One or two more pins – or even just wins – here or there, and Bayfield probably leaves the Class 3A Boys Wrestling Region III Championships preparing to take a full bus up to Denver.
That’s how close the Wolverines were to qualifying as one for the wrestling season’s grand finale.
Still, a sixth-place finish up at Grand Valley High School wasn’t anything to sneeze or sneer at, considering the company head coach Adam Mars’ crew found itself in. At the two-day tourney’s conclusion, BHS’ Intermountain League rival Centauri was atop the standings; the Falcons piled up 194 points to narrowly defeat the event-hosting Cardinals by only 10.
Delta (166 points) ended up placing third, with Rifle (134) earning the fourth and last team pass into the state championships on Thursday-Saturday. Gunnison (128.5) finished a close fifth, just ahead of Bayfield (119.5).
Three Wolverines, however, are Ball Arena-bound after placing second in their respective divisions. Senior Hunter Mars (25-13 overall) went 2-1 at 113 pounds and lost 6-3 in the weight’s finale to GHS’ Damyon Funk. One weight up, sophomore Connor Martindale (24-12) dominated his first two foes at 120 by technical fall and also defeated Montezuma-Cortez’s Keaton Curleyhair 12-6 in one semifinal. He then squared off against Delta’s Dawsen Drozdik for first place but lost via 16-4 major decision.
Senior Logan Valencia (20-10) ended up second place at 138 after pinning two opponents but then losing to GHS’ Zach Benson via 16-1 technical fall.
Freshman Payson Blouin (18-17) earned a spot at state by going 3-1 at 132 pounds and earning third place via a first-period pin of Centauri’s Konner Horton, who he’d already pinned earlier in the regional before then losing 13-11 to Granby Middle Park’s Tanner Hoover in one semifinal.
Regularly used this winter at 175 pounds, but able to get down to 165 for the trip up to Parachute, junior Justin Westbrook (27-15) will also compete at state thanks to going 3-2 and saving fourth place via a no-contest victory.
TWO GIRLS GOIN’ UP: Competing at the 4A Girls Wrestling Region II Championships in Gunnison, Bayfield girls wrestling head coach Roy Westbrook’s Wolverines scored 49 points and placed 13th, but two of his four competitors qualified for state.
Junior Bailey Blouin (23-10) fared best as she went 3-1 at 125 pounds and ended up placing third after pinning Hotchkiss North Fork’s Ryaunna Rhodes – her third such victim at the meet – in just 48 seconds.
Senior Hannah Taylor (14-18) finished fourth at 110 after wrestling back from a consolation-semi loss to Rifle’s Karisa Craig to beat Edwards Battle Mountain’s Clara Traylor via forfeit, and M-CHS’ Sophie Wright via 11-5 decision.
Moffat County racked up 177.5 points to earn the team title, with Gypsum Eagle Valley (98.5) coming in second, Rifle (82) third.
