The stands were full and fans were excited at Durango High School for a boys wrestling match between the Demons and the Montezuma-Cortez Panthers for battle of the Alumni Cup on Thursday.
The Panthers proved to be too tough for the Demons, as Montezuma-Cortez took the cup, winning 39-36.
“It was nice to win; the kids fought tough, especially coming to Durango because they’re a tough school, but they’re banged up a little bit,” Montezuma-Cortez head coach Shad Bellimier said. “Overall, I was impressed because (Durango) comes out fighting and swinging. It sometimes is just a scramble, you know. Every wrestler has a different style, and it’s just who can come out on top.”
Durango only had three wins on the night. Tristan Martinez pinned Garret Boren in the 126-pound weight class, and Cameron Jobs pinned Matthew Broughton at 120 pounds. Kaleb McMunn also pinned Briggs Durban.
The rest of Durango’s points came from forfeits in the 160, 170, 195 and 220 weight classes.
Between both the Demons and the Panthers there were seven forfeits.
“We did some things well, but some of our fundamentals were really off,” Durango High School head coach Leo Garand said. “We can’t let our hips get to the mat. We can’t let the guy get into our legs otherwise we’re giving up points, and that’s exactly what cost us. Just fundamental errors.”
The night began with the Montezuma-Cortez’s Stevie Fuentes beating Durango’s Pablo Smagacz at 106 pounds in a 5-0 decision. Other wins from the Panthers came from Jared Gray, who beat Jordan Belt at 132 pounds 6-0; and Josh Ramos, who beat Ty Thorsheim at 138 pounds in a 6-3 minor decision.
The last match of the night was between Durango’s Zayne Gillen and Montezuma-Cortez’s Victor Perez in the 285-pound heavyweight match. The two heavyweights battled tough, and Perez who was victorious over Gillen in a 4-2 minor decision.
Despite having a young roster, the Demons feel like they’re making progress every week.
“I think I did pretty good compared to what I’ve been doing,” Gillen said about his loss. “For the rest of the season, I feel like I’m one of the stronger wrestlers on the mat. I feel like I’ve been improving through the year.”
Durango will be on the ad Saturday at the Arvada West tournament. The Demons will return home to take on Aztec at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
jmentzer@durangoherald.com
