Grapplers face off at home

Sonja Karp
NLJ Sports Reporter
 
The pandemic caused the Dogies/Bobcats to drop their annual tournament in Newcastle this season, but the squad still managed to get in six matches by hosting back-to-back quads last Friday and Saturday, and they put their best foot forward for the hometown fans. 
When all was said and done, four athletes walked away undefeated, all but two had winning individual records, and as a team they swept all but one dual which was ultimately lost by one too many forfeits by the Dogies/Bobcats.
“We wrestled pretty well and we are continuing to improve and continuing to get our confidence levels up,” nodded co-head coach Lee McCoy. “As a team, the guys are having a lot of fun right now and that is so important when it comes to being successful.”
Glenrock, Burns/Pine Bluffs and Hulett were on hand on Friday for the first day of competition. The Dogies/Bobcats dominated the Herders by a score of 54-24 and easily handled the Red Devils defeating them 48-27. Match for match, Newcastle/Upton got the better of the Broncs, but two open forfeits at 220 and 285 gave Burns/Pine Bluffs a three point advantage at the end. 
On Saturday, the squad annihilated Lusk 52-9, got revenge on Buffalo 45-21 and finished strong against Thunder Basin JV 60-12.
“This weekend we were giving up a potential 12 points in forfeits, and Dakota Morgan was inactive both days so the 160 weight class was filled by Upton freshman Walker Simianer,” McCoy explained. “He is pretty inexperienced, but he stepped up and got us some points through forfeit points from other teams, and he also got some pretty valuable mat time in the matches he competed.”
The four wrestlers who went undefeated included Blake Durfee at 113, Cael Holmes at 120, Thomas Prell at 126/132 and Kale Corley at 145. 
Durfee picked up one of his six wins by forfeit, but in the other five matches the senior mowed through his opponents with the longest contest lasting only 1:48 seconds. 
Holmes had to work for his six wins, and all but one ended in a pin. In his match against Buffalo, the junior took the W with an 8-4 decision.
Prell didn’t compete in every dual, however in the three he did he came away with one very impressive win at 132 against a talented competitor from Lusk who looked to be in control of the match until Prell executed a Fat Man roll to put himself on top and ultimately get the upset pin in 1:30.
“That was fun to watch,” smiled McCoy. “Thomas was getting worked over pretty good, but then he managed to roll out of it to get the pin.”
Corley had a pretty easy day on Saturday winning two of his matches by forfeit, however in the three on Friday and the other one on Saturday, he pinned his opponents all within the first period. 
Aidan Coberly (138) and Jacob Prell (152) finished with 5-1 records, Skylar Jenkins (170), Ian Simmons (182) and Josh Womack (195) lost only two of their six matches and Johnny Carlson (132) went 3-2 on the weekend.
McCoy quickly identified Carlson as having a standout match, despite it ending in a loss. 
“Johnny battled against a returning state champion from Lusk on Saturday who was undefeated on the year and he just wrestled really tough,” McCoy exclaimed. “They were tied up nearing the end of the third period when the Tiger managed an escape and quick takedown with seconds to go to take the 5-2 win. This was the hardest match he’s had this season, and he’s wrestling really well right now. I was pretty proud of him.”
Ian Simmons really stepped up last weekend, and is entertaining to watch as he is very quick especially for a 182 pounder.
“You don’t see that often when freshmen step up and are competitive like that, especially at those higher weights,” McCoy insisted. “He still needs some work on top and bottom but he is really pretty handy on his feet. He’s starting to figure things out and figuring out that he has to wrestle hard for the full six minutes.”
Kiah Miller (120) wrestled an exhibition match against Thunder Basin and though she didn’t get the win, she made it through all three periods and only lost by decision. 
“Making it through an entire match is a win in and of itself for Kiah,” McCoy smiled. “That was great for her and she continues to be hard-nosed and improve which is awesome.”
“Overall, I was really pleased with how the team competed this weekend,” he continued. “We were wrestling to win and wrestling entire matches, which is something we’ve been stressing and wanting to see all season.”
This week is an important one that will culminate with the Dogies/Bobcats getting in nine matches. On Tuesday the team traveled to Torrington for a quad against Douglas, Wheatland and Torrington, and on Friday and Saturday, they will compete in back-to-back quads in Moorcroft.