Lovell wrestlers sweep duals, gain experience

The Lovell Bulldogs had a busy week on the mat, opening with a dominant 48-24 dual win over Worland Thursday. They then tested themselves at the tough Lander Invitational Friday and Saturday before finishing with a 39-30 victory against Columbus.

Thursday the Bulldogs wrestled with high pace and intensity at Worland. Head coach Ty Hecker said the team performed some of its best wrestling of the season, noting that the Bulldogs fed off each other’s energy and competed with a strong team-first mindset.

Lovell picked up nine varsity wins in the dual, many coming by pin, to secure their victory over Worland.

“Our team captains really set the tone early,” said Coach Hecker, pointing to Owen Hill’s aggressive, high-pressure match that ended in a pin as an example of the effort he expects from the team. Hecker also highlighted the performances of Mason Christenson and Zayden Stahl, saying, “Christenson continues to wrestle with confidence and a champion’s mindset, and Stahl has been consistently finishing matches decisively week after week.”

Varsity wins for Lovell came from Vada Schmidt, Tyler Wilkerson, Zander Stahl, Christenson, Zayden Stahl, Porter Blau, Hill, Monte Blank and Christian Garcia. Hecker noted that Blank and Garcia continue to step up for the team, showing toughness and composure in important matches. In exhibition rounds both Oscar Garcia and Hunter Krei earned wins, which Hecker said adds valuable experience and depth for the Bulldogs moving forward.

The next day, the Bulldogs traveled to Lander to compete in what Hecker said was one of the toughest tournaments they have faced this season. The Lander Invitational had both 3A and 4A schools, with each weight class filled with top wrestlers from across the state.

Despite the challenge, some wrestlers from Lovell were able to come out placing. On the boys side, Christenson led Lovell with a fifth-place finish at 138 pounds, going 4–2. Christenson entered the tournament as the third seed and advanced to the semifinals, where he faced the number two ranked wrestler in his bracket. After a tough semifinal loss, Christenson struggled to fully bounce back in his next match. Head coach Ty Hecker said the loss carried over and affected his performance, resulting in a match that Christenson was capable of winning slipping away.

Blank stepped into a varsity role at 190 pounds and made an impact for the Bulldogs. He picked up key wins and showed toughness throughout the tournament.

“Blank is young but fearless,” Hecker said. “He’s showing what it takes to make that jump to varsity and compete at a high level.” Blank won one of his three matches.

On the girls side, Harley Tillett had a standout weekend, winning the 105-pound title with a 3–0 record. Schmidt placed fifth at 120 pounds, finishing 4–2.

Hecker said the Lander tournament was an important learning experience as the postseason approaches.

“This tournament will help or hurt seeding for regionals,” he said. “We let some matches slip through our fingers and could have performed better, but it showed us what we need to clean up.”

Senior night

Returning home, Lovell hosted Columbus Tuesday at Winterholler Gym, picking up several key varsity wins to secure a 39-30 victory. Lovell got off to a strong start at 113 pounds, where Zavier Heater opened the dual with a pin over Gavin Lake. Hecker said Heater wrestled fast and aggressive, giving the Bulldogs early momentum.

That pace carried into the middle weights, as Hudsen Mickelson earned a pin at 132 pounds against Hunter Ivey, followed by Wilkerson’s pin at 138 pounds over Bronx Hanenkrat. At 144 pounds, Christenson continued to apply pressure throughout his match, defeating Lukas Ivey-Ferry by technical fall. Hecker said Christenson, along with senior Wilkerson, was relentless in neutral position and consistently scored points.

Blau added another pin for Lovell at 157 pounds against Joey Warford. On the girls side, Schmidt earned a pin at 130 pounds against JJ Avila-Pruitt. In exhibition action, Zander Stahl picked up a win at 138 pounds over Benny Williams, while Krei earned a victory at 157 pounds against Warford.

Hecker said the Bulldogs wrestled aggressively throughout the night and looked to put opponents away in front of their home crowd, an approach that helped Lovell close out the 39-30 win.

The Bulldogs continue a busy stretch this week, traveling to Riverton for the Ron Thon Memorial Tournament Thursday through Saturday before heading to Powell for a dual next Tuesday at 5 p.m.