Gazette 2018 Sports Year in Review
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A season of hard work and perseverance paid off for the Kemmerer Rangers boys’ basketball team on Feb. 3, when they picked up their first win of the season and ended a 34-game losing streak. The Rangers won big against the Shoshoni Wranglers, with a final score of 71–47.
Kemmerer Ranger senior Corbin Ourada goes up for a shot in February. Ourada had 13 points and 5 rebounds against Shoshoni.
At the 3A state swim meet, Carl Krell broke the record time in the 100-yard butterfly (set by him at state in 2016) twice, once in the preliminaries with a time of 50.79 seconds, and then in the finals with a time of 50.39 seconds.
Kemmerer senior Carl Krell hugs Rangers head coach Amanda Aimone after his record-breaking 100-yard butterfly swim at the Feb. 16 state swim meet in Laramie.
The Kemmerer Rangers wrestling team took home first place at the 2A west regional tournament at Wyoming Indian High School on Saturday, Feb. 17. The Rangers finished first with 198 points. The Cokeville Panthers finished second with 169 points, and Big Piney pulled off third place with 147 points.
The Kemmerer Ranger wrestling team concluded an impressive season at the 2A state wrestling championships in Casper on Feb. 24, with a fourth place finish. Dawson Schramm (120) won a great championship match. Donny Proffit (138) won all his matches this year to earn first place at state. Hayden Walker (170) pinned his way through his weight class for a first-place finish. Carson Carlson (132) took second place.
he Kemmerer Ranger wrestling team, coaches and managers are awarded fourth place at the 2A state wrestling championships in Casper on Saturday, Feb. 24, in the Casper Events Center.
The KHS cheerleaders competed in the state tournament in Casper on March 10. The Rangers came in fourth in the 2A stunt category at the state competition.
Hayden Walker, Colter Julian, Donny Proffit and Dawson Schramm made the trip to Virginia Beach, Virginia, with coaches Steve Walker and Ron Schramm to compete with the nation’s best at the National High School Coaches Association wrestling tournament.
Kemmerer senior Louis Failoni competed at the Utah Valley University High School Invitational in Orem, Utah, on March 31, to run against some of the best milers in Wyoming and Utah. The accomplished runner broke a Ranger school record for the mile run during the event.
Kemmerer senior Louis Failoni runs in a track meet for the Rangers. Failoni broke the school record in the 1600-meter (mile) race in March at the High School Invitational at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
The National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) named Kemmerer junior Hayden Walker to the 2018 high school academic All-American list. This marks the 25th year in which the NHSCA has honored those students who triumph in and out of the classroom.
The Kemmerer Ranger track team traveled to the state meet in Casper last weekend and produced some amazing performances. The girls’ team climbed from a projected ninth seed to earn fifth in the final team standings, a mere three points away from the fourth-place trophy. The boys were projected for fifth place but dropped to seventh in the final standings. Overall, the meet was highlighted by record-breaking performances, with seven Class 2A records and one overall state record falling.
Kenley Plowman runs the last leg of the 1600-meter relay at the 2A state track meet in Casper. The team finished third at state. Plowman’s gold medal in the triple jump is the first won by a freshman in Kemmerer track history.
The Kemmerer Ladies’ Golf League dedicated a bench to late league member Pauline Sawyer on Tuesday, June 5, at the Fossil Island Golf Course in Kemmerer. Sawyer passed away in April 2016 at the age of 63. Her family and friends were at the golf course to celebrate the new bench, which will be placed near the 8th hole of the course.
The inscription on the bench is an anonymous quote that reads: “Real courage is not the ability to face your fear heroically once, but the strength to do it day after day. Faith without end.”
The Kemmerer Community Fishing Pond was packed with kids and their families on Saturday, June 9, for the annual Youth Fishing Derby, hosted by the Kemmerer Rec Center. The first catch of the day was by Madison Ritter with a 10.3” Snake River cutthroat. The biggest catch of the day was a tie between Michael Orlovetz and Cooper Points — both bringing in 13.4” rainbow trout.
Cokeville cowgirl Harley Mackey is now a two-time Jr. National Finals Rodeo qualifier. She made the trip to Reno, Nevada, on June 23, and earned a fast enough time in the junior barrel racing to compete at the Jr. NFR in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December.
Kemmerer High School seniors Hayden Walker and Donny Proffit wrestled folkstyle, freestyle and Greco against kids from the western United States. Walker earned the outstanding wrestler award for the folkstyle tournament. He also won the Greco tournament and placed second in the freestyle. Proffit wrestled to a fourth-place finish in the freestyle and brought home a second place finish in the folkstyle.
