Thumbs up to the the Powell High School wrestling team, which claimed its fourth consecutive state 3A title last weekend.

The grapplers have a firm hold on 3A wrestling titles, winning six of the past eight state championships under the direction of head coach Nate Urbach. He has built a program that is the envy of opponents and the model for those who wish to follow this glittering path of success.

How do they do it? Hard work, smart work and constant work. Urbach trains his wrestlers to be both physically and mentally strong, to prepare for their opponents with their bodies and minds.

It certainly has paid off for them — junior Kye Catlin won his third state title, senior Riley Stringer won his second, junior Chance Karst also earned his second and senior Jake Davis claimed his first. Seven other wrestlers earned points for the state champion Panthers.

The wrestlers are among the many jewels of the Powell sports scene, which we will salute today.

Thumbs up to the Northwest College men’s basketball program for its run to the top of Region IX.

This season hits its latest peak today (Thursday), with the state of the Region IX Men’s Basketball Tournament. For the first time ever, the tourney is being played in Powell, and seven teams are here to compete.

Four games will be played at Cabre Gym today, with game times set for 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. The Trappers, who are 27-4 so far this year, including 13-1 in Region IX North competition, play in the final game of the night, taking on Western Nebraska (13-18, 8-8 in Region IX South play). While NWC is at home and has the far superior record, this game may not be a walkover — Western Nebraska defeated Northwest in overtime back on Nov. 1.

Still, we’re pulling for the Trappers to win tonight. Four teams will advance to the semifinals on Friday night, with the semifinals at 5 and 7 p.m. Friday and the championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Both teams that make the tourney finals will advance to the NJCAA Division I Men’s National Basketball Championship in Hutchinson, Kan., March 16-21.

We think this deep, talented Trapper team has a legitimate shot at that national crown. But first, let’s savor this weekend of hoops here.

Thumbs up to the Powell High School boys swim team, which has firmly established itself as the up-and-coming program in 3A.

The Panthers made a splash — forgive us, there are just so many words in the pool for swimming — during the 3A state meet. They finished behind champion Lander Valley, which claimed its amazing 19th straight championship.

PHS was led by seniors Ben Wetzel, Billy Baker and Alex Bjornestad, who set an example by their hard work and extra hours in the pool. Wetzel won the 3A Swimmer of the Year award and brought home his second consecutive 500 freestyle title and added the 200 free to his long list of honors.

Coaches Stephanie Warren and Jerry Rodriguez are creating a mighty unit at the Powell Aquatic Center, and the local swimmers and divers are making a mark across Wyoming. They are second to none in our admiration.

Thumbs up to the PHS girls and boys basketball teams as they head into regional play starting today (Thursday) in Lander.

The Panther girls earned the top seed in the 3A West tourney with a 17-3 record and a 3-1 mark in 3A Northwest play. They will open against Jackson at 4 p.m., and we feel these girls, with a balanced attack and cool heads on the floor, have an excellent shot at a regional and perhaps state crown.

The boys have had an uneven year, going 11-9 and 3-3 in NW competition. They tip off against Jackson at 1:30 p.m. This team came within an eyelash of the state title game last year; we’ll watch to see what they can accomplish in this postseason.

Thumbs up to the Northwest College wrestling team, a perennial powerhouse that sent five wrestlers to the national tourney last weekend.

No, the team didn’t bring home the championship, but they were there, as always, and coach Jim Zeigler has built a program that opponents respect and grapplers want to join. They have a firm grip on our attention.

We also want to put our thumbs up to the Park County Ice Cats, who claimed the Wyoming Amateur Hockey League U19 girls state title in Casper on Feb. 21-22. Three of their players, goalie Kayla Kolpitcke and Harriet “Hattie” Pimentel and Lauren Asher, are from Powell.

And a high-five to Powell sports fans who have followed and cheered for these teams all winter long. We urge you to continue that by attending the regional men’s tourney at Cabre Gym this weekend or by following the PHS teams in Lander. These young athletes give us a lot of reasons to cheer.