There were standout performances and performances to forget as Star Valley athletes were active in three states Friday night. Plus, one SVHS trackster set a new event record .

On the wrestling mat, the Star Valley Braves are currently in second place with 70 points after the first day of competition at the Tiger Grizz. Blackfoot, Idaho leads the event with 74.5 points. Star Valley will have ten wrestlers in the championship bracket, with two more competing in the wrestle-backs. Blackfoot has nine and four respectively in those same categories.

“I like how we’re wrestling right now,” stated SVHS Head Coach Eddie Clark. “This tournament is going to be decided in the wrestle-backs and it should go right down to the wire.”

Columbia High School from Boise, Idaho is in third place, with Pocatello and Weber, Utah rounding out the top five in the 32-team field.

Only 15 points separate the top five teams after Friday’s action.

On the basketball court the defending 4A champion Natrona Mustangs stifled the Star Valley offense and led 33-9 at the half before coasting to a 58-34 victory. Mitch Schwab led the Braves with 16 points while Tyler Schwab and Brandon Taylor chipped in eight and six points respectively.

Tom Earl led the Mustangs with 20 points while nine different players made it into the scoring column.

“That’s just a very fine basketball team there,” replied SVHS Head Coach Todd Dixon in a post-game interview. “We did do some things that were positive like holding them under 60 points, which was one of our team goals and we did play them even in the second half.”

Members of the Casper community in attendance joined with visitors in a moment of silence prior to the game in honor of Dr. Scott Bennett, Kim Steed and Alan Jensen who were all killed less than a week ago in a fatal avalanche.

The Braves will look to bounce back as they face winless Kelly Walsh on their home court Saturday afternoon. It’s a game that Coach Dixon refuses to let his team take lightly

“They have played very competitively against very tough teams,” he added. “We will have to come out and really play our best game if we hope to win [Saturday].”

The junior varsity team lost 73-51, while the sophomore squad won handily, 61-36.

The Lady Braves trailed by only four points at the intermission, but could not reel in the Natrona Fillies who claimed the 57-42 victory in Afton.

In Provo, Utah, the members of the SVHS Indoor Track Team made an impressive showing in their first outing of the season and even broke a record.

Sophomore Audrey West broke the BYU Indoor Track Meet Record in the Long Jump, leaping an impressive 18′ 10.5″ to claim the new event mark.

On the boy’s side of the equation, Junior Kevin Brough flew 20′ 3″ to claim second place in the Long Jump, while Senior Logan Fitzgerald placed sixth in his first ever Long Jump attempt, jumping 19′ 5″.

In the High Jump, Tyler Skinner placed third with a vertical leap of 5′ 8″.

 

 Flash Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download