As the seconds ticked down on the clock for Moffat County wrestler Kayla Deaton Saturday afternoon, the cheers from her corner grew more raucous as her teammates realized she was about to pull off something huge on the mat.

Once the referee’s whistle blew, the energy hit a peak as the Bulldogs celebrated the biggest victory of a day that was already full of triumph.

MCHS wrestling teams had six athletes make it to the podium of the Warrior Classic hosted by Grand Junction’s Central High School Friday and Saturday, a long-running tournament that saw a significant change this year.

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Women Warriors

MCHS girls placed fourth as a team during the event in its inaugural year offering female-specific brackets.

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Running since 1976, the Warrior is one of the most renowned early season tournaments in the state, attracting dozens of schools both in and outside of Colorado.

The Bulldogs’ group point tally was made all the more impressive given how much larger the top three schools — Central, Eaglecrest and Farmington, New Mexico — were in comparison.

“They really killed it, they really stepped up here,” said head coach Ashlee Griffiths-Ripka.

The girls tourney was Saturday only and took place in Central’s auxiliary gym. The smaller space only demonstrated how great the excitement was with standing room only in an often deafening environment.

Deaton’s final match was among the loudest near the end of the day as she finished 5-0 for first-place honors in the 130-pound class.

She pinned her first three opponents with ease before a 16-7 major decision in the semifinals to pair her with Gunnison’s Evelyne Cope.

Deaton, a junior, almost got overwhelmed at the close of the first period as a mistake let Cope get her on her back, barely avoiding the pin as the two minutes expired.

“It sounds bad, but that happens a lot with me. I need to work on not getting so far ahead of myself,” she said.

Deaton started taking control from there and was holding onto a 16-12 lead when time ran out, her teammates screaming on her behalf.

“It felt good to beat her because she beat me last year,” she said.

MCHS girls had only one entrant in the third-place round, which ultimately didn’t happen. Senior HayLee Staker took fourth at 135 as the result of the tourney’s rules limiting them to six matches in one of the busier weight classes.

However, those earlier matches were no joke — despite getting pinned in her second bout, Staker gained four pins throughout the day and wrapped up with a 16-1 technical fall that was practically a pin as she slammed her Eaglecrest opponent to the mat for her final points.

Staker also demonstrated her sportsmanship by checking on her competitor as she was slow to get to her feet — having had the wind knocked out of her — and also gave her a hug.

“I could tell she was having a hard time breathing when it happened, so I felt bad about that, but you can’t let go,” Staker said.

Losing the battle but winning the war

MCHS boys finished Saturday with one grappler in the third-place match in Central’s main gym, with senior Kaeden Martinez giving his all at the 150 weight.

After getting pinned in his morning semifinal, Kaeden was ready to finish on a victory following a 14-5 major in the consolation semis.

While he was maintaining an advantage in points over North Fork’s Braeden Flores heading into the final minute, he found himself in a bad position as the period drew to a close.

“I was ahead but kind of giving up, and he caught me and just tossed me,” he said. “I was just trying to coast and win on points, but I took a stupid shot that got me on my back.”

Taking fourth for the second consecutive year at the Warrior, Kaeden was pleased with the learning experience if not the circumstances that led to it.

“I learned that I need to go hard the whole time and also work more from the bottom,” he said.

Kaeden’s younger brother Kaison Martinez likewise battled through both days, coming back from a narrow 7-6 first-round loss in the 126 bracket for decisions of 12-4 and 7-2 in his favor.

Senior Colt Call contributed plentiful points to Bulldog boys’ total with three pins in the 165 class before being on the other side of a pin in his final match.

Brayden Petersen is the Dogs’ new head coach, following in the footsteps of former coach Mark Voloshin.

This winter sees a smaller roster than usual for the boys program, which is partially due to seasonal ailments.

“We thought we had more coming out this year, so that was a surprise,” Petersen said. “We’re still trying to grow numbers, but we’ve got some really hard-working kids.”

Fighting to the end

While senior Zach Hedman will be making his return to the mat for the boys team in January, his younger sister did the family name proud this weekend.

Freshman Ryleigh Hedman earned fifth place with a 3-2 run in the girls 120 division, all of her matches either won or lost by pin.

Her final round saw a last-second fall as she flipped her opponent onto her back with a sudden burst of energy.

Senior Callah Caperton (155) likewise saw her wins and losses all coming as the result of a referee pounding the mat after the count. She rebounded from a first-round defeat to get three pins from there as well as a fourth fall in the fifth-place determiner that she took in 38 seconds.

“I just thought I was going to give it everything I had,” Caperton said. “I had to come back from that first loss, and it was hard. I’ve been pushing myself and not giving up. I’m trying to keep up my stamina more because I get tired fast sometimes.”

While Caperton, Staker and Deaton have all faced state rounds in the past year and Hedman wrestled at the middle school level, a first-year MoCo competitor also made it to the podium, with junior Kearra Cicchini placing sixth in the heavyweight division.

The bracket was small with only eight girls, but Cicchini gained confidence with her first win in the sport with a pin against Mountain Vista in the consolation rounds.

Cicchini, who is also a team manager for Bulldog football, noted that Staker talked her into taking up wrestling. Though she’s still learning, she appreciates the camaraderie.

She also had former wrestler Kenleigh Pubanz present at the Warrior providing insight.

“It’s different for heavier girls,” Cicchini said. “There’s a lot of different moves you have to learn because you’re not as fast.”

After the winter break, both Bulldog teams will hit the Tournament of Champions, hosted by Vernal, Utah, another massive multi-state event, though girls will first attend the West Grand Tournament Jan. 4 in Kremmling and travel to Grand Junction for a dual event Jan. 8.

Griffiths-Ripka said she is emphasizing cardio and healthy eating heading into break as well as just ensuring that athletes aren’t too afflicted by cold and flu season.

“I want to keep our momentum going after this,” she said.

Another aspect is keeping a healthy mental attitude as the season continues, and Bulldogs aim to stay positive.

As evidenced by her concern for her final opponent, Staker said she tries to keep competition purely in the gym.

“With girls, I think we’re a lot nicer sometimes,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of friends in my weight class. We just go out there and leave it all on the mat and don’t hate each other for it. It’s just a match. We all want to support each other and help this grow more.”