Harper wins 3A 195-pound title

WORLAND - The 2023 wrestling season came to a close for the Worland High School team, which proved to be an eventful season for the program.

Wrestling at the 3A State tournament and girls State tournament on Feb. 23-25 in Casper, the Warriors and Lady Warriors closed out the season with one state champion, three runners-up and four other placers.

Warrior senior Nathan Harper won the 3A 195-pound weight class with a pin of Buffalo's Lance Rabel in the championship round.

It was the first state title for Harper and a dream of his since he started wrestling.

"It means the world to me. It's everything I've fought for since a freshman. It feels good, it really does," said Harper after winning the 195-pound championship. "My coaches have been so great. It's been a long time coming."

Getting to the championship, Harper pinned Green River's Jakob Lloyd in the first round, pinned Tarrin Haws of Evanston in the quarterfinals and pinned Carter Archuleta of Douglas in the semifinals.

Harper's win over Archuleta was especially gratifying after Archuleta had beaten him last week in the 3A East semifinals.

"Big kudos to Nate for his semifinal match. It's tough to have that confidence after you've lost to somebody, but he wrestled lights out," said WHS wrestling coach Josh Garcia. "The biggest thing for me with Nate was that he's been to the finals three times in three different tournaments, and he's never been able to capitalize on one. We stayed really positive with him and kept telling him that he just needed to win one, and it was the one at the end."

Harper and Rabel were tied 0-0 heading into the second period. After winning the toss, Garcia kept his promise never to put his 195-pounder in the down position and chose the top position to start the second.

From the top, Harper controlled the rest of the period and got the pin 47 seconds later to cap his senior year as a state champion.

"It was a great win for him, and he was really excited, but he wasn't done. He wrestled outstanding in the finals too. Previously in the year, I put him in the down position in the second, and it's cost us some matches. It was 0-0 in the second period, and I told him I wouldn't put him down. He ran a head-arm bar, buried that kid, and the rest is history. All his hard work paid off for him, and now he's a state champion. I'm super proud of him."

The Warriors had one other wrestler make the championship match, 145-pounder Ross Goncalves. The senior picked up pins in the first two rounds, Mauricio Grimaldo of Wheatland in the first round and Charles Snyder of Lander Valley in the quarterfinals.

With a championship spot on the line, Goncalves won a 10-8 decision against Green River's Maddux Hintz.

Goncalves faced eventual three-time champion Thomas Dalton of Green River in the championship. Dalton controlled the first two periods of the match, but in the third, Goncalves made his push to pull off the upset.

After a couple of stalling calls against Dalton and working from the top position, Goncalves was close to turning Dalton. Unfortunately, the clock hit 00:00, and Dalton won by an 8-3 decision.

"Just like Nate, Ross won a huge semifinals match to get into the finals. Ross is good on his feet and the best on top. We lost the flip in the second period, and Dalton picked top and turned us. Ross put a leg in and cranked in on him.

"Ross wasn't able to turn him at the end and just ran out of time. I'm super proud of Ross and what he's accomplished. He's a four-time state placer. He was fourth his freshman and sophomore years, third as a junior and runner-up this year," said Garcia. "I'm super happy for Ross and all that he's accomplished in his career."

For the Lady Warriors, 130-pound Rivers Carrell and 140-pound Lecsi Ramirez made the championship rounds in their weight class at the first-ever girls State wrestling tournament.

Carrell pinned Green River's Mikayla Green in the first round, pinned Ryley Knight in the quarterfinals, won by a 6-0 decision over Brueklyn Truempler in the semifinals but lost to Buffalo's Telia Peters in the championship.

Ramirez picked up pins in her first two rounds, Morgan Murray of Central in the first round and Jazmin Ladwig of Niobrara County in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, she defeated Samantha Walker of Star Valley by an 8-4 decision, but in the championship, she fell to Rawlins' Brinley Green.

While both Lady Warriors aimed to end the season as champions, they still ended up as the first-ever all-state wrestlers in Wyoming High School girls wrestling and Lady Warrior history. The Lady Warriors were also among the few teams to have multiple wrestlers in the finals.

"Star Valley brought 14 girls, Natrona had nine girls, and they only put one girl each in the finals. I'm excited for those two young ladies and how they finished, and the same with our other placers. It was a great state tournament.

"The biggest thing is that they made history. They're among the first all-state wrestlers in girls wrestling in Wyoming. There are kids who I've coached who never make the finals. Yet, they came out their first year and made the finals which is a huge accomplishment," said Garcia. "I'm proud of what they've accomplished this season."

The Warriors' other placers were 120-pound Wyatt Dickinson, who was sixth; 126-pound Kobe Swain was sixth; 132-pound Tillman Burns was third and 220-pound Noa Vega was fourth.

"I'm super excited with where we're at as a team. We finished sixth as a team, and our girls were in the top 10, with only four of them. Anytime you can put kids in the finals and have placers is exciting. Our girls were disappointed with how they finished, but we had four girls and put two of them in the finals, which is pretty good," said Garcia.

Ending on a high note sets up a promising season for the Warriors and Lady Warriors next season. Capitalizing on the momentum built during the regional and state tournaments, the Warriors and Lady Warriors will take advantage of the weight room and get any mat time they can.

The Lady Warriors will also look to add to their numbers with Carrell, Rylee Anderson and Katie Emmett returning.

"Some of the expectations I have for them in the offseason is to help get out and recruit. The more ladies we have, the better chance we have at winning a state championship. Star Valley brought 14 girls and won the team trophy," said Garcia. "As for the mat, the girls side is no different than the boys side. We've got to hit the weight room, hit that offseason training and go to camps to get that mat time."

The 2024 season also has Garcia thrilled. With the way his wrestlers ended the season and their commitment to working hard in the wrestling room, next season could build off the success of 2023.

"The biggest thing for me is not just the hard work and lifting but having that attitude to improve each day. It doesn't matter where you start but where you finish. This group proved that well this season, and it's something I'm going to continue to say. If you're willing to put in the time and work, it will pay off for you in the end. It's doesn't always show on the mat right now, but it could be something later in life, or it might show at the state tournament. Nate Harper is a prime example. He worked hard and kept at it, and that's our job as coaches.

"Tilman Burns placed at the state tournament with a losing record. Those things are motivation for the underclassmen and for the rest of the guys and ladies coming back. If you work hard, you can still make the podium. You never know because it's such a crazy sport. That's what I'm looking forward to next year," said Garcia.