Jerry Everett
Jerry Everett is a freshman and he wrestles at 106 pounds. He has lived in Saratoga most of his life, barring about three years where he lived in Indiana.
Everett likes to fish and the outdoors, so he is happy to be living in Saratoga.
He credits watching his older brother Andrew, who is also on the wrestling squad, for getting him interested in wrestling as a sport that would help him get in shape as he waited for track and cross country to begin.
“I kind of like wrestling and running about the same,” Everett said. “I use one or the other to keep me in shape.”
He said his family is supportive of all the sports he participates in.
Everett has good words about his coach.
“I like him because he really goes through stuff with us that maybe we don’t really understand and, after we go through wrestling, he goes over our mistakes and make sure we understand,” Everett said.
This is his first year of wrestling for a school. He said he is still taking it all in and no one match or win really stands out.
Everett said although he is young, he has a strong interest in science.
“I want to go to college and study Astronomy or something like that,” Everett said.
Justin Shotwell
Justin Shotwell has lived most of his life in Saratoga, although he was born in Canton, Ohio. Shotwell is a freshman.
When Shotwell was young, his aunt was dating Rusty Arnold of Saratoga. Shotwell watched Arnold wrestle and he became interested. His aunt married Arnold, so Shotwell’s influence became his uncle.
“He was so good and he became my idol,” Shotwell said. “Wrestling always was what sport I wanted to do over anything because of my uncle.”
Shotwell said the transition from middle school wrestling and high school has made an impression on him. Shotwell wrestles at 106 pounds and has won matches, but he said the level of competition in comparison to his years before has been stimulating.
Academics are important to him because he knows he wants to go to college, but he said it is too early for him to decide on exactly what he wants to do later in life.
Shotwell said that Schmidt coached him in middle school so he is comfortable having Schmidt being the coach he will have for the years to come.
“He knows how I wrestle and how to coach me from before,” Shotwell said. “He is a good guy and he knows wrestling.”
Shotwell said his family is extremely supportive of him wrestling. He said a benefit of him being in the wrestling program is it has him going to the gym often and he really enjoys working out.
Shotwell placed first in State at 106 pounds.
Joey Gonzales
Joey Gonzales has lived in Saratoga for fifteen years and is a freshman, meaning he is a Carbon County boy. He started wrestling five years back in the USA wrestling league and in middle school. Gonzales got a little tired of wrestling a year ago, so he tried basketball. He found that it didn’t suit him, so he started wrestling again this year and discovered he really enjoyed the sport.
It helped that Coach Schmidt talked to him about wrestling before he joined and Gonzales credits his coach for making the sport his favorite.
“He is really funny and he is always making sure we are doing our best,” Gonzales said.
He wrestles at 106 pounds.
His best memory so far with wrestling happened at the Sirroco Meet.
“When I took first place at the Sirroco tournament, it was the best experience I have had so far,” Gonzales said.
Wrestling is not the only sport he participates in. He runs cross county and track.
“I took seventh place at cross country at State,” Gonzales said. “As much as I like wrestling, I am a runner and I probably enjoy it more.”
He said his family is supportive of him with whatever sport he is pursuing.
Gonzales already has plans on what he would like to do with his future.
“I would really like to be a hunting guide,” Gonzales said. “Do something like that and probably go into wildlife management.”
Caleb Bangs
Caleb Bangs is a freshman that commutes from Rawlins to Saratoga to go to school. At fifteen years old, Bangs is Carbon County born and raised, having lived in Rawlins all his life. He is still new to Saratoga High School having been coming for about three months, but he knew from day one of coming to Saratoga, he wanted to wrestle for the Panthers.
He credits his parents and siblings for the support they give him in school and his desire to wrestle.
“I first started when I was eight and I have loved it ever since,” Bangs said. “I kept doing it and now I have been doing it for seven years.”
Bangs said he enjoys working with machines and understanding how they operate.
“I like working with my hands and I have some projects that made me realize I would like to be either a diesel mechanic or an auto mechanic,” Bangs said.
