High school wrestlers also an early top story

(Editor’s note: Today we begin a three-part series of articles looking back at the 2011 year in area sports. Today’s installment covers January-April.)

There’s nothing easy about winning a national title in any sport, but Northwest College wrestler Nick Petersen made it look almost effortless as he provided the early months of 2011 with one of their signature highlights.

Petersen opened the year as the top-ranked junior college wrestler at 184 pounds, a position he’d assumed in December 2010. After having to battle from behind just to win the regional title, Petersen was operating on a whole different level once the national tournament began in Spokane, Wash.

The Trappers’ sophomore advanced to the championship match via a pair of major decisions and a first-period fall. After the tournament, Trapper head coach Jim Zeigler described Petersen’s performance in those early rounds as “machine-like.”

Petersen maintained that relentless rhythm into the championship match, striking first for a takedown and carrying a 2-1 lead into the second period. Starting in the down position to begin that stanza, Petersen encountered his first resistance of the national tournament as he fought unsuccessfully for the full two minutes to get back on his feet.

Unfazed, the sophomore spent the entire third period returning the favor, staving off multiple attempts to break his grasp while negating his opponent’s riding time advantage on the clock. With 10 seconds remaining, Petersen was able to execute a lift and tilt to score two clinching back points as the horn sounded on his national title season.

Petersen became Northwest College’s 11th national champion in Zeigler’s 18-year tenure. He almost had company as sophomore Jesse Hillhouse and freshman Keithen Cast joined Petersen in the championship round, finishing as national runners-up and All-Americans. Fueled by the achievements, Northwest finished eighth in the final team standings.

Three was also a popular number for the Powell High School wrestling team. The Panthers crowned three state champions as Jessee Craig, Jimmy Seckman and Olie Olson successfully navigated their brackets to win titles for the Panthers.

The performances helped Powell to a third-place finish at the state meet, an almost bittersweet position given the team’s recent string of dominance.

The wrestlers also saw their four-year run as regional champions come to an end. Despite finishing with five regional champions, the Panthers’ streak screeched to an end as Worland used a greater number of fourth-place finishers to bridge the scoring gap and emerge as the regional champs.

The early months of 2011 also saw the Powell High School basketball teams in the midst of the fray. The Panther girls returned to the state tournament, but found their stay in Casper extremely short-lived as back-to-back poor shooting performances saw the team finish 0-2 and take an early exit.

Still, that ending was preferrable to the fate that befell the Panther boys. After tying for the best record in 3A West play, the Panthers appeared on the verge of a state tournament invitation when they took a 13-point lead in an exceptionally low-scoring 3A West semifinal game against rival Cody.

Just when everything appeared to be going right for the Panthers, things suddenly fell apart. Powell’s lead evaporated in a matter of minutes and the Panthers trailed entering the fourth quarter. Powell re-gained the lead, but a devastating string of six missed free throws in the final 1:10 enabled Cody to manuever into a position to win the game on a shot with six seconds to play.

The following day, the shell-shocked Panthers fell behind Lyman by 18 points in a loser-out contest Powell fought all the way back to knot the game in the third quarter, only to watch as the Eagles pulled away again, ending a dream season shy of the state tournament.

Elsewhere in the winter months, members of Powell High School were turning heads in indoor track. The Panthers’ Kyle Sullivan put the final touches on a stellar prep career indoors by capturing the state title in both the high jump and the hurdles. While his victory in the hurdles was largely without drama, the senior’s win in the high jump came on a make-or-break attempt with the bar sitting at 6-6. A miss would have relegated him to runner-up status.

Combined with his strong showing at the nationally acclaimed Simplot Games meet in Idaho earlier in the year, Sullivan wrapped up his indoor track career at PHS as its most decorated athlete ever. Later in the spring, he would announce his intent to compete for the University of Wyoming as a member of the Cowboys’ track and field program.

Still, one of Sullivan’s most impressive moments didn’t result in a championship, nor was it one he accomplished on his own. Joining forces with Zach Thiel, Colby Gilmore and a Cody runner, the foursome shaved more than a second off the previous state indoor record in the 4x400 relay, but finished only as the state runners-up when another relay team at the state meet proved even faster.

Desiree Murray and Drew MaGill also picked up state indoor medals for the Panthers while PHS head track and field coach Scott Smith was announced as a national coach of the year finalist.

Track was in the news for a wholly different reason as March rolled around. Structural damage to the Panthers’ track prompted school officials to move Powell High School’s home outdoor track meet to Cody. It would also eventually lead the way to a decision to construct a new $1.95 million track and football complex on the site of the east soccer practice field at Powell High School. The artificial turf field and new all-weather track sprang into existence as 2011 went on. The facility should make its official debut for the 2012 outdoor track season.

The early months of 2011 saw the area endure a pair of coaching searches. Northwest College had 29 applicants express an interest in the head volleyball coaching position at the school. The search would lead the Trappers to announce Shaun Pohlman as its new head coach. Pohlman’s previous assignment had been as the head coach at Dodge City Community College in Kansas.

Meanwhile, the Cody-based Yellowstone Quake junior hockey team found itself in its second coaching search in as many years. The Quake had no shortage of interest as 70 individuals applied for the position ultimately awarded to Joe Cardarelli. Cardarelli relocated from North Carolina to accept the position at the helm of the Quake. The Quake qualified for the NORPAC playoffs, losing out in the first round to eventual national champion Helena.

Other noteworthy accomplishments of early 2011 included the Panthers’ cheerleading squad finishing third at state for its stunt routine. The celebration was delayed after the school was initially thought to have finished fourth. A switch-up on the tabulation sheets between the Powell and Wheatland entries resulted in an initial incorrect order of finish being announced. Once the error was detected, the Panther cheerleaders received their due recognition and moment in the spotlight.

Trapper wrestlers Jake Budd and Bobby Robins became the answer to future Park County sports trivia questions when they were named the first co-recipients of the prestigious Apodaca Award at Northwest College. The award, named in honor of a former NWC wrestler, is bestowed annually upon the individual judged to have best performed their role on the NWC wrestling team.

Football was also in the spotlight early in 2011 as seniors Gilmore and Tyler England were named as members of the North Shrine Bowl team in Wyoming. While the game would represent the last chance for both those players to represent Powell High School on the gridiron, it was hardly the last time football would be talked about in these parts during 2011.