Your future, our focus
Three Reach Title Match At Cowboy Open
The Northwest College Trappers had a strong showing on Saturday at the Cowboy Open on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie. Casey Scheidt (133), Nathan Garcia (149) and Jaksen Cotterell (165) all advanced to championship matches.
In addition, the Trappers closed out the third-place match in the 125-pound bracket as Brandon Matlock and Ryker Vandertoolen climbed the back side of the bracket to split thirdplace honors. Redshirt sophomore Aaron Phillips rounded out the list of top-four finishers for the Trappers with a fourth place showing at 197 pounds.
“Those six guys that placed, I was really happy with their performances,” said Northwest College head wrestling coach Jim Zeigler. “They’re young kids that are really stepping up. Brandon (Matlock) went 6-1 and had three pins. He really wrestled well. Ryker (Vandertoolen) did a great job as well. Casey Scheidt had a great weekend.”
Garcia was denied a chance to go for the title at 149 pounds after suffering from a fluid buildup on a knee after winning five straight matches to reach the finals. Cotterell fell behind 5-0 early in his title match at 165 before suffering a 9-5 decision loss.
“Jaksen got hit by a five-point move right off the bat,” said Zeigler. “He had to fight off his back and then fight back into the match on the scoreboard. I was pleased with the way he wrestled hard and tough. He’s a kid that seems to be making real progress.”
Among non-placing wrestlers, Justin Gardner finished 4-2 overall at 133 pounds, narrowly missing a spot in the top four. Colton Thornton went 3-2 overall at 141 pounds while Cormick Eaton was 2-2 at 149 pounds.
“As a coach, we tend to look at the things we need to do to get better,” Zeigler said. “So I was focused on the injuries we’ve had at the upper weights with Cody dislocating his elbow and Keithen on the bench and Bernie Dupuy and Kameron Day both sitting out. When I finally started looking at the conclusion of the tournament, it dawned on me that, hey, we had a pretty good day overall.”
The Trappers return to action this Thursday with a dual in Rock Springs against Western Wyoming, where they will continue to be hindered by injuries.
“We won’t have a 125 this week,” Zeigler said. “Our 157 spot is still in question as to who we’ll put there, and Keithen probably won’t be ready to go yet. We haven’t won a match yet at the top three weights, so that’s a bit concerning. We need for them to get going to give ourselves a shot.”