It’s hard to imagine things going much better for the Mancos wrestling team on the opening day of the 2023 2A State Championships.
Six Bluejays posted opening-round victories on the Ball Arena mats Thursday, setting the stage for an exciting couple of days ahead.
Five of the six wins came via pins, as first-year head coach Ty Penning’s squad utilized their state experience to shine bright under the pressure of the state’s fiercest stage.
Both Bluejays seniors made short work of their opening round opposition, as Isaiah Martinez’ second state appearance opened with a pin of Buena Vista’s Tucker Montoya in the second period. Martinez (36-7) advances to take on Andrew Isek of St. Mary’s in the quarterfinal on Friday.
Requiring even less time than his Class of ’23 compatriot, Mancos senior Ayden Mathews (165 pounds) needed less than a minute to take care of Buena Vista’s Carter Stromer in the opening round. Mathews (33-7) now will face Cedaredge’s Kole Hawkins in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Mancos junior Levi Martin began his march to a third podium appearance with a win in the opening round, requiring just 90 seconds to dispatch of Burlington’s Jason Saucedo. Martin (39-4) moves on in the 132-pound field, set to face a tough task against John Mall’s Bernard Espinoza in the quarters.
Classmate Cole Dainty-Guilfoyle (175 lb.) continued the trend of first period wins, toppling Center’s Devin Thompson in the opening frame to move on in the field. Dainty-Guilfoyle (38-3) will face West Grand’s Chris Wellington in the quarters.
Junior Elliot Sam (29-12) earned a tremendous win in his state opener, winning his heavyweight battle with Hayden’s Aaron Fuentes via a third period pin. Sam is making his first appearance in the state championships, and now moves on to take on Meeker’s Tanner Musser in the quarterfinals.
Sophomore Brandon Vannest (138 lb.) made his state debut memorable with an opening-round win, topping Elijah Martin of Discovery Canyon with a 10-2 major decision to move on. Vannest’s (35-7) next opponent will be Mario Ortiz in the round of eight.
In perhaps the toughest battle of the day, Mancos freshman Jacob Martin (29-16) fell in his state debut at 144, dropping a back-and-forth encounter with North Fork’s Lane Stroh, 6-4, to fall into the consolation bracket.
Another freshman making his maiden voyage at state – Colten Vannest (190 lb.) – dropped his opener to Hayden’s Cody Hawn, meaning the Bluejay (21-19) will take on Cedaredge’s Jacob Anderson on Friday.
Dove Creek’s Tyson Beanland (25-7, 150 pounds) ran into a tough test in the first round, falling to St. Mary’s Dominick Cuccinelli in the opening period to drop into the consolation bracket as well. He will face Hayden’s Sabyn Hager in the consolation bracket on Friday.
Quarterfinal and consolation bracket competition will dominate the mats on Friday, before the semifinals and championship matches take center stage on Saturday in Denver.
