Bulldog wrestlers prepare for Regionals

This past Friday, the Lovell Bulldogs traveled to Buffalo to participate in the Buffalo Duals.
“We had a quick Buffalo dual with Tongue River and Wright,” said head wrestling coach Ty Hecker. “We held some guys out at the dual to get them healthy for Regionals and State.”
The Bulldogs came out on top against both teams. Going against Wright first, the team set the score 54-30 to take the win. Following that, the Bulldogs beat the Tongue River Eagles 48-24.
This week the team has focused their minds on preparing to qualify for State at regional tournaments this weekend. The top eight wrestlers in each bracket will punch their ticket into the state competition.
The 2A West boys Regionals will be held in Shoshoni this year on Saturday.
“Rosendo Garcia, James Love and Mason Christenson are all looking to repeat as all-conference wrestlers by making it into the finals at Regionals,” coach Hecker noted.
Dino Delacruz is also aiming to secure all-conference at Regionals.
“The top two 106 pounders in the state will be at Shoshoni. One of those is Delacruz, who is chasing a state title,” Hecker said.
Among the rest of the team, Hecker mentioned that Carson Asay, Rudy Hall, Kasey Jordan and Zayden Stahl are all looking to seal a place on the podium at Regionals.
The all-class West female Regionals will be held in Riverton Friday and Saturday. The top eight girls in each bracket will head to State the following week. The Lady Bulldogs have three girls headed into Regionals looking to make it to State.
Danika Crumrine will be competing in the 135-pound weight class at Regionals.
“Crumrine is still battling shoulder issues but is ready to make a push at placing high at Regionals and State,” Hecker said.
Following that, Hecker highlighted Maecie Joy, who will be competing at 145 pounds, noting, “Maecie has improved a ton from last year. She is looking to place at Regionals and secure her ticket to State.”
Avery Layne is the final girl on the team headed to Riverton.
“Layne is putting in maximum effort every day in practice to punch her ticket to State,” Hecker said.
The girls Regionals will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Friday at Riverton and will be carried over to Saturday at 9 a.m. The boys Regionals will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday in Shoshoni.
With the final weeks of the season wrapping up, the team’s goal is to make a push for State and end their season in Casper with a chance to seal a state title.
Editor’s note: The Rocky Mountain Grizzlies are also preparing for the regional tournaments in Riverton and Shoshoni. The Grizz did not have any wrestling competition over the past week as they gear up for the post-season.
Competing in the 2A West boys Regionals will be Big Piney, Cokeville, Dubois, Greybull/Riverside, Kemmerer, Lovell, Rocky Mountain, Shoshoni, Thermopolis, Wind River and Wyoming Indian.