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Four area wrestlers returned from the Colorado state wrestling championships last weekend with medals.
Montezuma-Cortez senior Victor Perez was the top finisher in second place, Dolores junior Brandon Ward and Dove Creek senior Case Baughman each took third place, and Mancos senior Drew Morgan finished sixth.
M-CHS brings home silver
Competing in the heavyweight division of Class 3A, Perez became the sixth M-CHS wrestler in the past four years to make the finals.
Perez won by fall in his first three matches to move into the finals, pinning each of his first three opponents in the first period.
“He was hitting some moves that we’ve worked on, but he just put it all together finally,” head coach Shad Bellmire said. “One thing didn’t work, and he went to the other, and once he got a throw in and got them on their back he was holding on for life to try and put them away.”
“He had it in him,” he continued. “He was hungry and he came out and this is his first time at the Pepsi Center, and he stepped up to the challenge.”
Bellmire noted that Perez nearly had eventual champion Sam deSeriere on his back in the finals, but that deSeriere was able to finish him off with a pin in 2:34 to win.
Freshman Matthew Broughton (120) and junior Josh Ramos also represented M-CHS at the state tournament.
Bellmire said that as a freshman in his first trip to the Pepsi Center, Broughton’s stomach was in knots during his first match, which ended in a 4-2 loss to Oswaldo Nunez of Brush.
But in his second match, Broughton took control early and went on to win by a 12-0 major decision.
“Then in that second match he stepped it up and learned how to deal with that pressure,” Bellmire said.
Although Broughton was eliminated in his next match in a 9-0 loss to fifth-place finisher Koletan Hafey of Faith Christian, Bellmire said that his first experience in the state tournament will be beneficial.
“Most guys that go and get a chance to see and don’t get to come home with a medal, it leaves a bad taste in their mouth,” he said. “So he’ll remember it next year and just work harder and be more mature as he goes in to prep to get there.”
Junior Josh Ramos began his tournament against eventual champion Aaron Trujillo from Valley, falling in a 10-4 decision.
“Josh is a good solid wrestler, he just didn’t come out with his stuff,” Bellmire said. “He’s a scramble type of guy, and we never got in there and tried to create something.”
Ramos’ second match was a nail-biter.
Taking on Lance Shoulderblade from La Junta, Ramos battled, and the two ended the third period knotted at four.
But in the sudden-death overtime, Shoulderblade was able to earn two take down points to eliminate Ramos in a 6-4 win.
Just as Broughton can use his trip to state as a learning experience, Bellmire believes Ramos will grow from the occurrence.
“I’m thankful that we’ll have him for another year, and he’ll learn from that as well,” Bellmire said. “I have no doubts that we’ll get him back to the Pepsi Center and things will be different.”
Bellmire said that he believed the season was successful in part because of the contributions made by assistant coaches Ryan Daves and Evan Frost. And he’s excited to see the program continue to grow and improve next season.
Dolores’ Ward wins bronze
Dolores junior Brandon Ward was the Bears’ only competitor, but he came away with a bronze medal.
Wrestling in the Class 2A tournament at 113 pounds, Ward cruised into the semifinals with a 14-1 major decision win in his opener and a win by fall (1:44) in his second match.
“He wrestled really well his first two rounds,” said head coach Dane Gallaher. “He was showing that he’s a seasoned wrestler and those were both matches that he was in control of. He was able to go out there and demonstrate his skills and the hard work that he’s put in this year.”
Ward led to start the third period of his semifinal match against Joe Chavez of Centauri, but Chavez got takedown and escape points to tie the match 7-7 with under a minute remaining. Then, in the closing seconds, Chavez managed a takedown to come away with a 9-7 victory.
“The first match back after that is the toughest, because he really felt like he was at that level and had a chance to wrestle for the championship this year,” Gallaher explained. “So that really took a toll on him. But he bounced back.”
Ward may have still bit a bit flat in his next match against Justin Hinkle of Fowler, but the escape point he earned in the final period proved to be enough to advance, and he moved on with a 1-0 win.
