The SVHS athletic teams were busy throughout the weekend with both home and away contests. Here’s a look at how all of them did for the weekend of January 19-20. 

• Girls Wrestling

The Lady Braves rolled through the competition in Wyoming last season en route to the state and the program’s first team title. This season, they seem intent on showing they are a regional power. With tournament victories this season already collected, the Star Valley girls competed in the Tiger-Grizz Invitational in Idaho Falls this weekend with 33 other teams and came out on top with 181.0 team points. 

Thunder Ridge, a squad that came over to Afton and defeated the Lady Braves at the Brawl, had to settle for second this time with 152.0 points. Skyline (105.0), Canyon Ridge (102.0) and Eagle (98.0) rounded out the top five. The next closest Wyoming team was Evanston who scored 55.0 team points for a 13th place finish. 

Individually, the ladies had two who advanced to the finals. Paisley Smith at 114 who placed second and Veil Forman at 138 who went undefeated last season and is undefeated so far this season with a win in the championship. 

The team will now prep for the Ron Thon Memorial in Riveron this upcoming weekend. 

Lady Braves Tiger-Grizz Placers

107: Kenna Merritt (6th)

114: Paisley Smith (2nd)

120: Keston Johnson (5th)

126: Lynsey Lawson (5th)

132: Remington Aullman (4th)

138: Veil Foreman (1st)

145: Cara Andrews (6th)

152: Brooke Schwab (6th)

165: Shaely Kunz (3rd)

235: Cashlee Hepworth (6th)

• Boys Wrestling

Still sporting several open weight classes as the program rounds into form for a run at the Wyoming 4A state title, the Braves still placed sixth at the Tiger-Grizz with 129.5 team points. 

Westlake took top team honors at the tournament with 192.0 points. Meridian, Minico, Corner Canyon and Middleton formed the top-five. The Evanston Red Devils were 11th with 98.0 points. 

The Braves were led by a pair of third-place finishes, both of which came from returning state champions in Levi Byrd (113) and Tel Parry (132). 

The Ron Thon Memorial is up next in Riverton, Wyoming’s largest all-class tournament this Friday and Saturday. 

Braves Tiger-Grizz Placers

113: Levi Byrd (3rd)

126: Caleb Morrison (4th)

132: Tel Parry (3rd)

138: Kaleb Byrd (5th)

145: Porter Merritt (4th)

160: Kooper Burk (4th)

CLICK HERE FOR FULL WRESTLING RESULTS FROM THE TIGER-GRIZZ TOURNAMENTS – 

• Girls Basketball

Having won 26 straight games against the Jackson Lady Broncs, the expectation for another win was certainly present as the two teams both tipped off conference play on Friday night in Afton. Star Valley trailed 4-2 in the very early going before scoring the game’s next 34 points. In the end, it was a one-sided shellacking with a 72-7 final as the home team improved to (3-7) on the year. Kenlee Engelhardt led the team with 17 points and seven steals. Emily Dana scored 11 and pulled down five rebounds. 

The team shot very well from the field including a season-high nine made three pointers on 19 attempts (47.4%) to give them their highest point total of the season. Ten different players made their way into the scoring column. 

The girls also hosted Soda Springs on Saturday afternoon, a team that handled Star Valley 51-29 on January 4. The staff and players had expressed a desire to even up the outcome and did just that in an exciting 71-69 overtime final. 

The Lady Braves led by as many as 16 in the game but the Cardinals chipped away until the game’s final moments in regulation and tied the game. Both teams lost two starters due to foul trouble but it was the Star Valley crew who was able to make the most plays in the extra stanza to pull out the win. Emily Dana had a career-high 25 points in the win while Sheridan Coles scored 19.  Jinettie Garrett poured in 34 for the Cardinals. 

The Lady Braves have now won four of their last five (4-7) as they prep for a busy schedule this upcoming week. Star Valley will be on the road on Tuesday evening in a rescheduled game from last weekend’s snow storms to face Preston and another road game in Evanston on Thursday. The team will return home for a 4A Southwest clash against Green River on Saturday afternoon. 

• Boys Basketball

The Braves won their seventh game in their last eight contest to improve to (8-3) on the season with a 63-53 win over the Jackson Broncs in round one of the Snake River Shootout on Friday night. 

The Braves used a balanced scored effort with four players in double figures by the end of the night. Max Jensen finished with 13, Kash Lancaster added 12, Cooper Lancaster scored 11 and Simon Gaskell chipped in ten. 

The Braves had a good shooting night as they made seven three-point baskets on 16 attempts.

Andrew Hanna and Gavin Keelin were back in the Bronc lineup after missing chunks of the season and the dynamic duo combined for 26 points and 16 rebounds. 

The Braves will also have three games this week, beginning with the rescheduled game against Marsh Valley on Tuesday evening. The team will be in Evanston for Thursday night in a battle against rival Evanston and then will come home to take on the Green River Wolves on Saturday. 

• Indoor Track

With weather causing a major snag to the thinclads trying to start their season, some athletes were able to wrangle a trip to the BYU Indoor Invitational on Saturday. 

Highlights from the day included Valeri Jirak who placed second in the 200-Meter Dash and third in the 60-Meter Dash. Habamu Wetzel won the 1-Mile race with a time of 4:24.50.

The full squad is scheduled for meets at both Weber State and Idaho State next weekend.