It wasn’t a surprise to most of the people in Panguitch that the boys wrestling team won the state championship — we sort of expected it. These young men have been outstanding for the last four years. That doesn’t mean, however, that the championship came without a cost. These boys have been working hard day and night for the last four months, and they deserved their win.
Boys Wrestling Championships
The competition was held at the Sevier Valley Center this past weekend, and Panguitch had six wrestlers who wrestled in the finals. Five of them were able to bring home 1st place. Friday was a difficult day for the Bobcats, but they bounced back and wrestled tough on Saturday.
Coach Colin Marshall said, “On Friday we lost some trough battles in the semifinals and the team was a little deflated. We met together as a team and tried to refocus for a tough day on Saturday. The boys came out firing, that momentum took us into the finals with a lot of energy. We won some tough battles to put a solid group in the placement rounds for 3rd and 4th.”
The Panguitch wrestling team won with 215 team points with the next highest team being Altamont with 163 and then Milford at third with 162.
Pangutich’s State Title winners were:
- Tanner Marshall, Junior, 106 pounds,
- Shad Partridge, sophomore, 126 pounds,
- Braxton Atkin, sophomore, 132 pounds,
- Cael Houston, senior, 165 pounds,
- Cole Harland, senior, 285 pounds.
Theron Evans also finished 2nd in the 175 pound bracket.
Cael Houston earned a well-deserved outstanding wrestler award. All of the finishes contributed to the team’s points and Coach Marshall complimented them saying, “The boys came together as a team and it made all the difference on Saturday.”
Girls Wrestling
Panguitch has two girls on their team this year. The girls also competed at the Sevier Valley Center, but their contest was not held until the next week on Wednesday and Thursday.
The girls competing have to compete with 1A, 2A, and 3A schools. It is hard to wrestle against larger schools that have established teams and many wrestlers to practice with. There are some very tough girls who compete, but Panguitch’s girls usually hold their own.
- DJ Henrie, a senior, placed 3rd which is a major accomplishment for her first year wrestling.
- Kieran Mooney, a sophomore, placed 4th in the state while also wrestling against girls from 1A, 2A, and 3A schools.
These girls have trained just as hard as the boys and have put in many hours in practice. We are so proud of both the boys and girls on the Panguitch wrestling team and for what they did at state. Congratulations to you all.
– by Elaine Baldwin
More Pictures
Feature image caption: The Panguitch wrestling team celebrates their 4th state title in a row. Courtesy Jake Shoppe.
Elaine Baldwin – Panguitch
Elaine Baldwin is an Editor/Writer for The Byway. She is the wife of Dale Baldwin, and they have three children, 11 grandchildren and one great granddaughter. Elaine enjoys making a difference in her world. She recently retired after teaching Drama for 20 years at Panguitch High School. She loves volunteering and finds her greatest joy serving in the Cedar City Temple each Friday.