Schriner Leads Laramie Wrestling in South Dakota

Senior Kaden Schriner won the crown at 160 pounds and led Laramie to a 10th place finish at the 2016 Rapid City Invitational last weekend.

The Plainsmen scored 95.5 team points in the opening wrestling tournament of the season. Laramie was second among Wyoming teams, as they placed only one spot behind Gillette (9th - 113 points).

Schriner opened his tournament with a 14-4 major decision. In round two, he won by fall at 4:43. That was followed by a 6-2 decision in the quarterfinals and a 10-3 decision in the semis. Schriner defeated Keagan Fitch of Philip (SD) High School with a pin in 57 seconds in the championship match.

Plainsmen head coach Mikah Kadera said Schriner wrestled solid.

“The best thing that he was doing was re-shots and his counter shots were there. He looked really good… and that’s something big to build off of.”

Coach Kadera believes he’s the first champ Laramie’s had at that event.

The Plainsmen also had a pair of runner-up finishes. Idris Elias came in second at 126 pounds. He had two wins by pin, a major decision and decision before he suffered a tough 4-2 loss by decision in the finals. Carless Looney also finished second at 182 pounds. He rolled to the finals with three pins and a tech fall, but was defeated in the finals in a 5-3 decision.

Seven other Laramie wrestlers competed in the two-day tournament. There were 35 teams represented in Rapid City.

The Plainsmen return to the mat Tuesday with a conference dual against Cheyenne East at Laramie High School. The match is set to start at 6 p.m.

Plainsmen Swimming and Diving

Laramie opened the season at home with the Laramie Relays and Laramie Pentathlon. The Plainsmen placed third in both events.

In a strong showing last Friday, LHS won six of the 11 relays. They scored 442 points, but finished behind Kelly Walsh (500) and Gillette (450) in the team race.

Head coach Tom Hudson said it was a fun event that surprised him with all the relays they won.

“Uncharacteristic, but we still ended up third. Not quite the depth we’re used to, so kind of a different start to this year.”

Saturday, Laramie scored 102 points in the pentathlon. Gillette won with 166 points, while Green River was second at 109. LHS was led by sophomore Noah Richardson who came in 12th place overall.

The Plainsmen had seven swimmers qualify for state already. That includes Noah Richardson, Jacob Richardson, Logan Pickard, Matt Mittelstaedt, Jesse Franc, Max DeYoung and Connor Fontana.

Laramie will host Cheyenne Central at 4 p.m. Tuesday in their first dual of the season.

Nordic Skiing

Junior Liam McInroy had a strong start to the season, as he won both Nordic freestyle races in Pinedale on the opening weekend of the season.

His winning time last Friday was 18:08.5, while Saturday he crossed the line in 17:05.00. He helped the Plainsmen come in second in the team standings. Laramie scored 116 points and finished behind Jackson (142).

Junior Albert Steiner also recorded a pair of top five performances. He was fifth last Friday and fourth on Saturday.

The Lady Plainsmen took fifth with 47 team points. Jackson ran away with the team crown thanks to 152 points. Lander was second at 68. Senior Hailey Schmidt placed sixth Friday and fourth Saturday to lead the Laramie girls.

Nordic skiing heads to Jackson for their second weekend of competition, Dec. 16 and 17. They’ll race two days at the Trail Creek Nordic Center near Wilson, WY.