Bangs said he is glad Schmidt is helping him with his wrestling moves.
“He is an amazing coach,” Bangs said.
Bangs wrestles at 113 pounds and has a strong win record for the Panther team.
Kaydon Koontz
Kaydon Koontz has lived in Saratoga since fifth grade. Before that he lived in Rawlins. He is a true Carbon County boy. Koontz started wrestling in first grade but took a break from the sport in fifth and sixth grade. Middle school had him back into the sport.
Koontz said wrestling has appeal to him because it allows him to be independent while participating in a sport. He said his mother has been supportive as he wrestled over the years and that has help him adjust to the high school level.
“It is a lot different than when I wrestled in middle school because it is way harder,” Koontz said. “So it was a big deal when I had my first win in high school.”
Koontz wrestles at 113 pounds.
Koontz said Schmidt is a good coach.
“He teaches us and guides us through tough spots in wrestling,” Koontz said. “He really likes working with us.”
Koontz is focused on being a game warden as he continues his academics.
“I want to study biology in college and also law enforcement, so I will be prepared for being a game warden,” Koontz said.
His job choice is because he really enjoys the outdoors and nature.
“I love traveling in Wyoming and that is one thing about wrestling, you get to travel to a lot of places in the state,” Koontz observed. “You can really see a lot if you pay attention.”
Jaxon King
Jaxon King is a senior who placed third in State last year. He has lived in Saratoga seven years and before that, he lived in Casper. He said he is a total Wyoming guy.
“I even have a tattoo on my body,” King said. “I love Wyoming.”
He started wrestling when he was five. King credits his parents for getting him into the sport.
“They put me in club wrestling when I was young, kept me in it a few years until I was old enough to realize I enjoyed wrestling and that I was decent at it,” King said. “They have been my biggest supporters.”
He said wrestling has helped him control his temper through self discipline.
“I used to have a really bad temper when I was a child and wrestling helped control it and then when I went to middle school, I got even more control,” King said. “So wrestling has allowed me to be more than just an athlete.”
King has 100 wins under his belt, but he can remember several wins that stand out.
“Freshman years placings for fifth and sixth, that match was one of the most memorable because I was surprised I placed in that bracket and that was a confidence booster,” King said. “It made me realize that if I pushed myself, I could go higher and higher.”
He said all the matches that went into overtime, which King said were only three or four, were extraordinary because they were the hardest.
“They required me to pour my heart into the match, because at that point, either one of us could be the winner,” King said.
He defines his coach as a great teacher.
“Coach Schmidt absolutely knows how to teach students,” King said. “He is a great teacher and that translates when he works with our guys, because he knows when to push and not to push.”
His plans after he graduates is to go to University of Wyoming and get a degree in Natural Resources and Recreational Tourism, with a business administration minor.
“Aside from wrestling, school has been my main focus,” King said. “From a young age, I have always believed, you get rewarded for good grades and you don’t with bad grades. I think between wrestling and school, the self discipline I have now, give me confidence going into college.”
King placed fifth at State wrestling at 120 pounds and is a four time State placer.
Andrew Everett
Andrew Everett was born in Decatur, Indiana, but has lived in Saratoga 13 years. He is a junior. Everett gravitated towards wrestling because it is a sport he competes against himself.
“I feel like wrestling challenges me and I like that challenge,” Everett said.
Wrestling is the only sport he plays through the school, but he likes to ride his dirt bike and be outdoors.
“I really enjoy being in the outdoors when I can,” Everett said.
He started wrestling in middle school because he wanted to participate in a sport in the winter time, but he wanted to do something that was more individual. Wrestling was a good fit for him and his family supported his decision to pursue the sport.
“The thing about wrestling, is I don’t have one particular match or win that stands out, because after a match, you keep looking forward,” Everett said. “It really is an individual sport.”
Everett said his coach is great at motivating all the wrestlers.
