High school sports teams persevere in 2022

Wrestling

Facing challenges and tough competition, the Wolves wrestling team persevered through the season and ended up sending 15 wrestlers to the State tournament. At the tournament, eight wrestlers placed and the team came home with a third-place finish overall. Tommy Dalton and Kale Knezovich, both at their second championship, earned State titles. The tournament reflected the season, with the Wolves starting out rough but pulling together to work hard and better themselves.  

Boys Swimming

After "battling out and pushing each other all year," according to Head Coach Colleen Seiloff, the boys swimming and diving team rounded out the winter 2022 sports season with a fourth place finish at the State competition. Out of the 16 swimmers that went to State, roughly half were freshmen, and the young swimmers still managed to finish in the top 10 in seven different events. 

The diving team had an especially strong year and good results at State, with Braxton Cordova claiming the title of Diving State Champion for the second year in a row, followed closely by fellow Wolves Kyle Kight and River Kirts in second and third place respectively. Rick Barker, the GRHS diving coach, was also named "Assistant Coach of the Year" at the State tournament.

Girls Basketball

The Lady Wolves worked hard to play better basketball throughout the year, learning and growing as they held their own against tough competition. The team made especially good progress on playing defense through the year, according to Head Coach Rick Carroll. While the girls didn't have any wins at State, they played close games and had several team members who received extra honors for All-State or who were named to All-Conference teams. 

Boys Basketball

The boys basketball team steadily improved over the course of the season, which Head Coach Laurie Ivie credited to learning how to play consistent basketball throughout all four quarters in their games. Going into Regionals, the Wolves were the top ranked team in their quad and the second ranked team in the 4A West. Unfortunately, despite their earlier success, the boys' season ended early when they lost both their regional tournament games and missed their chance to go to State.

Boys Soccer

With only one win in their last season and a new head coach in Jorge Salcedo, the Wolves were hoping to have a more successful year by playing more aggressive soccer. They succeeded in this goal during their first game with Cheyenne South, winning 3-0. They also succeeded in playing a better season, finishing with a 6-8-1 overall record. Unfortunately their season ended early when they lost their regional match against Star Valley and were eliminated.

Girls Soccer

Coming onto the field after a rough previous year with very few wins, the Lady Wolves soccer team and new head coach Matthew Robles were ready to make changes. That change started early when the team won their first game of the season against Cheyenne South. While they still faced losses through the season, they ended with a total of four wins and one tie, which was a welcome improvement.

The team's season ended after a regional tournament loss to Kelly Walsh, a team who hadn't lost a game all season. Robles said he heard people express the belief the Lady Wolves would have been good enough to qualify for State if they hadn't been up against such tough competition. 

Girls Softball

The Lady Wolves softball team went into their second year of competition having not won any games their first year. That record changed when the team made their way to State and ended their season 9-17. Although they didn't have any wins during the State softball championships, the team enjoyed the victory of earning their spot in the tournament and having three players receive All State honors. Head Coach Blair Aimone expressed her pride in the team's improvement and her belief that it was a successful season.

Track and Field

The track and field team battled through bad weather, facing wind, rain, and even snow, to consistently grow and learn throughout the season. At State, several team members set personal records and achieved season bests. Several freshmen had impressive showings, with Lillian Allison having a shot put throw of 32-07.75, which was the second best freshman throw at State in 4A, and Mikayla Dockter finishing as the top freshman at State in 4A this season in the high jump.

Volleyball

The Lady Wolves volleyball team, which finished last year winless, worked hard to see improvement throughout the season. They stayed determined while facing tough competition and fought to win games and keep scores close. The team finished the season 8-21 after being eliminated at Regionals. New Head Coach Jessica Demaret said she thought it was a good year for the program and a step in the right direction. 

Football

After a winless season last year, the Wolves football team was hoping for more success, especially since they had a starting lineup of experienced players. The season started with some tough losses, but things looked hopeful when the Wolves celebrated their first win in two years, defeating Rawlins 48-0. The team had another exciting victory when they beat Jackson 33-17 on Senior Night. Unfortunately, the rest of the season was more of a struggle with multiple tough losses. The Wolves' final game of the season was a loss against Evanston, which eliminated Green River from the playoffs. After the 2-7 season, Head football Coach Kevin Cuthbertson announced his decision to step down.

Tennis

This year Green River tennis had a veteran, more-experienced boys team who competed well throughout the season and a younger, up-and-coming girls team who fought hard to earn victories. The boys team took first place in Regionals and fourth overall at State. Head Coach Phil Harder was also named the South Conference Boys Coach of the Year during the Regional meet. Harder said the boys had lots of success over the season and the girls stayed dedicated and made good progress. 

Golf

The boys and girls golf teams had an exciting and successful season, seeing consistent improvement and impressive wins, especially from team leaders Isabell Salas and Ryker Mele. Salas finished in second place during the 3A West Conference Tournament, taking All Conference Honors for the third consecutive year in a row. She also missed a State Championship title by only two strokes and was an All-State recipient for the third year. Mele also had a good showing at both Conference and State, placing third at Conference and taking All Conference Honor for a second time, and having his best finish at State, coming in the top 20 right at 19th place. 

Girls Swimming

Continuing their winning ways, the Lady Wolves swimming and diving team dominated their competition throughout the season. The girls finished first as a team at multiple meets and had swimmers breaking multiple records through the year. They were the 3A West Conference champions, winning nine out of 12 events and walking away with multiple awards.

When they headed to state, the Lady Wolves were expected to win for the third year in a row. However, some early troubles set them back and they weren't able to make up the difference, losing to the Lander Tigers by 44 points. Despite the second-place finish, the Lady Wolves still ended the 3A State Championships with six All-State Champion awards. Assistant Coach Rick Barker was also awarded Assistant Coach of the Year for 2022.

Cross Country

With a strong girls team and several experienced runners on the boys team, the cross country program ran hard to have a successful season. The teams saw several victories, including a first place win in Saratoga for the girls and some personal best times in Rock Springs. Senior Nathan Stevenson had an especially impressive year, being the top finisher among the boys all season and finishing in second place at State, earning All-State honors.