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Moffat County girls wrestling wins Soroco tourney, boys runners-up at Delta

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Andy Bockelman
  

The Moffat County girls wrestling team reacts after being announced as the winners of the Soroco tournament on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, in Oak Creek.
Eli Pace/Craig Press

Only two weeks into competition, Moffat County girls wrestling took its first team win this weekend as the top squad at the Soroco Girls Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 11.

The Bulldogs earned five individual titles during the event in Oak Creek with senior Makaela Simpson, juniors Adrianna Price, Maddie Soper and Kenleigh Pubanz and sophomore HayLee Staker going undefeated.

With a limited number of competitors in the upper weight classes, Simpson twice pinned Battle Mountain’s Kelsey Euceda to earn the title at 170 pounds, and Pubanz was twice paired with teammate Rylie Dschaak at 235.

At 155, Soper won by a 7-4 decision and a forfeit before pinning teammate Callah Caperton. At the lower weights, Price earned four falls to dominate the 105 class, as did Staker at 125, ending the day with a hard-fought, third period victory over Basalt’s Sophia Rojo.

Caperton and Dschaak each took the silver, as did sophomore Mikah Vasquez and freshman Kayla Deaton.

Freshmen Hilliana Herrera and Cydny Witherell each placed third, while sophomore Genesis Suarez was fourth and sophomore Raegan McMillan fifth.

With a packed roster, MoCo girls picked up more than twice the team points of the next school, Basalt. Coach Ashleigh Seely credited the performance for the day to staying steady on the mat.

“It was fundamentals and keeping our heads by not getting too upset or frustrated,” she said. “We kept our cool and wrestled smart.”

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Bulldog boys’ first true tourney this winter brought with it just as many positives, placing second overall among 18 schools Saturday at Delta’s Pantherfest.

The Dogs were more than warmed up for the event, taking one-on-one road wins Wednesday, Dec. 7, over Palisade, 48-36, and Delta, 48-27.

MoCo seniors Kaden Hixson and Michael Voloshin remain undefeated for the season as both placed first Saturday. Hixson took two pins, a 9-5 decision and a win by forfeit in the 132 class.

At 165, Voloshin earned a fall and a 16-3 major decision to get to the finals before outlasting Meeker’s Connor Blunt 5-1.

Moffat County senior Billy Lawton stays on top during a match against Delta at the Maverick Duals.
Andy Bockelman/Craig Press

Meeker won the team totals for the event and proved tough competition for MoCo in particular. The Cowboys denied senior Billy Lawton (190) and juniors Eli Fredrickson (144) and Blake Hill (175) the top spot on the podium, each of them finishing second for the day.

The trio combined for six pins before their respective losses.

Sophomore Zach Hedman also was a runner-up, falling to Buena Vista’s David Arellano after two pins of his own.

Sophomore Kaeden Martinez took fourth with three pins and junior Noah Duran earned fifth, ending on the right side of a 14-13 total against Grand Valley’s Jasen Skeen.

“It was a good tournament,” said coach Mark Voloshin. “Proud of the guys — hard work, dedication, and sacrifice.”

Elsewhere, Bulldogs took fifth at the Rifle JV Invite, with sophomore Colt Call and juniors Jimi Jimenez and Cyrus Goldsmith each going undefeated, nearly all their victories by pin, with sophomores Tate Green and Osbaldo Quintana taking second and third, respectively, both in the 132 class.

As the calendar year comes to a close, Moffat County boys will compete in this week’s Warrior Classic at Grand Junction’s Central High School, while girls will be at Greeley’s Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament.

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