YOUR AD HERE »

Moffat County wrestlers back to the grind, send 11 athletes to podium

NewsNews |

Andy Bockelman
Follow

Share this story
Moffat County's Kaeden Martinez stands at second place on the podium as part of the Tournament of Champions on Saturday, Jan. 6.
Courtesy Photo

In their return to the mat after several weeks without any competition, Moffat County wrestling teams showed just how well they could bounce back from the winter doldrums.

MCHS had 11 total athletes place Friday and Saturday during Tournament of Champions in Vernal, Utah and at Grand Junction’s Border Battle.

TOC of the town

The Bulldog boys were at TOC — hosted by Uintah High School — an event renowned for attracting a wide array of schools from Colorado, Utah and Wyoming.

Juniors Kaeden Martinez and Zach Hedman stood toe to toe with some of the best athletes in the region and wound up on the podium as a result, with Martinez placing second in the 144-pound class and Hedman fourth at 157.

Martinez took two pins in the opening rounds and won the quarterfinals 9-2 and semifinals 8-6 to get into the finals against Uintah’s Jaxon McCurdy. He fought to the finish in the championship round, ultimately losing 11-2 in a major decision.

Hedman likewise cruised through Friday action, complete with a 15-4 MD and 5-2 decision leading up to a third-period fall in the quarters to guarantee placement. A 16-1 technical fall sent him to the consolation rounds, where he got the pin for a chance at third place. He narrowly fell in his final bout, 5-4, to Pinedale’s Garrett Haley.

Moffat County’s Zach Hedman stands at fourth place on the podium as part of the Tournament of Champions.
Courtesy Photo

The first tourney back from the holiday break is one that tends to show which grapplers have kept up with training in their off time, though none of the competition is easy. Even so, nearly all of the Bulldogs in attendance at TOC won at least one match whether in the championship rounds, JV tourney or Saturday’s Second Chance event.

With athletes able to take advantage of a two-pound weight allowance that kicks in after Jan. 1, the shift is one that Bulldog wrestlers appreciated.

Hedman especially liked the rule as he was competing at much higher classes in December.

“I feel a lot better, especially being at my own weight now,” Hedman said. “I feel a lot smoother and cleaner now with my technique, just trying to tighten it up before regionals and state.”

Show CaptionsHide Captions

Battle-born

MCHS girls were likewise at an event that drew in schools far and wide to Grand Junction’s Central High School.

The Border Battle consisted of two separate tournaments — with Friday a team dual event — in which MoCo placed second with a 4-1 run as a group, taking wins of 45-30 over Durango, 42-30 over Rifle and 47-36 over Mead.

While the Bulldogs bested District 51’s JV group 60-18, their only team loss was to D-51’s packed varsity roster, 75-6.

MoCo’s Kayla Deaton was feeling particularly confident after a 10-8 sudden victory in her bout at the 130 weight with Durango, though it took some time to get her head in the match.

Moffat County’s Kayla Deaton works for points during the Border Battle on Friday, Jan. 5.
Andy Bockelman/Craig Press

“I wasn’t really thinking that much, I was just looking back at my coaches thinking, ‘what am I doing?'” Deaton said.

Though she trailed most of the round, a last-second takedown put her into extra minutes.

“Once we got into overtime, I realized I’ve got to do something and do it good to get the win,” Deaton said. “You’re just so tired that you kind of want to give up, but you’re not going to.”

Saturday’s bracket tourney saw the sophomore Deaton and senior Kenleigh Pubanz (235) end the day in second place. Deaton took two pins and Pubanz four, with each of them only losing in the last round. Senior Abby Martinez (140) likewise went 3-1, with all wins by fall, to place third.

Raegan McMillen (110) and HayLee Staker (125) each went 2-2 and took fourth, with fifth place going to Amanaki George (135) with a 3-2 day.

Sydney Brazeal (100), Lily Bush (105), and Alexza Ibarra (145) each rounded out the podium placement with sixth.

Moffat County’s Lilly Bush locks up her opponent during the Border Battle.
Andy Bockelman/Craig Press

With two different formats, the Border Battle was a good transitional return into the schedule after winter break, said coach Ashlee Griffiths-Ripka.

“We’re not out of shape, but it’s a good one to get back into it,” she said. “There’s a lot of girls that we haven’t seen before that are here today that we will see again at regionals.”

Both Bulldog teams will be in Wyoming this weekend, with boys at the Trojan Border War hosted by Casper’s Kelly Walsh, while the girls will compete at the Thoman Wrestling Invite in Green River.

More Like This, Tap A Topic
sports
Share this story
News
See more

Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Craig and Moffat County make the Craig Press’ work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.