{gallery}03_02_10/phswrestling{/gallery}Colt Nix looks to the referee as he tries to finish a pin before the first-period clock runs out in his championship match. Douglas wrestler Reed Burgener was saved by the bell, but Nix recorded a technical fall in the third period to take the 130-pound championship. Tribune photo by Don Amend Three pins in finals give Douglas a one-point winIn a close battle worthy of the state championships, the Powell Panthers fell short in their quest to hold on to their team title last week by a single point to Douglas.Senior Auston Carter went out on top, taking his fourth state championship, only the 13th Wyoming wrestler to accomplish the feat. Colt Nix and Randy Andrews won championships as well, but the Bearcats used their strength in the upper weights to take the last four individual championships, three of them by pin to win the team title.

The Panthers entered the finals with a lead. Douglas had seven wrestlers and Powell had eight contending in the final round. The first two head-to-head matches went to the Panthers, Nix's technical fall over Reed Burgener at 130 and Andrews' major decision over Lane Reed at 140. Along with Carter's surprisingly tough win over Wheatland's Tyler Smart at 145, the three wins gave the Panthers a bit more breathing room.

At 152, though, Bearcat Houston Falkenburg took an 11-2 major decision over Jimmy Seckman and Monte Nickles lost a tough overtime decision to Colter McNare.

After that the score was out of Powell's hands. Douglas needed two pins to take the team title and they got them, ending the Panthers' hopes for a third state title.

In other finals, Jessee Craig battled Worland's Jared Leithead for the third time in as many weeks, and took the match into overtime tied at four. After a scoreless first period, Leithead came on strong and took a 12-4 major decision. Trent Gillett wrestled a tough match with Worland's Matt Osbon, who won his second title with a 6-3 decision.

Third-place finishers for the Panthers were Robert Friday, Olie Olson, Waylon Bays and Joe Lujan. Zach Thiel finished fourth. The matches were significant in holding Powell's lead going into the finals, particularly Bays' match at 145. Bays lost his first-round match to Tanner Miller of Douglas, but he came back through the wrestlebacks and took on Miller in a rematch for third place, defeating him 10-4. His win didn't score team points for Powell, but prevented Miller from adding third-place points to the Douglas score.

Olson and Thiel both wrestled into the semi-finals at 125, where both lost to defending state champions, Olson to Brode Bullington of Lander and Thiel to Worland's Jorden Osbon. Both came back to win consolation semi-finals and faced each other in the match for third and fourth, which went to Olson.

Friday came back from a second-round loss to win four straight wins, including two pins and a major decision, for his third-place medal, and Lujan came back from a two-point loss in the semi-finals to score a pin and a decision for his.

Every other wrestler won at least one match for the Panthers in the tournament. Dylan Rood, Luke Wozney, Clay Saldana, Mike Mundy, Beau Williams and Danny Harris all finished 2-2, coming within one win of wrestling for medals. Charles Wittick, Drew Feller, Kurt Bullinger and Trevor Griffeth all finished 1-2.

Douglas ended the tournament with 275.5 points, one ahead of Powell's 274.5. West Regional teams took four of the top five places. Worland finished third with 207.5 and matched Powell's total of three state champions. Mountain View finished fourth and Lander fifth.