The Ryan Dugan era of Durango High School boys wrestling is over, but that doesn’t mean head coach Jason Silva is done sending quality wrestlers to the state championships.
Durango’s girls wrestling team has a new leader in Ryan McGrath, but the Demons return their top four wrestlers, including the two that went to state last year.
Dugan was one of the best wrestlers in program history, finishing his senior year second in 4A at 126 pounds. He won over 20 tournaments, had a career record of 181-25 and made it to state multiple times.
“I'm feeling really good,” Silva said. “We're turning over new leaf; our senior leadership that we had last year has graduated. It's time for new kids to step up so it's transitional … the community is going to see some new faces prove themselves this year.”
One wrestler who is ready to step up in Dugan’s place is sophomore Ryder Martyn. As a freshman, Martyn announced himself as a top wrestler by finishing fifth at state at 132 pounds.
Silva said Martyn has taken every opportunity to get better in the offseason by attending all the camps and tournaments the coaches asked him to. That was a common theme for the team, as everyone was in the wrestling room in the summer, getting ready for the start of the 2025-2026 season. Martyn will wrestle at 138 pounds this year and is ranked second in the state at 138 pounds in the preseason, according to Silva.
Durango boys wrestling is also returning to other state qualifiers from last year with seniors Jake Belt and Asher Thiessen. Belt competed at 165 pounds last year and is moving up to 175 pounds this year. Thiessen was a surprise state qualifier last season, as he was on junior varsity only two weeks before regionals. After wrestling at 138 pounds last season, Thiessen is expected to move up to 144 pounds.
“They've had to get that leadership out of them,” Silva said about Belt and Thiessen. “I've asked for help in that and I said, ‘I need your support. You guys are the seniors, and you guys need to push this through; you guys are running the show this year.’ They're getting the hang of it.”
With three returners from state last season, Silva is also expecting some younger wrestlers to step up. Sophomore Isaiah Aguilar will compete at 126 pounds; Cash Silva will wrestle at 132 pounds; Keenan Aragon is back to wrestle somewhere in the 150-pound range after struggling with injuries last year.
The Durango boys will have plenty of local meets this year, with Durango beginning its season on Saturday in Bayfield for the Wolverine Classic. The Demons will host their first match on Thursday against Farmington. A highlight of the schedule with high-level competition is always the Warrior Classic in Grand Junction, happening on Dec. 19. The Conflict in Cleveland is another big tournament with 60 teams expected to compete. Durango will host two more meets on Jan. 7 and 29.
Silva is excited for his team to improve throughout the year, even if that means taking some losses along the way. He’s optimistic there won’t be too many losses and his team will perform after all the work they put in during the summer.
On the girls’ side, the Demons return their two state wrestlers in juniors Marie Baker and Aleia Fenberg. McGrath thinks Durango can get more than two this year.
“We have a great team, and I've got three who either qualified or were knocking on the door for qualifying at state last year,” McGrath said. We have some expectations that they're going to lead the charge. We've got some solid athletes that have come up from middle school, and some kids that are putting the work in.
“Wrestling is beautiful because the truth is there on the mat,” McGrath continued. “These kids work hard and keep their focus. There's not a reason that we don't qualify a substantial amount of the team.”
McGrath has nine wrestlers on his first team, all of whom he’s excited about. Baker and Fenberg are the headliners. Baker finished 2-2 at state last year and didn’t place; Fenberg went 0-2 and didn’t place.
Baker is fast and effective heading into her junior year, according to McGrath. He thinks she can be a contender to place at state; McGrath thinks she’ll end up at 120 pounds, but he said none of the girls’ weight classes are set in stone.
Fenberg, like Baker, can make it to state this year as a junior with her athleticism and competitiveness.
“Broadly by the junior season, we should be talking about state places,” McGrath said. “I expect my underclassmen, in your freshman year, you figure out what's going on. In your sophomore year, maybe you qualify. But when you're a junior, you should have sort of a blueprint to place.”
Fenberg’s twin, Lillian, came close to qualifying for state last year, but was disqualified during her regional match. McGrath has enjoyed coaching the twins and seeing their differences. He thinks Aleia is a little faster, while Lillian is a little stronger.
Outside of those returners, McGrath has been impressed by freshman Haidyn Albrecht. McGrath coached her brothers in the past and isn’t surprised she hit the ground running with skill coming from a wrestling family. Fellow freshman Timber Zink is a tireless worker. Sophomore Sydney McAllister has an analytical mind and thinks about wrestling like it’s chess, according to McGrath.
The Durango girls don’t have any home meets this season as they begin their season in Pueblo Central on Friday, but they do have some local meets in Aztec on Wednesday and in Bayfield on Jan. 15.
“The expectation I discussed with them is there's a difference between being beaten or submitting,” McGrath said. “Beaten is, ‘At the end of the clock, the end of the whistle, this girl was better than me’. Submitting is ‘This is hard. Things aren't going my way, and I'm going to take myself mentally out of this … I don't want anybody to submit … I told them, win or lose, fight till the end, and then we'll build from there.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
