Two days into the Class 2A state wrestling tournament, one Dolores High School wrestler is left standing, while two others have been eliminated.
Brandon Ward wins again
Still alive for the Dolores Bears is 106-pound sophomore Brandon Ward (31-13), who capped off an impressive day with a 7-2 victory over Centauri High School's Kord Howsman (27-11) in the second round of consolations.
After being taken down early in the first period, Ward escaped and then scored a takedown of his own to move ahead 3-2.
Fifteen seconds into the second period, Ward scored a second takedown after catching Howsman's right leg on a nifty shot and taking the Centauri wrestler to the floor.. Ward led 4-1 at the end of the second period.
In the third period, Ward expanded his lead to 7-2 after escaping Cordova's grasp and scoring a reversal.
Ward's next match will take place on the morning of Feb. 21 against Hotchkiss High School's Colton Cordova (32-10).
Wallace eliminated after tight loss
Hoping to keep his high school wrestling career alive for at least one more match, Dolores High School senior Guy Wallace came up just short during a 4-2 loss to Norwood/Nucla High School's Trenton Armintrout (30-7).
Wallace led 1-0 early in the match before being taken down by Armintrout late in the second period. The takedown proved to be the difference in the match.
With the loss, Wallace concluded his senior season with a 33-15 record.