“He is always making sure we are doing the right thing to improve our wrestling,” Everett said. “Coach is a great guy.”
Everett wrestles at 126 pounds.
Everett likes shop and can see himself after graduation going into a trade school. If he doesn’t do that, he is also looking to join the military.
Kagan Gilbert
Kagan Gilbert is a freshman. He has lived has lived in Encampment for nine years. Gilbert goes to Encampment High School, but the schools share the wrestling program for the Valley. Gilbert is a Wyoming native having been born in Cheyenne, and before moving to Encampment, living his early years in Pine Bluffs.
Gilbert enjoys a lot of sports, but wrestling has been an activity he has been doing since he was in second grade. He said that wrestling is all him as far as influence goes and has never had any pressure to participate from any person.
“My dad, Duane Gilbert has always pushed me to be who I am and has been supportive with whatever I want to do,” Gilbert said.
He said he gets a lot of support from his family and it makes him want to do well.
“Winning conference two years in a row back in middle school was a cool deal,” Gilbert said. “It makes all the effort worth it.”
He said his coach is very active and he pushes the wrestlers to be the best they can be.
“Our coach knows we want to go to State and he helps us do what it takes and that makes him a good coach far as I am concerned,” Gilbert said.
He wrestles at 145 pounds.
He knows that he is still young as far as deciding exactly what he wants to do once he leaves school, but he does have it narrowed down to two occupations.
“Either law enforcement or ranch management,” Gilbert said. “I have been riding horses since I grew up and it is second nature to be on one.”
Tristan Gray
Tristan Gray is a junior. He has lived in Saratoga his entire life.
“When I was younger, I played basketball and wrestled, but as time went by, I realized I liked wrestling more because it is an individual sport and no team pressure the way with basketball,” Gray said.
He started to wrestle at ten but Gray said it was his present coach who has been the biggest influence on him about the sport.
“Coach Schmidt was my coach during middle school and he made me want to wrestle for high school instead of basketball,” Gray said.
Gray wrestles at 160 pounds.
He said his family is supportive of his decision to stay with this sport. Last year was a turning point for him for knowing he had made the right choice.
“I wasn’t having a good year and then I went to the Don Runner Tournament in Pavilion and beat two kids I probably wouldn’t have beaten before,” Gray said. “I ended coming in fourth and the only kids above me were the first, second and third in the entire state. This gave me a lot of confidence and made me happy to be wrestling.”
On his coach, Gray has nothing but compliments.
“He pushes you, but he makes it look like fun, to where you are getting better and he gets involved,” Gray said. “He is my favorite coach I have ever had.”
Gray hasn’t decided exactly what he wants to do once he graduates, but he has narrowed it down to two fields. He is looking at the Air Force where he would train to be a pilot or if he didn’t do that, he would like to be a welder.
Gray said he feels Saratoga is one of the best places in the world because of what it offers with the outdoors and nature.
“I love the place,” Gray concluded.
Kaden Hedley
Kadan Hedley is in ninth grade and is originally from Laramie. He has an older brother who is also wrestling this year and Hedley gives credit to Torrin, his brother, for getting him interested in wrestling in high school.
His brother is not the only one supportive in his family. He said all his parents (he has step-parents) are encouraging. Hedley said he did take a break from wrestling when he was younger.
“I did it one year in sixth grade and then stopped,” Hedley said. “Then I watched my brother do it last year and it looked like a lot of fun.”
He is glad he did. Hedley said he has had some great feelings towards wrestling.
“My win at Ron Thon stands out as my best memory,” Hedley said. “But stepping out in front of all those people was terrifying even though it was amazing having all those people see me win.”
He said Schmidt is one of the best coaches he has had in his entire sports career.
Hedley wrestles at 170 pounds.
Although Hedley is young, he has plans for his life.
“I want to join the military for four years, then go to school and become a wildlife biologist or a mechanic.”
He said he loves hunting and has a real appreciation for nature.
