From the Northern Wyoming Daily News:
Buff teammates seek GHS history
By Jason Parshall
Sports Editor
GREYBULL — It’s not often that a high school athlete has the opportunity to win a state championship, let alone repeat that feat. In two days time, a pair of Greybull/Riverside wrestlers will have that opportunity, to stand on the podium in the Casper Events Center and have state championship medals put around their necks, one of them for the fourth consecutive time, and the other for the third.
Kasey Garnhart and Colton Zier are more than state champions, they’re more than teammates, they’re best friends. They’ve known each other for over half of their lives and competed as teammates for years. Be it football, wrestling or track, one typically can’t be found without the other.
They both began wrestling at the age of four. Zier said he was turned on to the sport because he has “always had fun with it. It’s an individual sport, yet a team sport at the same time. You live with your team for four months during the season. Every weekend you’re staying in the hotel with them. The way our coach, Mark Sanford, says it, ‘It’s a family sport.’”
Garnhart said he got into wrestling because it was one of the only options he had. “When I was little, that was the only sport available for kids my age in Ten Sleep. It was the only sport I could do that was organized and I’ve just loved it ever since.”
On Friday, the pair will begin the 2A state tournament in hopes of writing their names in the Greybull/Riverside wrestling history books. Zier looks to become the fourth three-time champion for the school, and Garnhart has a chance to be the team’s first four-timer.
“It would be really exciting,” Garnhart said of his thoughts on winning the title. “You have to have a lot of things go right to be a four-timer. You have to stay healthy and have a lot of little things go right for you. It would be awesome. It would be the best feeling in the world.”
Garnhart wrestled at 130-pounds his freshman year. In February of 2005, he beat Kaylun Grandy of Cokeville to earn his first Wyoming state wrestling title. The following year he repeated, this time at 140-pounds, knocking off Shane Albert of Upton. Last year, Garnhart took on Josh Wilhelm of Lingle-Ft. Laramie in the 135-pound championship match and won 6-3.
Garnhart will enter the 2008 2A State Wrestling Tournament Friday as the No. 1 seed in the 135-pound weight class. He currently holds a record of 35-3 and just last weekend won the 2A West Regional Tournament in that class.
He’ll receive a bye in the first round and take on the winner of the Ryan Castle (Big Piney), Garrett Haberman (Hulett) match in the second round. A win there will put him just two matches away from being the first four-time state champion in Greybull/Riverside High School history.
Zier finished second at 119-pounds to Landon Peterson of Cokeville his freshman year. He followed up that performance with a state championship run in 2006 at 130-pounds, knocking off Aaron Linch of Kaycee/Midwest to win the title. Last year, Zier wrestled at 140-pounds, and knocked off Craig Montgomery of Southeast 3-2 for his second consecutive first place medal.
Zier will enter the state tournament Friday as the No. 2 seed from the West with a record of 31-3. He’ll take on Tyler Moceika, 8-11, of Big Piney in his first match.
Both wrestlers said they plan on going to college after the school year. Garnhart recently signed a letter of intent to go to school and wrestle at the University of Wyoming. He said he’s still undecided on a major, but is looking into business marketing or physical education.
As for Zier, he said he hasn’t signed with a school yet, but is leaning toward Dickinson State in Dickinson, N.D. He plans to wrestle for the school and major in education. If he makes it to the podium Saturday in Casper, Zier said “It would mean a lot. I’ve been hurt a lot coming into state and had to work through it. It’s a long sport. But it would really be something to get there.”
Zier and Garnhart will begin the 2008 2A State Wrestling Tournament at the Casper Events Center Friday. The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. The finals will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Buff teammates seek GHS history
By Jason Parshall
Sports Editor
GREYBULL — It’s not often that a high school athlete has the opportunity to win a state championship, let alone repeat that feat. In two days time, a pair of Greybull/Riverside wrestlers will have that opportunity, to stand on the podium in the Casper Events Center and have state championship medals put around their necks, one of them for the fourth consecutive time, and the other for the third.
Kasey Garnhart and Colton Zier are more than state champions, they’re more than teammates, they’re best friends. They’ve known each other for over half of their lives and competed as teammates for years. Be it football, wrestling or track, one typically can’t be found without the other.
They both began wrestling at the age of four. Zier said he was turned on to the sport because he has “always had fun with it. It’s an individual sport, yet a team sport at the same time. You live with your team for four months during the season. Every weekend you’re staying in the hotel with them. The way our coach, Mark Sanford, says it, ‘It’s a family sport.’”
Garnhart said he got into wrestling because it was one of the only options he had. “When I was little, that was the only sport available for kids my age in Ten Sleep. It was the only sport I could do that was organized and I’ve just loved it ever since.”
On Friday, the pair will begin the 2A state tournament in hopes of writing their names in the Greybull/Riverside wrestling history books. Zier looks to become the fourth three-time champion for the school, and Garnhart has a chance to be the team’s first four-timer.
“It would be really exciting,” Garnhart said of his thoughts on winning the title. “You have to have a lot of things go right to be a four-timer. You have to stay healthy and have a lot of little things go right for you. It would be awesome. It would be the best feeling in the world.”
Garnhart wrestled at 130-pounds his freshman year. In February of 2005, he beat Kaylun Grandy of Cokeville to earn his first Wyoming state wrestling title. The following year he repeated, this time at 140-pounds, knocking off Shane Albert of Upton. Last year, Garnhart took on Josh Wilhelm of Lingle-Ft. Laramie in the 135-pound championship match and won 6-3.
Garnhart will enter the 2008 2A State Wrestling Tournament Friday as the No. 1 seed in the 135-pound weight class. He currently holds a record of 35-3 and just last weekend won the 2A West Regional Tournament in that class.
He’ll receive a bye in the first round and take on the winner of the Ryan Castle (Big Piney), Garrett Haberman (Hulett) match in the second round. A win there will put him just two matches away from being the first four-time state champion in Greybull/Riverside High School history.
Zier finished second at 119-pounds to Landon Peterson of Cokeville his freshman year. He followed up that performance with a state championship run in 2006 at 130-pounds, knocking off Aaron Linch of Kaycee/Midwest to win the title. Last year, Zier wrestled at 140-pounds, and knocked off Craig Montgomery of Southeast 3-2 for his second consecutive first place medal.
Zier will enter the state tournament Friday as the No. 2 seed from the West with a record of 31-3. He’ll take on Tyler Moceika, 8-11, of Big Piney in his first match.
Both wrestlers said they plan on going to college after the school year. Garnhart recently signed a letter of intent to go to school and wrestle at the University of Wyoming. He said he’s still undecided on a major, but is looking into business marketing or physical education.
As for Zier, he said he hasn’t signed with a school yet, but is leaning toward Dickinson State in Dickinson, N.D. He plans to wrestle for the school and major in education. If he makes it to the podium Saturday in Casper, Zier said “It would mean a lot. I’ve been hurt a lot coming into state and had to work through it. It’s a long sport. But it would really be something to get there.”
Zier and Garnhart will begin the 2008 2A State Wrestling Tournament at the Casper Events Center Friday. The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. The finals will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m.