Then, in the third place contest, Rocky Ford’s Dillon Jaramillo built an early lead against Ward and led by two nearing the end of the final period before Ward made his move.
“Brandon was able to work the ankle up to the chest and walk it up and put the kid on his back,” explained Gallaher. “So he got two take down and two near fall to go ahead.”
Ward would jump ahead and hold on to a 9-7 win to secure third place.
“It’s not easy to end your season with a win, so I’m really proud of Brandon and the things he accomplished,” said Gallaher. “And all the guys worked hard in the room, we don’t get there without everybody in the room working hard, so everybody contributed to his win too.”
Dove Creek wins bronze
Also wrestling in the Class 2A tournament, but up a few weight classes at 132 pounds, Dove Creek senior Case Baughman also finished in third place.
Baughman opened on Thursday with a 12-3 major decision win over Wesley Camper of Rye. But in his second match, Baughman fell to the eventual champion, Jeremy Fraser of Rocky Ford, in an 8-5 decision.
Head coach Shane Baughman said they knew it was a tough draw, but he also noted that Case gave Fraser his closest match, as Fraser would roll on, winning the championship by a 16-1 technical fall.
“That was upsetting,” Baughman said of the loss. “But what was really cool was in Case’s senior year – a lot of times seniors can take a loss and just be done, because their one goal was to win the state championship - but Case didn’t. He had a very tough road to go, coming back through the back door.”
But Baughman responded to the loss with a 15-9 win over Joseph Tarin of Wray, he pinned Jacob Bauer from Crowley County and then took down Keith Graham of Sedgwick County-Fleming in a 2-1 decision to get to the third place match.
There, he got up early, and while Centauri’s Brandon Buhr kept it close, Baughman would go on to win, 9-7, to finish third.
Mancos sends two to state
The Mancos Blue Jays had two wrestlers competing in the Class 2A tournament.
Junior Richard Martinez represented the Blue Jays in the 120-pound bracket, and he finished with a 1-2 record.
Martinez opened on Thursday by pinning Justin Traxler of Akron in under a minute.
“He came out hot,” said head coach Grant Hobbs. “He came out with a lot of confidence and came out and took care of business. Took the kid down, put his leg in and turned him and pinned him.”
But in his second match, Martinez fell in an 8-6 decision to fourth place finisher Cruz Muniz of Crowley County. Hobbs said it was a match of hand-control, and the two were tied 6-6 in the final seconds before Muniz earned takedown points to win.
Then in his third match, Martinez was eliminated in a 12-0 loss to sixth place finisher Cameron Wolters of Buena Vista.
“Even though he fell short and got eliminated in that match, he did go out fighting,” noted Hobbs. “It was disappointing and wasn’t our best tournament, but the two kids that beat us were on the podium.”
Mancos’ other qualifier, senior Drew Morgan, wouldn’t go home empty-handed.
Morgan opened with an 11-5 win over Luke Haefeli of Del Norte, before falling to Juan Rodriguez of Yuma in a 21-6 tech fall loss.
Hobbs said that it wasn’t that Morgan wrestled poorly, but that Rodriguez was simply better on his feet and was able to take advantage.
“As a senior, that’s hard,” explained Hobbs. “A lot of kids give up on themselves, a lot of kids fade because they can’t be that state champion.”
However, Morgan would bounce back with two consecutive close wins, first in a 7-4 decision over Hehr Haught from John Mall, and then in a 3-1 sudden victory win over Daimean Feltner of Rocky Ford.
After falling by a 13-3 decision to Jakeob Trujillo of Highland in the consolation semifinals, Morgan faced Rodriguez for the second time, in the fifth-place match.
Hobbs said Morgan wrestled better against Rodriguez in their second meeting, but Rodriguez was able to get Morgan to his back and pinned him to finish fifth.
Morgan finished sixth at 152 pounds, and he is the first state placer for the Blue Jays since Mancos rebooted its wrestling program in 2013-2014.
“Drew had a great tournament,” said Hobbs. “He really stepped up for himself and was bound and determined. And it’s great for him – looking to go to college – to be a state placer.”
