Three wrestlers from La Plata County will head back to Denver for the Colorado Girls High School Wrestling Championships next week, after both Bayfield and Durango high schools had qualifiers. It was a successful afternoon for both schools at the Colorado Girls High School Wrestling Region 3 meet at Douglas County High School on Saturday, and while there were no winners, all three qualifiers placed in the top four in their respective weight classes.
Durango had one qualifier in junior Samantha Vasquez, who took second at 147 pounds. It will be her third time qualifying in three seasons, as she won the 147-pound regional last year. On Saturday, Vasquez pinned her first three opponents in dominant fashion. In her opening round, she pinned Lily Steinbach of Douglas County in 51 seconds but had an even quicker pin in the second round against Paige Faler from Vista Ridge in 33 seconds. In her semifinal match, she pinned Olivia Davis from Lewis-Palmer with four seconds remaining in the second period. She would lose the championship match to Hailey Jo Ahsmuhs of Sierra in a narrow 7-6 decision. She will enter the state championships with a 12-2 record overall.
Bayfield will send two of its three female wrestlers to state, as both Shayden French and Lindsay LaMay qualified in their first season of high school wrestling. French, a freshman, took third at 111-pound weight class, as she pinned her first two opponents. In her opening round, she pinned Diamond Davis of La Junta 50 seconds into the first period, and in the second, she pinned Isabella Hanns of Palmer Ridge midway through the second period. French lost her semifinal match to Chailyn Perez of Douglas County, but rebounded well in the playback bracket and took third with a pin over Shelly Sweezy of Manitou Springs with 18 seconds left in the first period. She will enter state with an 8-3 record.
Finally, LaMay, also a freshman, finished in fourth for BHS at 118 pounds. She lost her opening match to Norman Angelique of Vista Ridge and was pinned with 32 seconds left in the first period. She also had to battle through the playback bracket but had good performances. In the second-round match of the playbacks, she pinned Lindsey Flores of Cañon City in the second period, scored a 6-4 decision over Avery Shankles of Chaparral in the quarterfinals and won via forfeit over Bailey Barras in the semifinals. In the third-place match, Trinity Diamond of Woodland Park pinned her 52 second into the first period. She heads to state with a 6-14 record.
The state championships will be held at Thornton High School on Saturday.
bploen@durangoherald.com
