Panther wrestlers take second

Posted 2/28/17

“I think it was the best we wrestled all year,” said a pleased PHS head coach Nate Urbach.

After the first day of competition, Powell sat in fourth place.

“I  ... told the kids in the wrestle-backs (effectively, the consolation …

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Panther wrestlers take second

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Karst, Dearcorn earn individual state champ titles in Casper

Powell High School’s wrestlers rallied to finish second at the Class 3A State Championship, accomplishing one of the team’s goals for the year. Two individual wrestlers also accomplished their goals of becoming state champions: Reese Karst at 132 pounds and Ty Dearcorn at 170 pounds.

“I think it was the best we wrestled all year,” said a pleased PHS head coach Nate Urbach.

After the first day of competition, Powell sat in fourth place.

“I  ... told the kids in the wrestle-backs (effectively, the consolation brackets) that they are the most important part of the team right now,” Urbach recalled. “And they really responded.”

Each win means points toward a team’s overall score and “we stormed back through the wrestle-backs and put ourselves in position to be second,” Urbach said. “It was excellent.”

Finishing first was Star Valley with 266.5 points, followed by Powell’s 174 points and Riverton in third at 146.5 points. Douglas came in a half-point behind Riverton for fourth.

Karst, a sophomore, pinned three of his four opponents to claim the 132-pound title.

“I was so excited for him,” said Urbach, adding, “He’s 100 percent a wrestler; he’s a wrestler through and through.”

In the first two rounds, Karst pinned opponents from Worland and Mountain View in 54 seconds and 32 seconds, respectively. He then won a 7-2 decision to advance to the state championship match against Hunter Elmer of Buffalo.

“I know he was really nervous for that final match and he’s a kid that can get nervous. (I) tried to keep him calm as best I could,” said Urbach.

Karst pinned Elmer in 49 seconds, wrestling “like a champ,” Urbach said.

“Before the match I was pretty nervous; I wasn’t really expecting that outcome,” Karst said. “It was good to go out there and get the job done.”

Karst said meeting his goal of being a state champion “feels unreal.”

“I’ve been working toward this for the last 13 years of my life. It’s just something I went to bed dreaming about since I was a little kid,” he said, thanking his parents and family for their support.

The victory also put Karst closer to his “main goal” of becoming a three-time state champion.

Senior Ty Dearcorn, meanwhile, pinned his way to claim his state title.

In the past, Dearcorn was “kind of a happy go lucky boy,” but this year, he was focused on being a champion, Urbach said.

“He set his goals real strong this year that he wanted to be a champ; he went down to 170 (pounds) to help the team out, so he sacrificed there,” said Urbach.

“It was a good ending to my career, coming out on top,” Ty Dearcorn said.

In the first round, Dearcorn pinned his opponent in 8 seconds followed by a pin in 1:29 in the quarterfinals and a pin in 1:29 in the semifinals. That set up a final bout with JD Smith of Rawlins.

After a scoreless first period, Smith chose down and got a reversal to lead 2-0 going into the final period. Ty Dearcorn chose down to start the third period and, with about 50 seconds remaining in the match, he got a reversal that resulted in a pin at 5:29.

“I knew it was going to be tough match,” Ty Dearcorn said. “I knew it was going to go to all three (periods and) if not, it was going to be real close ...”

At 195 pounds, senior Zach Easum finished second.

“Zach has been a leader of that senior class and since he came in, he’s always been a tough kid; he works really hard,” said Urbach.

Easum pinned his way to the championship match with pins in 15 seconds, 42 seconds and 2:15.

The state championship match was a repeat of the 3A West Regional. In the first period, Easum led Dryden Menck of Lyman 3-2; Menck’s two points came by way of a reversal and Easum’s three were by a takedown and an unnecessary roughness call with about 10 seconds remaining in the period. Easum was pinned in 3:27.

“I hate to see it end like that where you’re so close, but his career was excellent — third, second, second,” Urbach said of Easum, praising him as “one of the best athletes and leaders I’ve ever coached.”

While second place may be hard to swallow right now, “He’s going to look back at this in later years and be awful proud of what he’s done, deservedly,” Urbach said.

Bo Dearcorn — one of three PHS freshmen who placed at the state tournament — took fifth at 145 pounds.

