The quest to spoil Star Valley’s four-peat may have come up short, but the Powell High School wrestling team picked up a pair of state titles and a handful of medals en route to a third-place finish at the 3A State Wrestling Championships in Casper over the weekend.

“We did alright — it was a bit up and down,” said PHS head coach Nate Urbach. “I thought we had some young kids really step up, and I was really impressed with that. And we had two state champs — it’s always nice when you have those.”

Powell’s Reese Karst and Brody Karhu won individual titles and earned All-State honors at 138 pounds and 152 pounds, respectively. It was Karst’s third state championship, while Karhu became a two-time champ (see related story).

Bo Dearcorn, meanwhile, went 3-1 for the tournament and earned All-State honors with a runner-up finish at 182 pounds.

In addition, juniors Trevor Feller (120 pounds) and Corey Linebaugh (132 pounds) finished fourth in their weight classes with 4-2 records. Junior Michael Maddox, 4-2 at 126 pounds, and sophomore Seth Horton, 3-2 at 160 pounds, both placed fifth, while junior Colt Nicholson took sixth at 106 pounds, compiling a 3-3 record.

Star Valley took the top spot for the fourth straight season with 296.5 points. Douglas finished in second with 193.5 points, with Powell rounding out the top three with 172 points.

“Star Valley wrestled really well, and Douglas wrestled out of their minds. They had upsets all the time,” Urbach said. “The goal [for PHS] was top two, and we ended up third. But I tell you what, I absolutely love these kids and I love coaching them. It’s good kids across the board; I’m spoiled.”

Dearcorn faced off with Star Valley’s Trent Clark in the 182-pound championship final, in a rematch of the 3A West Regional championship the previous weekend. Clark wound up taking a 10-2 major decision.

“Trent Clark is a tough kid, and Bo [Dearcorn] wrestled him well — better than, I thought, at regionals,” Urbach said. “He [Dearcorn] had some opportunities there, but Clark is really good; he did well.”

Urbach called Linebaugh’s fourth-place finish at 132 pounds a “proud moment,” after the young wrestler cut weight to wrestle in that division late in the year.

“It was a tough cut for him [Linebaugh], and he persevered,” Urbach said. “He’s just a really gritty, tough kid. He’s a kid that’s really easy to cheer for. Getting fourth for him is awesome. That exceeds my expectations for him by a good amount.”

The same can be said for Feller, who also finished fourth at 120 pounds, much to the delight of his coach.

“If you’d told me three weeks ago that kid [Feller] was going to be fourth, I would have been like ‘You’re on drugs,’” Urbach said. “He was kind of up and down all year, but never complained and just turned it on at the end. I was so proud of Trevor [Feller]. What a great kid.”

Horton’s fifth-place finish is a result of a season of hard work, according to Urbach, who praised the sophomore’s work ethic.

“I don’t know if there’s anybody, besides maybe Karst, who works as hard as Seth Horton,” Urbach said. “He just works, and he loves to wrestle. And he’s only a sophomore, so he’s just beginning to learn how to wrestle at a high level. I’m really looking forward to him for next year.”

Maddox, at 126 pounds, was another wrestler Urbach said really hit his stride at the end of the year, culminating in a fifth-place finish.

“Michael [Maddox] lost some tough matches, and in his fifth-place match he’s down by three with about 40 seconds left,” Urbach said. “He hits the kid in a five-point move and holds him there the entire  time to get fifth. He’s another kid that’s just jumped levels.”

Nicholson flew in under the radar at 106 pounds, but won three straight matches in the consolation round. That included a pin over Wheatland’s Devin Weber, who’d beaten Nicholson 15-2 earlier in the season. Not bad for a wrestler who didn’t win a single match his first season.

“He’s come so far,” Urbach said. “He won zero matches his freshman year — zero. You talk about perseverance. What does it say to be that guy? I don’t think I could do it; I would have picked another sport or gone hunting. And now in his junior year, he’s a state medalist. Just goes to show if you got the will power and the heart to put the work in, you can do a lot in this sport.”

Seniors Cameron Schmidt at 170 pounds and Cole Davis at 145 pounds each won their first-round matches but fell in the quarterfinals — Schmidt to eventual champion Damon Taylor of Rawlins and Davis to bronze medalist Tristen Kingsley of Torrington. Schmidt finished 2-2 for the tournament and Davis 1-2.

“Schmidt was a kid who was 8-20 last year, but came up as a legitimate contender this year,” Urbach said. “His last match, he lost, and it was tight. But I told him when he came off the mat, ‘I’d take a million of you.’”

As for Davis, Urbach said the senior nearly upset the No. 2 wrestler in the state in the quarterfinals.

“Davis has been there for four years, and I’ve really enjoyed coaching him,” Urbach said. “He’s a great kid.”

Sophomore Emma Karhu, fifth last year at 106 pounds, had a tough draw this year, losing in the first round to Star Valley’s Jacob Guild, the eventual bronze medalist. She won her first match in wrestle-backs against Mason Myers of Buffalo, but lost the next to Newcastle-Upton’s Blake Durfee, ending her tournament.

