Cheyenne East didn’t have an individual state champion, but won the title that mattered most Saturday night at Casper Events Center.

The Thunderbirds finished with 216.5 team points to win their first Class 4A wrestling title since 1965.

“Our kids worked hard,” East coach Thad Trujillo said. “We needed a lot of things to go right to win this title. I just feel blessed to be able to work with great kids, who fight for each other.”

Casper Kelly Walsh was second with 205 points and Thunder Basin third with 204.5.

The T-Birds had four athletes advance to the state finals. Freshman Lucas Robinett was pinned by Sheridan freshman Reese Osborne 3 minutes, 26 seconds into the 113-pound title tilt. Sophomore 120-pounder Amos Solano dropped a 9-4 decision to Casper Kelly Walsh sophomore Jace Palmer. Seniors Tommy Neal (170 pounds) and Gunner Bartlett (182) also lost by decision in the finals.

Casper Natrona County senior Brett Brenton bested Neal 9-5 to capture his third state title. Green River sophomore Payton Tucker downed Bartlett, 6-4.

Neal and Bartlett are two-time state runners-up.

East claimed the crown with its depth.

Junior Shawn Smith (126), freshman Jackson Hesford (138) and senior Jake Fogg (195) all placed third. Senior Daniel Grube (160) was fourth, while sophomore Jason Hoskins (106) placed fifth. Junior Landin Eldridge (152) and senior Josh Gross (285) both took sixth.

East sat fourth in the team race heading into Saturday, but grabbed the lead heading into the medal rounds.

“We gathered our kids (Friday) night and told them we weren’t out of it,” Trujillo said. “We knew we had a lot of work to do, and we knew we needed some help from other teams along the way.”

“We had guys who didn’t place score points for us. Every guy on this team played a role in this title.”

Winning a team title without an individual champion is unlikely, but not unheard of. In fact, Trujillo has often played a video for his team about Minnesota’s 2001 NCAA championship.

The Gophers had All-Americans in all 10 weight classes, but didn’t have one in the finals.

“The fact we were able to do a similar thing is impressive and shows how good of a job our coaches do at developing kids,” Bartlett said.

Added Neal: “It hurts to know none of our guys – including myself – could get it done in the finals. But it feels good to know I was part of something amazing here.

“We won a team state title without a single individual state champ. It’s going to be a long time before you see that happen again.”