CASPER — Championship Saturday at the WHSAA State Wrestling Championships inside the Ford Wyoming Center delivered titles, heartbreak and plenty of promise for the future for both Green River and Rock Springs.
All four individual state champions from Sweetwater County were juniors, highlighting a strong foundation moving forward for both programs.
Green River crowned two champions, one on the boys’ side and one on the girls’ side, while Rock Springs produced two girls’ champions to close the three-day tournament.
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Champions
At 113 pounds, junior Bentley Johnson capped a dominant run for Green River’s boys. Johnson opened the tournament with a fall, followed by back-to-back technical falls, and then left no doubt in the championship match, earning a 17-1 technical fall over Michael Brody Keith of Natrona County. Johnson finished the season 42-4 and stood atop the podium as the Wolves’ lone boys champion.
Green River junior Bianca Maez claimed the 130-pound girls title, finishing her best season to date in style. After a forfeit in the opening round and a quarterfinal pin, Maez earned a 10-8 semifinal decision before securing the championship with a fall over Kaylea Mortensen of Pinedale in 3:06.
Rock Springs junior Rylin Plant repeated as state champion at 105 pounds, becoming a back-to-back titleholder. Plant recorded three falls to reach the finals and then secured the championship with a pin in 5:59 over Peyton Arnhold of Shoshoni, finishing 38-1.
At 155 pounds, Rock Springs junior Sarah Eddy completed her redemption arc. After finishing as runner-up a year ago during a near-undefeated season, Eddy returned to the finals and captured the title with a fall over Elizabeth Holloway of Greybull/Riverside. Eddy closed the year 43-1, giving her just two losses over the past two seasons combined.
Runners-Up
Green River’s Jeramiah Musbach placed second at 126 pounds on the boys’ side. Musbach powered through the bracket with two pins and a semifinal decision before falling in the championship match to Cheyenne East’s Sammy Sanchez.
Rock Springs seniors Lincoln Young and Santiago Cruz each finished as runners-up. Young reached the 132-pound final for the second straight year before dropping a 6-2 decision to Kimball Parry of Star Valley. Cruz, who battled injuries throughout the season, made an impressive run to the 144-pound final before falling to Tel Parry of Star Valley.
Third-Place Finishers
Green River placed four boys in third. Tavin Vendetti rebounded from a semifinal loss to secure third at 120 pounds with a fall and a major decision. Weston Green earned third at 132 with a technical fall and a pin. Maddux Hintz finished third at 157, bouncing back from a narrow 6-4 semifinal loss to the eventual state champion with a fall and a major decision in the consolation bracket. Timothy Robinson added another third-place medal at 190, winning by major decision and decision after his semifinal setback.
Fourth-Place Finishers
Jaydon Walther placed fourth at 165 pounds for Green River. On the girls side, freshman Payton Shantz of Green River and Paige Tongate of Rock Springs each finished fourth at 120 and 130 pounds, respectively, with Shantz falling to eventual state champions earlier in her bracket.
Fifth- and Sixth-Place Finishers
Green River’s Raygen Bauers (125), Jocelyn Shantz (135) and Faith Still (235) each placed fifth on the girls side, battling back through the consolation rounds. Kayleigh Johnson finished sixth at 110.
For Rock Springs, Kaijun Powell placed fifth at 120 pounds on the boys side, while Dane Arnoldi finished sixth at 150 after an injury ended his tournament. Kaydence Sander added a fifth-place finish at 190 for the Lady Tigers.
Team Race and Looking Ahead
Green River’s boys finished fourth in the 4A team standings with 168 points, while Rock Springs placed 13th with 51.5.
On the girls side, Green River finished second with 110.5 points, just short of a team championship. Notably, the Lady Wolves do not have a single senior on their roster, underscoring the potential of a lineup that already produced a state champion and multiple placers.
Rock Springs placed fourth as a team with 97 points and featured a youthful core highlighted by two junior champions and several standout underclassmen.
While several seniors from both schools saw their careers end shy of the titles they had hoped for, their efforts throughout the season and at state helped anchor their teams and set the tone for younger wrestlers.
With four junior state champions and deep returning talent on both girls squads especially, Saturday’s final matches felt less like an ending and more like the start of what could be another strong chapter for wrestling in Sweetwater County.
