For all the area schools, the trend is clear – wrestling is back in the Four Corners.
After a couple of seasons with lighter numbers, Dolores High School wrestling joins the uptick in program growth across the region, building a positive energy that head coach Casen Eldredge hopes will translate into success on and off the mat this winter.
Under the guidance of Eldredge and assistant coach Melody Harris, who will guide the girls program, the Bears look to make waves in the 2A regional field this upcoming February.
Seniors Braden Schmittel and Ethen Robson pace the way for the Bears, in competition as well as in practice. Schmittel, taking on the role of captain in his final year in red and black, looks to help bring along a youthful group that’s hungry for success.
Robson, meanwhile, is no stranger to tangling with some of the area’s strongest athletes – as a linebacker for the Dolores football program, Robson led the team in tackles.
“We appreciate that they lead by example,” added Harris of the senior leaders.
The Bears brought half of their squad to Dove Creek for the Dawg Fight on Saturday, Dec. 10, and learned plenty from their tough challenges against area powers Mancos and Dove Creek.
“We’re focused on getting everyone healthy for after the holiday break,” said Eldredge, “and from there, the goal is to make sure that we’re improving every week.”
“The tenacity is there,” added Eldredge, “and that determination to not give up is something that we’ll build on for the future.”
Meanwhile, Dolores is the only area school with a girls program this season, and the Bears have three athletes set to take the mat this winter. After CHSAA added girls wrestling as a separate classification two years ago, DHS has looked to continue to build off the initial interest shown last year.
“The girls are starting to get a feel for it,” said Harris of the girls program, which includes a pair of DHS seniors, including multisport athlete Akima Edwards, “and we see that there’s plenty of potential there.”
Both Eldredge and Harris bring plenty of knowledge to the circle, having both competed at the collegiate level.
“We’re building a culture at DHS that teaches these athletes to be strong-willed and dedicated,” said Harris, “and that requires that the kids coming out and trusting their coaches and pushing each other.”
One more tournament awaits the Bears before the holidays, when they join Dove Creek in their eastward trip to Walsenburg for the John Mall-hosted Pete and Ina Gomez Tournament on Dec. 16-17. The Bears have home matches to look forward to in 2023, with a home dual meet against Monticello and M-CHS on Jan. 12, then the San Juan Basin League dual matches to cap the regular season on Feb. 4.
The girls program will head to the Rocky Mountain Invitational on Jan. 7, along with a tournament in Page, Arizona, on Jan. 20-21.
Both programs will travel for their respective regional championships on Feb. 10-11, with the boys team going to Hayden while the girls will visit Battle Mountain in Edwards.
“The goal is to not only build good athletes,” added Eldredge, “but good people, as well, and this sport teaches so much about preparing for life beyond wrestling.”
