Maffey places at state wrestling tourney

The Sisters Outlaws wrapped up the wrestling season with an appearance at the 4A State Championships by five team members, including Wyatt Maffey who placed sixth in his weight class.

Cascade High School hosted the championships June 25-26.

Coach Gary Thorson said afterward, “I cannot be more proud of the way these young men handled themselves and competed this season.”

He felt particularly elated about Maffey’s performance for a number of reasons.

“It has been years since Sisters has had a wrestler make it to the podium at State, and Wyatt did it in what was recognized as probably the hardest bracket — 145 pounds — in the tournament. Every match he had was a dog fight and he lost several tough matches that easily could have gone either way.”

Though Maffey was the only Outlaw to stand on the podium, Thorson felt that everyone on the team wrestled well overall.

According to Thorson, senior Hunter Spor missed the medal round at heavyweight by just one win and lost “a heartbreaker” in his final match.

“Considering Hunter was away from wrestling for two years and gave up big pounds to larger wrestlers in his class, he had an incredible year that included 18 pins,” Thorson said.

Juniors Carson Brown and Jared Miller drew tough first-round matches, but both bounced back and wrestled tough in their next matches, according to Thorson.

“These two juniors made great improvements over the season and are very likely to be right back in the hunt next year at the state level,” he said.

Thorson describes Hayden Kunz, who wrestled at 132 pounds, as the team’s most improved wrestler.

“At both District and State, Hayden showed a new level of confidence and determination in his matches,” said Thorson. “In fact he nearly pulled off a big upset in his first match when he had the number five seed on his back and nearly pinned him.”

The future of the team looks bright in Thorson’s eyes.

“All but one of our wrestlers won at least one match and we were competitive in almost every single match in the tournament,” he said. “All of the wrestlers left everything they had on the mat but walked out of the building eager to get started again for next season, which is a great sign.”

He continued, “We only graduate two out of the program and feel like we are on the right path and headed in the right direction. The team knows what they have to do to be more competitive on the mat next year, and I think we have great chemistry and the leadership needed to make it happen.”