Ryker Mele holds up the 3A State Championship plaque as he, Connor Todd, Lucas Todd and Spencer Wright lead the team in their return to Green River High School. The boys wrestling team won the State Championship in Casper last weekend and came home to an escort by Green River Fire Department and Green River Police Department last Sunday. They were greeted by family, friends, and community members who all came out to celebrate the win.
The Wolves Wrestling team celebrated their win at the State tournament in Casper.
State champion Tommy Dalton
State champion Lucas Todd
State champion Kale Knezovich
The Green River High School Boy's Wrestling team followed up their outstanding performance from two weeks ago in winning the 3A Regional Championships with another outstanding performance, this time winning the 3A State Wrestling Championship this past weekend in Casper.
Each team can qualify two wrestlers in each weight class at regionals to go to State. The Wolves qualified 22 wrestlers in the 12 weight classes, giving them a large contingent of potential placers to score points. They came away with a 56.5-point margin over second-place Cody, winning State with 223.5 points for Green River and 167 for Cody.
The Wolves took first in the 3A field of 17 teams.
The Wolves had three wrestlers finish as State Champions: Sophomore Lucas Todd at 106 pounds, Junior Kale Knezovich at 138 pounds and Senior Thomas Dalton at 145 pounds.
Both Knezovich and Dalton are now joining an elite group of six previous Wolves wrestlers who have won three State Championships. Knezovich, just a junior, has the chance next year to become the only wrestler in Wolves' history to win four State Championships during his high school career.
Other outstanding performances at State included second-place finishes by Junior Axel MacKinnon at 120 pounds, Senior Connor Todd at 132 pounds and Senior Ryker Mele at 126 pounds. Three wrestlers took home third-place ribbons: Sophomore Ashton Lucero at 120 pounds, Junior Nick Weipert at 152 pounds and Sophomore James Herwaldt at 160 pounds.
Also placing for Green River were Junior Spencer Wrights at 120 pounds, Senior Tyler Waters at 160 pounds and Senior Hunter Davis at 138 pounds all taking fifth. Finally, wrestlers placing in sixth included Freshman Maddux Hintz at 145 pounds as well as Senior Deylin Miller at 220 pounds.
Of the 22 Wolves that qualified for State, eight were seniors, six were juniors, six were sophomores, and two were freshman.
This means 14 wrestlers in the 12 weight classes are eligible to return next year, giving the Wolves the potential for another strong team in 2024.
The Wolves' Head Wrestling Coach and Coach of the Year in 3A Josh Wisniewski commented upon reflecting on the season: "Yes, it was a very special season. The ultimate goal was to win a state championship as a team, and through all the blood, sweat, and tears of the season the team kept their focus and kept grinding. It was really neat to see the team buy in to the culture, sacrifice, have goals and work very hard to achieve those goals. Our seniors and our leadership teams did a great job keeping this team focused on the task at hand all season long."
The coach added: 'That's what I love about wrestling. It really molds these young student athletes to build character they need to be successful in life."
Finally, the coach felt that placing second at the Ron Thon Invitational in Riverton, winning regionals, and ultimately winning a State title were all big for this team and they really came together to have a very successful season.
Wisniewski concluded, "I'm very humbled and honored to have the opportunity to coach this very special team!"
After a long and difficult ride home from Casper last Sunday, the team arrived in Green River and was met with an escort of two fire engines. One drove in front of the parade, just ahead of the school bus carrying the State champs. They were followed by multiple police cars and dozens of parents, friends and community members in cars. More folks parked all along the route, waving and cheering to the wrestlers waving back, giving a great show of community pride and support.
State Tournament Individual Results
106: Lucas Todd 1st*
113: Kaleb Gunter Place Unknown
113: Spencer Wright 5th
120: Axel MacKinnon 2nd
120: Ashton Lucero 3rd
126: Ethan Guzman Place Unknown
126: Ryker Mele 2nd
132: Connor Todd 2nd
132: Tyler Castillion Place Unknown
138: Hunter Davis 5th
138: Kale Knezovich 1st*
145: Maddux Hintz 6th
145: Thomas Dalton 1st*
152: Nick Weipert 3rd
152: Jaxxon Gomez Place Unknown
160: Tyler Waters 5th
160: James Herwaldt 3rd
195: Logan Bauers Place Unknown
195: Jakob Lloyd Place Unknown
220: Deylin Miller 6th
220: Antonio Savedra Place Unknown
285: Ethan Maez Place Unknown
Reader Comments(0)