A stroll down memory lane through 2017

Posted 12/27/17

Take a look at the highlights of the Platte County sports year from January through June.

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A stroll down memory lane through 2017

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Lady Bulldogs fight hard

WHEATLAND – The Lady Bulldogs fought ruthlessly against the talented Gering, Neb. basketball team. Wheatland senior Shelby Connolly lead the team with 26 points on the scoreboard. Connolly also finished the game with six steals and six rebounds. With 16 points scored, senior Kayla Buchanan trailed behind Connolly, but sunk four three-pointers during the Gering game. Leading in rebounds was senior Bailey Tillman with nine overall rebounds and 12 total points made.

This Friday, the team got to see young talent rise with Danielle Brow taking the court, scoring seven points and defending five rebounds. Avery Hanks was a defensive lead blocking four of Gering’s field goal attempts.

Bulldogs make comeback against Newcastle Dogies

NEWCASTLE – The Wheatland Bulldogs continued their season on Friday, when they and the Lady Bulldogs hosted teams from Gering, Neb.

The Bulldogs started out two points short in the first quarter, which ended 11-9 Gering.

In the second quarter, Wheatland scored five more points, with Gering coming ahead 27-14.

Wheatland continued to trail in the second half, scoring 15 in the third quarter, while the Nebraska team gained 26 points. Wheatland outscoring Gering in the final quarter 17-14, but it was not enough to bring in a win, and the game ended 67-46.

High scorer for Wheatland was Trigg Peasley, who had 18 points, including three treys, and seven field goals.

Brody West had 14 points, including two treys and six field goals. He also led in assists, with four.

On Saturday, Wheatland traveled to Newcastle to face the Dogies. Wheatland came up short at the end of the first quarter 7-4, but quickly moved ahead, with a 10-point advantage over Newcastle in the second quarter, which ended 19-12. In the second half, Wheatland continued to solidify their lead, with 30 more points in the final two quarters, finishing the game 49-30.

Lady Bulldogs host tough game over weekend

WHEATLAND – Friday night was a battle for the Wheatland Lady Bulldogs. The Newcastle Dogies traveled to Wheatland to play basketball in the dog pin.

Wheatland Lady Bulldog Shelby Connolly scored 16 points, no successful three-pointers and had four defensive steals throughout the game. Kayla Buchanan, also a Bulldog senior, scored 14 points with no defensive steals or rebounds.

The lead defensive player against the Dogies was Bulldog freshman Danielle Brow. Brow had seven rebounds, four steals and landed 13 points on the scoreboard. Senior Abigail Suko also had five rebounds to help the defense.

The Lady Bulldogs struggled the first half of the game, allowing the Dogies to score 26 points and only six points scored for Wheatland.

Lady Bulldogs make a comeback against Douglas

GLENROCK – The Lady Bulldogs traveled to Glenrock on Friday to face off against the Lady Herders.

Wheatland won the game 52-39, adding another conference win to their record.

Senior Bailey Tillman was the high scorer, with 15 points. Shelby Connolly followed with 10 points and lead the team with four assists, four steals and four blocks. Avery Hanks had eight points, eight blocks and four steals.

Kayla Buchanan had 10 points and Danielle Brow had eight steals for the evening.

“It was a great effort on our senior night,” coach Sally Nichols said.

On Saturday, Wheatland boys and girls traveled to Douglas to take on the Bearcats.

The Lady Bulldogs and Lady Bearcats played a hard-fought game, with Wheatland outscoring Douglas 22-7 in the second half to make a good shot at the end. It was not enough to take a final lead, however, and Douglas won the game 66-54.

WHS grappler Wyatt Guty takes champion title, and team take seventh overall

WHEATLAND – For the first time in eight years, Wheatland would host the 3A East wrestling regionals.

The Bulldogs were led by Wyatt Guty who returned after a recent injury. Guty would wrestle well as he defeated Hartley of Worland for the championship.

Guty hopes to become Wheatland High School coach Goff’s first state champion next week in Casper.

