Lovell Mustangs bring the heat at conference tournament

As the season comes to a close, the Lovell Mustangs wrapped up the regular season with matches at a triangular tournament in Cowley November 28 before heading to Thermopolis for the Big Horn Basin Conference Meet on Saturday.
No statistics were provided on the triangular, however head coach Joey Bassett had a few things to share as they prepared to head into the weekend. Coming back from Thanksgiving break, Coach Bassett was quite happy with the turnout on Tuesday night, explaining, “The team wrestled strong. I’m glad we had the triangular to get a couple more matches before Conference.”
Bassett expressed his enthusiasm for the conference tournament as multiple wrestlers have stepped forward, determined to be placed in the A Division.
“I think it’s great that some kids want to step up and really show what they can do,” Bassett said.
Heading into the conference tournament in Thermopolis, the Lovell Mustangs were ready to throw down their opponents.
“Everyone did really well,” Bassett said. “I was very happy with the team, and the girls really stepped up this weekend.”
Bassett highlighted the girls’ performance as they managed to place third as a team. Overall, the boys team racked up their points and placed fifth out of 10 teams.
Hunter Krei went undefeated in the tournament, claiming the title of conference champion in the 145 Division A weight class. Facing off against Justin Marquez of Powell in the finals, Krei took the title with a 7-3 decision.
Jayden Hunder claimed his bracket by pinning both of his opponents in the 138 Division B weight class.
Vada Schmidt pulled the top spot in the 115-pound girls weight division after pinning both of her opponents with time to spare.
Eliza Wagner also contributed to the girls’ team score by plowing through her opponents. Wagner pinned her first two opponents in under a minute to land her in the finals, where she tied up against Mila Knell of Lander for first place. With sheer determination to come out on top, Wagner won the match by an 8-1 decision.
Other results from the Conference meet included:
Second Place: Anthony Garcia, Division A 126, 1-1 record; Christian Garcia, Division B 145, 2-1 record; Bella Gallagher, Girls Division 138, 1-1.
Third Place: Aaiden Walker, Division A 120, 3-1 record; Andrew Entel, Division A 138, 2-1 record; Monte Blank, Division A 155, 2-1; Taevyn Gruell, Division A 175, 2-1.
Fourth Place: Wyatt Blank, Division A 77, 2-2 record; Landon Asay, Division B 98, 3-2; Kaylynn Mickelson, Girls Division 110; Christy Aagard, Girls Division 126.
With the season ending on a good note, Coach Bassett explained he was happy with how the season rolled out.
“All the wrestlers worked very hard this year,” Bassett said. “I pushed them all to step up, and they did.”