Archive for the 'Burns' Category
Friday, February 26th, 2010
More unpublished material: The wrestling edition
Much of the following state wrestling capsules made it into the print edition of today’s Wyoming Tribune Eagle. However, the “About …” section of each team capsule had to be cut so we could fit the remainder of our prep sports coverage into today’s paper. So here are the full state wrestling capsules for Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne East, Cheyenne South, Burns-Pine Bluffs and Wheatland.
Class 4A
Cheyenne Central
Last season: Fourth place
Returning state placers: Six
Regional champs: 130 Leandro Arias, jr.; 145 Austin Breckenridge, jr.; 152 Bob Helmerick, sr.; 171 Hayden Jones, sr.
Other regional placers: Second, 125 Joe Baca, sr.; 160 Matt Spoon, sr.; Third, 103 Austin Vye, so.; 119 Bailey McHenry, fr.; 189 Taelor Prado, sr.; Fourth, 103 Mike Nelson, so.; 130 Logan Guidry, so.; 135 Chris Nelson, sr.; 140 Tucker Collins, sr.; 215 Russ Bowlin, sr.; 285 Ryan Kuster, sr.
Other qualifiers: 112 Alex Brown, fr.; 119 Tim Scherdon, so.; 125 Brayden Sosa, so.; 135 Dillon Karajanis, sr.; 140 Kendall Nuss, jr.; 145 Mike Hughes, jr.; 152 Ethan Birt, sr.; 160 John Beedle, sr.; 189 James Fossett, fr.; 215 Leon Romero, jr.; 285 Ken Rushing, jr.
About the Indians: Arias, Breckenridge and Jones all wrestled for state titles last year. Only Breckenridge walked away a winner, becoming Central’s first state champ since 2001. … Karajanis is wrestling with a broken left hand. He clinched his state berth by winning his first match at the East Regional in Casper. He defaulted the rest of his bouts but will wrestle at state. … Arias has lost just one match this season.
Cheyenne East
Last season: Sixth
Returning state placers: One
Regional champs: 215 Cheyton Vermillion, sr.; 285 Jacob Edwards, jr.
Other regional placers: Second, 103 Blaze Cress, fr.; 119 Jordan Puente, sr.; 189 Taran Triplett, sr.; Third, 112 Lance Kailey, so.; Fourth, 119 Hayes Stone, fr.; 160 Tanner Hinds, jr.
Other qualifiers: 103 Tanner Wickham, fr.; 112 Darien Briggs, fr.; 125 Kyle Rose, jr.; 125 Luis Reyes, fr.; 130 Blake Hanzlik, so.; 130 Trevor Brower, so.; 135 Isaac Gonzalez, fr.; 152 Nick Haller, jr.; 152 Corey Nelson, so.; 160 Christian Robinson, fr.; 171 Blaine Backman, sr.; 171 Brian Schaefer, so.; 189 Gared Krakow, fr.; 285 D.J. Doolin, jr.
About the Thunderbirds: East does not have an entrant in the 140- and 145-pound classes. … Edwards and junior Dalton Nelson are the only Thunderbirds to place at last year’s state. Nelson spent the winter dealing with a shoulder injury that eventually ended his season. … East coach Dan Ley considers senior 119-pounder Jordan Puente one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the tournament. He also thinks sophomore Lance Kailey (112 pounds) could make some noise.
Class 3A
Cheyenne South
Last season: First-ever state tourney
State qualifiers: 119 Erik Fair, fr.; 152 Tyler Colley, fr.; 171 Che Roberts, fr.; 189 R.J. Nelson, fr.
About the Bison: Fair was 2-2 at the Class 3A East Regional while Colley was 1-2. … Fair’s first round opponent is Wheatland’s Shawn Zavala, who was second at the East Regional. … Colley drew top-seeded Jimmy Seckman of Powell in the fist round. … South is the third-smallest team in the tourney. Class 2A Kaycee and Wind River only have three entrants each.
Wheatland
Last season: Fourth
Returning state placers: Four
Regional champs: 145 Tyler Smart, sr.; 160 Dustin Finnerty, sr.
Other regional placers: Second, 119 Shawn Zavala, jr.; Third, 189 Tyler Tillman, sr.; 215 Travis Jenkins, sr.; Fourth, 103 Jhett Eike, fr.; 125 Joel Dappen, jr.; 135 Dillon Cotterman, jr.; 140 Ceasar Zavala, fr.
