Pagosa Springs might have beat Bayfield Friday in a wrestling dual 54-30, but the Wolverines won more of the matches that were actually contested.
The Wolverines spotted Pagosa 30 points with five forfeits but proceeded to outscore the Pirates 30-24 in head-to-head bouts.
“We actually outwrestled Pagosa today, which was good to see,” said BHS head coach Todd McMenimen. “It was definitely a good start to the season.”
The Wolverines scored their 30 points via five pins.
Seniors James Mars (138 pounds) and Deegan Barnes (152) both pinned their opponents in the first period while senior Kobe Prior (170) pinned David Morehouse midway in the second period of their match.
“The upperclassmen came through and looked good,” McMenimen said. “They all look really strong where they’re at, but they can come down a weight if they choose too.”
In the lower weights, Darron Boling (113) and Keaton Pickering (120) also pinned their opponents in the second periods of their matches.
Pickering nearly qualified for the state tournament last year. He placed second at the regional championships and only the top two advanced to state, opposed to four, but he lost the spot in a wrestle-back.
The coach said that’s given him some extra fire heading into this season. “I think he’s going to be real tough at 120,” McMenimen said.
At 285 pounds, Jordan Cundiff faced Kaden McKee, who bumped up a weight class to face him. The match was scoreless going into the third period, but McKee got a pin.
Mars Hunter (106), Avery Mitzlaff (126) and Cael Blunt (132) also competed for the Wolverines but lost by fall.
Bayfield has 24 wrestlers this season, including two girls.
“Our numbers are up,” McMenimen said. “We’re a little green, but that’s to be expected.” The coach said the middle school didn’t have a wrestling season last year and some other kids took last year off because of COVID-19.
Eight of the wrestlers will compete for the varsity position in the three lowest weights. “We’re really heavy in the lower weights,” McMenimen said. “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores that didn’t wrestle last year, but I’m really impressed with their effort everyday in the room. They’re coming around pretty quick.”
The coach also said the team’s girls will kind of combine with Durango’s girls wrestling team to compete in some girls competitions. He also said they’ll try to do some extra junior varsity stuff to help get the kids some more experience.
The Wolverines will next wrestle at Aztec at 6 p.m. Thursday and then wrestle in the Delta tournament Saturday.
“Delta is a good chance to see some kids in our region that we don’t normally get to see,” McMenimen said.
With some solid upperclassmen to lead the team, the coach is optimistic about the season.
“We’ve got a really good groups of leaders this year that demonstrate how things need to happen. I’m really impressed with that,” the coach said. “We’re definitely going in the right direction, and I’m looking forward to a successful season.”
