With only five wrestlers competing and several large schools attending the Southwest League Duals, the Montezuma-Cortez High School wrestling team knew that team wins would be hard to come by.
For the Panthers’ top three wrestlers however, wins were aplenty, giving the team confidence heading into Regionals.
Leading the way for the Panthers at the Feb. 8 Duals was 170-pound wrestler Seager Oliver, who, dominating every opponent that he faced, finished with a 5-0 record.
“He’s definitely ready for regionals,” said Panthers’ head coach Shad Bellmire of Oliver.
“He’s just going out and putting a beat-down on kids,” he said.
Also performing well for the Panthers were Justice Ramos (145 pounds) and Levi Gross, (132 pounds) both of whom finished with 4-1 records.
“Justice and Levi wrestled well,” said Bellmire. “They were frustrated with their loss, but you can’t complain with a 4-1 record.”
Other Cortez wrestlers competing at the Duals included Victor Perez, who finished 0-2, and Josh Ramos, who finished 1-4.
Grand Junction High School finished first overall in the Duals with a 5-0 team record.
The top finisher in each weight class was named to the all-conference team.
Next up for the Panthers will be the 4A Regional Tournament, which take place in Montrose Feb. 14-15.
The top four placers in each weight class at the Regional Tournament qualify for the state tournament in Denver (Feb. 20-22).