The Pinedale High School varsity boys’ team placed third in both the giant slalom competition on Thursday and the slalom races on Friday. The varsity girls’ team took sixth place on Thursday and again on Friday.

“It was an interesting weekend where we swam two meets against the same teams,” said Co-Head Coaches Kursty Day and Cheryl Grossman in an email. “Friday night in Lyman was a yards meet and Saturday in Kemmerer, we swam meters. We saw some nice time drops again on Friday by senior Dillon Boespflug in the individual medley, junior Ryen Hacklin in the 100-freestyle and freshman Scotty Ring in the 100-backstroke. Senior Owen Nielson is chipping away at his 100-breaststroke, chasing the Adam Denton Award. Owen, Dillon and junior Andy DeClue are all one event away from earning the award.”

“It was a good game for us,” he added. “Jackson is kind of down this year and the team is young. The (Pinedale) girls did a great job coming out and executing at a high level – they applied pressure, were defensively more aggressive, hit the boards and got more rebounds. Every girl that played scored or got a rebound – that is a big deal. We played the way we are capable of playing – fast, aggressive and sharing the ball.”

“We made some uncharacteristic plays throughout the game, but I’m proud of how we were able to go on some runs and battled back in the second half,” said Head Coach Marcus Helland. “We made some key mistakes on both ends of the floor during the last four minutes of the game, which allowed Jackson to seal the game. It’s another great learning opportunity, especially early in the year against a non-conference team.”

Taking on 19 teams from Wyoming, Colorado and Utah, the Lady Wranglers bagged gold in the bracket-style tournament with 77 points.

Freshman McKinzie Mortensen won the championship in the 100-pound bracket. She pinned Kabree Duncan of Union High School, Utah, 1 minute, 14 seconds into the quarterfinal match.

“It is very exciting to see the progress the boys are making,” wrote Co-Head Coaches Kursty Day and Cheryl Grossman. “Reuben Allen took 7 seconds off his 100-breaststroke on Friday in Cody and Wyatt Hyde posted some nice times in Cody and Powell for his first time in a swim competition. This weekend gave our boys a great opportunity to compete against teams that we don’t get to see often in our schedule.”

“We played hard all weekend,” said Head Coach Marcus Helland. “Our players were disappointed in how they started the game against Worland, but I was proud of how they battled back from that 2-17 start. We were able to turn Big Piney and Thermopolis over, which led to great transition opportunities throughout the games.”

Plenty of snow and a lack of wind on Casper Mountain created “great racing conditions,” said Head Coach Holly Thayne.

“The PHS alpine ski team had a fantastic first race in Laramie over the weekend,” said Head Coach Scott Auld. “We only had one day of gate training to prepare, and the kids did really well with the limited preparation time. I am very pleased with the whole team.”

The 19U girls’ team commenced the weekend tying Gillette, 4-4, on Friday. The Glaciers went on to defeat Gillette, 5-4, on Saturday.

“It was a good weekend of games,” said Head Coach Trent Bowers. “I’m really happy with where we’re at. This is a tough group of athletes. They are determined and ready to play.”

“With the seven athletes that went to Kemmerer, we saw a lot of great efforts,” the coaches wrote. “Scotty Ring was able to take time off in the 200-freestyle and Andy DeClue dropped a little time in the 50-freestyle. This meet was very fast with only one heat in each event, not leaving much break in between for rest. We are looking forward to a healthy team and traveling to Cody and Powell this weekend.”

“Everyone wrestled tough and we are proud of them,” he added. “It is always tough wrestling in the middle of Christmas break because we never know how may athletes we are going to have. Overall, we have been wrestling well and will continue to work hard as we prepare for the Tournament of Champions in Vernal, Utah, this weekend.”

“The kids just dug in and did their best,” said Head Nordic Ski Coach Holly Thayne. “I was proud of them for showing true grit out in the elements. They’re all still learning the techniques of Nordic skiing and have come a long way already. I’m grateful to have kids who are willing to step outside their comfort zone and try something new and difficult and find their own level of success.”

“The team is generating momentum off of a great first weekend and carrying through this weekend showing some huge time drops,” wrote Co-Head Coaches Kursty Day and Cheryl Grossman. “We had quite a few boys out sick this week but they rallied and everyone competed at the top of their game. Special mention should go out to swimmers Calleb Willson, Reuben Allen, Scotty Ring and John Ruby, who all dropped over 5 seconds in their events. We couldn’t be prouder of this amazing group of young men.”

An explosive first quarter by both the Pinedale defense and offense resulted in a 25-14 lead for the Wranglers. Maintaining the pressure on both ends of the court in the second half, the Wranglers widened the gap by more than 20 points in the third quarter and led by 30 points in the fourth.

The final tally on the scoreboard through the weekend hardly reflected the fact the Lady Wranglers were under the weather. Pinedale gritted through a tough weekend and scored a clean sweep against much larger 4A teams.

The event followed a duel format. Meet organizers divided the teams into four pools on Friday. Pinedale found itself in Pool C, pitted against Cody, Torrington and Greybull.

The Glaciers turned the tables on Saturday with a 5-4 victory against the Yeti.