Wheatland’s top ranked 285-pounder, Cody Cagle, who recently took home the Ron Thon Champion title, would struggle with injury in finishing fourth due to default. Cagle hopes to return next week in Casper to compete at state.

Sophomore Daniel Hutchins would have his best tournament of the year, finishing third after defeating Daniel Maidl of Douglas 6-4.

Wyatt Crane would finish fourth after a tough 6-4 match in the third/fourth match. Other place winners included Seth Dewitt, fourth, Ethan Read, fourth.

Bulldog boys finish regular season at home

WHEATLAND – The Wheatland Bulldog boys basketball team wrapped up the regular season in a snow delayed Saturday game against the Rawlins Outlaws.

It was senior night for Hayden Madsen, Josh Madsen, Chase Cochran and Brody West. The Bulldogs would play even throughout the game, tied 24-24 at half and 34-34 at the end of the third quarter and the bigger Outlaws.

Wheatland would put several players in the scorebook. Senior Josh Madsen would play his final home game and finish as leading scorer, unofficially with 10 points. Sophomore Clayton Iacovetto would add nine points. Junior Trigg Peasley would chip in eight points and pull down six rebounds. Brody West and Chase Chochran would finish with seven and six points, respectively. Hayden Madsen would provide energy off the bench and pull down two rebounds. The Bulldogs would go 6-of-22 from the three-point line and be doomed by cold shooting in the final period. Rawlins would finish on top 48-43.

Lady Bulldogs wrap up season with home victory over Rawlins

WHEATLAND – The Wheatland Lady Bulldogs ended their season on a high note, with the girls hosting the Rawlins Lady Outlaws for Senior Night at the Dawg House.

Wheatland won handily over the Lady Outlaws with a 62-48 lead.

Senior Shelby Connolly continued to lead the girls, with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Kayla Buchanan followed in the scoring, with 11 points, four rebounds and three steals. Avery Hanks contributed 10 points, three rebounds and three blocks shots. Lexi Martinez had nine rebounds, three steals and three blocks.

Bulldogs wrap up season at regional tournament

BUFFALO – In determining state bids at the basketball regional tournament, sometimes it’s not who you beat, it’s what round you beat them in. The Bulldog boys hoops team was playing its best basketball heading into the 3A East Regional Tournament in Buffalo this past weekend.

In their opening game, the Dawgs would take on the No. 2 seeded Rawlins Outlaws. Wheatland would dominate the game start to finish following a five-point loss to Rawlins last week.

After opening the first minutes up 11-1, the Outlaws would never get closer than nine points for the remainder of the game with tremendous ball pressure from Wheatland guards Zac Gunter, Brody West and Chase Cochran. Josh Madsen would lead the Bulldogs with six rebounds and his season high 19 points. Clayton Iacovetto would add nine, Brody West eight and Trigg Peasley with seven to balance the scoring.

The Bulldogs would cruise to a 49-26 victory.

On Saturday, the Bulldogs would take on the 19-4 and No. 1 seeded Douglas Bearcats. After losing by over 30 points earlier this season to the Bearcats, the Bulldogs would give the top seeded Bearcats a scare, closing the game to a five-point margin midway through the fourth quarter. After missing key shots down the final minutes, the Bulldogs would be forced to foul and drop the game 42-57. Brody West would lead the Bulldogs again with 22 points, going 6-for-11 from three-point range.

In the loser-out game Saturday, the Bulldogs would face the No. 2 seeded Torrington Trailblazers, who were upset in round 1 by the Buffalo Bison.

Lady Bulldogs advance to state tourney

BUFFALO – The Lady Bulldogs made their way through the 3A East Regional Tournament in Buffalo over the weekend, and will have a shot at state this weekend as they head to Casper.

In their first game on Thursday, Wheatland played the hosting Buffalo Lady Bison. The Bison won 50-37, putting Wheatland in the consolation bracket, and facing off against the Thermopolis Lady Broncs of Friday.

