Micah Keys was understandably a little on edge.
Discussing Bayfield 150-pounder Daemon Christner’s pin of Cole Jackson with the Intermountain League Cross-Mountain dual’s referee, the Centauri coach’s appeal was unsuccessful. But even with his Falcons suddenly trailing the hosting Wolverines 26-18 inside BHS Gymnasium Thursday night, Keys knew the event’s outcome would hinge upon the performance of perhaps his best wrestler.
Keys wouldn’t be disappointed.
Third place at 157 pounds during last season’s CHSAA Class 3A State Championships in Denver, now-senior Parker Buhr squared off against Wolverine freshman Cade Grover needing a pin to put CHS on the comeback trail, but mathematically – CHS was set to receive forfeit victories at 165 (Troy Munson) and 215 (Dorian Quintana) pounds – in the clear. And one minute, 36 seconds later, it was ‘mission accomplished.’
Munson, a senior, then claimed his team another six points, putting the Falcons up 30-26, and junior 175-pounder Spencer Smith then avoided disaster against BHS junior Justin Westbrook. Smith had led 3-0 after one period and 9-5 through two, but Westbrook turned the tide in the third and nearly had Smith pinned – only to see Smith then reverse the action and make the stick 44 ticks in. Quintana then claimed his forfeit and, with neither team represented at heavyweight, it was all over, with Centauri recording a 42-26 win on Bayfield’s designated Senior Night.
The Wolverines had started off well; after Falcon senior Mathew Salazar – third at State in ’24 at 106 pounds – pinned junior Alan Boling in 1:20, Bayfield senior Hunter Mars dominated freshman Erik Garcia at 113 and turned a 7-0 first-period advantage into a 17-0 technical-fall triumph 1:56 into the second.
Bayfield sophomore Connor Martindale then received a forfeit win at 120 pounds and freshman Max Johnston defeated CHS freshman Levy Recinos 13-8 at 126 – increasing BHS’ early lead to 14-6. Centauri junior Konner Horton then pinned Bayfield’s Payson Blouin at 132 pounds, and sophomore teammate Aiden Knecht greatly altered the dual’s course by overcoming a 7-0 first-period deficit at 138 against Wolverine Logan Valencia and pinning the senior 1:36 into the second period.
The Falcons were most fortunate he did, what with Bayfield junior Coan Naranjo preceding Christner’s victory by confidently pinning CHS senior Nik Skadberg 0:33 into the second period at 144 pounds.