Prep Athlete of the Week: Jerred Smith, Kelly Walsh

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - Wyoming’s high school wrestling made a strong return last week in the Shane Shatto Memorial Tournament held in Douglas. Kelly Walsh’s Jerred Smith put on an even stronger performance.

He finished third in the tournament last winter, but as the saying goes, what a difference a year makes. Smith moved up a weight class and locked in on boosting his confidence.

“Last year, I came up short because I was in my head a lot and it was my first big tournament as a freshman. This year, I just wanted to place higher than I did last year, so I had a better mindset this year,” Smith said.

Smith closed the tournament on top of the 132 pound division; he was one of two wrestlers to collect gold for the Trojans. The team as a whole cleared 100 points and finished seventh in the final tally.

Smith said that his victories are far more of a team effort than they might appear.

“We all hold each other accountable, you know? If we’re in a dual, we’re all right there yelling, hyping each other up. I don’t think it’s like more of a single sport, I think it’s more of a team sport,” Smith said.

Congratulations to Jerred on the championship performance.

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