With only two seniors out of 22 wrestlers competing for Durango High School’s wrestling team, first-year head coach Leo Garand is in full teaching mode, and the Demons took a big step forward in their first difficult test.
Durango went 3-5 as a team facing the stiff competition of the Wade Hendershott Peaks Wrestling Tournament in Flagstaff, Arizona, where some of the best teams in the region locked up over the weekend.
Cole Gustavson highlighted what Garand called a “measuring stick” weekend by going 10-0 over the two days and winning the 170-pound weight class.
Freshman Issaac Barela was another bright spot for the Demons. Barela finished the action with a 4-3 record along with junior Tristan Martinez, Austin Counts and Devin Pound.
“It’s rough going to a dual match tournament this early in the season, but that’s why we do it and this was a good experience for us,” said Garand in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “They always have good talent in Arizona and it was nice to see several of our guys pick up their first varsity wins. We’re a young group and the boys rose to the occasion in every match.”
The Demons had to forfeit 24 points because some of the weight classes couldn’t be filled, but Durango competed admirably. Barela, Counts, Martinez and Pound nearly wrestled their way into the semifinals of the tournament and Gustavson’s effort was proof that he has what it takes to compete with the top talent in the state.
“I’ve been taking teams to this meet for years,” said Garand. “Any wrestler I’ve had win in his weight class has gone on to compete at the state meet.”
With such a young team, veteran leadership to go along with hard work and technical skills is valuable for a first year coach to have. While they might not have veterans in numbers, Gustavson and fellow senior David Etz are doing their part to get the younger guys on board, in shape and technically sound.
“(Cole and David) have great fundamentals, which is good for me because we’re trying to lay down a baseline of fundamentals and effort to build off of,” Garand said. “With two seniors, our nucleus is young, but the future looks great.”
While the varsity squad was in Arizona, a junior varsity round-robin meet in Aztec saw sophomore Manasseh Brockus win the 220-pound weight class and Chandler Schneider won the heavyweight class.
Next up for Durango is a Friday dual match in Delta and a tournament to follow on Saturday.
jfries@durangoherald.com