“Emma [Karhu] came up a little bit short, but she’s a fiery competitor,” Urbach said. “She’ll be back.”

Other Panther wrestlers who competed at state were Carson Olsen at 195 pounds (2-2), Sawyer Mauthe at 285 pounds (1-2), Riley Bennett at 132 pounds (1-2), Logan Werner at 113 pounds (0-2); Evan Habeck at 126 pounds (0-2); and Duy Linh Hoang at 220 pounds (0-2).

“Sawyer [Mauthe] was a tough kid, he just didn’t have the experience,” Urbach said. “I think he ended up losing matches where he was the better kid, and that cost him at state. He had some tough draws.”

As for Hoang, “I’ve never seen a kid sacrifice like Duy, cutting down from heavyweight to 220 to help the team,” Urbach said. “If anyone deserved to be on that podium, it was Duy. I’m so proud to have been his coach. He’s transformed himself into a very, very good young man.”

Overall, Urbach said it was a successful season. The Panthers posted a 10-0-1 record in duals this season, and a lot of kids stepped up at the state level.

“It’s just a great group of kids,” Urbach said, “and I couldn’t have been more proud.”

Urbach also thanked his assistant coaches: Juston Carter, Nick Fulton, Sean Munger, Cody Kalberer and Zachary Coombs.

“I got the best staff in the state,” he said. “Coach Carter and coach Fulton are absolutely excellent, they could be head coaches anywhere. The others volunteered and spent their time and got paid zero dollars. You can’t put a price on that.”

Karst, Karhu reach the pinnacle of Wyoming wrestling

Winning a state wrestling championship is hard enough to do once, let alone multiple times. But a pair of Powell High School wrestlers laid claim to that achievement this season.

Senior Reese Karst won his third straight state title over the weekend at the 3A State Wrestling Championships in Casper. This year’s championship was his second victory at 138 pounds; he won the 132-pound title his sophomore year.

Joining him atop the podium was teammate Brody Karhu, who won his second straight state title at 152 pounds despite fighting the flu. The junior had an outstanding season, also winning the Ron Thon Tournament earlier this year.

Reese Karst

Karst opened the 3A State Tournament with back-to-back pins against Newcastle-Upton’s Gavin Durfee and Douglas’ Keltan Ewing. His semifinal match against Worland’s Tristen Lundgren went the full three rounds, with Karst winning by a 9-3 decision.

In the title match, Karst faced Rawlins’ Munoz, ranked No. 3 in the state coming into the tournament. Karst pinned Munoz with a second left in the second round to claim his third straight title.

“Reese [Karst] had an awesome weekend: He ended up being a three-timer, and a four-time medalist,” said PHS head coach Nate Urbach. “He’s one of the top wrestlers to ever come through Powell High School, which says something.”

Asked what the team will miss next season without Karst in the wrestling room, Urbach cited his leadership.

“You can’t replace Reese Karst,” he said. “He was a great leader this year, did an awesome job. He helped with the young kids, talked to them all the time behind the scenes. He did the little things you expect from good leadership. He was excellent.”

For Karst, his third straight title was the culmination of a journey that began when he was barely old enough to walk. Asked which title means the most, the senior said this one would be hard to top.

“This title is the pinnacle of what I’ve been working for the last 15 years,” Karst said. “It’s also nice to get another championship just to keep up with my brother [Chance Karst], who won three titles as well.”

Brody Karhu

Karhu made short work of his first three opponents in defense of his 152-pound title, pinning Hunter Gines (Lyman), Brendan Martin (Lyman) and Tyson Hoopes (Star Valley) in a combined 4:24. The second day of the tournament, however, the junior was starting to feel a little off; following the title match, Karhu would find himself in the emergency room in Casper, diagnosed with Influenza A and showing the beginning signs of pneumonia.

But there was business to take care of first.

For the championship, Karhu squared off against Lander’s Jack Sweeney, who came into the tournament ranked No. 3 with a 35-11 record on the season. Karhu outpointed Sweeney 10-4 for his second straight state title.

“I was really trying to go for that pin, because I had been feeling a little bit sick,” Karhu said. “I didn’t want to overextend myself to the point where I started to feel the effects of being sick. ... I had to prepare myself mentally to keep going, no matter what. It was a really tough match, and well fought from Jack [Sweeney].”

Coach Urbach said Karhu “did an excellent job” in closing out Saturday’s bout.

“He [Karhu] had a tough match in the final,” Urbach said. “He got a last-second takedown to seal the deal, so I’m really proud of him.”

For Karhu, the championship, like the season, was one to remember.

“I’m just really happy with how the season turned out,” Karhu said. Between a “super-exciting” win at the Ron Thon tourney and Saturday’s state title, “it’s just the best season that you could have,” he said. “I’m very happy with the way everything went and how our team did.”