CASPER — Rock Springs put on an impressive performance during the first day of the WHSAA Boys State Wrestling Championships, advancing three wrestlers to the semifinals. Out of 12 qualifiers, five made it to the quarterfinals, with three earning a spot in Saturday’s semifinals.
Santiago Cruz (126 pounds), Lincoln Young (132 pounds), and Sam Thornhill (175 pounds) each delivered dominant performances to keep their state title hopes alive.
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Semifinalists
126 pounds:
Santiago Cruz showcased his technical prowess, winning by tech fall over Carter Braband of Campbell County in 2:44 with an 18-2 score. He continued his run in the quarterfinals, securing another tech fall over Liam Green of Thunder Basin in 2:26 with a 15-0 victory, earning his place in the semifinals.
132 pounds:
Lincoln Young was equally impressive, starting with a 17-0 tech fall over Carter Evans of Natrona County in 3:53. He maintained his momentum in the quarterfinals, defeating River Osborne of Sheridan by tech fall, 18-1, in 5:36 to advance to the semifinals.
175 pounds:
Sam Thornhill continued the winning streak with a 15-0 tech fall over Jordan May from Riverton in 5:43. He secured his spot in the semifinals with a pin over Ryan Petzold of Sheridan in 1:36.
Quarterfinalists
126 pounds:
Dane Arnoldi started strong with a fall over Konner Frost of Riverton in just 1:02 but was narrowly defeated by Sammy Sanchez of Cheyenne East, 3-0, in the quarterfinals.
215 pounds:
Jernee Padilla secured an 11-4 decision victory over Rodolfo (Junior) Gonzalez of Natrona County in the first round but fell to Cort Catlin of Thunder Basin, who boasts a 39-1 record, by pinfall in just 53 seconds.
Strong Start for Rock Springs
With three semifinalists, Rock Springs is well-positioned heading into the second day of competition. The Tigers will look to capitalize on their momentum and continue their push for podium finishes.
