This is the fifth season since the Colorado High School Activities Association added girls wrestling to the varsity sports category, and Montezuma-Cortez introduced a girls wrestling team to their program for the first time this season.
A girls wrestling team has been in the works at Montezuma-Cortez for a couple of years as the sport has become one of the fastest growing in the state.
The effort to start the program was led by boys wrestling head coach Ryan Daves and first-year girls head coach James Snyder, who presented the proposal to Montezuma-Cortez School District Superintendent Tom Burris.
“It was both of us together working on that,” said Daves about collaborating with Snyder. “We had to create a whole sport deal through the school and get our own budget approved through the school district to get that girls program started.”
When the CHSAA announced girls wrestling as a varsity sport, Daves waited to see how the sport would develop before starting the girls team.
“I was feeling it out,” he said. “About the second to third year in that’s when I started pushing it and started the wheels turning on trying to get everything lined out so we could get that girls team here eventually.”
As the program is new and still establishing its identity, there is a mix of athletes with experience and others who are new to the sport.
The team’s culture is taking shape as the more experienced wrestlers guide the newcomers and have been helping the coaching staff.
“There are girls that got some experience, and it’s really nice having them in the room because the girls that don’t have any experience are learning from them as well,” Daves said. “When they’re practicing together, it helps because lot of the girls are all the same weight. It’s really good for the ones that have never wrestled before to learn from the ones that have.”
Looking to lead the team this year includes freshmen CJ Snyder, Paislee Maestas, and senior Aubrey Rutherford.
Snyder is one of the most experienced athletes on the mat this year, with multiple first-place finishes under her belt.
Recently, she placed third at the Western Slope Showdown and took first at the Wolverine Classic earlier this month.
Last year, she won the RMN Colorado Regionals in Alamosa in the 105-pound division and the San Juan Basin League Middle School Championship in the 101 division. Snyder has proven herself to be a tough and skilled competitor this season.
Maestas, coming from Mancos, brings a strong resume to the mat.
She finished fifth at the Western Slope Showdown last weekend and third at the Wolverine Classic.
In her eighth grade season, she won first place at the RMN Colorado Regionals in Alamosa in the 109 division and took second at the SJBL Middle School League Tournament in the 110 division. Her consistency and skill make her a key asset to the team.
In her senior year, Rutherford made a strong start, winning first place at the Wolverine Classic and finishing fourth at the Western Slope Showdown. As a seasoned competitor, she will be a key leader for the team throughout the season.
Also stepping up to the mat this year are freshmen Baylee Molzahn and Ava Hawkins, sophomore Tinley Philpott, and senior Sophie Wright.
With a mix of experienced wrestlers guiding the newcomers, the program hopes to have a memorable first season.
Recruitment has become a primary focus in the Cortez area with M-CHS establishing a girls varsity team.
Wrestling coaches are increasingly looking to recruit girls at a younger age to eventually compete at the high school level.
“Our peewee club is open and working to get more girls into the sport now that we have a high school team,” Daves said. “We’re trying to get them committed at a younger age and also at the middle school level.”
This year marks a record-high turnout for the M-CHS wrestling program, with over 20 wrestlers on the roster, including the new girls team.
It has been nearly 10 years since the Panthers have seen this much participation.
“I think the last time we had over 10 wrestlers, it was back in 2019,” said Daves. “I think we had up to 13 or 14 wrestlers in 2019, so it’s been the biggest it’s been in a while.”
Anticipation continues to brew for the inaugural season of the girls wrestling team, and Daves is confident some of the athletes will make it to state.
“I’ve watched the girls brackets over the last couple years at tournaments,” he said. “I think we have a really good chance of taking a few girls to state.”
The girls wrestling team has a busy schedule this year, starting with the Warrior Classic in Grand Junction on Friday. In the new year, they will travel to the Conflict at Cleveland tournament in Rio Rancho, on Jan. 3.
The team will then head to the Gunnison tournament on Jan. 11, followed by a tri-meet with Monticello and Dolores in Monticello, on Jan. 15. They will compete in a tournament in Aztec, N.M., on Jan. 17.
Their first home duel is against Bayfield on Jan. 21, followed by the Sand Devil Classic in Page on Jan. 24. The team’s final scheduled duel will be against Pagosa in Pagosa Springs on Jan. 28, before heading into regionals, which begin on Feb. 7.