Wheatland was able to take a win over Thermopolis 62-57, and went on to play the Rawlins Lady Outlaws n Saturday, taking home another win 61-45. Wheatland faced off against Buffalo once against, this time, keeping the scores closer, with Buffalo wining with only a two-point advantage of 59-57.

Tee time: Wheatland TC discusses possibility of new mini golf course

WHEATLAND – The Wheatland Town Council will discuss the possibility of allowing local volunteers to build a miniature golf course near the municipal pool at their upcoming workshop.

Wheatland resident Tom Bramlet spoke at Monday’s Council meeting to request permission for the use of land on the north side of the pool. He said that they 18-hole miniature golf course is a project he has been working to get approved for the town, and that approval for the facility is overdue, and emphasized that the facility would provide a safe activity for local youth during the summer months.

“I think it is time,” he said. “It would be great to have something for the kids to do in the community.”

Lady Bulldogs wrap up season for Wheatland, West and Connolly given all-state honors

WHEATLAND – The Wheatland Lady Bulldogs wrapped up WHS basketball for the season over the weekend in Casper at the 3A State Tournament.

The girls faced off against the Star Valley Lady Braves for their first game on Thursday. Star Valley, which was ranked No. 1 in their 3A West region, took a lead of six points at the end of the first quarter, which ended 16-10.

Wheatland was able to stay within 10 points through the first half, which ended 30-22 Star Valley.

Wheatland was able to take the lead twice during the game, and tied up with the Lady Braves four times during the game, however, the second half gave the Lady Braves the advantage they needed to seal a lead over the Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Braves continued to lead in the second half, taking in 18 points over Wheatland’s four in the third quarter, and 11 more in the final quarter, bringing the final score to 59-33.

Both teams had high turnover rates during the game, with 23 for Wheatland and 20 for Star Valley. The Lady Braves were also 14-22 at the free-throw line, compared with Wheatland, who was able to make six of the 13 attempts they were given.

Star Valley also led in rebounds, with 52 to Wheatland’s 29. Both teams stayed close for steals, with Wheatland make eight and Star Valley taking nine.

Bulldogs get a good start in Casper, gear up to host Wheatland Invite

CASPER – The Wheatland Bulldogs started their 2017 spring season in Casper over the weekend, heading to the Natrona Invite on Saturday.

Wheatland junior Rachel Battershell led the girls in even scoring, with a first place in the girls’ 200 meter dash, taking the event with a time of 26.65 in the finals. Battershell also took first in the 400 meter dash, with a final time of 1:01.68. In the 100 meter hurdles, she took second place, with 16.42 for her final time.

Lexi Hernandez took first in the girls’ long jump, with 16-08.75 for her final jump. In the girls’ high jump, she took third with 4-10.00 in the final.

In the 800 meter run, freshman Jodie Stevenson took 10th place, with 2:58.55.

In the girls 4x100, Wheatland took fifth place with Lexi Hernandez, Haylee Kenison, Hollie Kenison and Natalie Iacovetto making up the team and taking a time of 56.58.

As a team, the girls took 51 points to take fourth overall.

Platte County schools place high at Glenrock track meet

GLENROCK – Platte County schools traveled to Glenrock over the weekend for a pre-Easter meet, with students taking the top spot in their events.

For the girls, Wheatland’s Rachel Battershell continues to place high in running and hurdles, taking two first place finishes in the 100 and 300 meter hurdles.

Guernsey’s Elana Heer remains a top placer in the running events, taking first in the 100 and 400 meter dashes, and second in the 200 meter dash.

For the boys, WHS athlete Roman Smith was able to take two first, in the 100 and 200 meter dashes.

Both the Wheatland boys and girls teams took fifth overall in the boys and girls events, with the girls scoring 56-50, and the boys scoring 56.

Junior High rodeo moves

WHEATLAND – The Wheatland High School rodeo team traveled to Gillette for one of their latest rodeos, where Junior High State Finals were also taking place.

