Mat time, seeking challenges prepared East's Liam Fox for title run

Mar. 1—CHEYENNE — Liam Fox has never shied away from a challenge on the wrestling mat.

That approach — combined with all of the mat time he has seen as a result — has made him one of Wyoming's most dominant high school wrestlers over the past two seasons. It also prepared the Cheyenne East sophomore to navigate out of trouble.

Such was the case when he captured his second consecutive Class 4A state championship Saturday night.

Star Valley senior Joseph Naef was able to snag Fox's left foot, raised it to his waist and got a trip for a takedown that knotted the score midway through the third period. Fox freed himself, but Naef managed to grab Fox's ankle and put him back in position to be tripped again.

Instead, Fox wrapped his arms around Naef's right arm and worked a trip of his own that ended in a two-point reversal and a 7-5 victory.

"Having a lot of matches under your belt makes you more comfortable in those situations," Fox said. "You know what to do and have a feel for everything. You learn to recognize certain situations and pick up what you need to do to turn those situations around."

Fox was 4-0 at the tournament with three pins to earn Prep Athlete of the Week honors from WyoSports' Cheyenne staff.

"He understands positioning very well, knows where his opponents are, knows what he can do and when he might be in trouble," East coach Thad Trujillo said. "He's got explosiveness. He might be in a bad spot, but he can hip guys over.

"He's got so many matches under his belt that he's not afraid of a pressure situation or a big situation like that state final. He thrives in those situations and likes to be right in the middle of important matches."

Fox has constantly sought out the best competition in the state and region, and has wrestled at some of the toughest tournaments in the nation. Fox fed his affinity for testing himself when he started training at Bear Cave Wrestling Academy in Greeley, Colorado, while he was in elementary school.

Bear Cave — which is coached by former University of Wyoming assistant Ben VomBaur — had grapplers who have trained there capture 23 of the 56 boys state championships Colorado handed out this season. It regularly sends athletes to NCAA Division I and II schools.

"It changed me as a wrestler," said Fox, who has trained at Bear Cave as many as three times a week since he was 9. "There are some elite wrestlers down there, and if you put them all in a practice room, they're bound to get better. That's some of the best experience you can get.

"It gets a little overwhelming at times, and wears on you a bit. But, if you love the sport enough, you never get sick of it. You embrace it."

Fox's 50-8 record this season pushed his career mark to 102-14. His eight losses this winter read like a who's who of Wyoming and Colorado. None of those grapplers finished worse than third at their state tournament. Fox dropped a pair of four-point decisions against Kalob Ybarra of Pomona High in Arvada, Colorado. Ybarra claimed Colorado's Class 5A state title.

Two of those losses came to Arvada West's Auston Eudaly at the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament in Greeley. Eudaly placed third in the 144-pound bracket at Colorado's Class 5A state tournament. Fox got a measure of revenge when he beat Eudaly 4-1 in the semifinals of the Top of the Rockies Invitational in Lafayette, Colorado.

Fox's lone in-state losses this season came to a pair of Class 3A state champs in Rawlins 152-pounder Sage Lonn and Green River 145-pounder Thomas Dalton. The loss to Lonn came in the season's opening weekend when Fox was flirting with competing in the 152-pound weight class. It was the only time this season Fox got pinned. All of his other losses came by decision.

"I thought that was a good spot for me, but I didn't really think it through," said Fox, who claimed Wyoming's 132-pound crown as a freshman. "I wrestled some tough kids and got to see what that was like, so it was a good learning experience."

Fox has lofty goals, and knows he must continue pushing himself in order to accomplish them. He plans to do just that as part of East's contingent at the National High School Coaches Association national tournament in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and as regional and national events through USA Wrestling.

"I want to be the best wrestler I can possibly be, whether that's high school or after," he said. "I want to be able to say I gave it my all. I have some things to work on that I haven't perfected to become an all-around solid wrestler."

Others recognized for their efforts include:

n Madisyn Baillie and Izzy Kelly, girls basketball, Cheyenne Central: Both players scored 15 points during the Lady Indians' 77-67 loss to Cheyenne East.

n Keagan Bartlett, boys wrestling, Central: The senior went 4-0 with three pins to capture the 220-pound championship at the Class 4A state tournament.

n Elysiana Fonseca, Boden Liljedahl and Bradie Schlabs, girls basketball, Cheyenne East: Fonseca, a senior forward, scored 16 points during the Lady Thunderbirds' 77-67 victory over Cheyenne Central.

Liljedahl, a senior guard, scored a game-high 22 points in that win.

Schlabs, a junior guard, added 16 points against the Indians.

n Ryan Fornstrom and Stu Lerwick, boys basketball, Pine Bluffs: Fornstrom, a senior guard, averaged 17.3 points, 3.7 assists and three steals per game to help the Hornets go 2-1 and finish second at the Class 2A East Regional.

Lerwick, a senior forward, averaged 18 points and 10.7 rebounds in those games.

n Gracin Goff, girls wrestling, East: The junior went 2-1 with two pins to finish as runner-up at 190 pounds at Wyoming's inaugural girls state tournament.

n Charlie Green and Colby Olson, boys wrestling, East: Green, a junior, was 3-1 with three pins to finish as runner-up in the 285-pound weight class at the Class 4A state tournament.

Olson, also a junior, was 3-1 with two pins to earn runner-up honors at 182 pounds.

n Jordan Griess, girls basketball, Burns: The junior guard averaged 13.8 points to help the Broncs go 2-2 at the Class 2A East Regional and earn a spot in the Class 2A state tournament.

n Cale Haws, boys wrestling, Burns-Pine Bluffs: The senior 220-pounder went 4-1 with three pins to finish third at the Class 3A state tournament.

n Drew Jackson and Garet Schlabs, boys basketball, East: Jackson, a junior, scored 22 points during the Thunderbirds' 63-48 victory over Cheyenne Central.

Schlabs, a senior, added 16 points during that win.

n Meadow King, girls wrestling, Central: The junior went 4-0 with four pins to win the 145-pound weight class at the Wyoming state tournament.

n Taliah Morris, girls indoor track and field, East: The junior won both long jump (17 feet, 11 inches) and triple jump (35-9) at the Laramie last chance state qualifying meet.

n Joe Sawyer, boys basketball, Central: The junior scored 23 points during the Indians' 63-48 loss to Cheyenne East.

Jeremiah Johnke is the WyoSports editor. He can be reached at jjohnke@wyosports.net or 307-633-3137. Follow him on Twitter at @jjohnke.