CASPER – Another season of wrestling is in the books after State Wrestling this past weekend in Casper. Due to Covid and not having all the usual tournaments and duals that would allow Wheatland to see more of the west side of the state, wrestlers faced many opponents they hadn't seen all season. As another result of Covid, the typical two-day State tournament was broken up into three days with 2A Thursday, 3A Friday and 4A on Saturday. The team traveled to Casper Thursday night to prepare for a long day of wrestling and with the goal of coming home a State Champion in mind.
In the first round of the day, Devin Weber, Keegan Meyer, Jake Hicks and Cross Hernandez each won their matches advancing them to the quarterfinals. Those who lost their first matches prepared to battle back in the first consolation round. Hayden Hocker won by forfeit, Noah Whitfield won with a pin in the second period and Caleb Hyche received a bye. Unfortunately, Caden Davis, Mauriccio Grimaldo and Maxx Meyer lost their second matches ending their seasons until next year. In the quarterfinals, Weber won in a close 4-2 decision match and K Meyer pinned his opponent in the third period. Hicks fell to Powell's Bennett, 8-12, and Hernandez was pinned in the second period by Wood from Cody. During the second round of wrestle- backs, Hayden Hocker and Hyche were defeated, effectively ending their season. Hicks, Whitfield and Hernandez each made a comeback, pinning their opponents and advancing to the next round. After a lunch break, wrestlers returned for the semifinals. In two tough matches, Weber fell to Todd of Green River in the second period and K Meyer lost to Phelps of Pinedale, 6-17. With the competition heating up and wrestlers still vying for a medal, no match was going to finish without a fight from both sides. However, Hicks, Whitfield, and Hernandez each lost their fights in the third round of wrestle backs despite their very best efforts. In the consolation semifinals, after three periods, Weber fell to Star Valley's Kaleb Fila, 3-5. K. Meyer did win his battle against Burns/Pine Bluffs Manlove and would progress to the third and fourth place match. In the last two matches of the day for the Bulldogs, Weber took on Worland's Anderson and won by decision, 3-1, earning a fifth-place finish. K. Meyer faced Douglas' Ewing, unfortunately falling 2-6, finishing his senior year in fourth place at State.
This year may have been different in many ways, but one thing that didn't change due to Covid was the team working together as one and being Bulldog strong all season long.
