The Durango High School girls wrestling squad faced some good competition to wrap up the regular season last weekend in Canon City and Littleton, with multiple Demons placing.
On Friday, the Demons competed in the Ladies Canon City Classic in Canon City, competing against 42 other schools. The Demons, despite taking a smaller squad, finished ninth, with juniors Aleia Fenberg, Lillian Fenberg and Marie Baker placing.
The final stop of the road trip for the Demons was the Chatfield Lady War Horse Invitational at Chatfield Senior High School in Littleton on Saturday. Durango faced 29 other schools, finishing 19th.
“It went well,” Durango girls wrestling head coach Ryan McGrath said about the weekend. “We took some wear and tear, which at this point of the season, you try and avoid that. But the athletes wrestled intentionally, and they were smart. We saw good matches against the people we have to compete with at regionals and further on at state.”
Aleia was the top placer for the Demons in Canon City, finishing second at 125 pounds. It was a change in weight for Aleia, who had been wrestling at 130 for most of the year. McGrath said she and Lillian dropped some weight so they could use their athleticism as more of an edge.
Seeded second at 125, Aleia pinned her first two opponents before beating Fountain-Fort Carson’s Valeri Wolf, 22-10, in the quarterfinals. Aleia also beat Mia Mendoza from La Junta, 13-0, in the semifinals, setting up a finals matchup with Holy Family’s Breezey Johnston.
Aleia had an 8-3 lead after the first two periods, but Johnston finished strong for the 14-12 win. Despite the loss McGrath was happy with how Aleia strategically worked her way through the match.
Lillian was seeded fifth at 135 pounds and finished third. She pinned her first three opponents, including a win in the quarterfinals over Pueblo Central’s Willow Ashby. Lillian was then matched up with No. 1 seed Addy Krug from Lamar in the semifinals. Krug got the best of Lillian with a pin. Lillian bounced back to pin her two opponents in the consolation bracket to get third place.
“That semifinal match wasn’t a question of skill, wasn’t a question of wrestling, it was really a little bit of decision making,” McGrath said. “So it was a great lesson to learn from. Lillian has been doing a great job controlling her matches … I’m really happy about where she is right now, and as she goes into regionals, she’s going to be very productive.”
Baker finished fourth at 120 pounds in Canon City. She pinned her first two opponents, but lost 11-2 to Chloe Kendall from Palmer Ridge in the quarterfinals. Baker won her first two consolation bracket matches before losing to Kendall again in the third-place match.
On Saturday at Chatfield High School, Aleia and Lillian led the way, finishing third in their respective weight classes.
McGrath liked the difference between the two tournaments. Canon City was a great tournament for the girls to compete against wrestlers they’ll see in regionals, while the Chatfield Lady War Horse had a lot of tough competition from 5A schools that the Demons might see at state.
Aleia finished third at 125 pounds, winning her first two matches before losing in the quarterfinals to Lexie Amendt from Sedgwick County/Fleming Girls via pin. Aleia bounced back to win her to matches in the consolation bracket to get third.
Lillian also won her first two matches before she was pinned by Columbine’s Makena Heston. Lillian also won her two consolation bracket matches to get third.
Baker finished sixth at 120. She won her first two matches, but lost to Kiahna Spellman from Brighton in the quarterfinals. Baker won her first consolation bracket match, but lost her next two and finished sixth. Baker has been managing a shoulder issue, and McGrath has been trying to manage Baker’s wrestling so that she’s as close to 100% for the postseason.
“The results don’t reflect Marie’s wrestling,” McGrath said. “On the second day, her shoulder was tired, and Marie was tired … The goal was, ‘Can we wrestle for two days?’ We were taking it match-by-match and definitely curating the effort she was putting through that shoulder … I didn’t feel a stupendous need to place high and risk damaging that shoulder for the season.”
Durango has more than a week off before competing in regionals on Feb. 13 and 14.
Two Durango boys wrestlers place in Canon City
The Durango High School boys wrestling team also faced some tough competition in Canon City, with sophomores Cash Silva and Ryder Martyn placing for the Demons.
Out of 40 schools competing, Durango finished 16th.
Martyn, wrestling at 138, finished third. He pinned his first two opponents and won 15-0 in the quarterfinals over Vinny D’amico from Doherty. In the semifinals, Martyn lost to Taylor Torres from Walsenburg via pin. Martyn bounced back to beat D’amico again in the third-place match.
Silva finished fourth at 132. He pinned his first two opponents and beat Fountain-Fort Carson’s Nathaniel Santos, 10-6, in the quarterfinals. Silva then lost to Montrose’s Aadin Gonzales in the semifinals, 16-5. Silva won his first consolation bracket match, then lost in the third-place match to Northridge’s Leland Camacho.
The Demons head to Fruita Monument High School to compete in a tri against Fruita and Chatfield on Saturday.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
