The Pine River Rivalry runs upstream when it comes to wrestling.
Bayfield High School and Ignacio High School will meet with Rangely in a wrestling tri-meet at 6 p.m. at the SunUte Community Center.
The competition still is as fierce as when the Bobcats and Wolverines meet up on the basketball floor or football field, but there’s more of a brotherhood on the wrestling mat.
“We enjoy going to battle with them, but a lot of this kids are friends, and the coaching staffs get along,” BHS head coach Todd McMenimen said. “I used to coach with (IHS head coach) Cody (Haga) and had the opportunity to coach him.”
In terms of head-to-head matchups, BHS and IHS will feature several headline-worthy clashes.
Bayfield’s Jake Sandrey knows how to hang with Ignacio’s state finalist Stocker Robbins at 113 pounds.
Colter McMenimen and Lorenzo Peña will look to reignite their competition, meeting only once this year at 145 pounds after clashing often last season.
Then there’s the heavyweight rivalry budding between Josh Gallegos and Sam Westbrook.
Westbrook topped Gallegos the last time the pair met in the finals of the Salida Invitational.
“I know Gallegos is gonna be gunning for Westbrook (on Friday) night,” coach McMenimen said. “Top to bottom, there’s always a lot of fun with them.”
Rangely, on the other hand, will provide a new challenge to both BHS and IHS.
Neither team has faced the Panthers this season, and Rangely is in Ignacio’s region for state.
“That’ll be good to be exposed to a team we haven’t seen yet this year,” Haga said.
Mere hours after that dual, Durango will join the Pine River rivals and 11 other teams for the annual Butch Melton Invitational starting at 9 a.m. Saturday at the SunUte Community Center.
“Butch Melton was actually a teacher of mine and the athletic director while I was at Ignacio,” DHS head coach John Gurule said. “I have the utmost respect for that individual. He was an outstanding coach and leader for the Ignacio community. I’m honored to have the team compete in this tournament.”
The event will be a round-robin style tournament with bracketed finals.
Weight classes with more than 12 entrants will be split into two pools to maximize mat time.
“It should be a good tournament – a lot of wrestling,” Haga said. “Everyone should get four to five matches.”
The geographical proximity of the schools also will allow local fans to cheer for their wrestlers who have competed everywhere from Arvada to Arizona this season.
It’s one of Ignacio’s only home matches of the season because of the high school’s renovation.
“We’re kind of in a transition year with the new high school getting revamped and reconstructed. That’s part of the reason we’re having the travel. We don’t really have a location to even have a home dual,” Haga said. “Given the circumstances, I think it’ll be an exciting event for our boys to have something that our community can come out and support.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
