Rangers wrestle at 2019 Tournament of Champions in Vernal, Utah

Theresa Davis, Gazette Editor
Posted 1/17/19

Uintah won the meet with 248 points. Kemmerer placed 9th out of 31 teams with 109.5 points. The Ranger team finished with two champions and one second-place wrestler.

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Rangers wrestle at 2019 Tournament of Champions in Vernal, Utah

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Donny Proffit won the 138 class at the Tournament of Champions in Vernal, Utah, on Saturday, Jan. 12. The Rangers will compete at the Rockwell Rumble in Heber City, Utah, this weekend.

The Kemmerer Ranger wrestlers continued their busy season at the Tournament of Champions in Vernal, Utah, on Friday, Jan. 11, and Saturday, Jan. 12.

Uintah won the meet with 248 points. Kemmerer placed 9th out of 31 teams with 109.5 points. The Ranger team finished with two champions and one second-place wrestler.

Kemmerer will wrestle at the Rockwell Rumble in Heber City, Utah, on Friday, Jan. 18, and Saturday, Jan. 19.

Senior Donny Proffit (138) was a first-place champion at the tournament and scored 30 points for the Rangers. Proffit has only lost one match this season, and he is currently ranked No.1 for the 2A 138 class on WyoWrestling.

The defending state champion received a bye in his first match, then won by fall (3:26) over Green River’s Justin Flores. In the quarterfinal, Proffit wrestled Carbon’s Robert Blake and won by fall (1:19). Proffit won by a 7-1 decision over Cameron Metcalf of Rock Springs in the semifinal match in Vernal. For the championship match, Proffit won by a 7-3 decision over Paonia’s Sackett Chesnik to claim first place.

Donny Proffit was first in the 138 class at the Vernal tournament last weekend. 

Senior Hayden Walker (195) was a first-place champion and scored 33.5 points for the Rangers. Walker, another defending state champ for the Rangers, has yet to lose a match this season, and he currently holds the No.1 rank for the 2A 195 class on WyoWrestling.

Walker received a bye for his first match. Walker then won by fall (1:14) over Maple Mountain’s Brody Esquivel. In the quarterfinal match, Walker won by fall (1:46) over Salt Lake West’s Jayden Johnson. In the semifinal, Walker faced off against North Sevier’s Tate Johnson and won by a technical fall. Walker won by fall (1:55) over Blake Mangelson from Juab in the 195 championship match.

Hayden Walker was first in the 195 class at the Vernal Tournament of Champions last weekend. 

Junior Dawson Schramm (126) earned 2nd place and scored 27.5 team points for the Rangers at the Vernal tournament. Schramm is the third defending state champ on the Rangers’ wrestling team. WyoWrestling has Schramm currently ranked No. 1 in his weight class for 2A.

Schramm won by fall (2:19) over Salt Lake West’s Jensen Coombs, then won by fall over North Sevier’s Braden Johnson. In the quarterfinal match in the 126 class, Schramm won by fall (1:45) over Kade Knezovich from Green River. The semifinal match pitted Schramm against Conner Ingram from Juab, and Schramm won by a technical fall. Schramm’s only loss came in the championship match against Uintah’s Gavin Avotte, where Schramm lost by decision. 

Dawson Schramm was second in the 126 class at the Vernal tournament last weekend. 

Junior Colter Julian (120) placed 6th for the Rangers and scored 12.5 team points. WyoWrestling has Julian currently ranked No. 2 in his weight class for 2A. Julian received a bye in his first match, then won by a technical fall over Syracuse’s Isaac Griffin.

In the quarterfinal match, Julian wrestled Green River’s Kade Flores and won by decision. Colter fell to Uintah’s Randon Deets in the semi-final, then lost to Montrose’s Grady Nickolaus in the consolation semi-final round, which situated Julian in the fifth-place match against Maple Mountain’s Cooper Cox. Julian lost to Cox but was still able to earn some much-needed points for the Rangers.

Colter Julian was sixth in the 120 class at the Tournament of Champions. 

Senior Josh Thatcher (145) scored 6 team points for the Rangers. He went 2-2 at the tournament, beating Green River’s Anthony Wood and Rangely’s Zane Varner. Thatcher is currently ranked No. 3 in his weight class on WyoWrestling.

Carson Carlson (132) went 4-2 at the Vernal tournament, Brendan Miller (138) went 2-2, and Hayden Julander (170) went 1-2.

Carlson is currently ranked No.2 in the 132 weight class by WyoWrestling, and Miller is ranked 7th.

Carson Carlson

Brendan Miller 

Josh Thatcher

Thomas Archibald