Torrin Hedley
Torrin Hedley came to Saratoga his freshman year from Laramie where he spent most of his life. He is a senior now. When he first started at Saratoga Senior High, he joined the basketball team, but his junior year he decided he wanted to wrestle.
“I didn’t really like basketball because I am more of an individual that likes to compete against himself,” Hedley said. “”With a team, sometimes if you don’t do well, you feel like you let your teammates down, but with wrestling, it is myself against one guy and if I don’t do well, I let myself down.”
Hedley wrestles at 182 pounds.
He said that his stepfather and Coach Schmidt were a big influence for him to take up wrestling.
He is glad they got him involved in the sport.
The Soroco Dual this year was when he won his first medal and he said that has been a major highlight so far before going to State.
Hedley said Schmidt has helped him get better with his wrestling.
“He (Schmidt) is a really good coach and he has had a lot of influence on how I wrestle and really supports me during the times I am not doing good,” Hedley said.
His plans once he graduates this year is to attend Laramie County Community College and will study fire science. After two years of study, Hedley hopes to find a job with a fire department in Wyoming.
Hedley said that he wants a job in Wyoming because he is a big outdoors enthusiast, especially liking hunting.
“I am a big outdoors person and really like physical activity and Wyoming is the best place in my opinion and that is why I want to live here after I graduate.”
Jacob Flowers
Jacob Flowers has lived in Saratoga for six months. He was born in Rawlins, making him a Carbon County native, but the last place he lived was Moorcroft. He wrestled in middle school for two years and then his family started moving around, so he didn’t pursue the sport. Coming to Saratoga he decided to try wrestling again. Flowers is a junior and wrestles at 220 pounds.
“I like wrestling because it is a fun sport and it lets me do it with a bit of independence,” Flowers said. “Plus I grew around wrestling even when I wasn’t participating.”
Flowers’ father wrestled in school and the family has always supported him when he started getting interested in the sport.
Flowers said he comes from a large family. There are eight members and, he said, he thinks it is funny that he has twin sisters that are two years old who were born on his birthday.
Flowers said the biggest impact wrestling has made in his life is how it makes him have self discipline and how to work harder to hit the goals he sets to accomplish.
“There was this kid I kept wrestling and he would beat me,” Flowers said. “This was a big guy and finally I got him and it showed me that if you try hard enough, you are going to win eventually.”
Flowers said he has only had two coaches, but he really likes Schmidt and said he was much better than the one he had before.
“Coach spends his time evenly around the wrestlers so that they know what they are doing and if they don’t he will help them,” Flowers said. “My other coach wasn’t so much like that and it is why I like him (Schmidt) so much. He really cares for his wrestlers.”
Flowers decided this year he is probably going into the Marines. He thinks it will be a good background for him to be in the service and then go to school for law enforcement.
Preston Dew
Preston Dew is senior that is wrestling at 220 pounds. Dew came to Saratoga his freshman year. Before that, he lived in Wisconsin, the state where he was raised.
He decided on wrestling after talking to friends and he thought he would enjoy the sport. This is his first year that he wrestled. He did play basketball before deciding that wrestling was what he wanted to do his senior year.
Dew said his family was supportive of his decision.
His most memorable moment this year in wrestling was when he won his first match at Ron Thon.
“It was a big tournament and there were some of the best wrestlers in the state there,” Dew said. “A win there is a big deal.”
Dew has enjoyed having Schmidt coach him.
“He really is a nice person and a good coach,” Dew said.
Dew plans to go to college once he graduates, but he has not decided on which school at this time. Once he goes to college he is going to take the basic curriculum and decide what to major in after exposing himself to several fields of study. He is leaning at this point to study criminal justice or sports medicine, but doesn’t want to declare until he gets to school.
Editor’s note: We had fully intended to highlight the individuals on our east county basketball teams. Due to our late start with this new feature, we will be unable to do so this year. Our goal going forward will be to add a “Meet the Team” section to our fall, winter and spring sports sections.
Up next for “Meet the Team” will be a look at those participating in track and field.
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