Bayfield High School wrestled at one of the toughest tournaments around on Saturday, the Warrior Classic in Grand Junction.
Keaton Pickering and Deegan Barnes both reached the podium with fourth-place finishes to lead the Wolverines.
Wrestling at 126 pounds, Pickering began the tournament with a 5-0 win. Pickering lost to eventual champion Dayson Torgerson of Richfield (Utah) 7-1 in the quarterfinals, but won his next three matches 5-4, 5-4 and 5-1. Pickering then faced Kamron Alegria of Montrose in the third-place match, but lost 7-2.
Barnes pinned his first opponent at 165 pounds, then beat Devin Hickey of Central Grand Junction 4-3 in the quarterfinals.
Barnes then faced the eventual champ, Ritchie Bruno of Brush, but lost a narrow 7-6 decision in the semis.
Barnes responded by pinning Trent Tagert of Fruita Monument in under one minute, but he got pinned in third-place match by Christian Hartle of Uintah (Utah).
Six other Wolverines also scored team points for Bayfield. Hunter Mars went 1-2 at 106 pounds. Logan Valencia went 1-2 with a technical fall at 120. Zayden Cundiff pinned one foe to finish 1-2 at 144. Jason Michaeli went 1-2 with a pin at 150. Donovan Candelaria went 1-2 with a 2-1 win at 157. Jordan Cundiff also went 1-2 with a pin at 285.
Uintah (Utah) had four champions and won the team title with 286.5 points, followed by Central Grand Junction (177), Meeker (176), Fruita Monument (174), Brush (151) and Montrose in sixth (142). Pagosa Springs finished 11th (72), Bayfield finished 17th out of the 39 teams with 52.5 points and Montezuma Cortez finished 35th (17).
Instead of wrestling at the Warrior Classic this year, the Durango Demons headed to Widow Rock, Arizona, and wrestled nine duals in two days at the Veterans Memorial Invitational. DHS went 5-4 in the duals.
Durango got pins from Ryan Dugan at 126 and Chris McGrath at 150, both of whom are ranked in Class 4A, in its first match to beat Tuba City 54-12.
After a bye, DHS fell 48-29 to Blue Ridge. Dugan won by a 19-3 technical fall, and Riley Belt pinned his 138-pound opponent for DHS.
DHS then beat Gallup 48-30, getting pins from Izik Garret at 126, McGrath and Dale Harris at 190.
Against Bloomfield, Belt, McGrath, James Storm (165) and Dillon Harris (126) all pinned their opponents, but DHS fell to the Bobcats, 51-30.
Only four matches were contested in the team’s dual with Many Farms, but Durango won all four to win the dual, 54-6. Jacob Belt (144), Jacob Martinez (157), Dale Harris and Garrett pinned their foes for DHS.
DHS fell 48-33 to Holbrook, but got pins from McGrath, Dale Harris, Elijah Ponce at 113 and a 6-4 decision from Riley Belt.
Against Del Valle, McGrath, Storm, Dugan (120) Garrett and Jacob Belt all pinned their opponents, but forfeits hurt DHS and Del Valle won 48-30 despite only winning one contested match.
Forfeits also hurt the team in a 39-36 loss to Verrado. Storm, Dale Harris, Ponce, Riley Belt and McGrath all won by fall.
DHS then squared off with Round Valley in its final dual and finished the tournament with a 39-18 win.
Dale Harris won a 7-4 decision while Dugan, Riley Belt, Jacob Belt and McGrath all pinned their opponents.
Farmington won the tournament, beating second-place Miyamura 42-36. DHS finished fourth in the gray bracket and then second in the fourth-place pool.
Durango also had four girls from its wrestling team compete in Widow Rock at the fourth annual Girls Veterans Memorial Invitational.
Brooke Fenberg lost her first match at 120, but won six matches in a row after that to finish third. She pinned four of her opponents, including Mackenzie Butler of Moriarty in the third-place match, to win bronze.
Hana Maletich went 2-2 at 114, Teresa Benac went 2-2 at 126 and Amiah Hanson went 1-2 t 132 for DHS. The Demons finished 15th out of 30 teams at the tournament.
The Ignacio wrestling team, meanwhile, sent five wrestlers to the Pete and Ina Gomez Invitational at John Mall High School in Walsenburg, and three reached the podium.
Asher Gallegos placed third at 144 to lead Ignacio. Gallegos won two matches by close decisions, but lost a close 6-3 decision in his third-place match.
John Nossaman went 2-2 with a pin and a 10-5 decision at 165 to finish fourth.
Zach Pontine, meanwhile, pinned three opponents to place sixth at 138.
At 113, Joshua Kerrigan went 2-2 with a pair of pins. Dillon Brann also pinned one opponent at 120 and finished 1-2 at the tournament.
As a team, Ignacio finished 15th out of the 30 teams who competed at the tournament with 48 points. Trinidad finished first with 184.5, followed by Lamar (172) and La Junta (171).
The three boys and girls wrestling teams from the county are all scheduled to return to the mat Jan. 6 in Bayfield at the La Plata County Tri.
