Michael Bassett sixth at State Wrestling for Grizzlies

They call them the blood rounds for a reason – the rounds in a wrestling tournament where an athlete either wins to stay alive and vie for a top-six placing or loses to be eliminated.

The blood rounds were not kind to the Rocky Mountain Grizzlies at the Class 2A State Tournament in Casper last week as only one wrestler – Michael Bassett – advanced to the consolation semifinals on Saturday.

Still, the Grizz did pick up a few wins and valuable experience at the tournament as they grow under new coach Eddie Whiting and assistant Jesse Dewey.

Bassett, a junior from Burlington, won three matches at 132 pounds in Casper to place sixth. In early rounds, he pinned Mason Sorensen of Lingle-Ft. Laramie in 5:56, lost 9-6 to Flint Linford of Cokeville, then bounced back to reach the consolation semifinals on Saturday by pinning Clayton Ailport of Glenrock in 4:10 and Dalton Price of Thermopolis in 1:50.

On Saturday, he battled Lovell’s Mason Christenson before falling by pin in 4:29. Wrestling for fifth and sixth, he fell by pin to Ethan Crow of Thermopolis in 1:00, finishing the season with a solid 20-22 record.

“Michael Bassett was our lone state placer. Placing sixth after taking a year off was not bad for this young guy,” Whiting said. “Michael has had a unique style of wrestling all year. He does something that will  make you yell, ‘No, no, don’t. OK, that turned out better than I thought.’ Michael fits well into this team and will be a big key going into next season. I am excited to see him grow.”

Sophomore Triffen Jolley pinned Jack Melger of Tongue River in 1:40 at 144 pounds, then fell by pin to Will Ward of Thermop in 2:25. Ward went on to place second. Hoping to stay alive, Jolley wrestled Haeden Blair of Thermopolis and lost by pin in 3:49, finishing the season with a winning record at 20-18.

“Triffen Jolley is one kid that’s not afraid to get in there and scrap with some of the best wrestlers,” Whiting said. “Triffen had a tough opponent second round and then came back through the blood rounds and met up with tough opponents to get in. I can’t wait to see this young man next season, because I know he’s going to explode.”

Freshman Sam Loyning got his first taste of state tournament competition and dropped both of his matches, finishing his first year of high school competition with a solid 20-22 record.

“This young man has come a long way since we started out,” Whiting said. “He did not place at State, but he wrestled hard and in my mind it was to the best of his abilities. He shows great potential for the future.”

Burlington senior Hunter Aagard stayed alive with a bye in the first consolation round but lost to go 0-2 at 190 pounds and finished the year 8-14.

“Hunter Aagard is the lone senior on the team,” Whiting noted. “This young man has come a long way since he first started wrestling. He qualified two years in a row for State but came up short both years in the blood round. The kid shows a lot of heart and compassion for this sport. I hope to see him move on to bigger things as he graduates this year.”

Junior Wyatt Houchin also received a consolation first round bye but went 0-2 on the mat at 215 pounds, finishing the year 6-14.

Junior Curtis Wachob did the same at 285 pounds, dropping his opener to eventual champion James Love of Lovell, staying alive with a bye but then falling again. He finished 6-16 on the season.

“Curtis Wachob is a small heavyweight, but he is so fast for a big guy,” Whiting said. “He drew the state champ James Love of Lovell first round, then the tallest heavyweight from Wyoming Indian, but I think next year this young man will be a state placer as long as he continues to work like he does.”

Whiting believes the future is bright for the Grizz.

“Rocky Mountain has had a great year,” he said. “The only setback I saw, really, is that we were young and injuries killed us at the start of the year. My hope for the future is to get everyone back healthier than this year and hopefully to keep growing and improving.”