Bo Dearcorn opened his tournament with a pin in 2:27, then was pinned by a Star Valley wrestler in 5:45 in the quarterfinals. Dearcorn wrestled his way back to the consolation semifinals before being pinned in 48 seconds to go to the fifth place match. There, Bo Dearcorn beat Cody’s Josh Jones by a 10-8 decision, avenging a loss from earlier in the year.

“(He) has a bright future,” Urbach said of Bo Dearcorn.

Also placing fifth was senior Eli Briggs at 182 pounds.

In the first round Briggs pinned his opponent in 2:36, then had a “bad quarterfinals” in losing a 9-7 decision, Urbach said.

“He’s a kid that certainly could’ve cried about it, and felt bad for himself and quit but he didn’t — he led our team back through and ended up fifth,” Urbach said.

That included avenging a loss to Spencer Criddle of Pinedale — who pinned Briggs in 2:44 at regionals — by instead pinning Criddle in 3:50.

Urbach praised Briggs’ toughness, saying he “showed the heart of a champ.” Briggs is a two time medalist.

The third wrestler to finish fifth was senior Terrance McLaughlin at 285. McLaughlin started wrestling last year as a junior and “he’s come so far,” said Urbach.

McLaughlin received a first round bye, then lost in the quarterfinals by pin in 1:22. But McLaughlin then wrestled his way back with pins in 2:51 and 1:56, before losing by pin in 2:34. In the fifth place match, McLaughlin beat Cody Cagle of Wheatland by a 3-1 decision.

“He (McLaughlin) is just a good boy, is a hard worker, never gives up never stops wrestling,” Urbach said.

Powell had three sixth place finishers, Michael Maddox at 113 pound, Brody Karhu at 138 pounds and Logan Lamb at 220 pounds.

Maddox, a freshman, “has really come a long way this year; we got some things to work on but he had a good year and wrestled well when he needed,” said Urbach.

Karhu, another freshman, had probably the toughest weight class from top to bottom and had a great year which has consisted of wrestling primarily juniors and seniors, the coach said.

“He’s come a long way and he’s gonna have a great future in wrestling and I’m  really excited for him to expand on what he’s already learned this year,” said Urbach. “I’m already excited for him for next year.”

Lamb, a senior, started off the season rough and was struggling, Urbach had said.

“I talked to him about a week before regionals and told him, ‘your time will come, nobody knows about you and you’re going to shock people,’” said Urbach. “He did.”

That included a consolation match where Lamb trailed Kolby Carson of Pinedale 6-2 in the second period, then came back to pin Carson in 4:12.

“He worked hard,” said Urbach, adding, “I’m just so proud of him and so glad that he decided to come out as a junior.”

Coach Urbach also said a few words about senior Shattuck Swenson. Swenson, only in his second year of wrestling, finished one round out of placing.

Urbach said he tells his kids that, if they’re going to go out, go out swinging, “and he certainly did.”

“Swenson worked as hard as he could, he wrestled as hard as he could, it just didn’t work out,” Urbach said. “But he can be proud of that performance.”

With the 2016-17 wrestling season concluded, Urbach thanked the other coaches, parents, school administration and community.

“You can’t do this by yourself,” he said.

Urbach praised assistant coach Nick Fulton — who previously spent nine years as Lander’s head wrestling coach — for his support and willingness help.

“We wouldn’t be where we're at without him there,” Urbach said.

As for assistant coach Zack Coombs, he’s “been with me for a long time now and has really developed himself into a first-rate heavyweight coach,” said Urbach.

He also appreciated coach Juston Carter, who volunteered to help at the state tournament after the junior high wrestling season concluded.

Urbach said he also really appreciates the continuing support given by PHS athletic director Tim Wormald.

As for his wrestlers’ parents, “I have an easy job because they always support you,” he said.

Six seniors concluded their PHS wrestling careers in Casper.

“As a class, they were great leaders and didn’t have any problems. You want kids to come in and work hard and lead by example and they have certainly done that,” Urbach said, adding, “We are going to miss these seniors big time, we are going to be losing five medalists, but we got a good freshman class coming up.”

“We got a bright future,” he said.

Win-Loss-Bye

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