The Junior High State Finals were held on May 12. Rayne Grant placed this in barrels, fourth in breakaway and was named pole bending champion. She qualified to go to nationals, which will be held in Tennessee in June.

The High School rodeo was held during the rest of the weekend, May 13-14. On May 13, Brock Tamlin placed ninth in calf roping, Matt Britton placed ninth in team toping and T.C. Hadley placed 10th in team roping.

On May 14, Darci Tamlin placed seventh in breakaway and Hadley placed sixth in calf roping.

UW’s Carter secures trip to NCAA championships in triple jump

AUSTIN, Texas – A day after Audra DeStefano advanced to the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Wyoming senior Scott Carter secured his own trip to Eugene, Ore., in the men’s triple jump. Finishing seventh in the event with a leap of 53 feet, 0.25 inches at the NCAA West Preliminary Round on Saturday, Carter advanced to the NCAA championship meet for the first time in his career as a Cowboy. With both DeStefano and Carter qualifying, Wyoming advances both a Cowboy and a Cowgirl to the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships for the first time since 2007.

“Scott (Carter)’s been consistent all year, and he went out there and did what he’s been doing all year, which is jump really well with a lot of composure,” head coach Bryan Berryhill said Saturday. “Scott’s done a lot for this program in his five years here, so to see him cap that off with a trip to Eugene and a chance to be an All-American is pretty special for Scott and the program.”

Berryhill credited Wyoming jumps coach Quincy Howe for Carter’s growth as an athlete. “He and Coach (Quincy) Howe have a close relationship and a lot of trust between the two of them. That has really helped Scott. Coach Howe’s done a lot for him.”

Lobos picking up wins at differing tournaments

WHEATLAND – The Wheatland Lobos had a busy weekend, with each team (15 and under, 17 and under) competing in a different tournament.

The 17 under team spend the weekend, Friday to Sunday, in Gering, Neb., where they competed against the Gering home team, Chadron and Torrington. The Lobos were defeated 10-1 by Gering, but they overcame this defeat by finishing their game with Chadron 12-3, then defeating Torrington 9-8.

Meanwhile, the 15 under team travelled to Douglas for a different tournament from Saturday to Sunday, where they competed against Douglas, Glenrock and Rock Springs.

The Lobos fell to both Douglas and Glenrock, finishing each game 1-11 and 2-12, respectively. Howeer, they didn’t let these losses bring them down, as they came back and defeated Rock Springs 4-1.

Lobos maintain impressive weekend

WHEATLAND – The Wheatland Lobos had an impressive weekend as they competed in different tournaments.

The 17 under team picked up several wins in Cheyenne. Their first game on Friday was against the Cheyenne Indians, where they finished 13-5. The Lobos scored five runs over the course of the first three innings, but the Indians came back and tied with all five of their runs in the third inning. That didn’t discourage the Lobos, as they scored another eight runs in the following two innings. The winning pitcher was Mitchell Pollock.

Later on Friday, the Lobos defeated Scottsbluff 12-10. Winning pitchers were Trevor Vaughn, Joel Anderson and Ryan Pollock.

On Saturday, the Lobos defeated Cheyenne Prep 12-4. Winning pitchers were Joel Anderson and Kaleb Peterson.

Injuries occur during Lobos’ eventful weekend

WHEATLAND – The Wheatland Lobos’ 17 under team traveled to Laramie to compete against the Laramie Rangers on Tuesday, June 20. The Lobos defeated the Rangers 13-7. The Lobos had eight errors, but still outhit the Rangers 12-9. Pitchers were Mitchell Pollock and Joel Anderson.

On Thursday, June 22, the 17 under team played a home game against Cheyenne Prep and took another victory, 4-3. The winning pitcher was John Sarad and Kaleb Peterson got the save.

The 17 under team’s last game was at home against Laramie on Tuesday, but results were not available at press time. This game is followed by another home game against Cheyenne Prep on Thursday, June 29 at 5 p.m.