After a full 10-hour day of dozens of hard-won matches, the top honors just barely eluded the Bearcats, who placed second at the 3A state wrestling championship at Casper Feb. 26.

Twenty-one Bearcat wrestlers – roughly two-thirds of the team – will advance to the state championship in Casper on Feb. 26, after the team placed first in the 3A regional tournament last weekend in front of a hometown crowd.

Bob Bath isn’t even sure how he got to this point.

The Douglas Bearcats trounced nearly all the competition in a series of weekend duals held in Gillette, losing only to Natrona County High School.

Varsity and junior varsity members of the Douglas Bearcat wrestling squad sunk their claws into Buffalo and Glenrock wrestlers on Dec. 10, handily defeating both teams in their first match of the season.

Douglas Middle School wrestling team won a large majority of the matches against Casper’s Centennial Junior High Nov. 17, according to coach Brady Shatto.

A humble and quiet Cody Pinkerton capped off the most dominant season – and one of the most storied careers in the history of Douglas High School sports – Saturday night in Casper.

Wrestlers grappled their opponents to the mat with aggression and parents yelled with excitement from the stands. A few feet off the mats, teammates and coaches shared words of encouragement as spectators filled the stands for the annual Douglas Middle School Invitational.

It was a dream season for the middle school wrestlers this year, finishing undefeated in duals and tournaments. The young grapplers are proving to be a powerhouse on the mat.