Kent took 2nd at the State Wrestling Tournament

Kent did a wonderful job this weekend. It was a hard fought battle. We are very pleased with him.
Thank you Amberly for letting Kerry, Heidi and I crash at your house Thursday and Friday. I havent been there for over 2 years. It was fun to see your place again. You were a life saver! Thank you again!!! Another thank you goes to Ashley and Josh for taking care of Tanner and Braxton for us. I felt better knowing that they were safe with you guys. Thank you!!!!
We were also able to see some friends that live in Eastern Idaho. John Ackerman and Linda Gibbs. These are friends we havent seen for a long time. They were both at the tournament. It was fun seeing and visiting with them.
It was a fun trip. But very long and tiring and the same time. Sitting all day completely wears you out for some reason. Along with my nerves I was exhausted by the end of the tournament. The wrestling tournament didnt get over until 10:30 Saturday night. So we didnt get home until 2:30 Sunday morning. I was more than excited about going to this tournament and watching Kent compete. But I am sooo glad it will be a few years before I watch another one of my boys competing at a State tournament. It makes me a nervous wreck!
This is part of an article that was written for the paper. It gives a few more details than I could give on my own.

New Plymouth Wrestlers Place 3rd at

2009 State Tournament

Sylas Gaskins State Champion-AGAIN!

5 Others Place In Top Six


New Plymouth wrestlers arrived at the Idaho State Wrestling Championships with 15 wrestlers after taking runner up at the District Tournament the weekend before. After the dust settled Saturday, February 28th, the Pilgrims earned a 3rd place State Trophy with five State Placers and one State Champion.

Holt Arena in Pocatello was the site of much drama and the culmination of many hours of practice and improvement throughout the season. Most of the New Plymouth wrestlers scored points to make the 3rd place finish a total team effort. Every single win and pin helped the Pilgrims not only take home their third State Trophy in five years, but place ahead of traditional powerhouses Challis (last years State Champs) and North Fremont for the first time in recent memory. Challis (twice) and North both placed ahead of New Plymouth earlier this season at tournaments, a testament to the improvement the Pilgrims have made. 15 pins throughout the two day tournament by nine different Pilgrims made all the difference in New Plymouth taking 3rd.
Malad for the first time in schools history took 1st with twelve State Placers and 199 points, with W.I.C. rival Parma taking 2nd with 195 points. New Plymouth earned 140 points, surpassing Challis (138 points) in the final match of the night with senior Sylas Gaskins (hwt) win over Kieran Riley (Parma) by injury default. Thirty one teams competed.
Gaskins win in the finals earned him his second State Championship in two years, completing a storybook career as a Pilgrim. His sophomore year, Gaskins took home 3rd at State. Not only did Gaskins performance of three pins and his championship win help the Pilgrims secure the points needed to pass Challis, but also denied Parma of taking home the State Championship trophy (if Sylas would have gotten pinned by Riley, Parma would have passed Malad and earned 1st).


Senior Kent Brown (160) was the other Pilgrim to reach the finals, earning huge points by pinning Challis’s former State Champ Skyler Cutler in the semi-finals. Brown faced Parma’s Jed Ferguson of Parma in the finals, a foe he defeated the weekend before where Brown won the District Championship. This time, the tables were turned and Brown lost a 3-0 decision, and earning Brown a Runner-up silver medal. Brown placed 3rd as a junior.