An absolutely dominant season on the mat for Powell High School senior Doug Bettger led to an individual title at 285 pounds in Casper, pinning his way to a state title that had eluded him for years.

GETTING OVER THE HUMP

Throughout his years as a Panther wrestler, Bettger has always been a heavyweight contender, advancing to the state tournament all three previous seasons and advancing further each time.

After a third place finish last year, Bettger started the 2024-25 season strong, but it wasn’t until he found his way into title matches this season where things clicked and he got his first title win.

“I feel like that hump for me was just being able to get first place at a tournament,” Bettger said. “Because for a couple years I’ve gotten second and a third at a lot of these tournaments. Just really getting over that semis, final hump was huge for confidence.”

STRONG MENTALITY

Heading into the weekend Bettger continued this consistent mentality, typically serving as the final wrestler for the Panthers in tournaments and duals, knowing what his goal is each time he steps on the mat.

“My mentality was just to get the job done. I’ve always been last and just ready to go,” Bettger said.

That mentality paid off in the final for Bettger, who topped off a 42-4 season with his final pin of his high school career against Devlyn Cowan of Douglas, capping off a dominant weekend which included four pins, and no matches lasting into the third period.

“I was really excited,” Bettger said. “I was trying to lock it up as tight as I could. When I heard the final whistle blow, it was an incredible feeling.”

CHAMPIONSHIP CELEBRATION

Winning a state title in wrestling typically means a celebration of leaping into your coaches’ arms, something that Bettger had thought about prior to his final.

So, after exchanging handshakes with his opponent and opposing coaches following the initial celebration, Bettger pointed to his coach, Nick Fulton, and started to run before leaping into his coaches’ arms.

“I was so happy (he caught me),” Bettger said. “I was a little worried he was maybe going to fall backwards or something, but he must have been working out a little because he lifted me straight up in the air. It was pretty cool.”

Alongside that individual title, Bettger and the Panthers claimed their first team title since 2015, putting Powell back on top for the first time in a decade.

Powell had locked up the title prior to Bettger’s bout thanks to losses from Cody in its respective championship bouts, giving Bettger and Powell some relief after a nervous few days at the state tournament.

“There was kind of a nervous energy kind of surrounding us these last four days. We went and put our toe on the line and came out victorious,” Bettger said. “It was a huge sigh of relief, because that was just another huge pressure that was off our backs because we knew that was something looming over our head. Either Cody had to lose one or we had to win one. So having that off our plate really helped.”

After helping Powell to the title, the message has been simple: The whole team is coming home as champions.

“We’re going home 24 state champions. That’s what Fulton told us at the beginning and throughout we’ve just been kind of working towards it,” Bettger said.