The season is beginning to close for Green River High School’s grapplers.
With Friday’s trip to Lander for the 3A Regional Wresting Tournament, the wrestling team will only have next week’s State tournament in Casper. The regional event itself represents a hurdle for the Wolves to overcome as qualification at the event is the only way to punch a ticket for next week’s tournament.
When head coach Josh Wisniewski looks at his boys, he sees a scrappy team ready to take on the rest of the state.
“We’re ready to go,” he said. “The guys are focused and ready to put on a good regional tournament.”
The boys had some success in the final two weeks leading into the tournament. Last week, the boys suffered a narrow 40-38 loss to Evanston before defeating their rivals at Rock Springs High School in a close 38-37 win.
The week prior, the boys traveled to Star Valley Feb. 4 and lost 41-30. Wisniewski said the wrestlers wrestled hard against the Braves, but lost close matches at key points in the dual. The following day the group took on the Natrona County wrestling teams, falling to Natrona County 55-24. Wisniewski said he wasn’t sure why the group struggled against NCHS wrestlers, thinking the team may have come out flat after a long day of travel a day earlier.
He said the Wolves woke up following the loss and defeated Kelly Walsh 48-30 later that day.
In the final weeks of practice, Wisniewski said he and the other coaches have opted to shorten the amount of time the boys work and increase the intensity of their workouts.
Wisniewski said this shift will keep the boys fresh for competition. In Wisniewski’s eyes, the boys are mentally prepared for the weekend as well, aiming to focus on earning points throughout the event. Wisniewski said the Wolves are very capable of earning a regional title this weekend, despite entering the event with open slots at the 182 and 195 weights due to injuries.
“The kids work really hard and are excited to showcase what they’ve learned,” Wisniewski said. “I’m really excited for them to go out there and showcase their skills.”
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