Pinning Prowess

Glenrock High School wrestling coach Coley Wondra had a front row seat this season to the incredible progression of his boys and girls. Over the weekend, thousands of spectators at the Wyoming High School Activities Association State tournament witnessed those same efforts as the program pinned its best finish since competing in 2A back in 2019.

It was three great days Feb. 26-28 to wear the purple as the Herders brought home two State championships and 10 top-six placers. Both boys and girls teams also had their best finishes this decade.

For the boys, it was 72 hours of winning. Brody Allen and Kelton Stewart won State championships, three advanced to the first-place matches and seven made it onto the podium.

“I feel like I have gotten so much better on my feet and pushing the pace. Last year, I was a freshman and not as fast. This year I feel way faster, as I have grown a lot over the summer,” Stewart said. “I would probably credit coach Wondra, Joel Williams and Brody Allen. In the practice room it’s usually Joel Williams pushing me. As a freshman, he is a stud and really strong pushing me to be better. Brody is a little smaller but faster and pushed me to be faster.”

In all, Glenrock took third in the 3A standings with 158.5 points, just one point behind second-place Torrington at 159.5. Cody, which will be moving to 4A next year, won this year’s title with a 305.5 among the 16 teams.

Many eyes were on Allen as he entered the tournament having won State in each of his first two years of high school. The junior overcame the proverbial target on his back by netting a hat trick of titles in winning the 126-pound division.

Allen finished with an incredible 41-1 individual record. He added four to that total beginning with dominating Greg Vrooman (Douglas) with a 16-0 tech fall at 5:50.

Allen competed at a level that made him untouchable. He smoked David Emery (Pinedale) at 2:41. He didn’t let up in semi finals where he overwhelmed Noah Irvine (Lander Valley) by 20-4 tech fall at 4:00 to reach the State title match. 

Allen didn’t need three periods to achieve his third straight title. He made quick work of Russell Goolsbey (Powell) via pin at 1:50 to return to his spot atop the podium. 

For the first time, Allen wasn’t the only one to bring gold back to Glenrock. Stewart joined his friend among the elite by winning his own State championship in the 157 division.

Stewart brought his super sophomore season to close with an impressive 43-6 record. His path to the title started by taking down Sebasitan Nokes (Burns/Pine Bluffs) by fall at 0:31.

The quarterfinals was all Stewart as well when he defeated Colter Tims (Mountain View) via fall in 3:25. He advanced to the semis where he pinned Rylynn Cowan (Douglas) at 2:17.

That led to the championship match where Stewart left no doubt. He led 3-1 and 10-1 before delivering the final points in a 16-1 tech fall over Timber Van Gieson (Lyman) at 1:45 for the title.

“I knew that kid was way stronger than me last year. I wrestled him for fifth place, and he destroyed me because of his strength, so in my head I wanted this comeback for sure,” Stewart said. “Watching all the film on him that afternoon I noticed he loved to be very heavy on my head and was kind of (on his heels), so I knew I needed to stay to the outside of him and use my speed.”

The whistle blew and Stewart was Glenrock’s newest golden boy.

“Man, it was great. I was thinking about doing a back flip before that match if I won. I knew as soon as I got that last near fall swipes I ‘tech’ed’ him,” said Stewart, who followed though with his back flip just before throwing his fists into the air. “I could hear my dad screaming and the crowd erupted. I pointed at them and saw my dad in the front row pointing right back at me. Other than that, it was kind of all blurry . . . I was so excited.”

Williams also played a huge role in the team’s placement as he was the third Herder to make the first-place match. He finished his rookie season as the second best in Wyoming at 190 division. 

The freshman, one of very few in the state to break 40 wins, was a stunning 40-8 overall. He notched one of them by taking down Eli Geboe (Lander Valley) by fall at 1:36.

Williams rode that momentum by pinning Thomas Elizondo (Mountain View) in 3:23, and won by fall against Brandt Eichenberger (Torrington) at 5:33. His only defeat was in the finals by fall to Kannon Grant (Cody).

