At this point in the season, underclassmen wrestlers have gained some of the experience and savvy to make decisions that would belie their age.
That’s an important stride for the Dove Creek wrestling team, whose typically high program ambitions rest on the shoulders of plenty of Class of 2026 and 2027 student-athletes.
Even the team’s lone senior, Cody Alexander, making his high school wrestling debut this year, is proving to be a quick study for head coach Colten Huskey’s Bulldogs. Jumping from the gridiron to the mat, Alexander leads a team with one junior and four underclassmen in the midst of another strong year.
A few wins in dual matches against Norwood and Dolores in the Bulldogs’ first home matches certainly helped with the building confidence and technique development.
“It was good to get some extra mat time,” said Alexander of the team’s wins over the Mavericks and Bears, “and it allowed me some time to practice working on my shots and trying to improve my neutral game.”
All six Bulldogs own winning records this season, and Alexander’s 20-plus victories headline the list. In the Nucla-Norwood Invite over the weekend of Jan. 13, the senior won all five of his matches, leading a parade of Bulldogs at or near the top of the podium.
Alexander credits assistant coach Matt Beanland for inspiring him to cap his senior year with a sport that Alexander had done during his junior high years. “He’s a really good coach,” said Alexander, “and my time playing football has really helped me here, especially being explosive and getting through my opponent.”
Junior Frankey Montoya – also a top finisher at Nucla – continues a strong third season, having climbed up to one of the top wrestlers in the region in the 215-pound classification.
Meanwhile, the core of the program has become its underclassmen, with freshmen composing half the squad. Cael Beanland, Teagan Larimore, and Konnor Spigner join sophomore Chad Kline as part of the foundation for the future of Bulldogs wrestling.
“These guys have been willing to come to the wrestling room and work hard,” said Huskey of Alexander and his teammates. “They’ve pushed each other.”
Kline has become a force at 126 pounds – taking first place in their most recent invite as well – while Larimore (120 pounds), Beanland (113 pounds), and Spigner (150 pounds.) all finished within the top three in their weight divisions. All told, the Bulldogs will certainly plan to leave a big imprint on the San Juan Basin League meet, which they host on Thursday, Feb. 1 in the Dawg House.
“We’ve got a lot of talent on this team,” added Alexander, “I believe that every single one of us has a chance to go to state.”
“We’ve faced and beaten a lot of quality competition throughout the season, so it’s really exciting to see the drive from the kids,” added Huskey, “every match is important, and we’ve encouraged these guys to focus on each one, knowing that we’re all working toward regionals.”
The Bulldogs have three meets remaining before the league and regional championships in early February. A trip to Hotchkiss kicks off the home stretch with the North Fork Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 20, followed by one more small triangular matchup at home against Monument Valley and Ignacio on Tuesday, Jan. 23. Ignacio will also host the final tune up for the Bulldogs before the SJBL meet and the regional meet on the following weekend.
For the Dolores Bears, the underclassmen production continues to drive the program on an upward trajectory, with the hopes that the payoff will come with the onset of the championship portion of the season.
Freshman River Wickstrom owns the best record of all the Bears this season, sitting above .500 with just a couple weeks remaining in his first high school campaign. A pair of wins against Dove Creek and Norwood continued to push his belief that he’ll be a factor in the SJBL and regional this year.
“I’ve done a lot better with wrestling to win, rather than wrestling to not lose,” said Wickstrom of his ongoing improvement, “I had been giving up points that I shouldn’t in recent matches, so I knew that I’d have to take it at my pace.”
Wickstrom downed Norwood’s Keegan Tackett, 9-6, in the first of his two wins on the evening. “Coach (Casen Eldridge) asks us to bring our intensity us,” added Wickstrom, “and that we’re until it for all three periods” – something that the Bears are doing with increased frequency with each passing week.
The Bears will head to Page, AZ on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 19-20 for their action in this week, then joining Dove Creek in Ignacio for the final regular season tournament, before a return to the Dawg House floor for the SJBL championships.
