Rocky Mtn. Middle School wrestlers battle hard in Worland meet

The Rocky Mountain Middle School boys and girls wrestling teams traveled to Worland on Saturday to compete against wrestlers from across the Big Horn Basin. Teams from Lander, Cody, Greybull, Lovell, Powell, Riverton, Rocky Mountain, Shoshoni, Thermopolis and Worland took part in the event.

Head coach Tim Jones said he was proud of the determination his wrestlers showed throughout the day.

“Our kids fought to the end of matches and didn’t give up,” he said. “We won a few close ones in the third period.”

Girls Division

For the girls, Kinleigh Hopkin (82) led the way with a first-place finish, Harper Griffin (114) earned third and Kinli Bitton (118) placed fourth.

Boys A Division

In the boys A Division, Dally Malson captured first place at 175 pounds, Gus Loyning placed second at 77, Hudson Moore finished second at 105 and Wyatt Blank earned fourth at 105.

Boys B Division

The Grizzlies entered 10 wrestlers in the B Division and turned in a strong performance, earning seven first-place finishes. Barry Jolley (174) and Henry Pincoskie (120) each brought home gold, along with Cody Kougl (104), Jacob Undem (86), James Demers (135), Jason Unruh (101) and Ridge Wilson (106).

Bryden Beall (147) and Ryker James (60) each earned second-place medals, while Gabe Walker (121) finished third.

When asked about areas his athletes need to focus on most, Jones said, “These are middle school kids. They need to work on everything, but I would say footwork and head position.”

Among the veteran wrestlers providing leadership this season are Malson, Moore,  Unruh and Blank.

“They’ve wrestled with us each year of middle school,” Jones said. “They are consistent performers who lead in the room and at tournaments on Saturdays.”

The team will travel to Riverton Saturday for another full day of competition. Jones said the Riverton meet draws a large number of teams from across the region, including some from as far away as Casper and Green River.

“It’s a big event with A and B brackets, which gives our kids a chance to wrestle athletes they don’t normally see,” he said. “We take everybody, and it’s a great opportunity for them to keep improving.”