WORLAND - At the start of the season most would have expected the No. 3 Worland Warriors to be in rebuilding mode but after Friday night's 1-0 win over the No. 1 Torrington Trailblazers, they have thrown their hat in the ring along with the other 3A state title contenders.

"I was really proud of them, they worked hard [Friday]," said WHS boys soccer coach Ron Overcast. "Talking to the team after the game we told them they need to start believing in themselves. We're a young team but we're playing well and have a lot of upside. We have to keep working hard and getting better every day."

Friday afternoon marked the beginning of the Pinnacle Challengers Cup tournament with matches taking place all over Worland. The Warriors started the tournament with a 5-1 win over the Newcastle Dogies to advance to the quarterfinals against the Trailblazers.

"Newcastle's coach has done a lot of good with that program. They're making big strides and now they have a middle school program. They're going to be a contender real soon," said WHS boy soccer coach Ron Overcast.

Against the Trailblazers, who were undefeated entering the match, the Warriors kept grinding. Offensively Worland applied constant pressure while defensively swarming the ball and getting the Trailblazers out of rhythm.

"Our team is athletic and fast. We're young but we do have some speed and we're passing the ball a lot better. Our passing tonight was much better and that's something we worked hard on all week," said Overcast. "What won the game for us against Torrington was our team defense. Our center-mids were getting back and clogging things up and making it very hard for Torrington to operate. We did a good job of jamming things up and I was really pleased with the guys today.

Overcast added, "The boys competed hard in both games. We came out against Torrington, competed and they looked to be having fun and at the end of the day that's what you're looking for."

Freshman Wyatt Wyman struck in the deciding, deep goal in the first half. Kicking against the howling wind Wyman perfectly placed the ball well out of reach of the Torrington keeper's outstretched hand.

"He got his first varsity goal against the No. 1 team and it turned out to be the game-winner. That's a pretty cool way to score your first goal," said Overcast.

Today Worland plays 4A No. 5 Rock Springs for a shot at the Pinnacle Cup championship match and are the only remaining 3A team in the championship bracket.

"We want to go out and compete. We want to go out and play hard every game and be that blue-collar team that out works our opponents. We talk about the culture we've developed over the past five years and we are that blue-collar team. We're not there yet but we're getting there. That will be the message for [Saturday] to go out, work and compete," said Overcast.

The Warriors kickoff against the Tigers at 11:15 a.m. on the Worland High School west field.