Herd conquers Tongue River, falls to Lusk in home turf triangular

Junior Paxton Piasecki goes for a takedown against Sean Johnson of Lusk.

By: 
Zach Miners, zach@glenrockind.com

The Glenrock wrestling squad had a mixed bag of successes and losses last week, defeating Tongue River but losing to Lusk and Newcastle at home, then clobbering Sundance and Hulett at Sundance days later.

The Herd lost 42-27 to Newcastle at home on Jan. 7. The next day, in a triangular-style meet also at home, the team lost to Lusk 30-42, then defeated Tongue River 54-18.

Going into the Lusk duel, the team misjudged previous losses. “They kind of accepted the fact going in that they were going to get beat,” Head Coach Kjell Elisson lamented.

But, when it came time to face off against Tongue River, “they wrestled probably as hard as they ever have,” Elisson said.

The wins and losses add to what has been a bit of a roller coaster season for the Herd, characterized both by jubilant wins and disappointing defeats.

Still, Elisson said at the start of the season that the team would be more focused on improvement over time and team-building, rather than individual wins or losses.

That focus showed in comments from the wrestlers, following their matches against Lusk.

“The entire team is trying their best to improve every week through training, better conditioning and getting in shape,” senior Lane Raney said after his win against Miles Ashurst of Lusk.

“I wanted to make the first move,” Raney said of his personal strategy.

Other wrestlers agreed that the team, as a whole, has been improving.

“We’re looking to wrestle defensively and respond to the moves of the other teams,” junior Paxton Piasecki said after his win against Sean Johnson of Lusk.

Even if their efforts ended in defeats, the Glenrock wrestlers consistently exhibited confidence and assertiveness on the mat.

Freshman Jake Cozaihr, for instance, tussled aggressively throughout the entirety of his match against Gabriel Matthews of Lusk, angling for the pin, but he ultimately lost.

“I was trying for the first attack directly,” Cozaihr said after, adding, “I should have crossfaced,” referring to a type of submission hold.

The next day, on Jan. 9, the Herd thrashed Sundance 72-0 and Hulett 46-24, both at Sundance.

Due to the smaller size of Sundance’s team, Glenrock only had three matches against the school, which were all won by pin.

Facing off against Hulett, “We were still running on fire,” Elisson said, adding, “We simply did not want to lose to them.”

The Herders are next scheduled to compete in quads at Newcastle and Torrington on Jan. 15 and 16, respectively.

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