A lot to look forward to for Warrior wrestling

WORLAND - The wrestling season did not end as planned for the Worland Warriors but even falling short of their postseason goals there were positive strides made to carry into next season.

At the 3A state wrestling tournament in Casper the Warriors finished ninth overall with 103 points.

"I think the way this season ended will be good motivation for next year as those guys returning," said WHS wrestling coach Josh Garcia about his team's ninth-place finish, "but we did have a lot of positive things happen for us happen at the state tournament."

Of those positive moments at state were six Warriors, four of which will be returning next season, placing in their respective weight classes.

One of those highlights was junior Morgan Tigner wrestling in the 220-pound state championship match. Tigner lost by fall to Star Valley's Josh Dawson for a second-place finish.

"Morgan is a great kid and does all the offseason work which is a big part of the reason why he made the finals," said coach Garcia. "He wrestled an outstanding state tournament. I know he was disappointed that he couldn't finish it off, but he's a great kid and I know that he'll get after it again and be ready to work in the offseason."

Talking about Tigner's championship match Garcia said that Star Valley's Dawson took everyone by surprise with a move he had done all season.

"(Dawson) hadn't shot a double leg all season and usually he's a patient type of kid. He got away from his MO a little bit, shot a double leg and took us down. Then we go to a hip and he's able to turn us," said Garcia. "Those things happen and like I told Morgan (Tigner) they're fixable. I know he's going to come back next season hungrier than he did this season and I look forward to coaching him again."

Defending champion, 285-pound senior, Nathan Kern's title defense was cut short by a tough 4-2 loss in the semifinal match to Star Valley's McCabe Smith. Nonetheless, Kern bounced back to take third with a pin of Powell's Terrance McLaughlin in the consolation semifinals and a pin of Torrington's Lane Johnson in the third-place match.

"It's really difficult to win one title. Then when you do win you have a target on your back. Every kid you wrestle is going to wrestle their best against you. It's not just in the sport of wrestling, defending a title is tough. Everyone is trying to knock you off and get that upper edge on you. I'm really proud of Nathan to regroup mentally after a tough semifinals loss then come back and take third," said Garcia about Kern's third-place finish.

Another placer for the Warriors was 106-pound freshman Domanic Hartley who advanced to the semifinals before taking sixth.

"Domanic Hartley placed as a freshman. I know he was disappointed about his loss in the semifinals but from the coaching perspective I am very proud of him. He overcame some obstacles this season and placed as a freshman which is impressive," said Garcia.

Losing in the first round to Douglas' Taten Bennett, 126-pound senior Buck Butterfield rallied to place fifth, beating Lyman's Colten Ellison by a 6-2 decision.

"It was huge to have Buck Butterfield comeback and take fifth at state. It's tough to lose the first round match and have to come all the way back like he did. By the time it was all said and done he wrestled something like six matches in the two days," said Garcia.

A pair of juniors, 195-pounder Alex Beck and 170-pounder JR Hofmann, also placed at state going fourth and fifth, respectively.

"Alex Beck took fourth place and wrestled very well all tournament long," said Garcia. "Another one that did an outstanding job was JR Hofmann. He had minimal wrestling experience and we worked with him and it paid off in the end because he took fifth place. Before this season he hadn't even wrestled in high school but he worked hard and just did a tremendous job for us."

Due to injury the Warriors were without freshman Daniel Weyrich and sophomore Isaac Goncalves. Both of whom would have been in contention for a top six finish. And while the team will lose strong senior talent those returning will provide a solid base for next season.

"We wrestled really well at times and were a young team. We have a good group returning, Daniel (Weyrich) and Isaac Goncalves weren't able to wrestle at state because they were hurt. Peyton Woffinden won some matches, Quentin McBee, Cameron Cabaret and Christian Beccaria will all be returning. If we work in the offseason we can be a salty group next season too," said Garcia.

Leaving the state tournament, Garcia was encouraged to hear his returning wrestlers already talking about their offseason workouts.

"It's always great leaving the state tournament seeing kids that are still ambitious and ready to get back at it. We had a lot of the kids tell us that they're ready for next year and are ready to put in the work over the offseason," said Garica.

As for his seniors, Garcia said it was tough watching them wrestle as a Warrior for the last time, but at the same time he's proud of their accomplishments and is excited to see what they can do.

"It's always tough to see them go because you know they've been committed to the program for four years. So when they step off the mat for the last time it's always tough to see them go. But in the back of your mind as coaches we hope we've done a good enough job that they will be productive and good members to society. It's always a bittersweet moment but I am excited to see what they will do as the move forward with their lives," said coach Garcia.

The postseason did not go as planned for the 2016-17 Warrior wrestling team but there were still noteworthy moments from the season, which included winning a dual vs. the 3A runners-up the Powell Panthers in Powell.

"For us it was really about battling and having placers at those big tournaments. Then beating Powell in Powell is always a great feeling," said Garcia.

Along with being thankful for the hard work and dedication put in by the wrestlers this season. Garcia was also thankful for his coaching staff for their excellent work and sacrifices made throughout the season.

"I'm really appreciative of coach Matt Muller and coach Ryan Utterback for their effort and putting their own families on hold, so to speak," said Garcia. "They've done great work all season long working with the kids and have helped our program get that much better."