wright in the 157-pound final, capping a 3-0 tournament and 34-3 season.  He won the 144-pound title as a junior and was the top dog all year at 157, though a knee injury plagued him late. Alexander’s toughest match in Casper was against Brady Garouette of Moorcroft, who spent much of the year at 165; Alexander beat him easily, 12-0.

“Loomis has such a mindset – he’s just not going to be denied,” Sanford said. “He’s gotten so mentally tough.  The way he dealt with the injury and things he did to try to stay in shape. When we were doing morning runs and even after, he was going to Worland and doing morning swims, trying to keep the pressure off his knee.”

In addition to the state title, Alexander was named the Northwest District’s wrestler of the year.

“What a great finish to a really good career,” Sanford said.

Caiden Sorenson, at 165, had one of the toughest paths to the final, needing to get by matchups against Keen Coffman of Lusk in the quarters and Triffen Jolley of Rocky Mountain — who had beaten him at regionals — in the semis. Sorenson did it, beating Coffman 18-7 and Jolley 14-6. The latter was one of G-R’s biggest wins of the weekend, Sanford said. Flint Linford of Cokeville was too strong in the final, pinning Sorensen at 2:43.

Sanford said Sorenson “has always struggled at the state tournament, so I was very happy he could come through as a senior and get to wrestle in the state finals.”

Bennett Sanford, at 138, won his first three matches by pin, contributing the maximum team points, before running into Trey Schneider of Upton. “We knew he’d be tough; he beat us pretty handily in Shoshoni,” Sanford said.  “We had a little different plan for him this time; wasn’t bad, just didn’t work.  But Bennett had a great season.”

 Kuntz, at 190, followed the same path, notching three straight pins before running into the No. 1-ranked kid at his weight, Kashton Walker of Cokeville.  Walker got his arm raised, thanks to a second-period pin. “That kid’s tough,” Sanford said. “But we took it to him, even took him down once. He told Zack later that he was only the third person to take him down all year. I was very proud of Zack and his season.

“It goes for all our kids in the finals. The leadership they gave this team made a huge difference,” Sanford said, adding that in their own ways, each was a very positive influences on their teammates.

Holloway a finalist

With just one girl, Greybull-Riverside finished 28th in the all-class field, ahead of 19 other team.

Ellie Holloway’s impressive return to the mat culminated in a second-place finish at 155. None of her first three opponents, all with winning records including Chylia Stephens of Thunder Basin in the semis, lasted more than a period.

Holloway’s showdown with Sarah of Rock Springs was one of the most-anticipated matches of the day.  Holloway handed Eddy her only loss of the season at the Ron Thon, but Eddy avenged it at regionals. 

Though Holloway “came out better prepared” in Casper, Eddy still prevailed, earning a pin at 5:42. “(Eddy) got the first takedown — I was really hoping we would have, because that’s what befuddled her (at the Ron Thon).

“But it was a good match for us. (Eddy) is a really good wrestler.  It was just great to have Ellie back on the mat; she didn’t get to be there last year (due to injury).”

A junior, she finished 37-7.

Other placers

G-R’s fourth-place finish in the boys division wouldn’t have been possible without contributions up and down its lineup.

Wiggins, at 150, went 4-2 in his final tournament, contributing 14 points to the team’s cause.  His two wins in the wrestlebacks helped propel G-R to the podium. “What a long way this kid came,” Sanford said. “From his first years high school until now, seems like it was a mile that he traveled.”

Nikoah Sorensen, a newcomer to the program, continued to impress, going 4-2 at 175 pounds. His only losses were to the eventual champion, Riley DeHaven of Moorcroft, in the quarters and, Clay Teichert of Cokeville, expected by many to be in the final. Sanford said Sorensen “is one of those kids who gives you everything he’s got — like one of those guys that, in old movies, get put on the front lines because they’re either going to break through and cause problems or die trying. Taking fifth was a big step for Koah — at a ‘big’ weight where there are a lot of seniors and juniors.” 

Schiner, at 215, provided the upset of the weekend, beating Ryan Axtell of Thermopolis, 8-6, in the quarters. “He’d never made it out of the second period against that kid,” Sanford said. “It’s proof of what I always tell kids: If you keep wrestling, good things happen.” Schriner went on to lose his next two before finishing with a win over Colter Schwend of Tongue River, a team making a late charge bump the Dogs off the podium. “Camden did an outstanding job ... what a good finish for a kid who’d never placed before.” 

Sanford said Jensen, at 144, “started off the first two days about as well as he could have,” going 2-0 to reach the semis. “Once you do that, you’ve placed, so that was big for us.”  Jensen went on to lose his next three.  In one, he nearly had a pin, so an even higher finish was within his grasp. “What a good year for Hayden, coming over from Powell,” Sanford said.

 In other highlights from the weekend, 113-pounder Carlin Mulley and heavyweight Phillip Thomas won their first matches of the season.  Mulley “was on a mission,” Sanford said, adding that his teammates were every bit as excited as he was about his 16-9 win over Arthur Hilliard of Lingle in the wrestlebacks. “That right there was one of the highlights of the weekend and why this is such a great sport.  You work hard, keep chopping wood and carrying water, and eventually it pays off.  Everyone was so excited for him. I tell you, wrestling is family.”

Thomas almost didn’t get an opportunity to shine at state. He wasn’t among the top eight in the West, but qualified because only three heavyweights came out of the East.  With his win over Woody Springfield of Tongue River, Thomas provided four team points. “It was great for him getting that first win,” Sanford said.

Riley Wiggins went 1-2 at 138 pounds, Ben Mendenhall went 1-2 at 157, Levi Cochrane went 0-2 at 144, Braxton Link went 0-2 at 106 and Corbyn Godfrey went 0-2 at 190. Four of the five can return next year.  

Mendenhall is the only senior. “He came a long way from middle school,” Sanford said.