After three consecutive polls as the No. 3 team in the state, the Panthers rose one spot on the strength of their Lander finish and sit at No. 2 in the latest Wyowrestling. com rankings.
Douglas, which edged Pow- ell by five points in Lander, ascends to No. 1. Star Valley, which had occupied the No. 1 spot since the preseason, dropped to third. Worland, Lander and Torrington shape out the top six in the final rank- ings of 2012.
Fourteen Panthers will enter the new year sporting individual rankings, including a pair of freshmen holding down the No. 1 spot in their weight divisions. Nic Urbach followed his Best of the Best win at the Battle of the
Bighorns with a commanding performance in Lander, pinning his way to the title and secur- ing his hold on the No. 1 spot at 113 pounds for another week. Kye Catlin, unranked to begin the season, completed a steady climb up the rankings ladder to settle in at the No. 1 slot at 138 pounds for the first time in his high school career.
Senior Tyler Patterson, who had held down the No. 1 spot at 170 pounds in each of the last two rankings series, tumbled to third.
Junior Zach Thompson and senior Andrew Feller are both ranked No. 2 within their re- spective weight classes. Thomp- son has held down the No. 2 spot throughout the season at 195 pounds and missed on his op- portunity to advance in the polls at Lander. Thompson dropped a one-point decision against the man he’s been looking up at in the polls throughout the season, Star Valley’s Jordan Semadeni. For Feller, the appearance at
No. 2 represents his highest position to date this season in the 132-pound rankings. Feller moved up two spots from No. 4 based on the results of the Land- er tournament. His previous high had been an appearance at No. 3 earlier this year.
The Panthers return to mat action on Jan. 3 with duals against Billings Senior and Bill- ings Skyview. The team also competes in the Bozeman Invi- tational on Jan. 4-5.
Here’s the complete list of Powell wrestlers listed in this week’s Wyowrestling.com rank- ings:
113 — 1. Nic Urbach, 4. Chance Karst 120 — 3. Colbee Craig, 5. Colton Parham 126 — 3. Dylan Rood
132 — 2. Andrew Feller 138 — 1. Kye Catlin, 6. Matt Wid- dicombe 145 — 3. Jacob Davis 170 — 3. Tyler Patterson 195 — 2. Zach Thompson 220 — 4. Spencer Schultz, 7. Erik Denney 285 — 3. Riley Stringer