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THERMOPOLIS - It has been a good start to the new year for the Hot Springs County Bobcats wrestling team. Last weekend in Pavilion at Wind River High School, the Bobcats placed second with 195 points during the Don Runner Memorial tournament.

"Our kids are just improving week after week," said HSCHS wrestling coach Travis McDermott. "They're getting competitive in those weight classes and we've moved some of them around after the break and they're getting used to their weight classes. We had a good effort after that first round and placed 11 for the tournament. It was a good overall team effort, but we still have a ways to go."

Scoring points for the 'Cats were 113-pound Austin Ireland with 22 points and placing third; 126-pound Wyatt McDermott with 23 points and finishing third; 132-pound Blake Williams scoring 20 points and placing fifth; 138-pound Jonathan Hagen scored 10 points; 145-pound Jeffery VanAntwerp with 17 points and coming in fifth; 152-pound Chandler Maddock scoring 20 points and finishing fourth; 160-pound Jon Harvey with 12 points and a fourth-place finish; 170-pound Riley Shaffer scoring 19.5 points and finishing third; 182-pound Cole Christiansen scoring 11 points and finishing fifth; 220-pound Logan Cole with 24 points and coming in second place; and 285-pound Remington Ferree scoring 17 points and finishing fifth.

The 'Cats confidence on the mat is building and they are beginning to assert themselves in the 2A State title contention talk. But rather than getting too far ahead of themselves, McDermott wants his team to focus on figuring out what they can do better. There's still plenty season left and as a team they still need to improve.

"They were excited about it but we're trying to keep it in perspective and grow from here. We know that the other teams are going to be aiming for us now. We need to keep pressuring and ramping up over these next two weeks," said McDermott. "We're trying to look at each match instead of where we are placed. Individually, it's about going out and doing your job and for the most part they did that. We're still working on technique things because even with the guys that placed high, we didn't have any champions. There's definitely room for growth."

Taking second in Wind River there were plenty of standouts and for Coach McDermott, 182-pound Christiansen, 132-pound Williams and 126-pound Wyatt McDermott made tremendous strides in their development, helping make the team that much better.

For example, Williams, a freshman, helped the team by filling the 182 spot and taking fifth place after an exciting triple overtime match.

"Wyatt McDermott did really well against top competition. He's starting to come into high school wrestling as a freshman. He's beginning to look like a high school wrestler.

"Blake Williams had eight matches and did well coming out early. He was having slow starts to his matches but he overcame that and really put forth a good effort.

"Cole Christian, a freshman at 182, this was pretty much his first varsity experience with us and ended up placing fifth. That 182 spot has been open and he filled that and did well for us," said McDermott.

The following two weekends are going to be the toughest of the regular season for the 'Cats, this weekend they travel to Lander for the Lander Invitational, which will have the best of 3A and a few 4A teams competing. Then the following weekend they are in Riverton for the Ron Thon, the biggest tournament of the regular season as nearly every team competes.

With the tougher competition coming up McDermott has emphasized with his wrestlers closing out matches in the third period, getting off bottom and better chain wrestling.

"We've got to continue to get better at chain wrestling and put together moves. A lot of our kids are, one move and then stop and think. I've told them these next two weeks are going to be tougher than the last two but it's going to be a good guide for them for where they need to be at. We're still getting stuck on bottom and we still have to be better at getting out from underneath.

"We also had some matches that were winnable, that we lost in the third period. We've got to get better at finishing matches in the third period," said McDermott. "I think it was more mental and they'll be fine once they know they can push through in that final period."