A week full of duals saw the Powell High School boys’ wrestling team fall in both Montana and at home, as the Panthers continue to seek improvement within their young team.

LAUREL DUALS

On Tuesday, Jan. 6, the Panthers made the trip up alongside Cody to Laurel to dual against the host Locomotives as well as Huntley Project.

The Panthers were unable to come out on top in the pair of duals against some of the top teams in Montana, battling against sickness while also discussing their intent in matches following the first dual against Huntley Project.

“We talked after that dual quite a bit. I wanted to see them be more aggressive,” coach Nick Fulton said. “I felt like a lot of times even in matches that we were in we were letting them dictate the pace.”

Following the loss to Huntley Project the Panthers matched up with the host Locomotives, where they again fell but Fulton felt they had a better showing in the second dual.

“We did a much better job of dictating the pace and taking shots. Those are just things that young wrestlers have got to learn, how to set that pace to the match, how to be the aggressor,” Fulton said. “Even in matches that you’re out gunned in, you’ll have the confidence in what you do. That’s something that I think top to bottom we need to work on. We’ve talked about it, we’ve addressed it. I thought we had a better effort against Laurel.”

GREYBULL DUAL

The Panthers returned home on Friday to compete against 2A Greybull-Riverside, in a dual that had its ups and downs for the hosts.

William Taylor fell at 106 pounds via a 17-0 tech fall in the third, but his effort on the evening impressed Fulton with his ability to keep fighting despite getting the notice late that he would be in the varsity lineup.

“He didn’t get his hand raised but I sure appreciated his fight,” Fulton said. “He answered the call, and he’s giving up a ton of weight. He weighed in at 87 pounds, but he was out there scrapping and getting off his back … I was proud of him, I really was. He gave everything he had out there.”

Powell got a forfeit at 113 before Dylan DeBoer added a pin in the first period at 120 pounds.

Open weights again gave Powell points at 126 and 132 pounds before Weston Loeper was pinned at 138 pounds.

Tyler Wenzel got the pin at 144 pounds returning to the lineup, before the visitors reeled off six straight pins including one at 215 pounds where again Fulton was impressed with a young wrestler despite the loss.

“Tristan (Snell), another kid that didn’t win, but he was down quite a bit early in the match and kept pushing the pace and put himself back in the match which I was proud of him for,” Fulton said. “We just need to be able to seal the deal. He had the kid on the ropes, and kind of ran him out of gas. A couple more weeks we’ll teach Tristan how to finish those matches. But he showed some integrity battling back.”

Jacob Christofalos finished the evening with a pin at 285, but the Panthers fell short in the final scoreline 47-36.

“We’re freshmen from 157 on up. He (Christofalos) was super aggressive,” Fulton said. “For a lot of these guys this was their first time under the light … There was a great crowd and everything … My guys are gaining and I’m proud of them and I do believe in them. We’ve got to address some of the mental aspects. But that’s what they pay me and my staff to do, is keep working with them and get them better. So that’s what we’re going to do.”

BUSY WEEK CONTINUES

Powell’s busy week continues with a home dual today (Tuesday) at 5 p.m. against Worland.

“It gives us another opportunity to compete and another opportunity in Panther gym. I’m looking forward to it. These kids are going to get better every time they step out on the mat,” Fulton said.

Following that, the Panthers will take a select few up to Missoula, Montana, to take part in the Jug Beck Rocky Mountain Classic on Friday and Saturday.

“That’s always a fun one for us,” Fulton said. “One of the things, you put kids in a Suburban and drive them six hours to Missoula. You build relationships with these kids. We coaches get to know them and they get to know us a little bit when it’s not all just work and pressure. It works. Having a solid relationship with your athletes is important, and the best way to do that is to put some time in with them. It’s one of our pieces of the puzzle that I think sets us apart a little bit and we embrace it.”

That will be the final Montana trip of the regular season for Powell before returning to Wyoming for the rest of the year.