Grizz wrestlers excel at back-to-back meets

The Rocky Mountain Middle School wrestling squad handled a demanding schedule last weekend, competing on Friday and Saturday and earning strong results at both events.

Friday’s meet in Greybull featured five teams: Greybull, Rocky Mountain, Shoshoni, Thermopolis and Tongue River.

In the girls division, Kinleigh Hopkin placed second at 80 pounds while Harper Griffin at 107 and Kinli Bitton at 119 both earned fourth-place finishes.

The boys team also performed well. Ryker James at 70 pounds and Wyatt Blank at 110 won their brackets. Second-place results came from Gus Loyning at 77, Henry Pincoskie at 126, James Demers at 145 and Barry Jolley at 190.

Head coach Tim Jones highlighted several standout efforts from the weekend. He pointed to Blank’s performance in Greybull, saying, “Wyatt Blank beat a good kid from Thermopolis who beat Wyatt earlier in the year. He wrestled a smart match.”

Jones also praised Bitton’s continued development, noting, “Kinli Bitton has been making adjustments and improving from match to match.”

Other Rocky Mountain placers in Greybull included Jason Unruh at 110 and Anthony Nicholson at 155, both finishing third. Jacob Undem placed fourth at 91 pounds, and fifth-place finishers were Tagg Harris at 84, Case Nicholson at 132 and Kody Kougl at 110. Spence Winterholler at 110 and Henry Pincoskie at 120 rounded out the day in sixth.

On Saturday the team traveled to Powell for a larger middle school tournament that included teams from Cody, Greybull, Lander, Laurel, Lovell, Powell, Riverton, Sheridan, Thermopolis, Worland and Rocky Mountain.

The girls turned in another solid day. Hopkin placed third at 78 pounds, and Griffin finished fourth at 109.

In the boys A division, Dally Malson earned first place at 175 pounds. The B division produced more champions, with Henry Pincoskie at 121, Undem at 85, Unruh at 106 and Harris at 78 all winning their brackets.

Case Nicholson at 129, Demers at 138, Ridge Wilson at 112 and James at 58 each finished third. Riley Pincoskie placed fifth at 118.

With two straight days of competition, Jones praised the team’s endurance, saying, “It really isn’t a big deal at their age. There are tournaments where a kid might wrestle four days in a row.”

The Grizzlies face another pair of meets this week, and Jones said the tight schedule affects how coaches prepare.

“It is harder to make adjustments without a practice in between, but we will just make a longer list of corrections and cover it all on Monday. We also try to talk to wrestlers in between matches at tournaments,” he explained.

Jones also credited the adults who help keep the program running strong.

“Aric (Hanusa) is our regular assistant, and Hal (Moore) is our volunteer assistant. Both are knowledgeable about wrestling and are great in the corner and in practice. Eddie (Whiting), the high school head coach, has been a help to us here and there as he has time.”

With the conference meet approaching, Jones said the focus at practice will shift slightly.

“We need to get back to the basics the next couple weeks before the conference meet -- getting and staying in athletic positions, move selection and match strategy. We are young and raw, so these things will be the focus for most of our kids.”

The team will stay busy this week with both the boys and girls competing in Lovell on Thursday at 4 p.m., followed by a long trip to Shoshoni on Friday with matches beginning at noon.