RIO RANCHO – Mancos and Montezuma-Cortez faced tough competition in an enormous tournament bracket at the Rio Rancho Events Center on Friday and Saturday.
The seventh annual Conflict in Cleveland wrestling tournament featured 73 teams in the boys bracket and 67 in the girls bracket, including teams from Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and California, representing varying state classifications.
Cleveland won their home event, with 260.5 points. Pueblo East was second with 238; and Volcano Vista, third with 234.
The. Mancos boys came in 44th and Montezuma-Cortez boys tied with Kirtland Central at 45th place. The M-CHS girls earned 42nd in the girls team standings.
Mancos, aiming for a repeat of their 2A state-bound championship run, returned to Rio Rancho for the third consecutive year. The team was led by Jacob Martin, who placed seventh in the 189-pound weight class.
Martin (15-2) won his first three matches but lost to Volcano Vista’s Elijah Gawronski in the fourth round by major decision, 18-10.
Martin bounced back, winning three straight matches by pin before narrowly losing to Roswell’s Keegan Nichols, 12-11, in a decision. He then earned seventh place after Andre Martinez of Atrisco Heritage (New Mexico) had a medical forfeit.
Mancos head coach Travis White said the tournament was a valuable experience, especially for his younger wrestlers.
“Overall, we have a young team, so the younger guys got some good experience,” White said. “We didn’t get all the wins we wanted, but our upperclassmen led the way and did well.”
Meanwhile, M-CHS’ girls wrestling team continued to make progress in its debut season. Senior Aubrey Rutherford impressed at the Cleveland tournament, finishing seventh in the 152-pound weight class.
Rutherford (15-7) won her first two matches by pin, including a second-round victory over Farmington’s Ioanna Ueanimatang. After a series of win-loss results, Rutherford secured her spot in the seventh-place qualifier, where she won by pin against Bloomfield’s Cheyann Miller.
The Bluejays continue their road to state with a trip to Pagosa this weekend, followed by a visit to North Fork on Jan. 18. They will host a dual meet on Jan. 24 before heading to Ignacio for a tournament on Jan. 25.
The Panthers have a busy schedule this month, with the boys competing in a tournament in Ignacio and the girls heading to Gunnison this weekend. The teams will reunite for a tri-meet with Monticello and Dolores in Monticello, Utah, on Jan. 15. They will then travel to Aztec for a tournament on Jan. 17-18. The Panthers will host Bayfield in a dual on Jan. 21 before heading to Page, Arizona, for the Sand Devil Classic on Jan. 24-25. They will wrap up the month with a crossover dual on Jan. 30.
