Despite three individual champions, two runners-up and nine overall placers, the Kemmerer High School boys’ wrestling team fell just short in their bid for a third state championship in four years at the 2A State Wrestling Championship in Casper over the weekend, as Moorcroft won its second consecutive team team title by a 24-point margin over the Rangers.

KHS senior Roany Proffit made history over the weekend, joining older brother Donny as a four-time state champion with his dominating win at 138 pounds; Graison Kelley at 165 pounds and Owen Barton at 190 also won state titles in their respective classes. For Barton, it was his second championship; he won a 2A state title last year at 215 pounds.

On the girls’ side, the Lady Rangers finished one spot higher than last season in the third iteration of the WHSAA Girls State Wrestling Championships, placing third out of 44 teams, with four of the six wrestlers competing earning a spot on the podium, including two champions in Laynee Walker and Kaylie Julander, a runner-up in Riley Meyer and a sixth-place finisher in Ella Kelley.

“As far as the team title goes [for the boys], a couple of matches go our way and we’re still in the hunt,” said KHS head coach Darrell Bullington. “We had a couple of unfortunate matches that made the difference – those kids win, it’s a different story. But I was proud we held on for second. If we have our 120-pounder, 132-pounder and our 144-pounder, I think we win it. But those kids were out with injury. Injuries kind of dictated a little bit of that.”

Rangers

Nine Rangers total earned a trip to the podium, with five advancing to the championship match in their respective weight classes. When it was all said and done, Roany Proffit (138 pounds), Graison Kelley (165 pounds) and Owen Barton (190 pounds) were crowned champions, while Abel Jiminez (113 pounds) and Bridger Anderson (175 pounds) finished as runners-up.

It was the fourth state title for Proffit, who won his first three championships at 126 pounds. He joins his brother Donny as the only brothers in Wyoming history to each win four straight titles; the elder Proffit’s reign lasted from 2016-2019, with titles at 126, 132, 138 and 145 pounds.

“Winning my fourth straight title was a great feeling,” Proffit said. “It wasn’t great just because I won it for a fourth time – it was great because it brought me a lot of relief when I was finally able to get done what I knew I could.”