Rocky wrestlers have several great performances in middle school championships Saturday

Rocky Mountain Middle School wrestlers turned in several strong performances at the conference tournament Saturday in Thermopolis, highlighted by an A Division championship outing from Dally Malson and multiple placers across both the boys and girls divisions.

Malson won his weight class, showcasing strength and maturity beyond his years.

“Dally Malson is a big, strong, athletic kid,” head coach Tim Jones said. “He is smart and aware of positions that might cause him trouble, and he is very coachable.”

Barry Jolley earned a third-place finish, continuing to build experience as a sixth grader.

“Barry is a good young sixth grader who works hard,” Jones said. “He has a lot of potential moving forward.”

Hudson Moore also put together an impressive run, advancing to the finals after entering the tournament unseeded. Moore defeated both the second- and third-seeded wrestlers before falling in the championship match.

“Hudson had a nice tournament,” Jones said. “He lost in the finals to who I believe is the best technical wrestler in the entire conference.”

The young Lady Grizz landed on the podium as well, with Kinleigh Hopkin placing first, Kinli Bitton finishing third and Harper Griffin taking fourth.

“Our girls were fun to coach this year,” Jones said. “They had ups and downs but just kept working and improving.” Hopkin capped her season with her best tournament of the year, pinning her way through the bracket.

Jones said a largely inexperienced boys lineup made steady progress throughout the season despite its youth.

“It was slow and steady, but the kids worked hard in the room all year,” he said. “We saw a lot of growth and had a great year because the relationship between the athletes and coaches was a lot of fun.”

In the B Division, Henry Pincoske and Ridge Wilson each earned victories in their weight classes, while Spence Winterholler placed second. Jacob Undem also turned in a strong showing, winning five matches to finish third. Case Wilson added a fourth-place B Division finish, continuing the team’s overall success.

Several other Rocky Mountain wrestlers recorded wins at the tournament but narrowly missed the podium, including Gus Loyning, Cody Kougl and Tagg Harris.

Despite injuries and illness affecting some competitors and the loss of several eighth graders to graduation, Jones remains optimistic. Rocky Mountain Middle School wrestlers ended the season with plenty of individual placers and even more to look forward to, as a strong nucleus of returning wrestlers sets the stage for next year.