In a tune up for the regional tournament set to begin this weekend, Pine Bluffs wrestler Todd Baker took first place in the 215 pound weight class at this previous weekend’s Carbon County Invitational. Taking sixth in 171 pound weight class was Burns’ Frankie Vossler. The two represented the wrestling squads only top place finishers with the Burns wrestling team taking 11th in the event.

"Todd (Baker) is really displaying the sort of leadership needed by this team," said wrestling head coach Chris Cooper.

"He’s out there showing all the other guys what it takes to compete and win at this level," Cooper added.

Baker is currently ranked number three in the state in his weight class.

"I think Todd is real hungry for a title and I expect him to do really well at regionals and state," Cooper said.

Speaking on Vossler’s sixth place finish, Cooper noted this was Vossler’s first tournament since returning from a shoulder injury that sidelined the wrestler for three weeks.

"Frankie wasn’t exactly where he wanted to be in terms of conditioning and was really disappointed with his placing," Cooper said.

"But Frankie knows what he has to do to get himself ready to compete at regionals and I expect that come regionals time, he’ll be ready," Cooper said.

While Cooper was extremely pleased with the performance of Baker, he said he felt his team could have done a lot better overall at the tourney.

"There were several matches that we just sort of let slip away," he said. "It all came down to the other guy just wanting the win more."

Cooper said that in order for more of his wrestlers to place at state, they were going to need to look down deep inside themselves and find the intestinal fortitude to keep moving forward.

"High school wrestling is a long and brutal season," Cooper said, "the length of it isn’t something that a lot of our kids, especially the younger kids, are used to yet," he said.

"I want to see these guys succeed and at this point in the season, we’ve given them everything they need to go out there and do well," Cooper said adding, "the rest is up to them."

Wrestling regionals get underway this weekend at Lingle-Fort Laramie with state finals slated for Feb. 26 and 27 in Casper.