TORRINGTON – Lingle-Fort Laramie senior Josie Houk warmed up for the first-place match in the 155-pound bracket against Cheyenne East’s Kaelyn Ronnau at the first 4A (all-classification) Girls’ Regional Wrestling Tournament in Torrington on February 17. 

“I wrestled (Ronnau) four times (over the season) and I knew the match was going to be hard,” Houk said. “She’s a really good wrestler. I knew I was just going to have to go out there and be confident.”

Houk stepped onto the mats and shook Ronnau’s hand. The official signaled the beginning of the match and Houk cleared her mind. 

“I didn’t really have a strategy – just wrestle smart. Be tough,” Houk said. “I told myself, ‘This is your match. You just have to go out there and win it.’”

Houk opened the match with a takedown in the first period. Ronnau responded with an escape and a takedown to pull ahead, 3-2. 

Houk battled back with a reversal and a near fall to take the lead, 7-3, as the first period ended.

Houk quickly gained the upper hand in the second period with a takedown. Moments later, Houk pinned Ronnau to snag the regional championship at 155 pounds.

Sophomore Hallie Fuller prepared for the first-place match at 140 pounds against Thunder Basin’s Trinity Morbeto. The 2023-2024 season marked Fuller’s first year in the sport.

“I went into the match a little scared because it was my first round against (Morbeto) this season,” Fuller said. “I had some girls in the 140-weight class that talked to her and wrestled her and they helped me decide what my moves were going to be.”

Fuller focused on the task at hand as she shook out the remaining jitters.

“I get myself really zoned in with music and talk to my teammates – they really helped me through it all,” Fuller said. “I try to let the adrenaline take me from there.”

The first-place match between Fuller and Morbeto lasted 25 seconds. Fuller achieved a takedown twenty seconds into the first period and succeeded in pinning Morbeto five seconds later to capture the regional championship at 140 pounds.

“It was a pretty fast match,” Fuller said. “Once I decided I really wanted it, it was easy for me to go in and take it.”

Overall, the combined Lingle-Fort Laramie/Southeast (LFL/SE) girls’ wrestling team secured sixth place out of 25 programs competing at the historic girls’ regional tournament. The schools in the top five represented the significantly larger communities of Sheridan, Gillette and Cheyenne.

Six LFL/SE athletes punched their ticket to the state tournament this weekend in Casper by placing in the top eight at regionals. 

Freshman KayDee Gladson snagged sixth place in the 155-pound bracket after winning both the opening championship round and the second consolation round. Gladson wrestled Houk in the quarterfinals with Houk winning by no contest.

Sophomore Kennedi Blevins qualified for state at 110 pounds with a seventh-place finish. Blevins won the first consolation round against Moorcroft’s Daytona Hannah by an ultimate tie breaker before pinning Hailey Martinez, of Rawlins, in the second consolation round.

At 130 pounds, sophomore Kaiten Schilreff placed seventh. Schilreff defeated Rawlins’ Yoscelyn Garcia by a 13-6 decision in the second consolation round and pinned Tongue River’s Taylor Skillman in the third consolation round.

Sophomore Avery VanGundy took seventh place at 135 pounds, pinning Addisyn Bauersachs, of Niobrara County, in the second consolation round before felling Rawlins’ Jamie Keldson in the third consolation round. 

“I was extremely happy with how our wrestlers competed at regionals,” head coach Brandon Gifford said. “The girls qualified very well and did so by winning some tough matches that we knew we needed to win in order to qualify. It was great to see Josie and Hallie get regional titles. They have had excellent seasons so far. We are looking forward to the opportunity to accomplish our goals next week at state.”