Summer is rodeo season, and the dust was flying at the Kemmerer Youth and Little Buckaroo Rodeo on Saturday, July 14. The Kemmerer Riding club hosted 85 contestants from surrounding areas who accounted for 300 entries to participate in the long-standing tradition. There was plenty of action as the kids tested their skills and toughness against their competition.
A Kemmerer cowboy competes in the goat tie-down event at the Kemmerer Riding Club’s Youth and Little Buckaroo Rodeo on Saturday, July 14, at the Kemmerer Rodeo Arena.
Kemmerer High School senior Donny Proffit earned 8th place in bareback riding at the National High School Finals Rodeo last week in Rock Springs. Proffit competed for Team Wyoming against high school bareback riders from across the country. Team Wyoming also finished in 8th place. Proffit earned a 62 in his first two performances and a 73 in his final performance.
Kemmerer High School senior Donny Proffit earned 8th place in bareback riding at the National High School Finals Rodeo in July in Rock Springs.
South Lincoln Medical Center hosted its annual golf tournament fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 4, at Fossil Island Golf Course in Kemmerer. Prizes were awarded for gross and net scores, as well as for several hole contests.
The team of Steve Griff, Charles Wagner, Shawn Painter, Scott Benson and Kurt M. Beebe celebrate at the SLMC golf tournament on Saturday, August 4, at Fossil Island Golf Course.
Local kids had the opportunity to play basketball against Utah Jazz player Georges Niang at the Kemmerer Recreation Center on Aug. 17. Niang traveled to rural areas in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming as part of the Junior Jazz program.
A large group of local children showed up to meet Utah Jazz player Georges Niang and play basketball with him.
Kemmerer competed at the 2018 2A state golf championship last week at the Newcastle Country Club. The team title was won by Thermopolis, with a score of 802. The Kemmerer Rangers, who were the first-day leaders, finished the state tournament in second place with a score of 804.
Shawn Crank, Rayce Kindschuh, Blake Wood, Ben Wergin and Michael Clarke competed for the Rangers at the Fall 2018 state golf meet in Thermopolis.
On Oct. 19, the Kemmerer Rangers managed to do what no Ranger football team has done since 2012. With Friday’s 12–0 victory against Lovell, Kemmerer secured a spot in the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in the 2A west.
The Ranger defense pushes Lovell back from the goal line on Friday, Oct. 19. The Rangers took the victory 12–0 to secure a No.4 playoff seed.
The Kemmerer girls’ swim team competed at the 3A state meet in Laramie from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3. Kemmerer took 11th place out of 13 teams. One highlight, though, was Lady Ranger senior Brooklynn Hagler taking fifth place at state in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:05.67 — her best time all season and a new school record.
The 2018 Lady Ranger state swimming competitors. Back row: manager Brayden Dearden, Shelby Swann, Alexis Krall, Sophie Failoni, Teryn Thatcher, Sydnie Julander, Brooklynn Hagler and manager Aiden Runnion. Front row: Addison Wilcox, Cheyann Roose, Laurel Clarke. The Lady Rangers are coached by Amanda Aimone.
The Kemmerer Lady Ranger cheerleaders earned second place in the small team division at the first annual 7220 Game Day Spirit Championship at the University of Wyoming over the weekend.
The Kemmerer Lady Ranger cheerleaders earned second place in the small team division at the first annual 7220 Game Day Spirit Championship at the University of Wyoming last weekend. The Lady Rangers are coached by Destinee Rogers and Baylee McClaren.
Kemmerer sophomore Kyla Pollard and junior Samantha Butler were named to the 2018 2A Southwest All-Conference volleyball list. Pollard was also named to the 2A All-State list.
Sophomore Sammi Butler prepares to serve for the Kemmerer AAU club volleyball team at the club’s last tournament in Casper on Saturday, April 28.
The Rec Center hosted its annual Turkey Shoot archery competition on Nov. 13. Brent Hartmann won the adult men’s division, Marisa Hartmann won the adult women’s division, Laynee Walker won the girls’ division and Riggen Walker won the boys’ division.
Chase Bowen and Kaden Witbeck compete in the Kemmerer Rec Center’s annual Turkey Shoot archery competition on Nov. 13.
The Wyoming Coaches Association has released the All-Conference and All-State lists for the 2018 football season. The Kemmerer Rangers finished the season 4–5 and appeared in the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Rangers head coach Bart Jernigan was voted as co-Coach of the Year for the conference, sharing the award with Mountain View’s Coach Brent Walk.
The Kemmerer Rangers boys’ basketball team is back on the court, this time under the direction of new head coach Jim Grosulak. He said he is excited to coach this Ranger team. “I’ve watched these players grow up and develop over the years,” Grosulak said. “There’s definitely excitement here, and I think we’re all ready to do whatever it takes to achieve our goals.”
New head coach Jim Grosulak coaches the Rangers basketball team at the Manila Holiday Classic in December.
