Crumrine dominates at Shane Shatto Memorial

The Bulldog wrestling team jumped into action over the weekend at their first tournament after returning from Christmas break. The team traveled down to Douglas to wrestle at the Shane Shatto Memorial Tournament Friday and Saturday, facing tough competition from a combination of 30 Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota teams.

“Shane Shatto is probably the second toughest tournament in the state with 2A, 3A, 4A and out-of-state competition,” said head wrestling coach Ty Hecker. “Winning at this tournament is a tall task for anyone.”

By the end of the tournament, four Bulldog wrestlers managed to place in the competitive tournament.

Danika Crumrine wrestled in the 140-pound girls division, pinning her way through the bracket to finish the tournament on top.

“Crumrine had her eye on the prize this weekend and managed to pin her way to the top of her bracket,” Hecker said.

Crumrine pinned her first two opponents in the first period to land her in the semifinals against Kyera Gustafson of Hulett. Crumrine wrapped up the match with a pin in the second period to land her in the finals against her Burns opponent, Kalli Garci. Maintaining a tough stance on the mat in her championship match, Crumrine claimed a fall 34 seconds into the second period to win the title. 

On the boys side of the tournament, several Bulldogs fought hard in large brackets with as many as 30 other wrestlers. Dino Delacruz, Mason Christenson, Kasey Jordan, Rudy Hall and Chance Hatch were the team’s varsity wrestlers that made it into the second day of the tournament. 

Delacruz finished the tournament in sixth place in the 126-pound bracket with 20 other competitors.

“Delacruz ran into buzz saws in the 126-pound bracket,” explained Hecker, “but he is one of the most committed wrestlers on the team. He has continuously proved that he can wrestle against any level of competition.”

Delacruz finished the tournament with a 4-3 record. 

On the JV side of the tournament, Bulldog wrestlers Travis Asay and Porter Blau both placed in their respective brackets.

“Travis and Porter have been putting in a lot of work in the room, and it is turning into victories on the mat,” Hecker said. “They have a lot to learn and grow, but they have the mentality for it, which resulted in them placing at this weekend’s tournament.”

Blau competed in the 150A JV bracket, taking fourth place among his competitors. After losing his second match, Blau moved through the left side of the bracket by pinning his next three opponents. Blau finished the tournament with an overall record of 4-2. 

Asay finished the tournament in fourth place in the 150B JV bracket. Asay worked through the left side of the bracket after losing his second match. Pinning through his competition, Asay managed to end the tournament with a record of 4-2.

“Asay is one of the best workers in the wrestling room,” Hecker noted. “Through his hard work, he is making his way to eventually becoming a varsity level wrestler.” 

This weekend the bulldogs have two events lined up. On Thursday, the team will travel over to Basin to wrestle in a triangular dual against Greybull/Riverside and Rocky Mountain. Friday and Saturday, the team will travel down to Shoshoni to wrestle a two-day tournament.

“We are headed into the core of the season. Right now, we
must grind through the tournaments and the practices to prepare for state wrestling,” Hecker concluded.