Athletes from across the county continued to post new personal records and medaled in the finals at Conference, with several swimmers getting ever closer to State-qualifying times. The first day of competition in Green River featured preliminaries with the top 12 in individual events and top seven relay teams advancing to finals on Saturday.
“The Wranglers played well with adversity that they faced with changing positions and penalties on Friday,” said Head Coach David Thrash. “Defensively, the Wranglers stood tall and made quality stops when it mattered. The offense found its footing in the second half and was able to sustain drives, ultimately leading to a touchdown.”
“It was a big win Friday night up at Riverside,” said Head Coach Jeromy Moffat. “Offensively, we kew we had some things we could expose in Riverside’s defense and we did a great job executing our game plan.”
Antonino crushed the competition in the girls’ varsity division, snagging the 4A State Championship with an impressive time of 18 minutes, 17.20 seconds and a blistering pace of 5:54 per mile. Antonino received All-State honors for her achievement. Koci played a role in the Jackson Hole High School (JHHS) girls’ varsity team placing fifth overall. The junior hit the finish line close to the middle of the pack in 63rd place with a time of 23:06.60. Koci beat teammate Aubrey Maestas by nearly 4 seconds.
he battle for control of the 3A Southwest Quadrant between the Pinedale High School Lady Wrangler volleyball team and its rivals from the Bridger Valley continued unabated with a showdown between Pinedale and Mountain View on Friday, Oct. 13.
The Oct. 13 game between Big Piney and Wyoming Indian High School (WIHS) came down to the wire in a five-set, point-for-point battle.
“It was a good team win this week,” said Head Coach Jeromy Moffat. “Our biggest goal was to take care of business and get our varsity kids out by half. We accomplished that goal early and I was proud of the varsity kids both on offense and defense for coming out ready to play.”
“The Wranglers fought hard against the No. 1 team in the conference and played an overall good game,” said Head Coach David Thrash. “They were able to put together some good defensive stands and several drives with one leading to the end zone. All around, the growth these young men are making is very exciting to watch and be a part of.”
The Pronghorn Hockey Club began in 2022 with a 10U “Squirt” team and has since grown into two teams, adding a 12U “Peewee” squad in spring 2023. The program provides an opportunity for youth hockey players to compete year round. Teams travel to play at tournaments in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, North Dakota and Minnesota, in addition to Wyoming.
Junior Emma York captured gold in the 200-freestyle at Big Piney, clocking in with a State-qualifying time of 2 minutes, 38.78 seconds. The 200-freestyle is the second event York has qualified in, after she punched her ticket to State in the 100-freestyle at the beginning of the season. York went on to garner second place in the 400-freestyle on Tuesday, hitting the finish line in 5:46.73.
Antonino reached the 2-mile mark “looking pretty fresh and one-stepping (Wheeler), her main competition at this point in the state,” said JHHS head coach Jeff Brazil.
“Kemmerer was a great win for us and I’m proud of this team,” said Head Coach Kinsy Voss. “We knew Kemmerer is an offensive team and played a really good defensive game. Lizzy is one of the top five liberos in the state for all classes and led us in digs with 32. Three of our top offensive hitters – Micah Strong, Kodee Greene and Addison Losik – came away with six kills each. Kaity gave us 20 assists and Kodee got us five aces. We played to win against Kemmerer and we did!”
Rising to the challenge, the Lady Wranglers scored a hard-earned four-set win against Lovell on Friday, 3-1. Pinedale went on to post a resounding 3-0 win against Thermopolis on Saturday.
Members of the PHS Marching Band highlighted the halftime show during the Oct. 6 game against Kemmerer.
Sublette County beat Rock Springs to place sixth at the event, posting 113.5 points.
“They say that heat is the poor man’s elevation, and we found it to be true,” Brazil added.
“Golf is the most difficult mental sport because you’re out there four, five or six hours on the course and so much can go wrong,” said Pinedale High School senior Brody Hamby.
“I would describe our win against Shoshoni as a tough, gritty, character type of win,” said Head Coach Jeromy Moffat.
“It was a great game played on all sides by the Wranglers,” said Head Coach David Thrash. “The consistency and focus this week was fun to watch and the coaching staff and I are super proud of these young men and their efforts to begin playing at the level they are capable. It was a good step in building confidence as we prepare for Mountain View. A big shoutout to the student section and fans that support these young men and celebrated on the field after the game.”
The varsity squad returns to action this week with an important away game against conference rival Shoshoni on Thursday, Oct. 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.