While heading to all corners of the region to find the big calendar-ending invitationals, Mancos, Dove Creek, Dolores, and Montezuma-Cortez found stern tests to round out action before the holiday break.
Both Dolores and Dove Creek made their way to Walsenburg to test their early season progress at the Pete and Ina Gomez Invitational and Walsenburg JV Invite. Headlining the Dove Creek weekend over Dec. 15-16, Teagan Larimore posted four victories on the way to a title at 120 pounds, capped by a pin of Bear Creek’s Jose Fuentes in the championship match.
At 215, Frankey Montoya went 2-1 with two pins to his name on his way to a runner-up finish in the invitational. Chad Kline went 3-2 at 132 pounds, taking sixth place in the meet, joining Cael Beanland (2-2, 113 pounds) and Cody Alexander (2-2, 144 pounds) with multiple wins on the day.
Konnor Spigner (1-2, 150 pounds) and Wade Conner (1-2, 126 pounds) also took to the mat for head coach Colten Huskey’s program, with every Bulldog walking away with at least one win.
Much of the Dolores squad took to the mat as part of the Walsenburg Invite one day earlier than the Gomez Invitational, and enjoyed plenty of victories.
Nathan Hill, Zach Taylor and Tristan Schuster all posted records of 5-1 in the meet, as each claimed third place in their respective division. Hill won a tight 7-5 decision over Liam Moore from Palmer Ridge at 138 pounds, while Taylor pinned La Junta’s Jacob Madrid at 150 pounds, while four pins for Schuster landed him the bronze finish.
Jacob Stepp (2-2, 165 pounds), Jake Vreeken (2-2, 144 pounds), River Wickstrom (2-2, 138 pounds), Dylan Koskie (2-2, 132 pounds), and Kenji Edwards (1-2, 120 pounds) all picked up victories for head coach Casen Eldridge’s Bears. In the Pete and Ina Gomez Invite, several Bears turned around and battled again, with Hill (1-2) and Wickstrom (2-2) claiming wins.
In Arizona, the Mancos Bluejays took part in the ninth Annual Veterans Memorial Invite hosted by Fort Defiance. As a team, the Jays took third in their division, with Dillon Eichner claiming multiple wins, while Brandon and Colten Vannest took home wins. Jacob Martin, Tegan Mestas, and Cole Dainty-Guilfoyle also helped Mancos to a 2-2 record in the dual meet format featuring some of Arizona’s best wrestling teams.
Montezuma-Cortez, meanwhile, took their squad to the Grand Valley for action at Fruita Monument and the Warrior Classic. A couple of Panthers posted wins in the big invites, with David Vreeken taking home a win from Grand Junction Central, while Bodie Stiegelmeyer found success in Fruita.
Action resumes in 2024 with a quad meet from Dolores on Friday, Jan. 5, with M-CHS, Monticello, and Ignacio set to square off against the Bears in their lone home matches of the season. The following day, Dove Creek heads to Gunnison to jump-start their resumption of action, while Mancos heads to Rio Rancho, New Mexico, for a tournament hosted by Cleveland High School on Jan. 5-6.