Other qualifiers: 112 Chaz McAuley, so.; 119 R.J. Schmidl, jr.; 125 Layne Eike, jr.; 130 Andrew Blumer, jr.; 135 Ben Sanderson, jr.; 145 David Chesser, so.; 171 Quinn Zimmerman, jr.; 189 Chase Irvine, fr.; 285 Chuck Maike, sr.
About the Bulldogs: Dappen, Finnerty, Smart and Tillman all medaled last year. Dappen and Tillman were fourth; Finnerty and Smart were sixth.Class 2A
Burns-Pine Bluffs
Last season: 19th
Returning state placers: None
Regional placers: Second, 215 Todd Baker, sr.; Fourth, 160 Frank Vossler, sr.
Other qualifiers: 112 Grady Mikesell, so.; 119 Trenton Culp, so.; Jacob Miller, fr.; 152 Travis Herrington, fr.; 189 Shawn Cole, jr.; 189 Adan Gandara, jr.
About the Broncs: Baker, Cole and Gandara have qualified for the past three state tourneys. … Baker and Gandara won two matches each at last year’s state to account for four of the Broncs’ six wins.
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Talent pool hits Eastern Laramie County
On my two trips out to Burns and Pine Bluffs, it is apparent that both girls basketball teams will contend for the Class 2A state title this season.
The Lady Broncs and Lady Hornets know what they have to do to have success, and they do it.
They don’t do any more or any less than that. Plus, the two teams listen to their respective coaches.
That tells me as situations arise as the season goes on, they are open to being coached. And that, more than anything else, is what leads me to think as I do.
What gives Burns a slight edge over its bitter rival is experience.
The Broncs have gone through this before when they finished third at state a season ago.
You can tell their loss to eventual state champ Big Horn serves as their motivation to make sure this season turns out different.
Burns plays in your face defense, forces turnovers and has a balanced offensive attack.
On any given night, the Broncs have four players who can score. The mix of those three things makes for a dangerous team.
Now, whether that means Burns will win a state title this season, I don’t know.
As for the Hornets, it’s just a matter of gaining experience and growing as a team, as cliche as it sounds.
The thing Pine as going for it is it has talent and depth.
At the same time, those are the same things Burns possesses.
I don’t know who will win the Class 2A state title this season, but from what I’ve seen, both of these teams will have a say in who does.
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
Broncs fun to watch
As a sportswriter, I, obviously, love sports and watching sports. Growing up, I loved basketball. My favorite player was Michael Jordan. But the players I most wanted to play like – even as a kid, I knew I would never play like or do the things that Jordan was doing – were Alex English and Walter Davis. Mainly the mid-range jumpshots that defined their games, and how they played the game. I loved going to McNichols Sports Arena when I was a kid to watch the Nuggets and those two players. Now that was basketball. Over the course of the last few months, watching the Burns boys basketball team has been a fun experience. Sure, it is a high-school team, so it makes its fair share of mistakes. But Burns plays the game right. It plays the game the way it was supposed to be played. Simply put, the Broncs are fun to watch, and they bring me back to when I was a kid.
Friday, February 6th, 2009
Keep an eye on Petsch
As you have probably heard by now, Burns senior running back Duell Petsch has earned prefered walk-on status to the University of Wyoming football team. Trust me, I know the instinct is there to say, “Yes, but he’s from Burns – from BURNS. What could he possibly do for the Cowboys?” If you’re thinking this, you haven’t seen Petsch play or know of his work ethic. Now I’m not saying he is going to show up in Laramie and become a starter after his first practice. What I am saying is Petsch’s work ethic is second-to-none of any athlete. He has seen and accomplished a lot of things in his four years with Burns, and he’s one of the best athletes that you will ever lay your eyes on. But he also worked incredibly hard to get to where he is, and is never satisfied with the success that he does have. He always wants more. And this is coming from the guys who compete with him and coach him on a daily basis. What I am saying is if there is anyone who can overcome the incredibly tough chore of proving to new UW coach Dave Christensen and his staff that he is worthy of being forwarded a chance, and can play at a high level for the Pokes, it’s Petsch. What I am saying is you better keep your eyes on this senior from Burns.
