Eight matches, eight wins, eight pins.
And two tournament championships.
The 2022-23 high school wrestling season may still be very young, but Faye Hackett’s proven she can, well, hack it.
Coming in off a first-place 4-0 showing, including a pin of teammate Kacey Brown, at the previous weekend’s season-opening Farmington Lady Scorpion Invitational, IHS’ senior 132-pounder repeated the feat Saturday by pinning all four of her Bloomfield (New Mexico) Invitational foes. Succumbing to Hackett in the first-place bout – in just 62 seconds – was Los Alamos (New Mexico) sophomore Wendy Sheppard.
All told, Hackett’s effort helped the ’Cats score 49 points in BHS’ Bobcat Gymnasium and place sixth out of 11 represented schools. At FHS, Ignacio scored 38 points and finished seventh out of 10. With 21 individuals entered, Farmington won easily with 204.5. Dressing 10 wrestlers, Bloomfield followed with 110 points, LAHS placed third with 102 while Durango finished seventh (45) and Bayfield placed eighth (23).
Among the seven Hilltoppers, however, was Heidi Sheppard. Third place at last season’s NMAA girls’ state championships at 132, the senior wrestled in Bloomfield at 138 pounds – and was the final obstacle between IHS’ Marlene Martinez-Perez and her team’s second individual title on the day.
Martinez-Perez had pinned two Pool ‘B’ opponents and also received a bye en route to the showdown, while Sheppard had stuck all three of her “A” foes. Ultimately, experience won out as Sheppard pinned Ignacio’s freshman in only 24 seconds.
At 100 pounds, IHS freshman Madison Egger went 1-2 with a pin and placed third, while sophomore Audrey Roderick went 0-3 at 126 and finished out of the weight’s top six.
Five Durango girls also competed in Bloomfield. Brooke Fenberg finished first at 120 pounds to lead the Demons. Fenberg pinned all three of her opponents in under one minute, including a 55-second stick of Harley Rightmire of Bloomfield in the finals.
Hana Maletich went 3-1 to place second at 114 pounds and Amiah Hanson placed fourth at 132 after going 2-2. At 126, Teresa Benac went 1-2 and Quincy Ellis went 0-3 for DHS.
Gracie Patton led Bayfield with a second-place finish at 185. Patton pinned three of her opponents in a 3-1 outing. Bailey Blouin also competed for BHS at 126. Blouin lost her first match, but then won three in a row by fall before getting pinned to place fifth.
In boys action Saturday, sophomore Asher Gallegos led Ignacio at the Dove Creek Dawg Fight, and did so impressively in its most-contested weight class. With six individuals reportedly entered at 150 pounds – equaling the heavyweight division – Gallegos posted a 4-0 record.
Freshmen Lincoln deKay and Zane Pontine also fared well, going 3-1 at 144 and 138. Sophomore 165-pounder Kendrick Nossaman and freshman 113-pounder Joshua Kerrigan each finished 2-2 inside ‘The DawgHouse,’ and freshman Dillon Brann notched one win in four tries at 120.
Also represented at this year a duals-style event were fellow 2A San Juan Basin Leaguers Mancos and Dolores, plus Shiprock (New Mexico) and Utah schools Blanding San Juan, Montezuma Creek Whitehorse, and Monument Valley. All told, IHS defeated DHS 24-21 and Whitehorse 35-18, but lost 56-6 to MHS and 36-21 to the hosting Bulldogs.
Next on Ignacio’s schedule is a trip to Walsenburg Saturday for John Mall High School’s Pete & Ina Gomez Invitational. The ’Cats will also compete in duals on Friday, with Mancos and Rye slated to join.
