Sophomore Stars Shine as Hetzel, Thomas Named WyoPreps Athletes of the Week [VIDEO]

Two sophomores who made a splash on the wrestling mat and on the basketball court were chosen as the WyoPreps Athletes of the Week. Thermopolis sophomore Izzie Hetzel and Cokeville sophomore Joey Thomas were the winners based on last week’s performances. Hetzel won a crown at a wrestling tournament in Greybull while knocking off a top-ranked wrestler, and Thomas led his team to two road wins while scoring the nets from deep in a top-five showdown. WyoPreps studied performances from the competition week of February 2 through February 7, 2026, and chose these two student-athletes. Previous weeks are not part of the decision.

WYOPREPS ATHLETE OF THE WEEK WINNERS 2-12-26

Girls’ Winner

Hetzel won the 110-pound title last Saturday at the Greybull Memorial Wrestling Invite. She recorded three bonus point victories en route to the championship. Hetzel pinned her first opponent in 29 seconds. She followed that with an 18-2 tech fall in the semifinals. Then, Izzie took down No. 1-ranked Allison LeBlanc in the finals with a 16-6 major decision. She scored 22.5 team points for the Bobcats and helped them to a third-place finish in the team standings. Hetzel improved to 32-8 this season. The three wrestlers she faced had a combined record of 50-30 on the mat this season.

WyoPreps chatted with Izzie to reflect on her big day last Saturday. She felt good about how she wrestled, how she executed her plan, discussed her training, how her experience helped against LeBlanc, how sparing with Lilly Quintanilla is very beneficial, how good Thermopolis is with a small roster, and more.

Read More About Previous Athlete of the Week Winners from WyoPreps

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WYOPREPS ATHLETES OF THE WEEK 12-24-25

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Boys’ Winner

Thomas enjoyed a huge performance last Friday in No. 5 Cokeville’s overtime win at third-ranked Saratoga, 63-57. That meant Cokeville swept Saratoga in the two conference games. Thomas scored 37 points and was an amazing 10-11 from 3-point range. That effort tied Thomas for the ninth-most made 3-pointers in a Wyoming High School boys’ basketball game and is also a school record. Thomas also helped the Panthers win at Encampment on Saturday, 53-27, which completed the road sweep. For the week, Joey averaged 24 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. He shot 58.6 percent from the field and 68 percent from beyond the arc. Thomas helped Cokeville improve to 11-8 on the season and 7-1, good for first place in the 1A Southwest Conference standings.

Joey visited with WyoPreps about his effort last weekend. He admitted he didn’t feel good going into the Saratoga game, struggled in warm-ups, but somehow found his stroke early. Thomas thanked his teammates for helping him have such an outstanding game, credited the Cokeville coaching staff for their encouragement, discussed how important the two wins were to a young Panthers’ squad, and more.

Congratulations to Izzie and Joey on being selected as the WyoPreps Athletes of the Week!