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
Pyling up the accolades
Last week, I wrote the prep athlete of the week story on Taylor Pyle. This athletic season, the senior from Burns is our first two-time honoree, and I’m sure it won’t be his last. Of all the athletes that I cover and have covered, Pyle is one of my favorites – to interview and watch – at any level. In both instances he is a natural. Fans of pure basketball would love to watch Pyle play the game because he does it right and makes it look so easy and effortless in the process. As I said in the story, he does everything he can to help the Broncs win. He can hit 15-foot jump shots, beat you off penetration, rebound like mad, plays in your face defense and he puts his well-being aside to dive after loose balls. And when you talk to him after the game or during a phone interview, he speaks from the heart and gives you the truth. Free from cliche or muddled responses that we often times get. But the best thing I can say about Pyle is that he’s just a great kid. Sure, he has confidence and he exhudes it. But it’s not in your face, and he’s definitely not an ego-maniac. And it’s athletes – people – like Pyle that makes this job so much fun.
Monday, November 10th, 2008
Let’s get it started!
Alright, folks! This is the time of year we have been itching to finally arrive – state football championships. And Burns is the only local team competing for a state title this year. With that in mind, YOUR WTE sports department will have a week’s worth of stories leading up to kickoff at 1 p.m. Saturday in Burns against Big Horn. The series of stories begins Tuesday with a feature story on long-time Burns coach Bill Fullmer. So go ahead and get excited for the Broncs, after all, this is what we have been pining for since September.
Friday, November 7th, 2008
Attention: We have a flogging on our hands
Tonight’s game between Burns and Wind River has the potential to turn into a complete pasting … in favor of your Broncs. Yes, I know the Cougars are a decent team that likes to throw the ball. Well, it’s a good thing Wind River can because it will need it with how Burns runs the ball. But even then it probably won’t matter much because the game will be far out of reach. Looking at this game, I see no way the Cougars will last more than one quarter with the Broncs, thus giving us an outcome like we saw last week against Rocky Mountain: a game decided in the first six minutes with little drama. Sure, I know anything can happen in sports, and nothing is ever a sure thing. But unless Wind River (8-1) can do something no team has done this year – stop the Broncs from running the football – Burns (9-0) will roll into the state title game with yet another flogging on its hands. And I don’t see the Cougars stopping that run tonight – or anytime soon.
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
What sports are made of
There are times in sports things just come together and you can do no wrong. In a sense, you have become invincible. There are times in sports things happen to remind you of why you love sports so much. And when they do, you simply smile. Covering this Burns football team this season, I have gotten to see both of these come to fruition. I have been able to watch a group of young men do what they love to do and have tons of success doing so. Accomplishing things on the football field they hoped to accomplish, but were still a skosh hesitant. This is one of those moments things just came together for this team. But more than this success, I have seen a group of young men remember why they love football. Sure, it’s easy to remember why you love a game when you win. Winning is just a heck of a lot more fun than losing. But even when you lose that’s my point: it’s fun. Today in sports – at every level – we get so worked up about winning and losing. But particularly in prep sports this is a disturbing sight. Prep sports are meant to be used as an avenue to have fun and nothing more. And no matter what happens over the course of the next few weeks to the Broncs, I hope this football team remembers that. Fun in prep sports has nothing to do with winning or losing.
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
Task not an easy one for Burns
There are always going to be circumstances that arise throughout the course of a season – at any level of competition. Some you expect. Some you don’t. How you respond to those circumstances that arise will ultimately determine how successful any given team will be. Take the Burns football team as an example. Because of a tragic accident last week to Saratoga, the Broncs’ game was postponed to this coming Monday. Meaning in the course of one week Burns will have to play three games. Not any task for an NFL team, let alone a high-school team that really isn’t accustomed to something like this. It’s hard to imagine this team winning all three games, but if Burns can walk away 2-1 from this stretch it will be a major accomplishment, and something that will send this team on the path to its ultimate goal: winning a state title. With how well this team has started the season, and how well it is coached, if any team can clear this unexpected hurdle it is this one. It just might not be how these Broncs drew it up.
Friday, September 26th, 2008
Pine’s chance
If Pine Bluffs is going to have a chance at winning its game against county rival Burns tonight, Braxton Clark will have to have a huge game carrying the football. He will have to take every opportunity he gets to move up field. What the Hornets can ill-afford to see is their offense failing to gain positive yardage. This doesn’t mean Pine needs to average 5 yards per play. What this does mean is the Hornets can’t be losing 1 or 2 yards and losing field position. Plus, it wouldn’t hurt to win time of possession either. Do this and you keep the ball out of the hands of the strong Burns offense – mainly backs Duell Petsch and Frankie Vossler. And the best way to accomplish all this is by getting a big game from Clark.