The long list of fantastic finishes continued with Rian Selby. He won four State matches along his path to capture third at 120 pounds.

Selby (30-15) disposed of Dominic Beale (Pinedale) by fall at 1:59 in the opening round before a dominant 21-3 tech fall victory against Braden Ghormley (Lander Valley) at 5:22. After suffering his only loss, the Herder bounced back to score a 13-5 major decision over Dax Platt (Lander Valley) and closed by pinning Kael Gudahl (Wheatland) in 1:59.

At 175, Preston Sorensen brought his incredible season and career to a close. The senior chalked up four victories in his final weekend to take home third overall. 

Sorensen won by fall over Joey Mohren (Burns/Pine Bluffs) at 2:46 and later pinned Cody West (Lander Valley) in 3:06. He rallied from his lone setback to win by fall twice against Marshall Hatch (Lyman) at 2:19 and West again at 0:31.

Brady Calmes (37-9) left Casper as one of the best in Wyoming by placing fourth among the 215s. He sent Lucas Chandler (Lyman) on a different path after taking him down courtesy of a fall at 0:19.

Calmes made it two straight when he beat Luciano Vazquez (Worland) in 1:41. He also pinned Jack Harberts (Douglas) at 0:59.

Nick Ticknor (25-14) delivered as he has all season and placed among the best when he earned fifth at 106 pounds. He was solid from the start when he posted an 18-2 tech fall against Gabe Hagen (Wheatland) in 4:28. He followed that by talking down Terrance Wood (Mountain View) convincingly with a 17-0 tech fall at 4:24. 

Ticknor shook off defeat and ended the season in winning fashion. He won a thriller against Mason Jolley (Douglas) in a 28-22 sudden victory. 

Herder girls pin best State finish 

Girls wrestling is in year four since its inception and Glenrock’s growing group pinned its best finish to date. One standout reached the finals, three captured top-six placings and four athletes notched victories at the 3A championships. 

Star Valley, which moves to 4A next season, won the team title with 167.5, well ahead of runner-up Green River at 110.5. Powell was third with 100.5 and Glenrock 14th among a huge field of 47 teams.

Danika Harris (22-8) got stronger as the season unfolded and was a force. She captured the best finish in program history by advancing to the championship and captured second in the 190 division.

Harris was sharp from the start when she took down Adia Price (Green River) at 0:59. She mirrored that effort by owning Kaydence Sander (Rock Springs) via fall in 0:49.

The semi finals belonged to Harris as she delivered her third straight win by pin against Olivia Tanner (Pinedale) at 0:29 to reach the finals. Only Sophie Meyer (Wheatland) was able to get by Harris.

Gillian Holman (29-12) is one of the program’s first athletes as well as one of the most decorated. She brought her career to a finish by capturing fourth at State at 125 pounds. 

Holman leaves a big impression on the program by placing at State all four years. She kicked off her final journey by defeating Olivia Herget (Central) by fall at 1:32.

The standout Herder made it two straight when dismantled Sophia Bauer (Star Valley) courtesy of a 19-2 tech fall in 5:59. After falling short to Caydence Watters (Natrona County) in the semis, Holman pinned the final win of her career against Raygen Bauers (Green River) at 1:21.

Malorey Lawrence (16-9) was the third Glenrock star to shine bright. She was the busiest on the team in winning three times at 130 pounds to earn sixth. The first of those victories was posted against Alyssa Hoffman (Burns/Pine Bluffs) via fall at 2:23.

Oakley Hepworth (Star Valley) got by Lawrence in the quarterfinals. However, she bounced back to pin Kimberlie Ledford (Laramie) in 2:05 and later scored a tough 3-0 decision against Saige Theule (Kemmerer).

Lucy Ticknor (19-16) at 115 pounds capped her season and career with one more victory. Her final win was an exciting one when she took down Kathryn Peterson (Thunder Basin) in a 9-5 decision.