Lovell wrestlers battle illness but find success in Worland

The Lovell Bulldogs traveled to Worland this weekend to compete in the Battle in the Bighorns, a dual-style tournament.

“Due to injury, sickness and other circumstances we couldn’t fill our full roster, giving up a lot of points off forfeits,” head coach Ty Hecker said. “But our team stepped up, and several young wrestlers got their first taste of varsity competition.”

Despite the setbacks, Lovell continued to compete hard throughout the weekend, using the tournament as an opportunity for growth and experience.

At 113 pounds, freshman Evan Rusch stepped into the varsity lineup and finished the weekend with four wins in his seven matches. According to Hecker, “Rusch has been listening in practice and using new techniques, and it made a big difference for him throughout the weekend.”

Freshman Christian Garcia competed at 215 pounds and finished with one win in his seven matches against tough varsity competition.

“Garcia wrestled tough and showed a ton of heart, gaining important experience at the varsity level,” Hecker said.

Sophomore Taevyn Gruell represented Lovell in the heavyweight division and finished the weekend with five victories in his seven matches.

“Gruell is a smaller heavyweight but is fast for his size,” Hecker said. “He understands he has to stay quick and avoid getting caught underneath bigger opponents, which helped him win most of his matches.”

Team captains Mason Christenson and Zayden Stahl led the Bulldogs on varsity. Both wrestlers won six of their seven matches. Christenson wrestled at 144 pounds, while Stahl competed at 150 pounds.

“Both captains wrestled extremely well and only lost one match each to top-ranked opponents, providing leadership for the team throughout the tournament,” Hecker said.

Other varsity contributors included Hudsen Mickelson at 132 pounds and Hunter Krei at 157 pounds, who each won four of their seven matches. Jaxen Baxendale wrestled at 138 pounds and Porter Blau wrestled at 165 pounds, and each added one win while filling in at the varsity level.

On the junior varsity side, Lovell wrestlers were able to get a high number of matches. Freshman Zander Stahl had a standout performance at 138 pounds, finishing a perfect 7–0 and earning first place. Hecker stated, “Stahl is looking really good and had a great weekend on the JV side.”

Oscar Garcia placed second at 144 pounds on JV, winning three of his four matches, while Porter Blau placed fourth at 165 pounds topping his competition in two of his three matches. Issac Blau competed at 157 pounds and earned two wins, continuing to gain valuable experience.

Lovell had four girls competing in Worland. Freshman Emalie Gonzales wrestled at 110 pounds and placed fourth.

“It was Gonzales’ first meet of the season, and she wrestled tough and picked up her first-ever win,” Hecker said. Sophomore Kaylynn Mickelson competed at 120 pounds, placing fourth on Friday and third on Saturday. Hecker praised her grit, saying, “Mickelson wrestled tough all weekend and showed a lot of grit on the mat.”

Freshman Vada Schmidt had a strong showing at 125 pounds, placing first on Friday and third on Saturday.

“Schmidt is a strong wrestler who can put matches away quickly with her heavy hands,” Hecker explained.

Sophomore Harley Tillett wrestled at 110 pounds, placing second on Friday and fourth on Saturday.

“Tillett is very aggressive off the start and can put most girls away fast,” Hecker said.

Friday proved difficult for the Bulldogs due to forfeits, but the team rebounded on Saturday and won the bronze bracket. Noted Hecker, “The team fed off each other’s energy, and with some big wins, they rode the momentum and wrestled really well to close out the tournament.”

The Bulldogs will not compete for the next couple weeks. Their next meet will be January 9 and 10 in Douglas. The times will be determined at a later time.