Despite gifting the hometown side 24 points via forfeits, the Mancos wrestlers knew that with five weight classes mutually uncontested, there was still a mathematical chance at victory at Ignacio High School on Dec. 20.
That was all they needed to know.
Starting the San Juan Basin League dual off at 120 pounds, Bluejay freshman Trevor Paquin quickly took care of business with a 51-second pin of Ignacio freshman Isaac Welker, officially giving the guests a 6-0 lead.
“You know, our 120-pounder – Trevor – it’s his first year wrestling. That kid works hard in the wrestling room, and it’s starting to show for him,” said head coach Travis White. “That’s a nice thing.”
All but ending the affair 100 pounds later, junior Nic Dan, heavily taped right elbow and all, ably matched the aggressive pace set by Jeremy Roderick and reined in the eager freshman for a pin in 57 seconds.
“He’s pretty much at full strength now,” White said. “So that’s why he’s back out there with us.”
“His first matches were last week – and that kid is putting in a lot of hard work to get back on the mat. He’s a big, strong kid, wrestled for us at the beginning of the year last year, wasn’t able to finish the season, but ... very fast and I think he’s going to do real well.”
Ignacio heavyweight Randy Herrera then stepped onto the mat to receive his forfeit and the event’s last six points (neither team sent out a 106- or 113-pounder, just as at 132, 152 and 170), finalizing a 37-12 victory. However, the Jays came closer than the scoreboard showed – the promise White wanted to see, with only one meet left in 2018.
Mancos had threatened to steal a victory at 126, but Ignacio’s Hunter Robbins survived sophomore Ty Everett’s 2-0 lead with a takedown during the first one-minute overtime period. And at 160, sophomore Colt Fury caught Ignacio standout Dustin Sanchez off his game early, taking a 2-1 lead after two regulation minutes, before the senior racked up eight unanswered points in the second period en route to a 13-3 major decision putting the Cats ahead 19-6 at the time.
Bobcat Tyler Barnes’ 70-second pin of junior Andrew Ruatti at 145 proved the victors’ most drama-free performance.
“I would say that our focus maybe isn’t where it was a week ago, but that’s to be expected right before (winter) break,” Ignacio head coach Jordan Larsen said. “But other than that, I thought it was a good performance tonight overall.”
“They’re working hard in the room, but I’m looking forward to getting a little break – along with the boys – and coming back strong right after Christmas!”
That would seemingly hold true for both San Juan Basin League crews.
“We’ve got a really young group, you know? We only have two juniors, no seniors – we’ve got guys who’ve wrestled a lot of matches, but they’re very young also – so to us it’s about improving one match at a time, growing for that regional tournament and that final push for State,” White said.
“That’s really what we’re looking for. For them to mature as wrestlers and learn a little more about the sport, get a little more physical and figure out what that high school wrestling’s really about.”
The Jays were to close out the 2018 half of their schedule on Dec. 22 in Farmington at Piedra Vista’s dual-style Panther Classic, and are slated to begin 2019 at Pagosa Springs’ Rocky Mountain Invitational on Jan. 12.